Von Hohnels Chameleon
Chamaeleo hoehnelii
The Von Hohnels Chameleon is a hardy species reaching an adult size of 10-17cm. They are found Nairobi, Aberdare Mountains, Mountain Kenya and other parts of Africa.
What does a Von Hohnel’s Chameleon look like?
The male Von Hohnel’s Chameleon has to be the prettiest looking Chameleon we have owned. Both sexes have a small blunt horn shape lump on the snout, this is larger on males. Large spikes are present on the throat, smaller spikes run along the back to the base of the tail. The colour varies from shades of dull green, green-brown, light to dark grey or yellow. Females tend to stay a green-brown colour, males have patterning like moss on a tree trunk, very blotchy with lots of colour. Dark vertical bands are present with two pale stripes running along the body.
Reaching a maximum size of 16-17cm (6.5 inch), averaging out at 10-14cm (4-5.5 inches), this is a small species. They live together in the wild and are not territorial, therefore a small group housed together will be fine. Females give birth to a litter size between 7-18, the young are tiny, measuring 3-4cm (1.5 inch).
Where are Von Hohnel’s Chameleons from?
They can be found in Nairobi, Aberdare Mountains, Mountain Kenya and other parts of Africa. Living in a high savannah grassland within bushes, shrubs, small trees, reed beds and tall grasses.
How do you keep Von Hohnel’s Chameleons?
This is an easy species of Chameleon to own and can be kept together in small groups.
We always recommend the Exo Terra Terrariums for this species, the enclosure provides good ventilation and they look nice. We use the largest size of 45x45x60 to house an adult trio. We provide a mixture of cyprus mulch and orchid bark to help maintain some humidity. Branches, artificial and live plants (none toxic plants) should be provided but do not over crowd the enclosure.
This species does not require a high temperature and will happily live at room temperature, in the wild they can withstand -2C during the cold nights. It is best to provide a low basking area of 22-25C, this should be connected to a dimming thermostat. They require a small amount of UV to help them produce calcium, so provide a 2% UV stripe bulb. We are currently using a 7 Watt energy bulb as this gives off enough heat and UV that this species requires.
The Von Hohnel’s Chameleon will eat many insects, we like to feed them on crickets, locusts, wax worms, house flies and the occasional mealworm. During summer, other insects can be collected from your garden or local fields, make sure no pesticides have been used. Feed small spiders, butterflies, hoverflies, grasshoppers etc. The food should also be dusted with a vitamin supplement on every feed if using the T-Rex Sandfire Chameleon Dust. Provide running water in the form of a waterfall, these look really nice in the enclosure. Lightly spray in the morning and evening to help with humidity levels.
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