can i house...

john118

New Member
i have 2 yemen chams male an female about 6months old i did have them together when they were a few weeks old but had to seperata them as the male nearly killed the female i have a big viv so i meshed it in the middile an put one either side id now like to put them together again as they are the same age but obviously the male is slightly bigger and i know they will breed which is fine but do you think i will have the same problem or is she old enough to defend herself please help:confused:
 
chameleons are extremly territorial, regaurdless of sex.

you willl end up with one of two things, a dead chameleon or a very sick/ near death female....

the male will dominate, or breed her to death, the only time they should be together is when breeding and then seperated soon after she shows her prego colors.


so the answer is .




NO
 
Agreed - you must not house them together if you want them to live healthy quality lives. They should only see each other, briefly, if she's receptive to mating and if you have the resources and knowledge to deal with breeding/babies.
 
thanks one more thing...

:)thanks i will leave them were they are just one more question i have fine play sand as a subtrate an have since i had the chameleon an the pet shop advives me to get bark do you think i should change it i cant have nothing on the bottom as my heat pad is under the sand
 
I know you want to breed them, but the female is too young. Keep them separated for another few months. And when(and only when) she is receptive, you can put the together just for breeding purposes.
It sounds like he may be an agressive male. When you do put them together, watch them at all times. If he starts attacking her, separate IMMEDIATELY.

Lance
 
:)thanks i will leave them were they are just one more question i have fine play sand as a subtrate an have since i had the chameleon an the pet shop advives me to get bark do you think i should change it i cant have nothing on the bottom as my heat pad is under the sand

Ignore the pet shop suggestion - they just want to sell you stuff. Do not use a bark substrate. The playsand is a good option for when/if your female lays eggs. otherwise, no substrate at all is necessary or advisable. nor should you need a heat pad. Chameleons get their heat from basking - do you have a light bulb for this purpose?
 
Just to continue what sandrachameleon said, no substrate is needed. Put your clean and damp sand in a container about the size of a small bathroom trashcan to put in the female's cage. Substrate only breeds bacteria and the chams can eat it. If you want something on the bottom of the cage to catch poo, put paper towels on the clean bottom. They are easy to remove to clean your cage.
 
ye i have basking lamp which is on for a few hours a day for both of them its weird cos he is really hand tame i get him out all the time but she is really aggressive i only have to put my hand in the viv and she hisses and rocks i do keep tryin but dont want to stress her out my temp in tank is 69f when basking lamp is off but when it on it can reach 80f do you think it will be hot enough without the mat then and wont i need to leave the lamp on all day then
 
also, if she is territorial or simply doesn't want to be handled, do not "keep trying"... if you would like to better acclimate her to you simply try hand feeding and be patient with it but they are not social animals so it is up to the individual and you should act accordingly to accommodate her likes/dislikes and she will be much happier
 
The heat lamp should be on all day. I would assume you have a screen cage for them. males are pretty much ready to mate at any time. But for their health, keep the heat lamp on during the day
 
hey Brad, can you pleeaaaasse make a sticky that says : MOST chameleons CANNOT be housed together... EVER
 
You say that you had a large viv and just meshed it in the middle, and put them on either side - can they still see each other? Maybe that's why she's aggressive? if she constantly sees the male and then you come into her territory.......... would make me feel very threatened! :)
 
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