Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have just purchased one of these little, little chaps. he is about 4cm long.The shop owner said this is as big as these get, is that right?

I don't know if he is a male or female?? I also bought a mesh cage for it which is massive compared to the size of it. He has some Hawthorn branches in there along with some plastic hanging branches. Now the question is, I would like to know if it is possible to house more than one of these together. The man in the pet shop said they don't need light and heat although I have bought a heat mat which is under the cage and substrate, and
also a basking lamp 40 watt. I have a Gecko which needs light and heat so I guess the Chameleon would need it too. I am in the UK but find it difficult to see any websites on these amazing animals. Also, what else can they eat apart from crickets? As I have a Chameleon and Gecko I would like to breed my own crickets for their food. What do I need to do this ?? Are there any sites that may assist me?

Any help and advice you may be able to offer me about this animal would be
very much appreciated.

Thanks
Georgina

Bearded Pygmy Chameleons actually get up to about 10cm in total length when they're full grown. You can house more than one together, but you shouldn't house males together as they can be agressive toward each other. They don't need a heat source and all they need for light is a white flourecent bulb. They don't seem to need a special UV light. They do need high humidity and their cage should have a lot of floor space as they are a ground dwelling chameleon.

Hello Georgina,

I have three of these little leaf chameleons. Too bad you didn't do your research before you bought it but since you didn't here is some info. You are right in that there is very little info on these little cuties. I got mine from a breeder and they are captive bred (cb), not wild caught(wc). I will guess yours are wc since they came from a pet store. Wc animals are usually loaded with parasites and often other problems as well. You should find a herp vet (do you have someone for your gecko?) and at the very least have it treated for parasites.

As for online info here are some of the top sites to visit. I suggest book marking them all and referring to them often:

**If they are Rhampholeon brevicaudatus go here for a profile:
http://www.adcham.com/html/taxonomy/species/r-brevicaudatus.html if they are another species look thru for the profile. If you don't know, that's OK as the care is pretty much the same. Check out other info on this site.

**Chameleon E-zine has an article on Brookesia a similar species as for requirements. Read it all the way thru and read any other relevant articles on the site great site and info! http://www.chameleonnews.com/year2002/sept2002/brookesia/brookesia.html

Kammerflage Kreations is who I bought mine from amd they have a lovely, informative site:
http://www.calumma.com/

Also, John's site Chameleon Paradise have info and photos. He recently got a related species trio. http://groups.msn.com/ChameleonParadise

**Regarding some of what Jason said it sounds as though it came directly from the AdCham profile. It's not that they don't need heat it is just that their temp requirements are lower than the larger species. I live in New Hampshire and I used a basking light in the cooler months whereas now I am trying to keep the temps down!

**The jury is still out on the lighting issue. I have mine under full spectrum plant lights which are not directly on top of the tank but hang from the ceiling about a foot or so above.

**Mine are in a 30 gallon tank. If anyone says never to house a chameleon in a glass tank they are right, but only for the larger species. The pygmies (also known as leaf chameleon) need higher humidity so a tank is best. Temps: 70 low end 80 max. high end. So make sure they have a place to get warm AND a place to cool off and be shaded as they live mostly on the forest floor. Use live plants, mist a couple times a day, drippers tend to make the substrate soggy. I use a syringe (no needle) and manually drip onto leaves and I also use Jamie's invention (see below).

**They sleep at night so when it is lights out leave them out. You can use a timer but if you need to have lights on in this room cover the tank with a towel to darken it for them.

**As for housing together, yes, you can. But as Jason pointed out not a good idea to have more than one male so for now maybe you should just stick with the one since you don't know what gender it is.

**There are a few of us on this forum who have these tiny creatures so look for previous posts that have charm-paradise, trinacliff or lele as well as posts with leaf or pygmy in the subject. So go do your homework then come back and ask us questions.

**One last comment, Jamie Whitehouse lives in the UK and is a frequent (and famous for his dripper invention LOL!) poster and I am sure can direct you to resources in the UK - who knows, maybe you live down the lane from each other!

Well, I am sure I didn't cover everything but that should get you started and I hope didn't overwhelm you! I love my little trio and am very glad they are with me. If you have a digital camera any photos of your setup, etc. would help so we can direct you. Here is a pic of my setup.

Lele
Makeda, Kaiya and Bart

Hi

He is doing fine. I am going to try to upload some photos so you can see it. The only problem I am having is with his food. As he is so small i am unable to get crickets for him that tiny so I have resorted to catching flies and putting them in his enclosure. I have also bought another tank, heat mat, food etc and some crickets in a hope they can breed and i can feed the babies to the Chameleon.

Sory for the delay I will keep you posted.

Hi Georgina,

Yes, I think I forgot food in that long post! LOL! Your best bet is to feed it fruit flies. Your local pet store should have them and are wingless of flightless. Are you using a supplemental dust? You should be. dust the flies then put them in his tank - he will like them, as for crickets see if you can locate a place that sells pinheads.

Email or post with questions.

lele

>>He is doing fine. I am going to try to upload some photos so you can see it. The only problem I am having is with his food. As he is so small i am unable to get crickets for him that tiny so I have resorted to catching flies and putting them in his enclosure. I have also bought another tank, heat mat, food etc and some crickets in a hope they can breed and i can feed the babies to the Chameleon.
>>
>>Sory for the delay I will keep you posted.