Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We recently purchase a very large male c.oustaleti(over 24 inches) from a florida wholesaler. When we got him, we noticed that he appeared to be bloated. The second day that we owned him, I was doing my rounds, and I noticed what looked like a dead chameleon in the cage with the oustaleti. I knew that he was caged singly, so I was confused, until I looked at the animals more closely, and realized that it was covered in a slimy substance, and appeared to be half digested.(regurgitation). It was a full grown female c.verrucosus with a total length of 9 inches(probably from the original holding facility)!!! I still stared at it in amazement, and looked at the somewhat slimmer oustaleti in shock. I came to my senses, and decided to check it out. I disected the female, and not only was she an adult, but also carrying 14 eggs! after all of that I watched the fecal of the male closely, and noted, undigested bone, in his stools. I have heard of chameleons eating baby chameleons before, but never adult chameleons eating, and nearly digesting other adults. has anyone seen this before?

Nick Mole
First Choice Reptiles
www.firstchoicereptiles.com
407-855-7323
quality c.b and w.c chameleons
Website

Nick,
Wild story! Imagine him getting that female to go down his throat... Ouch.... I don't suppose the eggs were any good...? That would be a great ending to the story if you were able to hatch those eggs.
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Tyler Stewart
Las Vegas NV
www.BLUEBEASTREPTILE.com

this picture is pretty wild, its a oust eating a carpet

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1.0 Ambanja Panther
1.1 Leopard Gecko's

Isn't it at baby pardalis?
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- Jonas Ott, Denmark

Either way, who would allow that? Do people really buy $250 Panthers to feed to their Oustallet's? What breeder would feed one chameleon to another, insetad of an anole or gecko? Weird.

or was that pic taken in the wild?

that pic was taken in the wild. i got it off this site and they say its a carpet. either way i find that picture too be pretty gross, but thats how it is in the wild.

Image

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1.0 Ambanja Panther
1.1 Leopard Gecko's

Extraordinary experience, indeed!
Never heard anything like that before. I am just baffled at how the male could possibly fit the female into his mouth, especialy when chameleaons dont have detachable jaws like a snake. Amazing!

n/p
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Raf

1.2 Jacksons Adults (Frank, Patty 2, Lucille)
0.0.17 Jacksons babies
1.1 Nosy Be's (Mars and Roja)
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Diego and Consuelo)
1.1 Adult Sulcattas (POOPIE and George)
0.0.2 Baby Sulcattas (frick and frack)
1.0 Home's Hingeback Tortoise (SPEEDY)
0.0.2 Red ear slider babies (Hingis, Dingis)
1.0 Yellow Footed Tortoise (Alfred)
1.1 3 toed turtles
1.0 Red Siberian Husky (Harley)
0.1 Black Lab (Krissy)
0.1 English Bulldog (Alice)
0.1 Blue Merle Great Dane (Wednesday)
Saltwater Fish and Inverts too

But isn't cannabilism in reference to eating ones own species? If it was an oustaleti eating a verrouscus...It would just be eating another chameleon..Not too uncommon in reptiles if you think about it...Especially as far as snakes go. I suppose in tight quarters (perhaps in the crate they were imported in) and without food for days at a time..A large, hungry oustalet would definately feed on a diminutive female verrouscus. Didn't mean to jump off topic or get too morbid..just something to think about.
--Cory