Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone on here know where I can get a CB Melleri baby? All the ones you see for sale online are WC adults and I want something that is young so it will be around for a while.
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1.1.2 Bearded Dragons (Rocky,Hollywood,Zeeba,Flavor Flav)
1.1 Ball Python (Lafaunda, Napoleon)
0.0.1 Timor (Mr.T)

Hello,

Check with Kristina at www.melleridiscovery.com. I know she had some nice young CB guys available some time ago, and she may know of someone trying to sell some from that bloodline, or have eggs cooking.

Best Regards,

Nick Mole
First Choice Reptiles
nick@firstchoicereptiles.com
407-855-7323

www.firstchoicereptiles.com

First Choice Reptiles

I looked at your signature at the bottom of your post...you have only kept timors, beardies, and bps....not very complex herps to keep....a mellers chameleon is a VERY advanced species that is very hard to care for due to how easily it stresses and the necesity of a mate(if you get a male).

Chameleons in general are VERY advanced species of lizards...they are all picky, but the Mellers chameleon ranks as one of the hardest chameleons to sucessfully maintian in captivity. I HIGHLY reccomed you start off with something more like a veiled or a panther chameleon...they are considered begginer species, but are still harder to keep than your typical lizard. Then work your way up the ladder to other interesting species, quadriconis, oustallets and such...it will take LOTS of experience in chams before you would be able to maintain these beautiful creatures.

If you are hell bent on getting a mellers chameleon then make sure you so your friggin research! Dont think you can just guess at what they need...Like nick said visit the melleri discovery page...there is a forum you can post questions on and you can email plenty of mellers keepers and you can ask for their advice.

I have kept mellers chameleons myself after 4 years with panther chameleons...this did not even begin to prepare me for what i was getting myself into! Luckily i got an LTC female who was tame as can be! But dont think your luck will be as good as mine was!

Talk to some people, email Nick at first choice reptiles...he imports them so i think he might know a thing or 2 about them! Post questions if you have any..i am willing to share my tips and others here will too.
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eric

I'll second most of what was said by you Eric, and add: Mellers give you almost no signals that they have a health issue. One day they are fine, the next day (bluntly but truthfully) in your freezer. Even the best keepers still are having a hard time decyphering their complexity.
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CANADIAN CHAMELEONS

I hope you mean in your freezer because it died...not in your freezer to end its life?

Yes. Oops, did I word that wrong?
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CANADIAN CHAMELEONS

No...you didn't word it wrong. I just wanted to clarify it.

I didn't want people to think that freezing was a good way to "help" a chameleon if the end was near. Freezing should NOT be used as a method to put a chameleon out of its misery (which I'm sure you know but others may not.)

>>I looked at your signature at the bottom of your post...you have only kept timors, beardies, and bps....not very complex herps to keep....a mellers chameleon is a VERY advanced species that is very hard to care for due to how easily it stresses and the necesity of a mate(if you get a male).
Funny thing. I did a KS search on you. Turns out you've ONLY kept TWO mellers. One died eggbound. Further, you only kept these Mellers for TWO years. YET...
YET you're claiming that you've kept SEVERAL Mellers. AND that you've kept them for OVER four years.
This claim got me thinking, so I did MORE digging on your name. Turns out you're actually FOURTEEN years old. Which means that, according to YOU, you've kept Mellers since you were TEN???????
Come on!
It was your father who kept some lizards. LIZARDS! NOT Chameleons. Bearded dragons, monitors, and TWO dead Mellers.
I'm sorry, but this track record does NOT make you a chameleon EXPERT. Not even highly experienced.
PLEASE do a favor to everyone. Curb that enthusiasm. Please do not go dispensing 'advise' when you're clearly not qualified.
>>I have kept mellers chameleons myself after 4 years with panther chameleons...this did not even begin to prepare me for what i was getting myself into! Luckily i got an LTC female who was tame as can be!
This is what I'm talking about! You're saying you kept Mellers here after FOUR years working with Panthers. THEN YOU SAY YOU KEPT MELLERS FOR ANOTHER FOUR YEARS!!!
This from a FOURTEEN year old????!!!!!!
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Victor Gomez
gomezvi@yahoo.com

I have also bred Jacksons, veileds, and panthers in the past. I got out of chameleons a few years ago but have always wanted a baby melleri to work with, and raise to breed.
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1.1.2 Bearded Dragons (Rocky,Hollywood,Zeeba,Flavor Flav)
1.1 Ball Python (Lafaunda, Napoleon)
0.0.1 Timor B.A Baracus(Mr.T)

Yeah so the chams werent TOTALLY in my possesion, but nevertheless my dad and i BOTH cared for them! He just had the most experience in lizards.....kinda like a butcher and his apprentice....So gomezi yea you are partially right, but not enirely correct! Look im not trying to through out info like a pro! Im just stating how we kept our chams!

