Chamaeleo calyptratus (Yemen chameleon)

Origin: Saudi Arabia
Length: males 45 cm, females 35 cm (including tail)
Weight: males 85 to 170 grams, females 85 to 118 grams
Age: 3 to 5 (rarely to 9 years)
The Yemen chameleon is native to Yemen and southern Saudi Arabia. Here they live in warmer areas where there is a lot of vegetation such as trees and shrubs. They are also regularly found in more humid places, such as near rivers. The Yemen chameleon is a fun reptile species for any enthusiastic and starting hobbyist. It is also the most kept chameleon species in the hobby. It is a beautiful strain that is also widely offered. The species can become fairly calm, but some animals remain a bit shy and will hide behind branches or between plants if people come near the terrarium.

Grooming
Experience: Novice / intermediate reptile keeper
Food: Insects (crickets, grasshoppers and caterpillars)
Feed adult: Feed some food animals every other day (look at chameleon's appetite)
Feed young: About half to one bowl of crickets every five days
Water bowl: Not necessary
Change water: Twice a week

Nutrition
A Yemen chameleon eats all kinds of insects as food and occasionally some fruit or vegetables. Because the food contains too little calcium and vitamin D, the insects must be powdered with calcium powder with vitamins.

The Yemen chameleon can generally eat food that is 1 to 1.5 times the size of its beak, or anything smaller than that. Young chameleons will only eat small crickets. The older chameleons also eat larger crickets and even older chameleons can eat grasshoppers, cockroaches and adult crickets. You can buy crickets and grasshoppers in several sizes, so they match the size of the chameleon well. The main food (and therefore the animal food) for the chameleons can best consist of crickets, grasshoppers and caterpillars. You can also give mealworms (not too much, are very fat), morio worms (not too much, are very fat), caterpillars, butterflies and moths, waxworms (not too much, are very fat) and possibly baby mice (pinkies).
You may give the chameleon as much fruit, crickets, caterpillars, cockroaches and grasshoppers as it wants to eat. Other food sources such as waxworms and morio worms are better fed in moderation because of the high amount of fat they contain. A growing chameleon eats a lot, often more than people expect. So always make sure you have enough food at home, especially insects. A chameleon of about 3 to 8 months will eat about a whole bowl of crickets every 5 days. When they are older it is much less. Adult chameleons do not need to eat every day, but they can, depending on the animal's appetite.

Water
Despite the fact that the Yemen chameleon lives in fairly dry areas, it is good to provide the chameleon with water on a daily basis. You can offer this in a small water bowl, change the water twice a week to prevent bacteria build-up in the water.

Cleaning
Like the hungry eaters they are, they relieve too. For this reason, it is wise to remove the faeces from the accommodation every day, and to remove the dirty bedding once a week. In addition, it is wise to thoroughly clean the entire stay a few times a year, this will prevent the accumulation of germs and bacteria.

Handling
Yemen chameleons are real viewing animals and therefore much handling is discouraged. They can be handled and tame, but this can take quite some time, especially with young animals. If you handle the Yemen chameleon, let it walk on your hand carefully and not forced (quietly). While handling it is recommended to hold it over your lap or over a table. This prevents the chameleon from falling from too great a height. Finally, it is advisable to wash your hands before and after handling. Here you prevent the chameleon and yourself from getting sick.

Housing
Minimum enclosure size for this animal: 90 * 45 * 90 for adult male, 60 * 45 * 90 for adult female
Day temperature: 24-28oC
Night temperature: minimum 20oC
Hours of light: 12-14 hours of UV light
Humidity: 40-50%
Ground cover: Coco peat, non-fertilized garden soil, beech chips, kitchen roll etc.
Design
A good design for a chameleon terrarium consists of many branches in different directions to walk on, and live plants or fake plants to hide behind. A chameleon prefers to hide behind some plants, especially at night. If you don't provide this, your chameleon can become stressed and shy. Of course, plants with spines or poisonous plants are not good. You can cover the bottom of the accommodation with coco peat, non-fertilized garden soil or one of the other ground coverings above (preferably no soil from outside because of worms, bacteria, small bugs and fungi. Do not use bark or wood chips, a chameleon can accidentally take such a chip by its tongue when shooting a prey and then choke on it.

The chameleon's terrarium also needs lamps, both for the temperature and for UV light. In addition to lamps, A chameleon needs a certain humidity in its environment. That is good for his skin, eyes and general health. How humid a chameleon terrarium gets depends on the amount of moisture you spray into it and the amount of ventilation from the terrarium to the room. A chameleon needs a terrarium with an ideal humidity, neither too moist nor too dry. Proper ventilation of a terrarium is also essential. Good ventilation means that the air is refreshed. The air comes from the area around the terrarium in the terrarium. Often the terrarium loses humidity and the levels of oxygen and CO2 are equalized between the terrarium and the rest of the room. It is very important that a terrarium has good ventilation for a chameleon.

Behaviour
Diet: Mainly carnivore (sometimes vegetables or fruit in addition)
Lifestyle: Arborist and active during the day

Character
The species can become fairly calm, but some animals remain a bit shy and will hide behind branches or between leaves. Each animal has its own character and unfortunately this cannot be predicted.

Points of attention
Ventilation in the Yemen chameleon's enclosure is very important. Make sure there are large air vents in the accommodation, so that good air circulation can take place. Also make sure that when your chameleon is shedding it should not be disturbed.

Costs and Purchase
Legislation: CITES II, to own this chameleon you need CITES or transfer papers. You should get this with the purchase.
One-off costs: This includes the costs for the accommodation, lighting, heating, water bowl, plants and other decoration. All together this can cost a few hundred euros to a few thousand euros. The final amount depends on the quality and size of the products.
Fixed costs: Fixed costs include the costs for the feed, this is a few tens of euros per year.
Unexpected costs: Costs have been incurred when your chameleon accidentally falls ill or your equipment breaks down.