The new Melleri (s)

[Chameleons Northwest]

Just curious, what do you do about feces? I imagine it's going to be hard to find it all when it's densely planted. I'm already having trouble finding it in my veiled enclosure. Which reminds me I need to update some pics of that too.

Most of it either falls or slides down to the bottom. Very little of it actually sticks to the leaves.

Here is a photo of their original freerange. They are now in a larger one in an adjacent room. They like a lot of horizontal movement, so it's good that I see that you plan to add more plants to your area.:

Also, just FYI, at the corner of your beautiful blue Melleri's I see some edges of dark discoloration. This is normal. There is a gland there from which some Meller's will shed a brown waxy (triangular shaped flat substance about the size of a dime) substance once a year. Our female shed her's last year, and it is building up again. When they shed it, it will hang from the corner of their mouth for days. just letting you know because when I first noticed it I freaked out (thinking it was some kind of mouth rot), but Kristina (studiocham) of Melleri Discovery told me what it was.

 

[Orchidartist]

Beautiful animals and amazing enclosure!

 

[dante8858]

Reading the melleri discovery website it mentions that melleri are basically clumsy and that it is not unusual for them to fall. There is even a folk tale that explains why melleri fall from trees so often. Just wondering if this seems to hold true for melleri owners out there? The site mentions planning for this and trying to cushion the enclosure floor.

I have only seen Ichi (my Melleri) fall once and I have almost had him a year now....but that doesn't mean he doesn't fall when I'm not around. He probably does?

 

[dante8858]

Congrats!!! I know you will love them!!! I can't get enough of my guy.

 

[Pure]

I have only seen Ichi (my Melleri) fall once and I have almost had him a year now....but that doesn't mean he doesn't fall when I'm not around. He probably does?

Feruzi has already fallen once. In her defence it was 3 am and she had been in a bag for almost 7 hrs.

Thanks for the headsup Gesang. Where is the blackend spot? Her colors are darker because she is sleeping for some reason. I don't know why she darkend up as Lumbwi turns a very pretty lime green when sleeping.

 

[reptilemancan]

Feruzi has already fallen once. In her defence it was 3 am and she had been in a bag for almost 7 hrs.

Thanks for the headsup Gesang. Where is the blackend spot? Her colors are darker because she is sleeping for some reason. I don't know why she darkend up as Lumbwi turns a very pretty lime green when sleeping.

wow they look great your female looks very nice!! cool cage, just need a few more plants to fill up the space and it will be like a jungle for them!!

 

[justagirl]

Wish I could come up with names like that. I've had a red eye tree frog since Christmas and still haven't named her.


Beautiful chams! Can't wait to see more pics.

 

[Pure]

All I did was google "Tanzanian Names". Then found a site that gave meanings.

This may be a tad more difficult as your frog is found in tropical lowlands from southern Mexico, throughout Central America, and in northern South America. That means a whole bunch of reading different country names until you find one you like.

 

[justagirl]

LOL. I was trying to name her by her demeanor, but she doesn't really have one. Hmm....what it "lazy" in Spanish? Or how about "dehydrated" since she made the great escape one weekend and found refuge under the fridge. By the time we found her she was almost completely dried out. A few hours in a water dish and then back on her fountain and she was good as new. Thank goodness. I would have been heart broken.

 

[chrisw]

Thanks for all the responses in regards to falling - dense planting seems to be the best idea.

 

[blackbetty]

LOL. I was trying to name her by her demeanor, but she doesn't really have one. Hmm....what it "lazy" in Spanish? Or how about "dehydrated" since she made the great escape one weekend and found refuge under the fridge. By the time we found her she was almost completely dried out. A few hours in a water dish and then back on her fountain and she was good as new. Thank goodness. I would have been heart broken.

Yea, I have a large one named Burp and have has 2 smaller ones now for months and havent named them yet either so I feel ya..I havent named my pygs either..Not sure why since Im a naming fanatic.. Hmm..

Pure: They are beautiful...always said this will be my next choice but long from now when I can focus on needs and build them something just as awesome as what you have done.

 

[justagirl]

Yea, I have a large one named Burp and have has 2 smaller ones now for months and havent named them yet either so I feel ya..I havent named my pygs either..Not sure why since Im a naming fanatic.. Hmm..



