Introduction
R. brevicaudatus lives in the low level bushes, grasses and leaf litter
of the Rainforest's of coastal Tanzania, East Africa. They are found
from sea level to 1300 meters.
They grow to a total length of 3 inches when adult (Females grow slightly
larger than males).
Males are distinguished by displaying yellow/green eye turrets with
black stripes radiating from the pupils and horizontal black stripes
running down their flanks when in excited coloration. They also have
a longer bumpy tail that tapers gradually.
Females are distinguished by the shorter length of their tail, which
has a smoother appearance and tapers quite sharply.
FEMALE
R. brevicaudatus
Captive Care
Housing
Clear Plastic tanks 'Pal pens', glass aquariums or Wood and glass
vivariums are ideal enclosures for R. brevicaudatus. Minimum sizes
for a pair is 15" wide x 10" deep x 10" high.
R. Brevicaudatus
requires a naturalistic set-up with a 2-6 inch (Minimum of 2 inch
for egg laying) layer of soil or Coconut fibre (Nature-bed etc) substrate,
we have found coconut fibre is best as it is very absorbent and sterile
so doesn't contain nasty bugs or chemicals. Cover this with dried
dead leaves and a few live plants, thin twigs and branches to climb
on. Plants suitable for use are Ficus pumila 'creeping fig', Ficus
benjamina and miniature palms, plants can be left in there pots or
planted directly into the soil but I prefer leaving them in the pots
which makes cleaning so much easier. R. Brevicaudatus seems to do
really well in a wide variety of enclosure sizes the smallest I have
kept individual adults in are large 'Pal pens' (Clear plastic tank
with ventilated lid) measuring approx. 10 inch long x 6 inch wide
x 9 inch tall. Males are territorial and will fight so do not house
more than one male in the same enclosure unless it is very large and
thickly planted. R. brevicaudatus are one of the few chameleons that
can be kept in small groups, I have found a trio (1 male 2 females)
gets on well in a tank approximately 24 inch wide x 12 inch deep x
12 tall. Make sure there are some plants that they can hide in and
get away from each other.
Temperatures
Daytime temperatures of 65-80F are ideal. A small halogen lamp can
be used as a basking lamp (and also the sole light source) basking
temperatures should be no more than 90 F max. night time temperatures
can safely drop to 50F with no ill effects.
Lighting
I have used halogen desk lamps as the only source of light and have
never had a problem. With wild caught adults living over 2 years and
still going. I have also used 5% UVB reptile florescent tubes with
the same amount of success. I am still researching whether they benefit
from UVB exposure if I find anything interesting I will update this
care sheet, please check www.ukchameleons.co.uk for updates. Use a
normal day/night cycle of 12 hours on and 12 hours off for natural
lighting hours.
Humidity / Hydration
Spray the whole cage heavily twice a day, this will provide all the
water and humidity that they need. Live plants are crucial as they
provide humid zones and help create the right microclimate. The substrate
should always be damp as eggs may be laid without you noticing so
will need the moisture to incubate in.
Foods and feeding
Foods should be no larger than the distance between their eyes being
approximately 2/8 inch or slightly smaller for adults. Foods that
should be offered are Small Silent or brown crickets, woodlice, fruit
flies and if you can hatchling silkworms and young wax worms. (Black
crickets shouldn't be used as they are more likely to bite the chameleon
as it sleeps. To help avoid this feed smaller size crickets and only
feed what will be eaten in one day, if any are left over try to take
out as many as you can just before the lights go out). With hatchling
R. brevicaudatus the only foods small enough are fruit flies and hatchling
crickets ('Pin heads') until the grow larger.
Vitamin and mineral
supplementation
Dust insects lightly around 2-3 times per week with a high quality
Calcium powder eg T-Rex Bone Aid or Miner-all (which is better but
rarely available in this country) and dust with a multivitamin powder
eg nutrobal once every 10 days roughly.
This applies to
babies as well but use a multivitamin once every 7 days.
Breeding
R. Brevicaudatus are easy to breed as they are kept in groups and
lay their eggs in the enclosure without any special attention.
They will lay around
1-4 clutches per year with the average being 2-3, and contain 1-5
(average of 3-4) eggs per clutch.
Eggs are small the
size of a Tic-Tac (around ¼ inch long). They are usually laid
in the corners of the enclosure or near a hard surface like the walls
or side of a flowerpot. Some people say to leave them where they are
laid and others say about incubating them artificially, I have tried
it both ways and have found digging up the eggs and incubating artificially
is the best. You can't control humidity and don't know when babies
are due, if left in the enclosure. Place eggs in a plastic container
filled half way with damp vermiculite etc. and place in a warm place
or incubator which stays around 72-78F at these temperatures eggs
hatch at around 80 days.
The babies are tiny
when they hatch measuring around 1 inch long total length!!! Baby
care is not that difficult but you will need a supply of tiny insects,
which can sometimes be a problem. Follow the same care as described
above for rearing. The only thing that will be different is enclosure
size which should be small around 6 inches x 4" x 4" this
is to allow the chameleon to find food easily.
I have successfully
bred these into 2nd generation and am working towards the next generation
I will update the article with more successes when they happen.
Conclusion
R. Brevicaudatus are fantastic little chameleons, which are very hardy
and if well looked after may live for 3-4 years or more. They are
great to watch and have brilliant little personalities and if your
lucky enough you will see them feed, shooting out there long sticky
tongues, and hopefully be able to breed these unique little chameleons.
I hope this care article helps you and you enjoy these little jems
as much as I do.
