Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi there, I am getting 1.2 Mt. Meru Jackson Chameleons at the beginning of May and I have a few questions.

These are coming straight from Tanzania so any tips on hydration and adjustment would be appreciated. My friend who's bringing them in is going to treat them for parasites before I pick them up so thats taken care of. I am going to mist them many times a day aswell as a few drippers in the cage. I may also hook it up to our misting system. I plan on buying a package of electrolytes to mix into the water in my spray bottle.

They will be going straight into a 3x2x5 all mesh cage with plenty of pothos and a large ficus.

I'm hoping they will eat the usual crickets and mealworms if not hopefully silkworms and butter worms. Have anyone noticed newly imported meru's to be picky eaters?

Thanks. Any tips and or photos are appreciated.

You said.."These are coming straight from Tanzania so any tips on hydration and adjustment would be appreciated"...I treat them the same as all WC's...make sure they have food and water and appropriate set-ups and leave them alone as much as possible so they can acclimate.

You said..."My friend who's bringing them in is going to treat them for parasites before I pick them up so thats taken care of"...is your friend testing to see what parasites they have or just giving them a medication? If he doesn't test, he may not kill of all species...assuming they have different kinds. It takes at least two treatments even if its just nematodes.

You said..."They will be going straight into a 3x2x5 all mesh cage with plenty of pothos and a large ficus...all three in one cage? I would recommend that you separate all three of them.

You said..."Have anyone noticed newly imported meru's to be picky eaters?"...mine haven't been. I don't use mealworms though. Appropriate sized crickets (gutloaded and supplemented properly), small silkies, once in a while waxworms.

Good luck with them! If the females are gravid when they come in you will be lucky if the babies will live....depending on how far along the females are when you get them. Its usually harder to acclimate gravid live-bearing WC's too.

Thanks for the reply.

My friend uses a microscope to figure out what species the parasites are and treats them from there.

Good idea on housing them separate, can do! Easier to monitor them anyways.

When are these guys breeding anyways? They will be coming to me at the beginning of May, so do you think they will have already mated in the wild?

You said..."When are these guys breeding anyways? They will be coming to me at the beginning of May, so do you think they will have already mated in the wild?"...most of them arrive gravid....which is part of the problem with establishing them in captivity. They have two clutches a year and the gestation is usually about 5 to 7 months from what I have read.

Hmmmm, interesting.

Thanks for the help, I'll be sure to post pics when they arrive.