Clyde seems heartbroken

[myfamfirst140]

I have a pair of Jacksons Chameleons, just recently Bonnie passed away from an alleged parasite or reproductive complications per vet, anyhow, ever since she passed, Clyde has not eaten and we got him a new female which he does not care for which is odd to me due to most male chams show much interest in their female counterparts. Annie, our new female approaches him constantly going under, over rub past home with no rocking or gravid colors, Clyde just sits there or turns away sometimes, most of the day he keeps his head down and to me he looks sad, mind you this all began when Bonnie passed, I have learned that Jacksons can be more tolerant to a companion than other species and am wondering if there was an emotional connection between the two and he is just grieving, as I also know that chams don't have the ability to feel that kind of emotions, they are just tolerant, if he does not get better or cheer up I will be taking him to the vet to obviously find out what the heck is wrong with him, please help, thoughts? Similar experiences?

 

[MelissaB]

Personally, I wouldn't keep two chameleons together like that, It usually leads to an early death for one or both chameleons.
If your vet didn't do a necropsy, they're only guessing as to what went wrong.
Your male may have what the female had.
Also, introducing a new animal, without a proper quarantine is also a very bad idea. If your male is sick he can pass it on to the new female, and vice versa.

 

[jajeanpierre]

They don't form relationships so they can't feel grief.

He looks sick to me.

Chronic stress suppresses the immune system. Housing two chameleons together causes chronic stress. A suppressed immune system makes them more vulnerable to pathogens and parasites their healthy immune system would normally take care of.

So, you have one die of unknown causes and have another that is sick. And now you add a third into the mix.

Your vet seems to not know why your first one died--how did the vet come to the conclusion that it was either parasites or reproductive complications? If it is parasites, your male likely has the same parasite load and your new one will get it if she doesn't already have it. Maybe your new female will introduce a brand new parasite that your male doesn't yet have.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

How long had you had the pair, before her passing, how large is the enclosure?

From what is notable in the limited photos, you have a fairy typical, though sparsely furnished cage, which, being all screen is likely rather dry to a montane jacksons. Cohabitation is a hot button subject and some of use break the rules and things can work, but in any cases where this is successful, cages are large, DENSLEY furnished, and the species, as well as individuals are carefully monitored and selected, with perpetration to intervene, if there's trouble.

Your male looks, at a minimum, dehydrated.
If I were you, I'd do several things, differently.
First, I'd separate the two animals, this includes visually, so they can't see each other. Second, I'd cover 3 sides of that screen enclosure with material to hold in humidity and I'd employ a humidifier, fill the enclosure with LIVE plants, and review the care parameters for the species. Next, I'd get both animals checked out and at least 3 fecal sample, spaced a week or 2 apart, from both animals, checked for parasites, then every 6 months, I'd have another tested. Once that is done, you'll be on your way, hopefully.

 

[Carlton]

Oh wow...so sorry you lost your first female. I agree with what others have already said. Much as we'd like to believe that chams form pair bonds like our more typical social pets, they just don't. They can certainly learn to tolerate another familiar cham's presence if they can retreat whenever they need to, but you do need to remember that by nature, they are solitary territorial animals. In the wild, (and your pair was most likely wildcaught) the female would not share a small territory with a male, even a familiar one. The male would end up pestering the female to mate even when she's not receptive. That's a constant stress for her. In a cage she can't escape his attentions and both chams will compete for space, for food, for water, for the best basking and hiding spots, etc. When we put them into captive situations they don't always behave as they normally would either, which can be confusing. If she had an underlying health problem initially, the constant stress could have made it worse and you lost her. As others said, your male may have a similar underlying problem and the stress is catching up with him. Now he has a new "intruder" in his turf which just multiplied on top of other problems.

If you don't want to lose one or both of them now, separate them, adjust their housing, (please read the forum's cham husbandry articles located under the Resources tab), and do whatever you can to improve their conditions so they don't get worse. The cage looks much too bare, too dry, and may also be too warm for jax. A pair might be able to share a space the size of a small bedroom or greenhouse, but not this cage.

 

[myfamfirst140]

Thank you for all the eye opening feedback, I love these animals, and did a lot of research before getting our first, since then I have read articles, talked to , Skyped, wrote numerous people, and have learned that there is always something more to learn, or finesse when it comes to caring for these animals, I will seriously keep adjusting to better care for all my chams, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts

 

[Chameleon+Cody]

awe that's so sad R.I.P Bonnie. Poor Clyde hope he gets better. he does look very said. makes me sad. hope all goes well with Annie.