Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi gang: well, the day has arrived! My new 6 month old Ambanja x Nosy Be Pather Cham arrived this morning just fine from Kammerflage Kreations! He is marvalous!!!! The sire is Glorifindel and the Dame is Sister of Elros. I have to restrain myself from looking at him too much. I will post a picture in the following days when I figure out how. Would you make a comment on his behaviors to help me understand him better:

1. He is very colorful(very bright contrasting colors) all of the time. What do all the colors mean again? Is he mad, stressed, or happy? I feel like I need a book to help me understand all those indicators in Chams(something like when a dog wags his tail its a sign of friendliness).

2. I offered 3 almost full sized Silkies on the leaves. He ate 2 after staring at them for an hour. Is this normal for Chams? I remember my Anole going for his food immediately and my Darts eat like pigs. Are Chams more subdued in eating attitude? And is this amount right for a 6 month old?

3. When I sprayed the cage with warm water, he seemed to first run for it and not knowing what the hurry was I froze. Then, he froze. I left him alone then and returned to lightly finish spraying, then he seemed to avoid the water(water was still warm). Then I set up his dripper and he walked under it(same tempature water), put his head under the flow, closed his eyes and forgive the anthropomorphizing, but seemed to be saying "ahhhh, finally calgon take me away!"

Well, thanks. I feel so immensely happy, like a mother finally giving birth. Would you help me to undertand all the different cries in the coming days? Thanks-Maggie

His bright colors are stress colors. He's had a stressful trip and with a totally new environment he's reacting to it all visually. Don't worry too much about how much he eats right off the bat. He's had good care at the Kammers, so has some reserves to use until he settles in. Make sure your spray water is HOT. By the time sprayed lukewarm water hits surfaces it will feel cool to him. Just spray the foliage more and try not to spray him directly in the face until he gets used to your daily routine. Just relax, give him good hiding areas in his cage, try to do things on a predictable schedule so he learns what to expect from you. If you have questions about any behaviors you can ask the Kammers about him too.

Hi Carlton: Thanks! That helps! Do you or anyone here have pictures of what a calm, content Blue Bar Ambanja might look like? I saw him fire up his colors today when my husband came into the room, then they subsided when my husband left(he seems to have this effect on all our animals!). So, at least I have a clue that the colors I see most times is not the fired up ones, but they are soooo much more vivid then I expected that I just thought "whooaaaa, I'm really pissing him off!". I snuck a peek at him when he was relaxed looking, trying to sleep and he is still those vibrant colors. Is he just this vibrant?

Thanks-Maggie