Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am pretty sure we have all seen that "dragons of the namib" documentary with the namaquan chameleons. So I was just wondering.

(this is probably going to sound really stupid) Why dont they have these chameleons in the pet trade? do you think some one could maybe get the CITES papperwork and start breeding them? I know they are listed in apendix 2 but some people could probably do it.
just a thought, it would be sooooo cool so have one
thanks later.

>>I am pretty sure we have all seen that "dragons of the namib" documentary with the namaquan chameleons. So I was just wondering.
>>
>>(this is probably going to sound really stupid) Why dont they have these chameleons in the pet trade? do you think some one could maybe get the CITES papperwork and start breeding them? I know they are listed in apendix 2 but some people could probably do it.
>>just a thought, it would be sooooo cool so have one
>>thanks later.

All Chameleons except Rhampholeon and Reippeleon are CITES listed. Of them, all but B. perarmata are CITES appendix II. This species was brought in a number of years ago. None acclimated to captivity and they all died. Further, all babies produced died as well. Ultimately, those who worked with them at the time were unable to duplicate their environment enough for them to live. There have been a couple folks in the EU working on trying them again but I don't believe any significantly better success was had with them.

Chris
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Chris Anderson
parsonii_hoehnelii@hotmail.com
Co-Founder: ChameleonInfo.com-http://www.chameleoninfo.com/
Editor: Chameleons! Online E-zine- http://www.chameleonnews.com/
Admin: Captive Chameleon Bloodline Tracking Database (CCBTD)- http://www.chameleondatabase.com/
Founder: Chameleon Care and Information Center (CCIC)- http://www.chamaeleonidae.com/

So are you saying the namaquan chameleon and B. perarmata are the same species? I do remember when B. Parermata was somewhat common...pet stores around me had them as well as many at reptile shows. I actually considered getting a pair or trio a number of times...glad I didn't, but maybe someday if ever readily available again. Thanks

>>So are you saying the namaquan chameleon and B. perarmata are the same species? I do remember when B. Parermata was somewhat common...pet stores around me had them as well as many at reptile shows. I actually considered getting a pair or trio a number of times...glad I didn't, but maybe someday if ever readily available again. Thanks

No, didn't mean to imply that at all. The original poster seemed to indicate that being as the Namaqua Chameleon (Chamaeleo namaquensis) was CITES appendix II, this may have been the reason for their lack of availablity. I was mearly indicating that the vast majority of chameleon species are also CITES appendix II with the exception of B. perarmata and the Rieppeleon and Rhampholeon species. B. perarmata is listed on CITES appendix I while the Rieppeleon and Rhampholeon species are not listed on CITES.

Anyway, the point was that it isn't that no one has gotten the paperwork to have them exported but rather the difficulty in replicating their natural habitat that was causing their lack of representation in captivity.

With regard to B. perarmata, this species was put onto CITES Appendix I a couple years ago due to its limited range and declining numbers due to over collection and habitat distruction. I worked with this species for a number of years and found them to be excellent captives and was able to get them to breed for me. Unfortunately, as with most chameleon, in the absense of a continual renewal from wild caught imports, most have gradually died off and the captive population is now extremely small. It will be very unlikely if they will ever be available in captivity again.

Chris
-----
Chris Anderson
parsonii_hoehnelii@hotmail.com
Co-Founder: ChameleonInfo.com-http://www.chameleoninfo.com/
Editor: Chameleons! Online E-zine- http://www.chameleonnews.com/
Admin: Captive Chameleon Bloodline Tracking Database (CCBTD)- http://www.chameleondatabase.com/
Founder: Chameleon Care and Information Center (CCIC)- http://www.chamaeleonidae.com/

This is second hand information, and may not be totally accurate...

I heard that a few people imported them in years ago. One of
them had said that they ate too much. they ate constantly, and
seemed to never stop hunting. They had a huge territory, and
hated being near each other, even more so than other species.
Some drank themselves to death - apparantly, they're not
designed to have water available constantly, and they took in too
much, too quickly.

The biggest problem was their metabolism. To function at such
temps, they burned a lot of fuel. The story I heard was that they'd
eat several dozen insects a day at least.

Like I said, no way of being sure it was true or not...

I believe that is true. It might not be, but sounds good.

by the way thanks for the information.