Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[mattie]

ive been fascinated by thease little guys since i seen the pics of karen and jans offspring earlier in the year......

they appeal to me for the same reason dart frogs do... ive got a thing about having working mini eco systems under my control... i feel a small colony would make a great display piece with pride of place alongside my leucomelas viv

ive been doing a lot of research over the last few weeks and have found this www.chameleonnews.com/brevcare.html which seems too be the definitive care sheet a invaluble source

before i take the plunge I want too make sure my proposed set up is ideal for a group of 1.2 or possibly 1.3 any input greatly appreciated so
dont be shy

1) all glass vivarium / full mesh top / 30"L - 12"W - 18"H
2) heating / lighting will be took care of by a used arcadia d3 compact... hottest part of viv 77f - ambient low 70s... will install small computer fan in summer months
3) substrate bottom 2" layer of hydroleca for drainage / 4" layer eco earth / moss / oak leaves
4) decor / live potted plants / jungle vine / cork bark ect
viv misted x2 daily ambient humidity 70 ish

thats the plan sound ok?

ive been told to steer clear and heard a lot of horror stories about pygmy chams, but i feel with advance planning and a understanding the animals needs, they should be no more diffucult to maintain than any other species

any pointers / experiances most welcome

cheers andsorry about length of post

[Jan O]

Hiya Mattie. First of, I am no Pygmy expert and would never claim to be. I know a lot of stories appear about how hard these guys are to keep and that without air con etc you just cant do it---well YOU CAN, I not only kept mine during this years heat wave but bred them. My set up is as basic as basic can get. for the adults its a 2ft aquarium fitted with a vivarium lid, 4-5 inches of a mix of peat and coir compost, small live plants- mainly ficus cuttings, ivy and ferns, lots of small twigs for perching and hiding- dead Ficus is ideal, spanish moss again for hiding ,NO bask light as such just a low wattage Halogen desk lamp, no uv- this suprises a lot of folk but these animals are not excactly sun worshippers and do spend a lot of time hidden away in the undergrowth.None of mine - even the babies have MBD..The whole tank is sprayed with a fine spray nozzle every morning and during warm weather up to 3 times a day. I did decorate the tank with cork bark etc and had the recommended 3 inches of dead leaves- this was soon taken out as it just became a hiding place for the crickets.These are fascinating animals to keep they really are and if you go ahead you wont be dissapointed- I'll say this even though I'm sure you know -try your hardest to find CB- NOT a sales plug for mine as they have all gone- but for all the obvious reasons involved with anything WC. Hope you do go ahead- not enough uk Pygmy owners on this forum!!! Love Jan

[mattie]

thanks for the advice and encouragement Jan its most appreciated
I certainly will go ahead with thease fantastic creatures, karen has kindly agreed to let me adopt a group of her babys, which im chuffed too bits about

any idea were i can opurchase a copy of
"Stump-Tailed Chameleons - Miniature Dragons of the Rain Forest".
cant find it anywhere

thanks mattie

[kroakykaren]

Mattie I have one you may borrow if you like.
Love Karen
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[Mememe]

Annoying how rep books are so expensive and hard to get hold of.

Only ever seen that book on the US amazon, and on a rep shop site I can't remember


I might be joining you in the pygmy gang soon too
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No man is an Island. Except the Isle of Man.

[Mememe]

http://www.nhbs.com/title.php?tefno=135833

Not bad a price!
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No man is an Island. Except the Isle of Man.

[kroakykaren]

Thats where i got mine.
Love Karen
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[Jan O]

Thats where I got my copy too, it turns up on Ebay once in a while- but never when you want it! So Glad, your'e joining the Pygmy club Mattie, these delightful little Chams are very underated I think. Some of my hatchlings were pink and brown, I thought as they grew this colouration would change, but I still have 2 or 3 who have retained their colouration. You wont regret getting them I'm sure of it.
Love Jan
PS While that book has some good info and even better photos, you will find that under a lot of species it says information unknown- so much is unknown about these animals habits in the wild. Some of the best Pygmy info I have come across is the Chameleon e-zine.

[mattie]

picked them up Tuesday Jan (thanks again Karen )
certainly are fascinating little things aren't they, whilst feeding them today a cricket landed on the back of one, saw the vibrating thing they do for the first time, was told about this but it took me by surprise none the less any way the cricket hung on and the little guy was getting quite distressed, so i reached in too dislodge it, before I got any were near the the little fella dropped from the branch laid on his back convulsed for a few seconds, then nothing, that's it Ive give him a heart attack i thought , 10 seconds later hes ate the cricket in question and back on his branch as if nothings happened great defense mechanism or what named the little guy Machiavelli

[kroakykaren]

Superb Mattie arnt they amazing little chams glad they have settled in ok.
Love Karen
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