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As of June 2007 ChamEO, Inc. is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization.
We foster any chameleon that is healthy or sick. We care for displaced chameleons from government agencies, herpetological societies, rescue organizations, breeders, importers and the general public. We care for sick or injured chameleons and adopt them to suitable homes when they are healthy and stable.
Workshops on basic husbandry are held throughout the year. We provide educational information and resources about the specific care and husbandry of chameleons. We offer live presentations, brochures, caresheets, and a website dedicated to the care and husbandry of chameleons.
My name is Elisa Hinkle and I've been a chameleon enthusiast for about 8 years. I have volunteered a great deal of my time to the Southwestern Herpetologists Society as an Officer and Publications Chair preparing the Herpetology Journal and the monthly newsletter.
I love to help people who keep chameleons. A lot of times the information shared on the internet is intimidating and overwhelming. I've learned over the years that if you set them up right the first time, you will find more joy in the hobby than heartache.
My husband Jeff is the driving force behind ChamEO's incorporation and the success in obtaining 501(c)(3) status. So if you donate to ChamEO, you may get a tax write off. Jeff says you need to consult with your tax advisor when doing so.
Jeff Hinkle - "I'm a CPA/business manager currently working in the music industry. In my spare time, I play guitar in a surf music band called Surf Asylum. It has been a lot of fun for me watching Elisa build ChamEO from the ground up. Even though I don't contribute very much in the day-to-day care of the chameleons, I have learned a great deal about the animals and the hobby. As a CPA, I have many years of professional experience advising non-profit organizations. So my contribution to ChamEO has been more on the administrative side - making sure ChamEO was set up properly and securing its charitable, tax-exempt status. And making sure everything runs smoothly."
Lenny was my first chameleon. I bought him at a PetSmart in southern California and was told he was a juvenile panther chameleon. I turned to the Internet for more information on my new pet and learned that he was actually an adult Dwarf Panther also known as the Comoro Islands Chameleon (Furcifer cephalolepis) and he was in terrible shape. He was emaciated, dehydrated and had an incomplete shed. Later I learned that he had parasites too which is typical of wild caught chameleons.
The Dwarf Panther is one of two species endemic to Grand Comoro Island. You can read more about this species here. 
It's hard to believe that Lenny survived as long as he did. I took the advice of some very patient experienced keepers and was able to improve his condition with some dedication.
After Lenny gained some weight and got comfortable with his new home, I purchased a captive bred female from Doug Fowler (the first breeder to successfully hatch out captive bred cephs in the U.S.) I named her Clare. Lenny and Clare shared a cage and successfully bred. And about a year later, some of the eggs finally hatched. I raised a small number of their offspring, giving a few away to my cham-keeper friends.
 Lenny was not afraid of humans from what we could tell. If you offered a hand out to him, he would eagerly walk right onto it. Lenny lived with us for two years and three months. The photo above (left) is how he looked about one month before he died. He had just been checked out by our mobile vet and other than the fact that he was slowing down and eating less, he seemed to be in overall good health for an older chameleon.
Sadly, my little breeding project ended with the last one dying at 4-1/2 years old. They were not being exported any more. This is a wonderful species and not terribly difficult to keep if you meet their basic requirements. I would gladly raise cephs again if provided with the opportunity.
The experience of having this little creature turned my life into what it is now. Lenny is why ChamEO, Inc. exists.
Thanks a lot my little green friend!
| Project plans come together for Chameo Clinic workshops; Zoo Med Laboratories donates products to support Chameo Clinic; Grant applications submitted for funding. |
| Opened our online store to sell cages, plants and other supplies needed to keep chameleons happy and healthy.. |
Two clutches of F2 spinosus eggs were laid early this month.
The ChamEO Forums are Back! In September 2002 we started a Yahoo Group called ChamList that was a close knit community of chameleon keepers. When ChamEO was formed and a website was built, we had a message board set up for visitors. It didn't get much usage and the expense of running it became impractical. With the help of a really, really, REALLY smart computer guy (Cameron), we have added a much better forum to our site without the added expense. It is still being developed but you can help get it started by joining. The focus of our forum is to discuss husbandry and health issues specific to chameleons.
We support Chameleon Forums and appreciate its broader focus and feel that it serves our hobby well. If you are interested in chameleons at all, are new to chameleons and want to learn as much as you can, you belong on Chameleon Forums. It's a great place to start. |
New website published, designed by Adam at Snail Tail Flies, Inc. |
| Greenhouse is built. |
When we were planning the Southwestern Herpetologists Society's Annual Exhibit in 2007, one of our members worked on getting us publicity for the event. She approached several newspapers with stories about SWHS members in hopes of getting stories into the papers to ultimately help promote our Exhibit.
I got a call from Dana Bartholomew at Daily News and he wanted to come visit me and see my chameleons. I was so nervous but Dana was awesome. He was really interested in the chameleons and the rescue work. The article I thought was funny.
On September 20th, Dana told me the article was going to run on the 21st. My husband went to the store and parked right in front of a newspaper stand. One of those self-serve contraptions. He was astonished to see his wife on the front page. Very cool moment.
The Exhibit went well and I was able to meet a number of chameleon keepers who came to the Exhibit because of this article.
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 The Southwestern Herpetologists Society' holds Exhibits annually to raise funds and membership. Usually this event takes place on the first weekend in October. |
| ChamEO, Inc. is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) corporation. |
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