LOL. I've really been thinking about it and I still can't come up with anything.

 

[CleaTheChameleon]

i really want one now! they are so pretty and cool looking

 

[Pure]

Sorry I haven't been able to update. I've been busy these last couple of days.

I added the Pothos and then attached some dowel rods from the front screen to the back wall and then connecting rods between them all. I then used the Pothos to wrap around the rods. I also added 2 new lights, the one over the left Pothos and one you can't see giving heat to the top of the ficus. I added the splash guard last. It can be pulled right out but I like how it covers up the look of the pots. It also really helps keep my floor dry. Thank god for tile.

The screen really makes it hard to see what's all going on in there in pics. Even up close. It really isn't as crowded as it looks.

I haven't been taking many pics of them I've really been just leaving them alone. But today I did snapped a good one of Feruzi. Right after I put their cricket bin in, she turned a bright light teal with black spots. Guess she was excited. She came running down to the bin and stayed this color until she was done

You can see the spot on her tail. She had a bad lamp burn there. I checked it and it is healed. She's just missing that piece. The guy said that it was healed when he got her to. So it's been like that for a wile now.

Thanks for all who have responded. I know this thread is getting long. I figured it bad form to start a new one with this one still available on the first page.

Please keep the comments coming. I'm open to improvements/suggestions.

 

[Marine]

Congrats on the new chams, they are both hot :0)

 

[DJnSoCal]

What would you call the shape of your cage? Trianglish? how about some pictures from the sides? The extra foliage and the lamp look great...

 

[blackbetty]

Great Corner hab Pure.. Very cool chams..im jealous

 

[Pure]

What would you call the shape of your cage? Trianglish? how about some pictures from the sides? The extra foliage and the lamp look great...

What? You didn't know I can walk through walls? I'd have to, to get ya a side shot. lol

It's a corner unit. And my first cage build, but I've built so many fish tank stands and racks that I've gotten to where I don't need blueprints. I just lay it out in my head and write my dimensions down.

My last set of blueprints. LOL!

 

[PardalisGirl]

Yippee!

I finally got a chance to respond to your post. I saw the pictures briefly a couple of days ago and had no time to respond. You really got some real treasures. Well worth the drive. Your cage is great too. I am so excited for you. They are beautiful. The previous owner did a good job acclimating them too. I did a little LOL when you asked about the poop cleanup. I think you will manage to find it. I could not believe the size of Layla's poop the first time she did one. She's the biggest cham I've ever had and her poop is proportionate to her size. Her cage is pretty dense with plants but they are very visible because of size. Congrats on your new beauties. You need to start taking videos of any interactive behavior they show in the future.

 

[chams1]

Congrats on your Melleri and your set-up looks awesome! I admire your initiative to build that on your own! I just do things the old fashioned way and buy it (even though my husband and I are both very capable)!

Seriously, though, for all you Melleri-lovers out there, a great alternative if you don't feel like "building" is an Iguana Kingdom, Iguanarium or one of those giant bird cages that are designed for parrots, etc. Our 5 Melleri are free-ranged in trees in our living room when we are at home (most of the time) and are in those kinds of "homes" when we aren't home. We put lots of foliage in there with plenty of vines and also those really big bird perches. The Melleri seem to love those perches (up high) and they attach really well to those type of enclosures.

Also, if you are unsure as to them possibly having parasites, you should try Reptaid. It is an all-natural product that gets rid of parasites and is safe for your chams even if there aren't any parasites. Still a good idea to get them checked over by a vet, though, since they are new and regular check-ups. However, we have noticed a big difference in all of our chams (with or without parasites) for a number of problems or even just as a booster when we have used the Reptaid (i.e. 1.4 Melleri, 4.2 Panthers, 1.2 Rudis, 2.2 Fischer's, 1.0 Montium (+ loads of geckos, 1 beardie and 1 argus monitor).

I second Gesang's response regarding their grip. I have permanent scars on my arms, hands and ears/face (i.e. my 2 oldest adults like to sit on top of my head).

Good luck with your Melleri! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do. They are so very expressive and can really talk to you. (or maybe that's just the voices in my head....??)