New to this Group....

PardalisGirl

Avid Member
Hello everyone! I just recently joined this group. I've had this site as an internet "favorite" for over a year, but never joined. The number of people that actively participate here is amazing. I'm a Panther chameleon fanatic but tend to keep to myself and do my own thing. I have really enjoyed looking at all the available information and pictures that fellow keepers publish in books or share on the internet. I would have a pair of every type of chameleon out there if wishes came true. I made a decision several years ago to concentrate on panthers (I do have a pair of Veileds). I keep lizards other than chameleons too so I have to limit my focus. I have bought from most of the site sponsors and met several of you in person at Daytona last year.

Anyway, I've spent a lot of time checking out the various forums and all the pictures. Very amazing and cool. As part of my introduction to this group I took a series of pictures of an Ambilobe male and female that "met" for the first time today. I uploaded the pictures (15 of them) in sequence in my photo gallery file (PardalisGirl). I should have uploaded them in reverse sequence instead. I wanted it to be viewed like a slide show. Instead it's a slide show with the ending first and the beginning last. If you check it out either keep clicking the "Previous Image" button or view it in ascending order (an option on the bottom of the screen). If anyone knows how I can permanently change the order of the photos in my file, please let me know. I feel like a total spaz for getting them in reverse order. I think you can click on the link below to go directly to my photos:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/gallery/browseimages.php?do=member&imageuser=1972

I hope you enjoy my little chameleon love story!
 
Welcome aboard. I too am fairly new to this site, but have found very useful information. I don't reply to many forums, but I was just wondering something. How is you cat around your chams? I have several cats myself, but I have to keep them away because I am afraid they might get one of my chams. Several years ago, my 1st cham's cage got knocked down by one of my cats. She was after a cricket. By the way, nice pictures. You seem to take your time taking pictures. I have a thousands myself.
 
ParadalisGirl: You obviously have a massive amout of first hand experience . It will be wonderful to have your knowledge shared on these forums in the future.

BTW, welcome to our community...
 
Welcome aboard. I too am fairly new to this site, but have found very useful information. I don't reply to many forums, but I was just wondering something. How is you cat around your chams? I have several cats myself, but I have to keep them away because I am afraid they might get one of my chams. Several years ago, my 1st cham's cage got knocked down by one of my cats. She was after a cricket. By the way, nice pictures. You seem to take your time taking pictures. I have a thousands myself.

In suburban gardens in South Africa (and also on the fringe areas of cities and towns), domestic cats are probably the number one predator of chameleons today. An attack by a cat would devastate a chameleon.
Cats and chameleons do not mix well at all.
 
Chameleons and Cats......

Most cats are probably not compatable with chameleons. It depends on the situation. Our cats (seven, yes seven) are never allowed outside (we have six American Bald Eagles nesting here) so they have never hunted live prey outside. They have all grown up with lizards. My larger lizards (Green Iguanas and Hydrosaurus) are potty trained and allowed to roam around periodically. Our cats will sleep on the same chair with a lizard.

The cats recognize the lizards as part of the household and the lizards all feel the same way. My larger chameleons are allowed to sit on live plants in my solarium during the summer. Its the same situation with them. The cats will sniff them but that's it. The chameleons recognize the cats and barely acknowledge the sniffing. When I first got chameleons I spent a lot of time supervising the cats to see what their reaction would be. After two years I am comfortable enough to walk away for awhile. Not something I would advise for most people though. A cat or dog could kill one in a few seconds.

The cats do like the crickets. I feed out at least 3,000 crickets a week. There are a lot of escapees with that volume. My cats don't need to go after crickets in cages. They round them up around the house and eat them. I count on that service every day! My husband and I are used to seeing crickets in the house, but it would probably gross out most other people.

Anyway, like everything else in life, it all depends on your particular situation. What works in my household probably won't work in someone elses. Thanks for your kind words regarding my pictures!
 
Hey Catherine. Are you coming to Daytona this year? Glad you've come on here. A great addition to the forums for sure!
 
New to this Group.....

