Sunday, September 18, 2011

Caring for Chameleons

For several months, we had three chameleons living on our porch, Hissy, Bert and Slow Mo.

Above: Bert. He got his name simply because Slow Mo came along first, 
and with a name like that, needed a friend called Bert. 


Above: Hissy, the youngest of the three. 
Hissy got his name because if you went too close, he'd get a fright and hiss at you.
I'm not known for my subtle naming skills.

Above: Slow Mo. The most sociable of the three. 
If you went near him, he would happily climb onto you, whether you expected him to or not. 
Several times I discovered him on my shoulder, in my hair or on my arm.

After a few weeks, Bert and Hissy went walkabouts and didn't come back. I suppose they were looking for a place to call their own. Slow Mo lived with us for a few more months until he passed away. He was a real pleasure to watch. I especially enjoyed spraying the leaves near him and watching the pink tongue lap up the water. Every few days I would mash some fruit or meat and smear it on a twig. The mixture would start to rot, attracting insects for the chameleons to eat.

Here are a few more pictures of the chameleons, Hissy and Slow Mo:
(For some reason I have only one photograph of Bert. See above.)

Above: Hissy on my finger.

Above: Hissy the chameleon walks along the edge of a Hydrangea leaf.

Above: Slow Mo being sociable. A few moments later he climbed right onto the camera. 

Above: Slow Mo on a fern frond.

I've always been in love with lizards, especially geckos and chameleons. Having these three wild guests live with us of their own volition was intriguing. I look forward to finding more chameleons in the garden this year.

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