Origin: Brookesia are found in Madagascar, Rhampholeon are found in Africa.

Size: Varies with different species. The most common pygmy chameleon in the pet trade, R. brevicaudatus, reaches a maximum total length of 3.2".

Lifespan: Varies. Usually 2-5 years.

Housing: It is important to house your pygmy chameleon in an enclosure that has adequate ventilation. Glass aquariums used for fish do not allow the proper amount of ventilation and, therefore, are not a good choice. Good enclosures are mesh, screen, or special chameleon enclosures that have a glass front and back, but the sides and top are ventilated. Reptariums work well, as do Oceanic Lizard "E" Series Lizard Lounges.

Be sure to set your enclosure away from direct sunlight. Pygmies have a tendency to overheat, and keeping your enclosure near a window will increase the chance of having a pygmy fatality.

Once you have chosen your enclosure, it's time to landscape. I have a step-by-step guide on creating a naturalistic pygmy enclosure on this page. I use at least 2" of 50/50 mixture of organic potting soil and peat moss. Dried sphagnum moss is placed on top and sprayed thoroughly. Ficus benjamina trees are a favorite of my pygmies, though other pygmy-safe plants such as pothos, ferns, etc. are used as well.

Temperature: Varies. Pygmy chameleons easily overheat and should be kept at room temperature or slightly above. The maximum temperature for R. brevicaudatus is 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Please carefully research the specific type of pygmy you are purchasing to make sure that the temperatures are correct. Feel free to e-mail me anytime if you have any temperature questions. If I don't know, I'll help you find the answer.

Feeding: Pygmy chameleons will eat many different types of small prey items. Small crickets, fruit flies, springtails, firebrats, nymph roaches, etc. are all readily accepted. Don't forget to supplement! I "shake and bake" my feeder insects in Rep-Cal and Herptivite before tossing them into the pygmy enclosure.

Also, be careful of how many feeder insects you put into the enclosure. Too many insects will stress your pygmies.

I manually spray my enclosures 2x a day. Misting systems can also be used if you spend a lot of time away.

Breeding: (General breeding info. Mostly for R. brevicaudatus.)

QUICK TIP- Only house one male pygmy per enclosure.

When a male approaches a female, she will either be ready to mate or will be non-receptive. If she is not receptive, she will rebuff him by turning away, opening her mouth to threaten him, etc. A receptive female will let the male mount her, and may also go for a casual stroll around the enclosure (carrying the male during the process).

About a month after mating, the female will dig a tunnel to lay her eggs. Clutches are usually about 2-6 eggs, though I have found as many as 10. I prefer to remove the eggs from the enclosure and incubate them separately, using the same perlite method as I do with my crested geckos. Hatchling pygmies will emerge between 41-92 days (depending on incubation temperature) and are less than an inch long. If you have not already done so, hatchlings should be separated into a different enclosure to be raised on fruit flies, pinhead crickets, and springtails. I raise my hatchlings in pygmy "nurseries", with groups of up to 12 same-sized individuals.

Other: When threatened, certain types of pygmies will "play dead" (akinesis) if their camoflauge strategy does not work. When touched, they will fall to the ground in a curled position until the threat has passed. Another behavior that some pygmies exhibit when threatened is "buzzing" or vibrating. You can feel this sometimes when you transfer a pygmy chameleon from a deli cup to it's enclosure. Some believe this vibrating serves as a defense against ant attacks, however, at this point it still remains speculation.

If you are interested in Pygmy Chameleons, I highly recommend purchasing the book, "Stump-tailed Chameleons; Miniature Dragons of the Rainforest" By Petr Necas and Wolfgang Schmidt. (www.zoobooksales.com)