Thoughts on Calluma boettgeri?

[skoram]

Gorgeous enclosure! The image of the new layout I had in my mind is very similar to your photo.

I tend to agree with you that this is likely a female. If there is a hemipenal bulge it is absolutely tiny. Contrast with the photo in my first post where the bulge is fairly evident.

I wish there was some way to be sure. I'd hate to get 2 males and eliminate any chances of breeding. My linotum mostly stays in one spot and moves around very slowly, though she does utilize many different parts of the enclosure. She is quite shy and tries to hide whenever my hand comes near. Though I have not directly witnessed her feeding yet, she has defecated at least two times while I've had her. Her feces was very small and compact (vs. long and thing) and had very bright, white urates.

 

[Syreptyon]

Gorgeous enclosure! The image of the new layout I had in my mind is very similar to your photo.

I tend to agree with you that this is likely a female. If there is a hemipenal bulge it is absolutely tiny. Contrast with the photo in my first post where the bulge is fairly evident.

I wish there was some way to be sure. I'd hate to get 2 males and eliminate any chances of breeding. My linotum mostly stays in one spot and moves around very slowly, though she does utilize many different parts of the enclosure. She is quite shy and tries to hide whenever my hand comes near. Though I have not directly witnessed her feeding yet, she has defecated at least two times while I've had her. Her feces was very small and compact (vs. long and thing) and had very bright, white urates.

Try experimenting with different food items, that can really help them warm to you. Mine was shy at first, too, until I introduced her to small black soldier flies!

Also if she recently came in from Madagascar, there is a high possibility of her being gravid already

 

[skoram]

Try experimenting with different food items, that can really help them warm to you. Mine was shy at first, too, until I introduced her to small black soldier flies!

Also if she recently came in from Madagascar, there is a high possibility of her being gravid already

You have no idea how much I wish I could purchase BSF not to mention hornworms and other feeder insects. Unfortunately, none of that is available here in Korea and most are illegal to import. My options are limited to crickets and fruit flies, which I have, along with super/mealworms and silkworms. I'm pretty sure she's eating the crickets I place in her enclosure (and this is what the shop owner said he fed his linotum), just not while I am watching.

The shop owner told me he imported the linotum this past March (9 months ago) so there should be no way she could be gravid.

 

[skoram]

Was incredibly busy with work the past month and didn't have time to post much but my C. linotum is doing great so far. I redesigned her enclosure with custom background, side and branches. Daytime temps reach about 26-27 degrees Celsius near the top of the enclosure. I placed the enclosure near a window which I open slightly at night to drop temps to about 17-18 degrees Celsius. I mist for 1 minute shortly after the lights come on and 1 minute just before they go off. An Exo Terra Repti Glo 5.0 CFL bulb insde an Exo Terra canopy hood provides some UVB though I am unsure if it is sufficient for this species. UVI was about 0.5 at the highest branch measured using a Solarmeter 6.5.



I plan to add more plants and branches this weekend to fill out the enclosure. I may also have to replace the mini Areca palm as it is not doing well currently (as you can see from more recent photos below) - perhaps due to too much moisture/humidity? Feel free to leave me plant suggestions and other ideas to improve this enclosure!

The linotum has been very active and eating well - I have witnessed her hunting and eating small crickets and fruit flies on a several occasions. Urates are very bright. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite chameleons ever with her amazing color variation. Sometimes she takes on a very mottled brown color with some light splotches, like a lichen covered branch. At other times she shows bright shades of green, turquoise, blue and purple. It has been difficult to get a clear and full photo of her inside the enclosure. Here are some I took a few days ago:

 

[janjan20]

Looking good! She seems to be settling in nicely

 

[cyberlocc]

Great find, glad to see you picked them up .

Was incredibly busy with work the past month and didn't have time to post much but my C. linotum is doing great so far. I redesigned her enclosure with custom background, side and branches. Daytime temps reach about 26-27 degrees Celsius near the top of the enclosure. I placed the enclosure near a window which I open slightly at night to drop temps to about 17-18 degrees Celsius. I mist for 1 minute shortly after the lights come on and 1 minute just before they go off. An Exo Terra Repti Glo 5.0 CFL bulb insde an Exo Terra canopy hood provides some UVB though I am unsure if it is sufficient for this species. UVI was about 0.5 at the highest branch measured using a Solarmeter 6.5.

View attachment 258402View attachment 258403

I plan to add more plants and branches this weekend to fill out the enclosure. I may also have to replace the mini Areca palm as it is not doing well currently (as you can see from more recent photos below) - perhaps due to too much moisture/humidity? Feel free to leave me plant suggestions and other ideas to improve this enclosure!

