Old World Chameleons: Captive Care and Breeding
Assoc Reptilian Amphibian Vet 8[2]:4-10 Summer'98 Review Article 20 Refs

- Old World Chameleons have long fascinated humankind with their independently rotating eyes, lightning fast tongues and psychedelic color changes. Over the past few decades, chameleons have had poor captive lifespans; living from a month to a couple of years. Within the last five years, an increase in information regarding proper nutrition, environmental conditions, medicine and breeding have led to longer life spans. This increase in information has resulted in a multitude of captive-bred animals entering the pet trade. When purchasing a chameleon, a captive-bred animal is more desirable than a wild-caught chameleon. Generally wild-caught chameleons are older and most have internal parasites. Captive-bred animals are usually well acclimated to a caged environment and make better first chameleons. Chameleons have specific requirements and should only be kept by those owners willing to adequately provide their needs. The following are three of the most common and hardy captive species. Panther Chameleon, Furcifer pardalis - The Panther, or jungle chameleon originates from the northern part of Madagascar; Veiled Chameleon, Chamaeleo calyptratus - Indigenous to the southwestern coast of the Saudi Arabian peninsula; Jackson's Chameleon - This variety originates in Kenya, Africa. This article discusses the general care of chameleons, including environment, feeding, reproduction, and neonatal care.