Hey to you too Mike! I can't make Daytona this year. I have babies hatching as I write this and four other clutches are ready to hatch any day (or week) now. My husband will take care of watering and feeding my lizards for a few days but hatchlings are not something he can deal with. It's my hobby - not his. It's enough for me that he can tolorate all the cages and expense :) I live in the middle of nowhere and there is nobody here that I will trust the hatchlings to. After all the waiting and praying, I'm not taking any chances with them.

I'm going next year for sure though. I have a good friend in Florida who breeds Hydrosaurus (Dragon Attack - check him out at Daytona). I'm going to check his place out before the show next year and then go on to the show with him and his pals. I had a blast with them last year. I'm not going to breed anything at all this fall so I end up with no eggs to hatch or hatchlings in August of next year. That's probably the only way for me to do it. It's a good thing that I don't like to travel much...cause I can't!

I still have some of the chams I bought from you. I have a huge wild caught Ambanja male that I got from you that is one of my favorites. He has an unusual personality. He is not happy unless he lives permanently with a female. He's lived with a couple of them full-time. He leaves them alone once they become gravid and won't bother them again until they are ready to breed again. He's so nice that the females will even sit on him. He will pout and pace his cage unless a female is with him. He seems to just like the company. I'm very attached to him. Thanks for the welcome Mike :)

Hi Vincent! We have not met in person but I have gotten things from you. You should like my Avatar picture because it's a wild caught Nosey Mitsio I bought from you in April of 2006. Macando was maybe five or six months old then and is another one of my favorites. He is totally fiesty and a real biter. He will eat food from my fingers but will bite immediately if you come near him with no food. I have three clutches with two different wild caught females incubating right now. One clutch is due to hatch next month. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for sure. I have a lot of fond memories of him when he was a little squirt. He would clamp on to a finger and twist and grind as hard as he could. He would stare at me the whole time too with little devil eyes. That look made the pain almost worthwhile! Thanks for the welcome Vincent :)
 
Your Ambanja sounds a lot like my friend Tyler Stewart. He's not happy unless he's living with a female permanetly either. LOL

Great to hear from you!
 
Welcome PardalisGirl! Here is my question-How did you talk your husband into your growing collection? Mine will water and feed, the rest is certainly up to me and I am fine because like you said, "It is my hobby". I need some Panthers, but he seems to think that I have enough! :)
 
Your Ambanja sounds a lot like my friend Tyler Stewart. He's not happy unless he's living with a female permanetly either.

Mike, it's not that I don't like living alone, it's just that they never leave, so it kinda seems that way LOL...

Nice to see you here Catherine, it's been a while. You'll be a good asset to ChamForums.
 
Welcome PardalisGirl! Here is my question-How did you talk your husband into your growing collection? Mine will water and feed, the rest is certainly up to me and I am fine because like you said, "It is my hobby". I need some Panthers, but he seems to think that I have enough! :)

Well Julirs..........My husband has his own compulsive collecting hobbies....He is just as fanatic about his stuff as I am, so he can't complain much. Also, he does travel somewhat and I am good at "sneaking" a new cage into the house when he is gone :D
 
Mine has a small motorcycle obsession which dwarfs my chameleon hobby expense wise, and he also travels so I guess I will start sneaking! Where do you keep everything? I no longer have a functioning dining room!
 
New to this Group...

Julirs, you are a girl after my own heart! Tee Hee! I lost my dining room to my Hydrosaurus and Tree Monitor collection seven years ago. Then I filled my home office with chameleon cages until I maxed out the circuit breaker for the room. Then I started putting them into a spare bedroom that just had a treadmill and TV in it. I maxed out the circuit breaker on that room too. Then I moved into another spare bedroom. Same thing there. It's just the two of us in this house so we do have spare bedrooms. My husband has the whole finished lower floor for his hobbies so he can't complain about it. I can't take over any more rooms though. That would be pushing it. You can see why I say my whole house "glows" at night. It actually works well to have so many cages in a room. Each room is an ecosystem now. The room is warmer so I use less heat sources than I would normally have to use. The humidity in the room is elevated too. Sounds like you have a new panther in your future. Post a pic as soon as you get one :)
 
Catherine, your house sounds a bit like mine, i throw out furniture to make room for vivs:D and i have nowhere near as many as you.
 
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