Our Girl - Amelia

So, to prove that Steve and I really are completely insane, we recently aquired - Amelia. No, this is not what we're going to name our daughter, although the name is ironic as I liked it and Steve didn't. Now we have a compromise - of sorts. If a reptile counts as a compromise for naming your daughter.... when there wasn't even a fight....? Oh well.

The point is, Steve decided a while back he wanted a chameleon in his classroom as his reptile example (we're slowly filling the major groups of animals as he has fish, birds, mammals, and now reptiles in his class) but we weren't planning on looking until next year - considering the other big "ultimate pet" as Steve puts it that is coming in August (hopefully not September). But, then we saw an ad on craigslist. Steve and I should be kept off of craigslist like alcoholics should stay away from bars. Ok, so mostly me. But in my defense, I find the deals and Steve decides whether or not we should inquire. When it came to an absolute steal for a chameleon, her vitamins, her cage, and a watering/misting system worth several hundred dollars on its own, we inquired. (This is her setup by the way, which was all provided, including the timers for her lights and misting system.)

We sent an e-mail Sunday night when we saw the ad. And as of Monday night, the guinea pigs had a new neighbor in Steve's class. So, meet Amelia.

So most of the pictures were taken on Steve's phone as I have been busy and not in to his class since Monday to get pictures. In this one, she's going for a cricket in the corner. Which is funny because apparently - Amelia has bad aim. We were informed of this by her previous owners, and Steve has since confirmed it. Funny to me after my tree frog Odhran who would smash his face into the glass walls aiming for crickets...
So this is one of the few pictures I got of her Monday. She was not happy about being in a transport box while we got everything set up, and kept hiding behind this branch as a way of protesting. The other way she protested was by digging those tiny, needle-sharp claws into my hand when I put her in her cage. We were informed that veiled chameleons are anti-social and moody. Boy did she live up to her reputation! She clamped down so hard on my hand it hurt for 5 minutes after she finally let go, and she refused to even let up with a single hand for a couple of minutes. After that she took her sweet time releasing the other 3!
These photos are important because: one, they show her neat coloring and eyes and such. Two, when you compare them to the photo above, you get to see how pissed off Amelia really was with us Monday night. Veiled chameleons as it turns out turn black when they're mad. Usually just spots. We saw this when her old owners took her out of her cage. When we pulled her out and put her back in, and she was kind enough to illustrate her fine grip to me, she was completely black. She seems a little happier now...
So, that's our latest aquisition. And yes, even I thought we were totally crazy while we were on our way to get her. I guess there's a difference between realizing you're crazy and wanting to be sane....