One of the most cryptic and incredible reptiles is the Uroplatus phantasticus also known as the satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko. Quite the dramatic name for such a cute finger perching gecko! Today I talk to Lawrence Erickson who has bred phantasticus for many years.
One of the most exciting things a chameleon enthusiast can do is visit chameleons in their home country. And today I am going to talk with Jan Stipala about some nuts and bolts of planning a trip to Kenya.
Chameleons perch on branches. They spend their lives on branches. So it is actually pretty important for us to give them the right branches. Today I go over branch functions, how to select the right branch for the right purpose, what woods to use and how to mount them in the chameleon cage. Alec O'Brien then joins me and discusses how he sterilizes his branches.
Dr. Mark Scherz joins me to discuss the different colors of Furcifer pardalis . Are they species? morphs? locales? The answers may not be ours yet, but Mark gives us discussion points to think about.
The Draco flying dragon is an incredible species that has the ability to shoot through the air from tree to tree. But it has been exceptionally hard to establish in captivity. Today I talk with breeder Charles Mcallister about the start of the captive breeding community.
Chameleons have amazing tongues and sometimes things go wrong. Today, Dr. Rob Coke joins me to discuss what these issues could be.
Sweet Pea is a Veiled Chameleon with severe MBD. Through the dedication of Marianna Bolin, she was given a second chance for life. Today's message is for anyone who is caring for a chameleon with MBD. There are no sure things, but there is hope.
Today I touch on a couple topics. I talk about the difficulty in beginners getting the right information, I revisit the Plants Alive! challenge, and I encourage us to see our cage as a sanctuary. I also announce that this will be the last daily episode of a chameleon keeper in self-imposed isolation. It has been a thrilling run of over one month of daily episodes! I will be going back to the week format where an episode is released every Friday.
Today I talk about upending the natural order by bringing outdoor vines into my chameleon cage and I discuss using psychological tricks to get better mating response in chameleons.
Books are special, and today I review the books that, even with all the information on the internet, I still reference on a regular basis. These titles make a great addition to your personal chameleon library.
Today I reflect on random weekend chameleon thoughts and talk about what a typical Saturday looks like for me.
Silkworms are a nutritious and highly prized chameleon feeder. Today, Susan Marquardt of BeastMode Silkworms shares with us a little about the silkworm and how we can breed them ourselves!
There is enormous insight the is quietly moving about in our experienced community - often outside the digital spotlight. And if you can find an old time chameleon mentor it is well worth striking a friendship. Today I share a story about my chameleon world mentor that formed so much of what I am today.
Chameleon breeder Frank Payne joins me and shares his initial results from diapause experiments he is running on chameleon eggs. Diapause is the cooling period during incubation and Frank shares what could become a valuable tool for breeders to control the hatching time.
Today I go over the basic panther chameleon care summary in audio format! Go to chameleonacademy.com for the full details!
Today I go over the basic panther chameleon care summary in audio format! Go to chameleonacademy.com for the full details!
Today I do an audio review of the Veiled Chameleon Care Summary from the Chameleon Academy website.
Through the Chameleon Academy I am pushing our chameleon husbandry forward and with that comes a number of transitions. Today I discuss the top five husbandry transitions we are in the middle of right now.
Today Dr. Rob Coke, Head of Veterinary Care at the San Antonio Zoo, comes on and helps expose us to vitamins A and D3 and the signs of overdose and deficiency.
Chameleon eyes are a great resource for us gauging the health status of our chameleons. Sunken eyes are a huge red flag and the chameleon needs immediate attention. But what kind of attention is needed? Yes, we need to figure out what it means! And today I discuss possibilities.
The chameleon's eyes are one of the most significant gauges of chameleon health - both physical and emotional. Today I discuss what closed eyes can mean.
When we are trying to figure out what is happening with a chameleon remotely (over social media) we need to ask important questions. Today I go over what to ask if some one has a chameleon that is gaping. It can mean many things and it is our job to come to the correct conclusion!
We are making progress in our drive to determine the feeding schedule and husbandry to maintain healthy female veiled chameleons through their lives - especially including egg laying. By controlling their diet and conditions we can reign in their body's enthusiasm for making eggs. By providing greater than ideal conditions their body creates more eggs than are healthy. Today I share progress made by Mari Joki from Finland.
The seasons are warming up for those of us in the Northern hemisphere and it is time to think about getting your chameleon some natural sunlight. I share some experience and advice to have that happen safely.
There are a number of issues to consider when answering the question about crossbreeding in the chameleon world. There are many strong opinions out there. I give my opinion, but also present the consideration so you can make your own decision.
Welcome back to part two of my conversation with Mark Scherz as we get deep into the three newly described species that a team of scientists just described. Mark was part of that team and is giving us an insight into their findings. I invite you to sit back and get a guided tour of these species from one of the paper’s authors.
I am asked what I would share as I look back on my years of experience in the chameleon community. I talk about what I would tell people who are enthusiastic and are looking forward to what they could do in their chameleon future.
Your chameleon is showing signs of discontentment. It is walking the screen walls or top and seems to want to be somewhere else. What could be the problem? In today's episode I discuss various possibilities. In the end it is up to each one of us to unravel the mystery within our unique conditions and our unique chameleon.
Where do you start when trying to figure out what plants to get for your chameleon cage? In today's episode I give you a starting point and some hints for making it work well!
We all get that question "should I get a glass or screen enclosure for my chameleon?" How we answer that says a lot about us as advisors. Today I talk about how to balance your experience, the community's biases, and the enthusiasm of the person asking the question.
