I buy mostly WC aniamls now. I'm trying to get deremensis and melleri breeding projects going, in addition to my calyptratus.
I have basically been hardened by the inevitable losses of WC chameleons over the years. They simply die. These aniamls, depsite all the improvements in our knowledge base, and the quality of their care on arrival, still sometimes just DIE.
Furthermore, the only WC animals I've been buying (aside from the one melleri) were all deremensis - perhaps the hardiest WC chameleon to buy. I've still had some losses - the WC's certainly have more troubles than CB animals. Deremensis just deal with the stresses of importation (fasting, moving around, crowding, etc) much better than other species.
I stopped getting attached to my WC breeders. Sad but true. I considered my veileds and my CB melleri and deremensis pets - but I keep from getting too attached to my WC animals. Sad fact is they are so prone to death, it's too much of an emotional "risk" to think of them as pets. Every time I get them in in good condition, I have to fight the urge to name them and really think of them as pets, so I am not AS upset when they die. Now, I've actually had good luck with keeping WC animals for long periods of time (due in no small part to deremensis' hardieness), but they are NOT CB "pets".
Over the years, through my experiences, I have basically come to accept that WC chameleons are a temporary thing, a necessary evil, if you will. I only buy them in order to try to establish a breeding project over here, with the ultimate goal of not requiring wild breeders. I much prefer to raise up CB animals and breed them myself. Farm-raised animals are a different story, but for now, they are rarer - and expensive.
With the stresses these animals go through, it's amazing so many of them make it to our doors. These animals go through capture and holding, then sale to an exporter, and more holding - the care recieved dring this period is unknown. Then they wait for an order, when they're boxed upa nd shipped to the US to an importer, who then waits for orders, and ships to dealers, who then advertize on Kingsnake, and eventually ship to us. Sometimes, they might not get a good drink in the ENTIRE time - we have no way of knowing for sure! For all we know, these animals might have been without water and food for weeks or more.
I had the oppurtunity to purchase some deremensis and a melleri within days of their arrival from Africa. This cut out at least one of the middlemen, and several days or more of transitional shipping and holding facilities. The melleri, in particualr, was exceptional. Despite having a relativlty heavy parasite load, he is of excellent weight, and looks fantastic. He is nearly as perfect as my CB melleri! It's almost impossible to get animals so "fresh". In most cases, they've been through so much, they might simply have permanant damage to their organs, and will just drop dead at a moments' notice.
You just can't tell.
I have not yet named him. If he makes it through the first 3-6 months, I will (melleri live a long time - I gotta name him!), but the uncertainty of WC chameleons has made it difficult for me to make a pet out of one so easily.
When I did a lexture at the reptile show this spring, I tried to emphasize that people seeking a "pet" should buy a CB animal, and those seeking to breed the neat, uncommon WC species MUST be willing to accept inevitable losses.
If you like the werneri, keep trying. Too few people are breeding them. Look for a dealer to get a fresh shipment, and then buy. Make sure your dealer knows how to hydrate them upon arrival - that can make a difference. IF you are basically looking for pets, but breeding is a side-benifit, then I'd reccomend avoiding WC animals - or at least, avoiding getting too attached to WC breeders. It's just too risky with your emotions. I HATE seeing my animals die - and I really get upset when my PET animals die. I haven't lost a real "pet" chameleon in a long time - and it almost ruined my graduation in 2003.
I'm one of those people that gets attached to my animals - I lost my first chameleon (a WC fischeri)24 hours after I boguht him - and I cried. I cried when my first veields died. When my CB deremensis was dying, I was graduating from NCSU, I was miserable! I could not be happy, even though we went on a trip to DC, and I was DONE with school. I can't even think abotu losing my pets.
And still, I manage to get WC breeders in, and not be too attached to them. It's something that you have to do if you're going to try to breed these less-common species. For people like us, who get attached to these stupid tree-lizards, we have to take care when dealing with WC's.
It sucks, but for me, it's better than giving up entirely.
Eric A
You guys have sure had a tough go of it lately. Can the breeder shed any light? You must be devastated. Words seem so useless...
ulse of the Maggots)