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TheMalagasyGiant Chameleon is a relativelypeaceful and sociable species.
Malesof theMalagasyGiant Chameleonhaveabrownor graybase color.
Lexicon
MalagasyGiant
Chameleon
Furcifer:
means“forked”
oustaleti:
name inhonor of the zoologist
ÉmileOustalet (1844-1905)
Because the Malagasy Giant Chameleon is
comparatively common and is also
associated with human settlements, the
nativepeople like tomakeuseof thegreedy
appetites of these animals, andplace these
chameleons in their gardens, where they
devour unwanted pests up to the size of a
mouseand therebykeep them incheck.
However,thesepositive (fromamaintenance
viewpoint) characteristics of the Malagasy
Giant Chameleon don’t alter the fact that
theseanimalscandevelopaquiteremarkable
turnofspeedwhennecessary.
MalagasyGiantChameleons intheterrarium
All the usual basic rules of chameleon maintenance
applytotheMalagasyGiantChameleon.These includea
relativelyhigh food requirement,which is,however,easy
to satisfy in thecaseof theMalagasyGiantChameleon,
as they will take not only all the usual food insects
(crickets, grasshoppers, and
Zophabas
beetles, but also
baby mice - in the wild they also eat small birds and
reptiles. All food insects should always be dustedwith
one of the usual calcium-vitamin powders available in
the trade.
Thehigh requirement for drinkingwater alwaysmakes
chameleonmaintenance rather time-consuming,as the
majorityof individualsdon’tautomatically learn todrink
fromadish.For this reason theyneed tobegivenwater
viaapipetteat leasteveryotherday.Thereare,however,
anumber of tricks toget round this.Many chameleon-
keepers use drop dispensers, which drip water at
intervals of 1-2 seconds into a collecting container
placed below. This simulates rain water, which the
chameleons recognize as such and drink. The most
naturalwayofprovidingchameleonswithwatertodrink
is by spraying, with the reptiles taking thewater from
plant leaves,etc.But that too is labor-intensiveand can
also result in the terrariumbecoming toowet. Amore