The linotum has been very active and eating well - I have witnessed her hunting and eating small crickets and fruit flies on a several occasions. Urates are very bright. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite chameleons ever with her amazing color variation. Sometimes she takes on a very mottled brown color with some light splotches, like a lichen covered branch. At other times she shows bright shades of green, turquoise, blue and purple. It has been difficult to get a clear and full photo of her inside the enclosure. Here are some I took a few days ago:

View attachment 258405View attachment 258406

When did you plant the palm? It could just be transplant shock, those things guzzle water lol. they will raise the humidity in the viv, more than pretty much any other plant.

They also share habitat with your cham, so they should do fine. It will likely outgrow the viv though, fairly quickly.

As to your feeder conundrum, what about small isopods? Ants? Bean Beetles, Rice flower beetles?

 

[skoram]

Great find, glad to see you picked them up .

When did you plant the palm? It could just be transplant shock, those things guzzle water lol. they will raise the humidity in the viv, more than pretty much any other plant.

They also share habitat with your cham, so they should do fine. It will likely outgrow the viv though, fairly quickly.

As to your feeder conundrum, what about small isopods? Ants? Bean Beetles, Rice flower beetles?

I wonder if the problem could be due to nutrient deficiency. I just read the following on a website:

Also, there is the persistent challenge of feeding. Areca palms are heavy feeders that can develop yellowing leaves in the absence of magnesium, iron, and trace elements.

Though ultimately you are probably right about transplant shock. The plant has only been in the vivarium for a few weeks. I purchased it from a local chain market, like Walmart in the US, where conditions were most certainly quite different from a vivarium.

Feeders are a huge challenge here in Korea. Only crickets, super/mealworms and silkworms are commercially available. Even fruit flies are difficult to find for sale here. Bean and rice flower beetles do exist in Korea but I'd probably have to collect them from the wild and breed them ... I'm not particularly inclined to breed any feeder insects as I have my hands full already with 4 and soon to be 5 (once I pick up the male C. linotum) chameleons. I did not consider isopods as feeders since they are too small for most chameleons. I have a bin with P. laevis which I keep for my vivarium CuC but I think these could be too large for linotum. Could you recommend anything which you think would be a good feeder from this site?

https://smartstore.naver.com/isopoda/category/e0cc7d2d0d9349db979b20f40dc8047c?cp=1

 

[cyberlocc]

I wonder if the problem could be due to nutrient deficiency. I just read the following on a website:

Also, there is the persistent challenge of feeding. Areca palms are heavy feeders that can develop yellowing leaves in the absence of magnesium, iron, and trace elements.

Though ultimately you are probably right about transplant shock. The plant has only been in the vivarium for a few weeks. I purchased it from a local chain market, like Walmart in the US, where conditions were most certainly quite different from a vivarium.

Feeders are a huge challenge here in Korea. Only crickets, super/mealworms and silkworms are commercially available. Even fruit flies are difficult to find for sale here. Bean and rice flower beetles do exist in Korea but I'd probably have to collect them from the wild and breed them ... I'm not particularly inclined to breed any feeder insects as I have my hands full already with 4 and soon to be 5 (once I pick up the male C. linotum) chameleons. I did not consider isopods as feeders since they are too small for most chameleons. I have a bin with P. laevis which I keep for my vivarium CuC but I think these could be too large for linotum. Could you recommend anything which you think would be a good feeder from this site?

https://smartstore.naver.com/isopoda/category/e0cc7d2d0d9349db979b20f40dc8047c?cp=1

Armadillidium Vulgare get almost an inch long (about 18mms) so that would surely be big enough.
Porcellio laevis Get about the same (a little bigger, like 20mm)

Either of those should surely work.

 

[skoram]

Armadillidium Vulgare get almost an inch long (about 18mms) so that would surely be big enough.
Porcellio laevis Get about the same (a little bigger, like 20mm)

Either of those should surely work.

As feeders? I actually thought these would be way too big to feed my linotum (you also said "small isopods"). Keep in mind her snout to vent length is about 2 inches. To date she has only been fed fruit flies and juvenile crickets no larger than a quarter-inch.

 

[cyberlocc]

As feeders? I actually thought these would be way too big to feed my linotum (you also said "small isopods"). Keep in mind her snout to vent length is about 2 inches. To date she has only been fed fruit flies and juvenile crickets no larger than a quarter-inch.

You could get small isopods, if you would rather. I didn't see any small species on that link though, there may be some.

Isopods are just like crickets though, and in the case of those species which are fairly slow growing, it would work to your advantage. Thats adult size, babys are much smaller. She could eat babies.

If you want small isos that the adults can be eaten, check out Trichorhina tomentosa AKA Dwarf white Isopods. They breed very very fast, and are about 1/8 inch if that full grown.

 

[skoram]

Hanging out on her favorite branch last night:



Hopefully I can get some shots of her soon in her bright green/turquoise coloration.

 

[skoram]

I replaced the palm with a button fern which she seems to enjoy a great deal: