When we try to pick out anything by itself we find that it is bound fast, by a thousand invisible cords that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe.
– John Muir
Welcome to the Chameleon Academy!
The truth of John Muir’s words shine out in the chameleon keeping world. We pick out a chameleon as our focus point and we are so fascinated by our subject that we want to know more. Thus starts a lifelong journey exploring the natural history of the world!
It is through this catalyst that we explore each of those thousand cords emanating from our chameleon and find ourselves diligently studying all of nature and geography. This is where we learn of the unseen world of parasites, the complex interactions of nutrition, the endless variations of plants and their care, and the vast environment that our chameleons live in and are dependent upon. We go from not being able to locate Madagascar on the map to supporting reforestation efforts and local indigenous schools. This website is all about chameleon education, but the underlying benefit is that it uses the simple fascination for this impossible mini-tree dragon to open the keepers’ eyes and mind to how all of nature is connected. It is this passion that starts with a lizard pet that grows into a drive to help safeguard the world we live in.
The Chameleon Breeder Podcast
2015 – 2019
2020 – Present
The Chameleon Academy grew out of the award winning Chameleon Breeder Podcast started by Bill Strand in 2015. This podcast has brought together experienced keepers and scientists to share their knowledge with the community. The podcast episodes are a valuable reference for those wishing to dig deeper into chameleon related issues. By 2019 there were so many episodes that it was difficult to find the information necessary. Thus was born the Chameleon Academy where the audio of the podcasts could be combined with written text and video for a multi-media education experience. The information is arranged by topics and is presented in a class type structure. Upon the launch of the Chameleon Academy website the podcast was renamed the Chameleon Academy Podcast to bring the outreaches under one common name.
Podcast: The Chameleon Academy Podcast can be found on any podcast player, but is best experienced on the dedicated, and free, iPhone or Android app. You can find this app here:
Bill Strand
Bill Strand’s passion for chameleons started 40 years ago and has only grown. His community outreaches include hosting the award winning Chameleon Breeder Podcast and expanding this newly opened, multi-media Chameleon Academy that you have found here. He has been featured in the UK based Practical Reptile Keeping Magazine and the US based Reptiles Magazine. In all of these outreaches, his goal is to promote educated and naturalistic chameleon husbandry as the conduit for us to become more intimately aware of the world we live in. He also runs the Dragon Strand Chameleon Caging Company (https://dragonstrand.com) which allows him to create caging that facilitates proper chameleon husbandry. In 2020 he was honored by the Chameleon Forums with the Chameleon Heart Award for contributions to the chameleon community. Bill and his chameleons live in California with his Uroplatus phantasticus breeding wife, Yvette, and two Shiba Inus.
Dragon Strand
The Dragon Strand Chameleon Caging Company was established to directly serve the needs of the chameleon community. Since 2013 it has been the vehicle to bring constant innovation to our hobby. It is Dragon Strand that popularized solid side enclosures, provided commercially produced cages for babies, and invented the, now patented, Dragon Ledges which allow us to mount horizontal branches and potted plants on the sides of our cages. As a small business, Dragon Strand is able to react to changes in chameleon husbandry and ensure they are fully supported by hardware.
Dragon Strand continues this mission to aggressively innovate and support the best possible live for our chameleons. Initial costs for this website were covered by Dragon Strand representing the most direct example of community business going right back into investing into making the chameleon community stronger.
