Chameleon Academy Podcast Archives – Season 5

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.

Chameleons have amazing tongues and sometimes things go wrong. Today, Dr. Rob Coke joins me to discuss what these issues could be.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 U. phantasticus for many years.

When we start with a new reptile the first thing we do is search for a care sheet. These are summaries that give us the basics of what that animal needs to thrive. But it can be confusing when you get two or three caresheets and they contradict each other. In today’s episode I talk about how caresheets are constructed and how to navigate the information they provide.

Last week I talked about caresheets – how they were made and how we should use them. These provide guidelines for the husbandry. But then you see people breaking the rules. People you considered experts are doing it differently and then someone from left field is doing exactly what was said not to do and gloating about it. So, who do you listen to? Today, I talk about breaking the rules.

Starting off with chameleons can be an intimidating time. Coming into the chameleon community you are bombarded with UVB, D3, gradients, and a wide range of passionate, yet contradicting opinions. Today I am going to review the basics to get you off on the right foot.

Supplementation powders are a cornerstone of our captive reptile nutrition. One of the most prominent supplements in our community has been the Repashy Superfoods line. In today’s episode, Allen Repashy, the founder and formulator, comes on and shares with us what got him started in reptiles and how that led to creating a diverse line of nearly 50 specialty supplements and diets.

Today I am joined by Tyrone Ping who is a herpetological photographer from South Africa who achieved his six year goal of photographing all the chameleon species of his home country. Tyrone comes on and shares with us a little bit about what life is like in South Africa and introduces us to his country’s chameleons and the adventures he has had recording them.

Trioceros ellioti is a  small chameleon from Eastern Africa that is a livebearing species with the typical care requirements of montane chameleons. It is a charming species where the males and females are equally desirable as far as color and shape. Ease of husbandry and hardiness of this species make it a prime candidate for establishing in captivity. Today, Michael Nash comes on and shares his insight into breeding this species. It is hoped that this will help increase the number of breeders working with T. ellioti and raise awareness for this species.

Chameleon husbandry is made up of many aspects including environmental conditions, nutrition, and emotional security. Everything we do that gets our husbandry closer to the optimal conditions strengthens our chameleon. Everything we do that is off weakens our chameleon. Today I talk about the cumulative effects of stress and how we should look at each one of these husbandry parameters.

Nighttime drops are an important part of chameleon husbandry. Today, I talk with Petr Necas about understanding why they are important and what they mean for us providing the best captive care possible.

The Nepenthes Tropical Pitcher plants are one of the most striking plants we can include in our chameleon environments. Their leaves sport ornate carnivorous pitchers at the ends and they add a flash of adventure to our plantscape. With me is Jeremiah Harris to share his expertise in this exciting genus!

Welcome to this episode of the Outer Fringes. I must say that this episode has been hotly anticipated. Green Tree Pythons fit the bill as an arboreal reptile with a dedicated community that surrounds it. This is important to us because they have studied there reptile as deeply as we have studied ours and we can both benefit from each other’s efforts. And, if there is one snake that would be a natural transition for us, Green Tree Pythons, (or their boa counterpart, the Emerald Tree), would be top of the list for many of us!

Good morning, Chameleon Wranglers! Last week we were joined by Patrick Holmes for an introduction to the Green Tree Python. Today we start in on the husbandry talk. We will actually have two episodes worth of husbandry information. The reason for this is that we are not just listing off parameters for us to blindly follow. Patrick is one of those who values you knowing why he says what he says, and thinks it is important that we acknowledge other methods. Sound familiar? So, even if you never plan on getting a green tree python, the approach you are about to hear deals with issues we face no matter what reptile we keep. This is very much about the compromises and decisions we are faced with when we strive to recreate a natural environment with unnatural equipment on the other side of the Earth.

Good morning Chameleon Wranglers! We have been spending the last couple weeks studying the Green Tree Python. This final week we wrap it up by me asking Patrick Holmes to lead us through the steps for us to get started with this beautiful snake. One of the most interesting things about this interview, from a high level, was seeing the parallels between our communities.  You listen in you will hear some very familiar statements. Because they are the truth in all of our communities. Things like investing upfront in the genetics and health of the animal and proper set-up or else you will be investing that saved money in vet bills on the backside. Or else there being a distinct difference between stress spikes and chronic stress. Hmmm, are we seeing the dynamic of convergent evolution at play?

I invite you to listen in and enjoy the conclusion of our study into the Green Tree Python with Patrick Holmes.

Today I have the honor of sharing with you a part of our early chameleon community. A multigenerational breeding project in the US which started in 1967,.. It was modelled off of a German project that took Jackson’s Chameleons to the F3 generation and a Southern California reptile club decided to replicate the experiment. I will be bringing on Jeff Hattem who, as a young man, was part of this project. Please join me in a view into our past.

Anyone who has tried to take a picture of a chameleon has found out that it isn’t that easy. They actively plot against you and your Instagram aspirations. So, in an effort to figure out how I can take better pictures of my chameleons I searched out the person who is not only the most prolific chameleon photographer of our time, but her work looks great. Perhaps some of that could rub off on me with just a podcast interview and ten short years of dedicated practice. Of course, I speak of Briana O’Brien who is the photographer from Kammerflage Kreations. She fills their social media accounts with a great deal of eye candy every week. Those with a photographic eye will notice an evolution of style, skill, and technique. So, can a talk with Briana change this iPhone wielding chameleon wrangler into a photographic artist? I will bring her on and we shall see.

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Temporal Gland Infections are a bane of the keeper of the Jackson’s Chameleon. The Jackson’s is the most common of the chameleons with a temporal gland and infections tend to set in. What is this gland and how do we treat it? Today I am joined by Dr. Tom Greek and we discuss this medical issue.

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One of the most important parts of creating a suitable living environment for our chameleons is the plant life we place in their home. Today I am joined by Bonnie Person of Verdant Vivariums and she will be giving us the basics of how to keep plants happy.

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Crested geckos are common place pet lizards that are available from private breeders all the way to big box pet stores. They are hardy and so are quite popular. If you work during the day and come home right before your chameleon starts to turn in for the night you might find some enjoyment in this nocturnal gecko who is just getting started when the sun goes down! Today I am joined by David and Manny from TikisGeckos who got their start breeding crested geckos and now run one of the prominent reptile captive breeding facilities.

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We hear about screen cages and we hear about glass cages. But what are these hybrid cages? Today I introduce you to the benefits of keeping chameleons in hybrid cages, how to use them, and even how to make your own.

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When you step into the chameleon world you find yourself in an immense undiscovered country. You never realized how many species of chameleons there are! So how do you go about learning the species just listed for sale? Today, I take you along with me as I gather information on a rarely available Captive Hatched chameleon species.

The ZooMed Chameleon Kit is one of the most common starting points for chameleon keepers. But one soon learns that it must be upgraded. Unfortunately, this isn’t always expected by the new keeper. And it must often be done with an urgency that requires guidance. In today’s episode I review the transition from the Chameleon Kit to the final cage set-up.

We have come to the close of Season five of the Chameleon Academy podcast. In this final episode of the season I am going to review 2020 through the eyes of a chameleon keeper.