Hi Folks

[andyb5]

Hey all, I am an owner of a Specialist Reptile and exotic pet store in N.Ireland, ( please trust me we're not all bad), Furless Friends

I joined here as I do most sites basically looking for info and trying to help others. I breed a number of reptiles myself ( Beardies, Frilled, Chameleons and Water Dragons) so I know how protective we all are of our young

Hope to chat to you all soon ;-)

Andy

[ghone]

hi :) :) :)

[leggy]

Hi welcome to SW.

[linda]

welcome andy :D

[kirst16]

hi there :D
Chameleons ROCK!!!! i LOVE them, where i lived when i was little they lived wild in my garden :D :D :D

[Eire_Ade]

Hi Andy,

Welcome to Shelled Warriors.

You are a pioneer in your profession and a very good and welcome minority.

Looking forward to getting to know you.

Ade :wink:

[wildlifewarrior]

hiya and welcome i am in kinda of the smae boat as u expect instead of working at a pet shop i provide animals to them through my own breeding. wud lvoe to see ir frilled lizards....one of the first lizards i ever got attacked by :D :D ahh the memories.

altho i am not a beleiver in keeping chams but i have my own reasons for that. but anyway welcome to the site.

[Toni115]

welcome from me :D

[KearasNana]

Hello and welcome to SW from me :D

[TortMad]

Hi :D

Welcome to SW :D

[pippin]

hi andy, great to have a reptile specialist get ready for loads of questions. :D

[andyb5]

Cheers for the warm welcome guys.

Wildlifewarrior.... why the dislike of keeping chams? Just curious now lol

[wildlifewarrior]

lol did not really wanna debate this but ok. i don't dislike chams in general, if anything there one of my favorite animals of all time. i just don't beleive they should be kept in captivity.

this is because these animals are so delicate and get stressed very easily. chams hate to be picked up and altho many owners do this , does not make it right, they are animals that live to be on the own and even in breeding season it is normally a one way thing. i have seen many people gettiing them out and letting them climb on there heads and such which as u will know this is a escape mechinaism in these animals as they try to get to the highest point, which in the wild wud be a tree as it wud be the safest place. temperture changes and humdidty fluctuations are a common thing in keeping reptiles as ur room is always changing and it has effects on the animals tanks but it's no big deal, part from when it's with chams, even this stresses them out. also most owners have them as they look great and therefore have them normally in a room where people can see. this causes nose and shadowing from people walking past which really stress's them out. most of the lighting sold for chams is completey wrong and they don't get the d3's and such. people aslo think chams change colour because it's like a fun thing for them to do. they don't realise they do this as a defence and will only change dependant upon temperture. i have seen chams in the wild and thos ein captivity and the differenc eis amazing, they act so differently and seem in a much better state. also the life in captivity is much shorter from that in the wild, which is very strange as captivity animals seem to live longer.

from what i have seen in petshops aswell around half of the chams die due to the stress from being in a petshop.

i just don't think they are a lizard that is suited well to captivity. but don't get me wrong if u can provide ideal conditions for them where they will be complety undistrube then thats fine. it's just most people can't provide thes esuitable conditions for them and therefore unless they can then they shud not be kept in captivity.

anyway u have my view on that .

cheers :D :D :D

[Cameroony]

Hey :D