Your Reptile and Amphibian Resource and Information Site

Back to Chameleons Forum   Forums   Home   Members Area  

Chameleons Forum

KrazyKritter   LunaC   ChrisAnderson   KrazyKritter   ViT   Savanah boy   LunaC  
 Member  Message

 #1639615


KrazyKritter
View Profile

 New Senegal Owner...

Hi everybody, I’m new both to this site and to chameleons. I adopted a (I believe) female Senegal chameleon the other day, and I’m looking in to what exactly she needs. I adopted her as a rescue situation, I don’t normally bring things home before researching them but I couldn’t let this little kritter go home with the person who had it.. so I bought her. I’ve got UVA/UVB, and I bought some crickets for her.. gut load and all the goods. I’m looking for input from any one who is experienced with these little guys to guide me in setting up her home properly.

I’ve also seen several places that chams don’t like to be handled.. but this little girl reaches out for me every time I open the cage.. and LOVES to hang out on my shoulder under my shirt.. but I don’t want to stress her if I shouldn’t handle her.. any info will be greatly appreciated!
02/26/08  11:41pm

 #1639658


LunaC
View Profile



   Message To: KrazyKritter   In reference to Message Id: 1639615


 New Senegal Owner...

I know I’ve seen posts by Senegal owners, but I’m not sure any of them have owned theirs long-term.
If they’re around, they can probably give you some tips.

Since most Senegals are WC, they’re a little more difficult to keep than the more common CB Veileds or Panthers.

As for her LOVING to hang out on your shoulder under your shirt ... with all due respect, that is not typical chameleon behavior. They really don’t LOVE to be handled. If she reaches out for you every time you open the cage, she is probably just looking for a way out. Most likely she sees you as a very large and scary preditor, so her instinct is to flee. Being arboreal, chams will always choose an escape route upward ... as high as they can get. They are not natural burrowers, so again going under your shirt is not typical cham behavior.

It probably would benefit her, especially since she’s newly purchased and needs time to acclimate to her new surroundings, if you would handle her less. Provide her what she needs to survive and give her some privacy. Chams are not like other more "sociable", tolerant reptiles and long-term stress of over handling can manifest itself later in physical ailments, even if they don’t show outward signs of it.

Good luck to you! :)



02/27/08  12:45am

 #1640282


ChrisAnderson
View Profile



   Message To: KrazyKritter   In reference to Message Id: 1639615


 New Senegal Owner...

The following articles will probably be useful to you:

Intro To Chameleon Care:
http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=74

Acclimation:
http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=71

Ch. senegalensis article:
http://www.chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=164

Chris
02/27/08  05:04pm

 #1641353


KrazyKritter
View Profile



   Message To: ChrisAnderson   In reference to Message Id: 1640282


 New Senegal Owner...

Thank you. Does any one know of a way to for sure tell if it’s male or female? I read that it depends on the species as to what thier differences may be..



02/28/08  01:06pm

 #1641703


ViT
View Profile



   Message To: KrazyKritter   In reference to Message Id: 1641353


 New Senegal Owner...

If your not sure on the previous owner and what they did, take your Chameleon to the Vet immediately. i had 2 senegals. maybel died about 4 or 5 months after i got her. the first signs she had parasiters showed up and within a day she died on me. i had her an appointment for the following morning. parasites and humidity are the 2 main things to worry about with senegals. good luck

Wayne
02/28/08  05:39pm

 #1730486


Savanah boy
View Profile



   Message To: KrazyKritter   In reference to Message Id: 1639615


 New Senegal Owner...

the males have 2 little horns females dont



05/09/08  04:41pm

 #1730740


LunaC
View Profile



   Message To: Savanah boy   In reference to Message Id: 1730486


 Savanah boy ....

You might be thinking about another cham species. Senegals don’t have horns, not even males. Gender is difficult to distinguish in Senegals, especially when young. As they age, there are subtle color differences, like when a female is gravid she will display a black or dark background with yellow or orange spots. Males will tend to be a more dull grey, brown, green than females, but really color is not a certain determining factor.

Adult females will grow to about 12" and adult males will be slightly smaller. Also adult males will have a thicker tail base and tell-tale hemipenal bulges at the tail base ... but no horns.
05/09/08  09:58pm


Back to Chameleons Forum   Forums   Home   Members Area