opinion on chameleon survival

[dodolah]

Don't get me wrong, I love my v chameleon so much..
but just the fact that there are so many odds stack against these creatures, makes me wonder.
(such as heat, humidity, staple diet.. even eating a sick cricket will cause
fatality to this creature)

How is chameleon survival rate in the nature?
Is it possible that this species extinct soon?
it seem to me that they are very fragile..

thanks for your input

 

[ChameleonsTree]

They have survived in the wild for 1000's maybe even millions of years. They are disappearing in the wild because their habitat is going away. Now even the most experienced chameleon owners suffer losses.

 

[Smitty]

Chameleons are very good at surviving in the wild, that is what they have evolved to do. It is a lot more difficult for humans to keep wild animals and replicate their environments and have them survive than it is for them to get along great.

Think of it this way... humans have also tried a lot of times to keep a great white shark in captivity. They do great in the wild but just can't survive in a tank (well, I think there is one, but it took a lot of deaths before that one success).

So... just because they don't survive and thrive in captivity doesn't mean they don't do great where they are and what they have learned to live on their own.

 

[Will Hayward]

Depends the species and natural geographic range actually I would think...

From every knowledgeable author's research that I have read concerning the panther chameleon (Just for example in this case- though applies to other species as well) their information suggests or outright states that this species is actually thriving in areas that are becoming deforested and converted to farmland, fields etc. I have also read a sources that claimed that Furcifer verrucosus and Furcifer oustaleti have a very similar adapation to living on deforested, new farmland.

After rereading your question, I see you were asking about "v chameleon" which I would guess you mean Veiled...?

 

[Sepioteuthis]

Another important thing that is quickly overlooked is that a wild animal in captivity lives a life of (invisible) stress, because it is not in its natural environment. Even is the animal tolerates our presence, eats the food we offer and has all its other basic needs covered, it still is under stress and therefor at a higher risk for infections etc.

An example that may illustrate what I'm trying to say is that of the scuba diver. When we go scuba diving our body is under stress. No matter how many dives we've done or how comfortable we are with our equipment and our ability to handle anything that might go wrong, as soon as our body is submerged in water the part of our brain and nervous system in charge of basic survival is pretty much freaking out.
Simple because the human body has no business surviving under water.
Which is why we often feel tired (and hungry) after a dive, even a shallow one.

I think it's similar for our chameleons. A part of them never stops thinking: "Oh crap. I'm stuck in a cage and some 6ft monster keeps staring at me" even if those thoughts are often followed by a Homer Simpson-like " Oooh, crickets!"

 

[dodolah]

Another important thing that is quickly overlooked is that a wild animal in captivity lives a life of (invisible) stress, because it is not in its natural environment. Even is the animal tolerates our presence, eats the food we offer and has all its other basic needs covered, it still is under stress and therefor at a higher risk for infections etc.

An example that may illustrate what I'm trying to say is that of the scuba diver. When we go scuba diving our body is under stress. No matter how many dives we've done or how comfortable we are with our equipment and our ability to handle anything that might go wrong, as soon as our body is submerged in water the part of our brain and nervous system in charge of basic survival is pretty much freaking out.
Simple because the human body has no business surviving under water.
Which is why we often feel tired (and hungry) after a dive, even a shallow one.

I think it's similar for our chameleons. A part of them never stops thinking: "Oh crap. I'm stuck in a cage and some 6ft monster keeps staring at me" even if those thoughts are often followed by a Homer Simpson-like " Oooh, crickets!"

hahahaha the simpsons quote cracks me up..
they do kinda looked like simpsons characters.
I read somewhere that the average of chameleon surviving for more than 3 years in the wild are rare.
In fact, the breed captive has much more longevity (apart from being safe of predator).

 

[Jeweledchameleons]

ChameleonsTree said: "They have survived in the wild for 1000's maybe even millions of years"

Between 60 and 90 million years ago chameleons evolved in the fossil record.

The myth that they're always on the verge of death... is just that - a myth.

I believe it's based upon the fact that all the earliest chameleons
were wild caught animals, poorly shipped, loaded with parasites,
housed and kept in horrible conditions without any UV or heat light for weeks before
little johnny got his grubby hands on the poor thing.... before it died.
and every pet store owner made excuses when asked why.

For myself, the truth is that they're really hearty when provided with they need and being parasite free.
All of that's has only been really known and available to do for the last 10 years!
We're all on the cutting edge by keeping these amazing creatures
and there's more being learned about how to properly care for them all the time.
I may be totally wrong about all of this... granted.
but I've got some very friendly chameleons that all seem to be doing just fine.