Summary: You’ve come to the place where we discuss the art –and science- of chameleon keeping. We explore, share and go beyond just keeping a pet to learning about the world through our love for these modern day dragons. We’ll talk about everything that goes with successfully maintaining these amazing creatures. So dive into the episode library and let’s get on with our chameleon adventure! .
Show Notes:
In this episode, I introduce myself and my vision for the Chameleon Breeder Podcast. This podcast has been in the works for about a year now. It is amazing how much work and detail goes into putting something like this together. My first recordings were downright horrid. Much of this episode is about me. This is more than simple vanity. This is to establish where I am coming from and give you information about whether you can trust what I say or not. The internet and social media have become a great equalizer of sorts, but not always in a good way. Now someone who has a little digital graphics knowledge can put together a Facebook page in the space of a morning and slap on a great looking logo. By collecting and repeating standard chameleon care soundbites this person can now go confidently into cyber space and look just as legitimate to the new keeper as the person who has been around for 20 years.
Whereas before the internet there was a scarcity of information, we now have an abundance of information. Before, our skills were honed to dig up references and piece together scraps of information. Now, our skills must be developed to parse through the deluge of information and pick out what is solid and ignore the noise.
So I can offer only my digital resume and, if you are investigating my background I say excellent! Because that is the only way someone should take me seriously. Here are some links where you can check out my history in the chameleon world.
2002: I co-founded the Chameleons! eZine at http://www.chameleonnews.com. My vision was to bring chameleon keepers from around the world together to share their knowledge. I am quite proud of how it turned out. I wrote many articles which you can reference in the author’s page. After 11 issues I turned it over to the present editorship and they have continued to build it into the finest repository of chameleon knowledge in existence. I call it our Library of Alexandria.
2011: I took over leadership of the South Bay Chameleon Keepers – a group of chameleon keepers that get together throughout the year to socialize and talk chameleons. Originally co-founded by Dave Weldon and Alice Shiraki in 2007, we are moving on to our ninth year. If you are in Southern California and we are having a meeting, drop on by! SouthBay Chameleon Keepers Facebook
2013: I launched the Dragon Strand caging company dedicated to producing cages specifically for chameleon keepers. Would you be surprised to know that, up until that point, the people offering chameleon cages did not keep chameleons? It showed in their product line. There was so much more that we needed. Horizontal branching was possible only through building an internal structure or putting stress on the screen walls that were not designed to hold weight. There were ways around the issue, but it was always a kludge. As of this podcast release date, the Dragon Strand company has ushered in a period of more innovation than chameleon caging has seen since the development of a production screen cage. There are three caging lines available whether you want the economical all-screen cage, need a breeding caging system, or desire a premium display cage for your home. We even have a patent pending product, the Dragon Ledges, which allow you to mount substantial horizontal branches and potted plants to a screen or plastic wall. You can check out the products here. Http://www.dragonstrand.com
Thank you for joining me in this adventure!
Transcript (More or Less)
Welcome to the Chameleon Breeder Podcast. In this introductory episode I’ll introduce myself, this podcast and give you an idea of what is going on here.
This podcast is about the art of chameleon keeping. And everything that goes with successfully maintaining these amazing creatures. They may not breath fire, but these are our modern day dragons. So this podcast is for you, the modern day dragon wrangler. You are working the normal everyday 21st century life, but when you come home and look into that cage or walk into the reptile room you are transported to another fantastic world. That is how it is for me and this is what we will be talking about.
My name is Bill Strand and chameleons have been a part of my life for coming on four decades now. It all started with a passion for dinosaurs and I, luckily, never grew out of that wonder. I have been a hobbyist, a small scale breeder, a large scale breeder, and an educator in the community.
In 2002 I co-founded the chameleonnews.com eZine which continues today under the leadership of Chris Anderson as the single best collection of chameleon community knowledge . It is our library of Alexandria.
I lead the SouthBay Chameleon Keepers group in Southern California. Originally started by Dave Weldon and Alice Shiraki, it is in it’s eighth year. If you find yourself in the area come on down and take in a meeting.
On the personal side, I am involved in multi-generational breeding of select species. And in 2013 I launched the Dragon Strand caging company to provide our community with enclosures designed specifically for the needs of chameleon keepers.
I have done many crazy things in my chameleon adventures and if I haven’t done it I am sure I know someone who has! If you are a beginning chameleon keeper then this is the perfect place to get answers to the questions you didn’t think of asking. If you have been around for a while then maybe you can come away with a different perspective or else you can share yours with me. There is always room to grow and this podcast is my part in keeping the conversation going. We will truly never run out of corners to explore in this incredible world.
So this is what I am thinking. We all have cleaning and maintenance duties for our animals and feeders. I invite you to download this podcast and bring it along with you as you take care of your chameleon friends. I’ll release an episode every Friday. Just in time for the weekend deep clean or feeder overhaul. And if you miss our cage cleaning date then just take this podcast with you on your jog, workout, dog walk, or Monday morning commute. So dive into the episode library and let’s get on with the tutorials, interviews, current events, and just plain having a good time with our modern day dragons
This is Bill signing off. Let’s get started on our chameleon adventure!
