Exotic Pets : Chameleon

 Let's say you want a pet desperately.......CHAMELEON

Let's say you want a pet desperately. But you don’t want any random pets like dogs,cats,birds. You want something fun,you want challenge. If you really want something like that, i think i have something perfect for you taste. Lets find out...

Chameleons belong to the lizard family.  Chameleon is derived from the Greek words chamai and leon which mean earth lion.  The structure and size of chameleons vary greatly.  They can measure from one inch to thirty-one inches long.  Chameleons are kept as exotic pets due to their characteristic ability to change color.  They change color to camouflage themselves, communicate with each other, and regulate temperature.  They also have a very long tongue to catch their prey.

Chameleons do not have the ability to change color from birth.  They are brown or gray when they are born.  They start by changing to one or two colors and when they reach five months, they gain full control of the color changing ability and can change to many colors such as green, black, turquoise and blue-green.  Various colors show emotions such as stress, the feeling of temperature change, excitement, and communication with other chameleons.  Brighter colors indicate good mood;  Darker colors like black, gray, and brown represent stress.  Some other colors are also seen when the chameleon transitions from one color to another.

They even have a very long tongue, which they use to catch flying prey.  Chameleons have the ability to stretch their tongue up to half the length of their body.  In this way they can catch both flying prey and prey located at a great distance.  They have three fingers, two of them facing one side and the third facing the other direction.  This structure helps them get a firm grip, which facilitates their habit of climbing trees.  They spend most of their lives in the treetops.  Some of them are also equipped with prehensile tails, which they also use to grip well when climbing. 

 Another amazing fact about chameleons is that they turn their eyes in two different directions.  Both eyes are independent of each other.  The structure of the eyes is globular and they use it to turn and obtain vision of a larger radius.  The eyes are used to monitor enemies and also to search for food.  In addition to insects and slugs, they also eat plants.

Chameleons are kept as pets because many people find them very fascinating.  But they are very difficult to maintain and naive pet owners should not start with them.  Although they are not the toughest exotic pets, they are not the easiest to handle either.  Their requirements are very comprehensive and owners simply get tired of them after a while.  But if the owner has already decided, then he should opt for a chameleon that has been bred in captivity and is trained.  Those that come directly from the wild are more dangerous, have a chance of becoming infected and find it very difficult to adapt to the new environment.  They will also be more stressed, which will be a big obstacle in training.  Additionally, when wild chameleons are captured and sent to their destination, there is a chance that they will die along the way.  

While selecting the pet, the health of the animal can be determined by close observation.  The chameleon should be able to change color and should also be active.  They should be brightly colored and the body flesh should be smooth and not scaly.  Males are easier to maintain because their nutritional needs are lower. 

 Species kept as pets are the panther chameleon, veiled chameleon, and Jackson's chameleon.  Chameleons are basically solitary animals and their ability to camouflage explains this very clearly.  They just don't like to be manipulated.  They should not be kept with other pets and it is a very bad idea to keep two male chameleons together as they will fight and hurt each other.  They should be placed in a cage with plenty of foliage, which can satisfy their tree climbing needs and also provide them with the desired privacy.