New mellers chameleon

[Jamall]

I just picked up this female import two days ago I'm not familiar with the species at all and would like to get pointed in the right direction of a good care sheet and any other possible info I have tons of chameleon books but no info on these guys husbandry in there.

As far as I can tell its a female it has two black dots behind the ear?
She seems to be doing great eating a ridiculous amount and drinking lots also.

 

[Jamall]

I have seen mellers discovery but suggested before in precious threads but it isent pulling up

 

[fluxlizard]

I'm sure you will get some excellent advice from others- it's very late here and I'm going to bed.

But meanwhile- I've bred these guys a few times in years past. Pretend it's a gigantic sized jacksons chameleon and you will be pretty near on husbandry.

The dots thing is a myth when it comes to sexing. Can be sexed by body shape (look from above if you have chameleon experience- females of all chameleon species have a certain body shape that is kind of pear shaped, males are more straight lined down the sides) and behavior (visually isolated for a few weeks, melleri will show typical chameleon display behavior to each other when re-introduced- males will nod and flap the lobes, females will gape and rock side to side).

Speaking of dots- those big dark spots are stress colors when they appear. Melleri are pretty hardy when established, but are kind of infamous for being difficult acclimations. They need lots of water on a regular basis- I misted mine for 25 minutes a couple times a day once established and they drank right ouf the air. Longer sometimes, and much, much longer when acclimating (hours at a time in a fine mist for the first month or two). Adult imports (most likely situation as they are rarely bred) come with all kinds of hitchikers on board and this is one reason they often crash after a few months. Getting some fresh stool samples to a vet is highly recommended so appropriate de-parasitising routine can get going as soon as possible.

Would recommend much less interaction than your photos for a few months until you are sure the lizard is well established and clean of parasites. As I mentioned- they are kind of famous for being "iffy" for the first while... At one point they were called the "3 month" chameleon because that's about how most lasted...

Once over the hurdle, they are really amazing lizards and you can have a little more interaction on the lizard's terms...

 

[Olimpia]

Yea, like Flux said I would definitely stop moving it around so often for a while. These guys stress very easily (way more so than a panther or veiled), especially when fresh to the country, so letting it settle in and acclimate right now is vital. Right now it needs a very large cage, lots and lots of water, food, and tranquility. Importation is a really tough ordeal for them, as evidenced by all the bruising on its face, back, and joints, so right now it needs to be left alone to adjust to life in captivity and heal from the experience.

This is a really good resource on how to care for this species: http://melleridiscovery.com/

I also think this is a phenomenal species to work with but they are delicate at first. Acclimating them is the hardest part about owning them, but if you can make it past that then they're really amazing.

 

[summoner12]

I too have had years of melleri experience. I no longer keep them because I don't have the room for them. Following the Jacksoni husbandry is a good idea. Keep temps below 80*f ambient, can go as low as 50*f no prob (at night). Provide a basking spot that has a low angled light, do not have a heat lamp pointing straight down. Melleri burn very easily. The dark spots on your chameleon might be burns along the dorsel crest. Also could just be some bruising. As flux said, lots and lots of water. My guys got 20 minutes three times a day. You may not see them drink, but trust me they do. watch their urates. Also watch for his first poop, you might even see the parasites squirming if this is a fresh import wit no medications taken. Don't worry, that can be resolved. My second melleri had the swimmers in her poop and lived with me for 6 years healthy as could be. research how to treat for parasites in chameleons. back to lighting.... in large enclosure like the one below, use 10.0 UVB lamps along side 6500 Kelvin lamps. You can find them at Home Depot or just buy Zoo Meds "NatureSun". I highly recommend the Zoo Med brand of lights, they last longer. I would go with the T8 size lamps, cheaper fixtures are found with them.

This is an example of what I mean with the light, you can see it hanging from the ceiling. At that distance a 75 watt halogen flood is perfect. It will be a wide area, good for these large chameleons and also just the right temp. You will find the chameleon working his way over to the light in the morning or just making that his sleeping spot as it becomes used to the enclosure. that enclosure is 4' wide by 2' deep and 3' tall. plastic on three sides, open front and metal grate on top and bottom.Two misting nozzles are used to get everything wet. The lighting is a 4' and a 3' fixture, each has a 10.0 UVB lamp and 6500K lamp. I used soaker hose for 'branches'.

Even bigger enclosure:

If you can't produce a large enclosure for your melleri, you might need to reconsider your choice in animal to keep. Melleri need horizontal space to stretch out in. A 2x2x4 foot cage is not going to be big enough. If you have room for it, do two 2x2x3 cages side by site and just remove the screen between the two cages. You can secure the two cages with some hardware from home depot.



If you have any hydration questions, let me know!

 

[NWD]

Water!!

Hydration is key these guys love water and lots of it!!