I recently got a male trioceros jacksonii xantholophus and I am wondering if anyone has any opinion on whether I can get a female to live with him. He's in a 24x36x60" custom cage so space isn't a problem but I've seen some people say that it is impossible to cohab chameleons but then people like primitive predators on youtube keep a 2:3 group. I've also seen other chameleon species cohabbed (i.e. Bradypodion Thamnobates) but I just wondering if it's doable with jacksons.
cohabbing jacksons chameleons
- Thread starter nivine
- Start date
Sammy Grigio
Avid Member
Many years ago, about 20, I was young and ignorant and loved chameleons. I loved them so much that I just absolutely had to have a female Jackson’s after having a male for a while. However I didn’t have the space, resources or working motivation to get another enclosure, so I decided to just put them in the same one.
The female was always showing gravid/stress colors at first and I just figured it would go away and they would adapt. That did not happen and I subsequently almost killed the both of them after a couple of months of allowing them to live in a perpetual state of akathisia. It was no doubt utter torment for them both. I realized this and decided to re them to a local breeder that nearly ended my life when I told him what I had done.
That was my experience. Maybe that was an anomaly or an isolated case. But I somehow doubt that with vigor.
Just don’t do it unless you have an actual master bedroom size enclosure and versed experience working with Jackson’s.
The female was always showing gravid/stress colors at first and I just figured it would go away and they would adapt. That did not happen and I subsequently almost killed the both of them after a couple of months of allowing them to live in a perpetual state of akathisia. It was no doubt utter torment for them both. I realized this and decided to re them to a local breeder that nearly ended my life when I told him what I had done.
That was my experience. Maybe that was an anomaly or an isolated case. But I somehow doubt that with vigor.
Just don’t do it unless you have an actual master bedroom size enclosure and versed experience working with Jackson’s.
ok, thanks so much I'll probably just get a female and put her in another enclosure because I do eventually want to breed them. Maybe I'll try introducing them to one another and just seeing how it goes for a couple of days to see if maybe it will be alright but I will definitely be super cautious and be constantly watching them and making sure everything is alright.
If you're getting another chameleon and already have one, please quarantine them from each other for a few weeks before you try to mate them in case the new one has something wrong with it.
Then when you go to mate them, don't just throw them in together and leave them. It needs to be done right.
Then when you go to mate them, don't just throw them in together and leave them. It needs to be done right.
absolutely I know that. I've been breeding other lizards (bearded dragons/crested geckos) for a couple of years and I know how territorial some chameleons can be. Of course I will quarantine as well.
