Chameleon Academy Podcast with Bill Strand

Wouldn’t it be great making money doing what you love? Have you ever wondered how to start a business in reptiles or chameleons? Today we talk about starting a business in the reptile community.

Today, I am talking to the people who have purchased the Chameleon Kit from ZooMed. This is the set-up which is the most commonly brought home. It is not meant to be the final cage set-up for your chameleon so this episode tells you how to use what you have until you can upgrade to something more permanent.

There is a lot of information about using UVB with chameleons bouncing around the internet. But how is it in execution? Today I bring you a discussion with Pete Hawkins who has raised a female veiled chameleon with UVB light and completely without dietary Vitamin D3.

If you are new to the chameleon world this podcast episode is for you. Here I will give you an orientation to the community and give you an overview of what is important for you to know now about chameleons.

One of the most dynamic companies in our industry is Arcadia lighting with their dedication to moving reptile technologies and research forward. And that is due to the dedication of their Head of Science and Innovation, John Courteney-Smith, MRSB. In this episode, I talk with John about his products are today and where the technology is going.

Chameleons are fascinating creatures and easily catch the eye of both kid and adult. The question often comes up from parents – should I get a chameleon for my child? In today’s episode we will explore that topic and give you the tools you need to make that decision.

If we are going to consider giving our chameleons vitamins as they would naturally get them in the wild we will have to dive into Ultraviolet light. This is the natural energy that powers the vitamin D3 conversion a chameleon. Today we talk with Mario Jungmann who specializes in Montane chameleons which show the highest sensitivity to supplements and is a great place to start a minimalistic supplementation routine.

Today we explore the supplementation method used at Kammerflage Kreations, our community's most experienced panther chameleon breeding facility.

Supplementation is a complicated subject. We still don’t even understand what humans need for nutrition, much less what a chameleon needs. Most of what we do with chameleons comes from trial and error. The more trials, the more errors we can weed out. Today I start a series on the basics of supplementation so we can all understand what we are trying to do with all those powders.

It is a big world out there and in some of those far off corners there chameleons roam free. One of the great experiences in a chameleon enthusiast’s life is to visit chameleons in the wild and we are going to start talking more and more about chameleon eco-tourism here! Today I talk with Marc Vaillant who has visited a number of places where chameleons live and we are going to get a feel for what to expect.

The Parson’s Chameleon has a smaller subspecies that isn‘t always in the limelight, but has a fierce and dedicated following. Calumma parsonii cristifer is a popular chameleon that has become available as captive bred. Today I am joined by Aaron Allred who breeds this species and he shares with us his experiences in keeping them healthy and breeding them.

The Parson’s Chameleon has been a tricky species to breed. But we have entered into a stage in our community’s growth where we are now able to reliably complete the reproduction cycle. Today we talk to Craig Durbin of Primo Chameleons about his experience in breeding Parson’s Chameleons.

The Parson’s Chameleon is one of the most sought after species and, for good reason. It is a wonderful chameleon to keep. The challenges in reproducing this chameleon have kept the Parson’s chameleon rare. But recent successes by some dedicated breeders have given us a chance to enjoy the holy grail of chameleon keeping – captive bred specimens. Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Craig Durbin of Primo Chameleons as he shares his experiences with the Parson’s Chameleon.

The reptile community of which we chameleon people are a part of is like any other community. It is made up of hobbyists and businesses catering to their needs. Today we are going to look into the pet business at the corporate level. I am going to talk about how we as consumers create and shape the community at that level through our decisions. And how “actions speak louder than words” is more than just a cliché.

It is easy to be smitten by chameleons. From their patterns, horns, impossibly long tongue, color change, and….just all of what they are, they are truly other-worldly and have a quick charm about them. Their popularity continues to grow through movie appearances and social media exposure. In addition, a growing community of breeders has made robust, captive bred chameleons easily available. But do they make good pets? Today we will discuss what kind of pets chameleons make.