Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys, ive decided my next adventure in to chams will be a C. Melleri. I LOVE Them and they were the reason i decided to get into chams in the first place. BUT...i have a really dumb question. Are they Montaine or Tropical? I need to know so i can get the right setup before i get the chams, and i hadnt seen it mentioned anywhere.

Anybody?

Thanks!
Jamie
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Jamie A. Stine and the Gang:

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I would suggest that you do alot more research before jumping into the Melleri. They are a wonderful species but can be very unforgiving species as well. Below are some good links for more information on the Melleri Species you should read.

http://www.chameleonnews.com/year2002/nov2002/nov2002index.html

http://www.adcham.com/html/taxonomy/species/chmelleri.html
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You didn't find that locale info because there is a lot of debate about it. This may be a widespread species and possibly comes from a range of climates. Some captive melleri really do better in montane setups and some do better in more lowland ones. You end up having to watch what your individual cham prefers. Generally they don't like temps over 84F with a basking temp in the 90's and nighttime temps in the mid 60's. Humidity varies with the individual too. I've had one who was fine at about 70% and another who was always dehydrated at that level. Some need incredible amounts of hand sprayed drinking water (they don't use drippers or lick wet leaves reliably so we're talking 15-20 minutes of direct spraying twice a day). They drink slowly for a long time. Be prepared to set up a HUGE space for even one melleri! They can be intolerant of caging and will really hurt themselves trying to get loose. Sometimes you get a mellow one who is content in a cage but not always. Melleri are very individual in personality too. Some are almost social and some are really nasty (imagine a giant veiled with attitude and a crushing bite). Melleri can be heartbreakers. They can seemingly do fine for the first 2-3 months and then crash just when you think you are home free. They are prone to skin infections and a type of necrotic tissue disease that has not been figured out. There are a lot of negatives here, but this is to warn you up front. Melleri can be very beautiful and fascinating to set up, but they will take over your house (and deserve to IMHO) and run your life every day. There is a good forum dedicated to melleri on yahoo groups.