We just randomly bought one at IRBA because we liked its looks and size...little did we know that we had invested $400 in a very unstable chameleon...my dad AND i both had to do research finding out that we have one of the most advanced chameleons in our care...after one vet visit we found out our girl had protazoans!

I was just trying to warn you because we have spent over $1000 on a chameleon that is now dead due to becoming eggbound....that total price is not even including how much we invested in the WC male!

Look im soory if i judged you too quickly! You sound like you might be able to handle them, BUT like Will said they seem to die for no reason!

Sorry for the quick judgement
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eric

Again you're missing my point:
1.Misrepresentation of the truth
You state that YOU have 4 years of Meller's experience AND 4 years of panther keeping experience. Your father had Mellers for ONLY 2 years. No panthers.
The way you present the information is to create the illusion that you have over 8 years experience of chameleon keeping, which you do not. That would mean that you kept chameleons yourself (not your father) since you were 6.
In this light, it can be argued that my daughter has over TEN years experience in keeping chameleons, even though she's only ten years old herself and doesn't have this level of knowledge.
2. Attacking your fellow new chameleon owners
I've read your posts. You've insisted on attacking new chameleon owners, giving stern warnings, and laughing at their misfortunes. I won't go further on this, except to say that the forum search feature REMEMBERS previous posts.
I'm really really sorry for coming off like I am on you, Beardiedude. This really isn't how I am. But it's IMPORTANT that new chameleon owners get the right advice when starting out. I have over ten years experience, yet you will find that I rarely hand out advice, as I don't think I'm really qualified to do so.
Best Regards
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Victor Gomez
gomezvi@yahoo.com

Ankinc is a teenager too and he has a full fledge buisness! It is true that alot of the care invested in our chameleons came from my dad. I did help too, but he did some of the harder stuff, like taming them ( never happened with the male!) We have had 8 total years of chameleon experience...4 with panthers and 4 with A PAIR of mellers.

Looking back at the first post i did on this topic, i did come off on the wrong foot...im no expert! but im a person with some success in these chameleons and i want to warn people what they are getting into! I have seen 7 year olds in LLL Reptile critiquing them on their chameleon husbandry! The kid actually knew what he was talking about too! Age doesnt matter in herp keeping!

i dont want to argue but you have good points and i have good points!
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eric

Just to it's clear, AnkInc isn't a full fledged buisness. Very little research (here and on other sites) is needed to see that fact.
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Tyler Stewart
Las Vegas NV
www.BLUEBEASTREPTILE.com

>>Ankinc is a teenager too and he has a full fledge buisness! It is true that alot of the care invested in our chameleons came from my dad. I did help too, but he did some of the harder stuff, like taming them ( never happened with the male!) We have had 8 total years of chameleon experience...4 with panthers and 4 with A PAIR of mellers.
Four years with a pair of Mellers? I've read your posts! You only had that pair for 2 years. TWO. No mention of you EVER having Panthers. EVER. Exactly when did you have these panthers?
>>

>> Looking back at the first post i did on this topic, i did come off on the wrong foot...im no expert! but im a person with some success in these chameleons and i want to warn people what they are getting into! I have seen 7 year olds in LLL Reptile critiquing them on their chameleon husbandry! The kid actually knew what he was talking about too! Age doesnt matter in herp keeping!

I don't have issues with age PER SE. What I have issues with is 1. Inconsistensies in your stories. and 2. The manner in which you are presenting your OPINIONS. I do use that term loosely here, as you obvious are lacking the REAL experience to form an opinion. All you are doing is spitting back what you read from other websites. You recently started claiming that you kept Mellers for FOUR years. But I've read your past posts. Posts in which you state that you only had them for 2 years total. And THAT is your total chameleon keeping experience. NO panthers!
What is REALLY getting me puffed up is the manner in which you are constantly attacking your fellow new chameleon owners. Yes, I'm lumping you in the NEW CHAMELEON OWNER category.
So your dad kept chameleons and you helped. Great. So you're very enthusiastic about chameleons. That's great too. But when you are NEW and unqualified to give an ORIGINAL opinion AND are chasing new owners away from this forum, then I take offense.
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Victor Gomez
gomezvi@yahoo.com

Getting back to the original question, you will have a very hard time finding any cbb melleri. Kristina will be selective who she sends any of her clutchmates to (not sure if they are all sold at this point), and she will probably require that they go to someone with an unrelated known sex melleri.

Compared to other species, melleri will test you in terms of sheer space as well as in needing good vet support, a variety of large sized feeders, a keen eye, and attention to their every whim. A pair will want (and deserve) a huge territory and some won't tolerate a cage at all. Be prepared to offer them a free range room if you can. I kept 3 rescues for 3-4 years in a second bedroom and know they would not have done as well any other way. I invested more time, anxiety, money, as well as research into new ideas in my melleri than I did with the other species I've kept. I enjoyed them very much, but they did take over much of my life, so be ready!