Chameleon Breeder Podcast With Bill Strand

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.

Trioceros ellioti is a small chameleon from Eastern Africa. It is a charming species where the males and females are equally desirable as far as color and shape. It is a livebearing species with the typical care requirements of montane chameleons. Ease of husbandry and hardiness of this species make it a prime candidate for establishing in captivity.

Often known as Mexican Alligator lizards, the members of the genus Abronia are a beautiful and charming lizard. They are arboreal with prehensile tails and giving live birth. Jason Wagner is  hobbyist and conservationist that specializes in the Abronia alligator lizard. Jason joins me today to tell us about these amazing creatures.

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.

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.

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.

Today we take a close look at the Waxy Monkey Tree Frog. No, it is not a chameleon, but you will be much more successful with this species if you use chameleon husbandry rather than standard frog husbandry. And to introduce us to this unique frog is none other than Philippe de Vosjoli.

We all know, more or less, that Chameleons are suppose to stay in their cage. But what happens when you have to transport them? Whether just to the vet or to a new home across the state, or to a foreign country, or as a surprise escape in a natural disaster, you will have to plan for how this is going to work! Today I talk about transporting our chameleons.

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.

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.

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 phantasticus for many years.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Today I touch on a couple topics. I talk about the difficulty in beginners getting the right information, I revisit the Plants Alive! challenge, and I encourage us to see our cage as a sanctuary. I also announce that this will be the last daily episode of a chameleon keeper in self-imposed isolation. It has been a thrilling run of over one month of daily episodes! I will be going back to the week format where an episode is released every Friday.

Today I talk about upending the natural order by bringing outdoor vines into my chameleon cage and I discuss using psychological tricks to get better mating response in chameleons.

Books are special, and today I review the books that, even with all the information on the internet, I still reference on a regular basis. These titles make a great addition to your personal chameleon library.