When Poop is Heavier Than Most Chameleons

[jpowell86]

For those getting melleri from me, I have really been diligent about explaining the needs of a larger chameleon. Food intake, hydration periods, enclosure size, etc.

But I left one bit out....the size of their DUMPS!! If it bothers you to see large poops, then this species is not for you. Because when they get large, like Naga, the poops come out heavier than most people's little chameleons.

This was Naga's morning deposit weighing in at 24 GRAMS!!! That's right!

 

[Nursemaia]

I enjoy the fact that you weighed her poop. However, poop does not scare me.

 

[jpowell86]

I enjoy the fact that you weighed her poop. However, poop does not scare me.

Every keeper worth their salt weighs the poo's!! LOL

Glad to hear it!!

 

[Nursemaia]

Every keeper worth their salt weighs the poo's!! LOL

Glad to hear it!!

I must confess, I don't weigh my chams poo. I do monitor it for changes though.

 

[jpowell86]

I must confess, I don't weigh my chams poo. I do monitor it for changes though.

Good enough.

I honestly don't weigh every poo that my chameleons have. If I did, I would never get to do anything else. LOL

 

[Orcawhale]

How often do you think a male veiled chameleon should be pooping? Vincent seems to be going very long periods before going, and his poop and urine is very long and very huge. Any ideas?

 

[jpowell86]

The older the chameleon gets, the longer the periods in between poops. How old is Vincent?

 

[Nursemaia]

I just got on my laptop and viewed this thread, that poop is huge and with all the chams you have you would do nothing but weigh poop if you weighed everyone. I still don't know how you get anything non-cham related done anyway. How many are you up to now?

 

[Orcawhale]

The older the chameleon gets, the longer the periods in between poops. How old is Vincent?

It just seems like its been rather abrupt. Vincent has just seem to come out of his juvenile state...I would say he is about a year old, as I got him at about 3 months in January.

 

[jpowell86]

I just got on my laptop and viewed this thread, that poop is huge and with all the chams you have you would do nothing but weigh poop if you weighed everyone. I still don't know how you get anything non-cham related done anyway. How many are you up to now?

Right!! It is quite a poo!

Counting babies or not counting babies? LOL

 

[Nursemaia]

Not counting babies. Just your personal chams

 

[jpowell86]

Here is what I have.

12 melleri, 3 deremensis, 1 veiled, 4 jacksonii, 3 xantholophus, 2 gracilior, 1 amibilobe, 1 nosy faly, 2 oustaleti, 2 hoehnelii, 2 sternfeldi, 3 multituberculata and 6 cristatus.

I downsized quite a bit this spring. I sold all my panthers and veileds except for the 3 mentioned above.

 

[Nursemaia]

Eeeek that's so awesome and so much work and expense. The space requirements, I'd love to see your house. My gosh

 

[jpowell86]

It's really not that bad actually. I think people make it more expensive and harder than it has to be. A proper setup from the beginning goes a long way. Plus, bulk orders on insects make it cheap...cheaper!! I also live in an area where there are more warmer months than cold. So, I get to field collect insects. From roughly April - October, I never have to buy insects.

I also house quite a bit of my chameleons in greenhouse settings. That makes it way easier. I rarely have to clean anything because their poo goes to the ground and they are 6 feet up on their branches, the poo gets eaten by worms and other little creatures, I have no drainage woes, I don't have the expense of lights because the plants are all growing in natural light, etc.

 

[Nursemaia]

That sounds ideal. I was imagining the cost of lights alone for all of them and my head hurt.

 

[jpowell86]

Yeah, now that would be quite the undertaking.

If I couldn't house them outside the way I do, I probably wouldn't have half of what I have now.

 

[brownie64]

I have no drainage woes, I don't have the expense of lights because the plants are all growing in natural light, etc.[/QUOTE]
@jpowell86 How much do you have in UVB lights?

 

[FlChamMom]

My dream is to have a greenhouse with a Mellari herd. Imagine the poop...

 

[jpowell86]

I have no drainage woes, I don't have the expense of lights because the plants are all growing in natural light, etc.

@jpowell86 How much do you have in UVB lights?[/QUOTE]

That is my biggest expense. I run them inside my house on some of the chameleons like the hoehnelii and graciliors. I also have some that run in the greenhouse. But, I am trying to figure out a way around that actually.

My brothers have been constructing a building for me. It seems to have taken forever, but I am the one that works from home and they have to go to the office everyday. So, no complaints from me. But, what I am trying to do with the building, is to have the ability to retract a section of the roof for an hour or so each day to let natural sunshine in. If that works, I would like to implement the same thing to my greenhouses. Maybe having a panel that will retract uncovering a screened portion. That would solve the need for UVB fixtures all together.

 

[jpowell86]

My dream is to have a greenhouse with a Mellari herd. Imagine the poop...

I imagine it in my head a little like Jurassic Park when they first see the dinosaurs!