Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[thomas mcpherson]

dose anyone keep these what are they like are they easy to keep

[Mememe]

Rhampoleon: If you can supply the appropriate temps, supposedly easy - just relatively delicate when faced with disease due to their size. Therefore, WC specimens aren't the best of ideas.


Brookesia: I'm not quite sure, harder than most Rhampoleon sp. though.
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No man is an Island. Except the Isle of Man.

[Jan O]

Hi Thomas,I am one of several Rhampholeon keepers/breeders on here.Like any other species if your set up is right from the off and you have good CB stock to start with- you will find these quite a resilient little Cham. The main issue is high temperatures- which are to be avoided at all costs, however I never lost one of mine during this years heat wave and I don't have any air con!. They are a fascinating species to keep and as I have always said nowhere near as showy as other Chams but delightful in their own way.They have a lot going for them really- smaller ,so if space is an issue these are perfect, no expensive equipment needed like UV or heating, breed readily in captivity. no expensive set ups needed- a converted aquarium or small Exo Terra is ideal, and lastly quite a hardy little Cham which like all species if kept correctly will live out its years happily, alas they are short lived and once they are OAP's which can be as soon as 18 months- they seem to age rapidly. I can only repeat my advice to ensure you buy CB stock (not a sales plug for mine, as they are all sold !), choose your supplier carefully avoiding WC like the plague and treating CF with caution and you will be just fine. Hope this has answered your question love Jan

[baloo]

so do you use any extra heating like spots for yours or do you just keep em at room temp like crested geckos?
do you use any extra heating at all?
i find this quite interesting

i have several cresties and keep em cool at room temperature during this time of year.
at any rate it gives my female a rest and the other female isn't ready for breeding yet so it doesn't really matter i suppose for her.
as for the rest i have no idea of the sexes. way to small to tell
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ULI

[thomas mcpherson]

jan o do you own the chameleon house

[zarozinia]

I dont know much about these species at all, but Im most surprised that the use of Uv lighting isnt advocated, is there any rationale behind this Jan?
(Im not looking for an argument here, nor saying that Jan is wrong, just curious and wanting to learn more about a species of chameleon which I have no experience or knowledge about.) I find the use of Uv lighting for reptils a very interesting subject and like to hear of breeders experiences in regard to the use of UV.
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Cheers Angi
Proud to be a Geordie!
My Images - http://anginelson.deviantart.com/

[Jan O]

Hiya. First off No I am not involved in the Chameleon House at all, thats owned by a guy called Mike- whos surname I can't recall for the life of me !!Regarding UV I can't think of any UK keeper who uses it for this species, probably because this species likes to use the floors of their enclosures more than any other Cham. They are creatures of the forest floor although having said that they climb up thin, twiggy branches - an ideal way of using up all those dead Ficus twigs!!!. They avoid bright areas and prefer dappled shade In the morning I switch on a very low wattage halogen desk lamp which shines through the mesh on the top of the Exo Terra viv, I cant say that they bask as such but I feel that it gives them a chance to wake up before a feed. Unlike any other species the lack of UV appears to have no detrimental effects on them at all, I have kept and bred them for years now and can say in all honesty I have never had any cases of MBD or any other condition associated with a lack of UV lighting. Obviously all hatchlings and gravid females food is well dusted with calcium but apart from this and a weekly dusting of a multi vitamin- no other additives have ever been used. When I first started keeping them I was very wary about the no UV advice- however I have done a lot of research on them and it seems this is the norm.It seeems to me that keeping them the way you would a Crestie is the way to go. I must stress I am NO EXPERT though and would never claim to be, however I have kept this species for years and have had an incredible hatch rate this summer., all I can do is tell you my methods and what works for me, I am not for a minute suggesting UV would cause harm but I think if its not needed why provide it? I am always happy to answer questions about this species as I admit there's not too much info available here in the UK.
love Jan

[zarozinia]

Thanks for the reply, Jan. Very interesting, its always good to hear from people that have successfully kept and bred a species for many years.
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Cheers Angi
Proud to be a Geordie!
My Images - http://anginelson.deviantart.com/

[kroakykaren]

I too like Jan have kept these delightful chameleons for a while now and have had excellent success breeding, as Jan says because they are found to frequent the leaf litter very little UV from the sun if any would reach them.
The humidity levels i would say are more important than the UV levels they like it damp and moist, and in the wild have been found sitting in dead leaves where rain water has collected.They will also drink from standing water when other chameleons will not. In my experience these little chams dont like it too bright, but will bask to a certain extent as Jan states under a small low watt lamp. Quite a lot of the info on the web about these guys is American where they can get extreme temps, and do need air con, dont let this put you off i have never lost one because of heat in our climate, they are delightful to keep.
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[baloo]

my cresties have no additional heatsourse apart from what little heat the energy saving bulb gives of i use to give them a propper day night cycle.
if i'm not wrong that wouldn't be possible with those lil chams as it stays warmer in africa then in new caledonia wich is the same as the south of france
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ULI