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Maintenance of a domestic chameleon
Keeping a chameleon at home is not an easy task.
They are quite large, but attract fans of exotic animals with an interesting coloring.
Surprisingly, the coloring is a kind of "chip" of all representatives of Chamaeleo.
The Yemeni chameleon has become the most common representative due to its easy reproduction in captivity.
This species adapts perfectly to new conditions, and has a long life expectancy.
Looking at the name, it is not difficult to guess the place of distribution of these reptiles.
Most of them live in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Chameleons live in coastal areas where it often rains or in dry areas with greenery and drinking.
They were successfully brought to Hawaii and Florida, where they still live.
More recently, the Yemeni chameleon was an exclusive in private collections, because wild individuals did not survive at home, even with the most experienced breeders.
Over time, it was possible to achieve reproduction in captivity.
The resulting cubs came into contact with humans and adapted more easily.
Because of this, all Yemeni chameleons that are on sale are not brought from Yemen.
Contents: 1 Description of an interesting reptile 2 Maintenance and care 3 Feeding and care 4 Breeding
Description of an interesting reptile
Males raised at home reach 45-60 centimeters, the length of the female is about 35, but her body is much rounder.
There is a crest on the top of the head, which in some cases can grow up to 6-7 centimeters.
The young are monophonic, more adult individuals have stripes on their body.
Color change is an amazing phenomenon available to only a few species of reptiles, one of which is chameleons.
During pregnancy, the female can change color, and due to stress, any representative can turn into other colors.
The reason for repainting can also serve as a social status.
So, growing up alone is much paler than what is in the company of the house.
Keeping at home with proper care undoubtedly affects the life expectancy.
Healthy males live from 6 to 9 years, and females from 4 to 7.
The reason for the early mortality of female individuals is due to the constant energy and biological costs of carrying eggs.
Their sexual system is arranged in such a way that the female can carry eggs even without fertilization.
It is proved that chameleons need to be kept at home completely alone after they have reached sexual maturity (about 8 months)
If you leave his neighbors at home, you will not be able to avoid fights.
These reptiles are very jealous of their territory, so they can not stand the neighborhood, especially if two males are placed in one terrarium.
Requirements for a terrarium:
Vertical position;
The presence of a grid or powerful ventilation on one side; Size (L*H*W): 1*0,8*0,4 meters;
The presence of plants, branches, snags.
Both artificial and live greens can be used as plants.
The chameleon needs shelter even at home.
There he can afford to warm up, relax or hide.
Many people mistakenly believe that the presence of soil is necessary.
In fact, humidity lingers there, and insects hide.
In addition, the reptile may accidentally eat it.
One of the most convenient ways is to put paper sheets on the bottom.
They are not difficult to clean, and they are not expensive.
In stores, there are small mats for reptiles.
For good and proper care, two lamps are needed:
Top lamp for solar procedures and body heating; UV lamp for calcium absorption.
It is necessary to turn on the lamps for 12 hours a day Pay attention to the recommended duration of use of the UV lamp.
After the expiration of this period, the necessary UV spectrum is not released, which will lead to a shortage of mineral substances.
All reptiles are cold blooded, so they can regulate their body temperature only based on environmental conditions, even at home.
The temperature in the terrarium should vary from 27 to 29 degrees without a lamp, and with a lamp from 32 to 35.
Leave a little space at home, where the pet can hide from the heat of the lamp, then he will independently make a choice about the comfort of his stay.
If possible, purchase a thermostat, so as not to accidentally burn the animal or cook it alive.
In the natural environment, the temperature does not fall below 17-18 degrees at night.
Feeding and care
Care for a chameleon is not only in the organization of the place of stay at home, but also in the correct diet of feeding and nutrition.
The difficulty of creating a drinking regime is that tree dwellers do not recognize drinking bowls and bowls.
In the natural environment, they collect morning dew from the leaves, so you will have to create a similar atmosphere at home.
To do this, spray the plants and decor liberally from the spray gun for a couple of minutes.
The chameleon will collect the drops that roll down from the decor.
Modern pet stores offer an excellent solution to this problem by selling a device that independently sprays water after a certain period of time.
For proper care, the humidity should be about 50%.
Suitable for feeding:
Earthworms, Grasshoppers, Mouse flies, Locusts, Cockroaches, Vegetable food (dandelion leaves, pepper, zucchini, apples and pears), Cicadas.
Do not forget about the trace elements that chameleons do not receive, even if you take care of them in the first category.
Therefore, be sure to add mineral supplements and vitamins to the diet.
Females in the position and young animals need an additional portion of calcium containing drugs.
All dietary supplements are given at least 2 times a week.
Breeding
Puberty occurs early, about 9-11 months.
If you bring it together with a partner, then in most cases you can get a brood.
Most often, the appearance of a female makes the male start up and start mating games, but sometimes there are cases of aggressive behavior.
If the female is ready to mate, she will allow you to play with her and let the boyfriend come.
The mating process can take place more than once, until the female changes color to a darker one, indicating a change in the processes in the body, that is, pregnancy.
At the moment when the female changes color, the male will no longer approach her, and she will become aggressive.
Pregnancy lasts about a month, after which the female begins to look for a place for laying.
At this point, the owner should put a container that needs to be filled with wet vermiculite.
It can be replaced with any material that will allow the female to dig a hole and not crumble.
The minimum size of the container is 30*30 cm.
The clutch can contain about 80-85 eggs.
They will stay there for 6 to 10 months.
It is important to take care of the masonry and maintain a temperature of about 27-29 degrees.
It is not forbidden to transfer eggs to an incubator, where it is easier to care for them.
Some eggs may not be fertilized.
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