Cross species habitat

[CauseNAffect]

Ok, let me preface this by saying I am well aware of the dangers and hazards this can create, however I do not wish to discuss that

I have a mellers that recently moved into my amilobe panther free range; which consists of 3 basking lights, 3 6ft bush plants, endless vines and ropes, and an entire living room to explore

I always separate the mellers an the panther when I can, however, at night they always sleep on the se tree together, to be honest they are always around eachother, I think they just like the company. Both show no sign of stress in coloration or behavior, I think I'm lucky they both are just happy chilling all day.

I would love to hear or see if anyone else has had a similar experience to me and what your experience has been.

 

[camimom]

While most people dont recommend you keep two different species together, much less two of the same.... as you know..
There are a few members here that have males that hang out together and are ok.
I believe jannb has two panthers that are friends and im fairly certain sdheli has several panthers that are all free ranged together.

as long as everyone is not stressed, they still have their own areas to go to, and theres no fighting over food, i think youll be ok to let them chill.
I know okiroo has two females, a veiled and a hoehnelli, and they hang together all the time.

just keep an eyeon them and see what happens.

 

[coldbloodedAL]

If theu are showing no signs of stress i would say yes it is fine, but keep a close eye on them it may happen over time.

 

[Olimpia]

When I used to free range everyone (4 panthers, 1 Jackson's, and 1 veiled female) I would find the different individuals hanging out together all the time. The 4 panthers lived together in a large full-room free range but the other two had their own FRs and they still liked to switch around and rearrange themselves.

There was a time when I would find my large Ambilobe male and the Jackson's together or the same Ambilobe and the veiled female. They would climb there willingly and sleep together, bask together, and hand feed together. Then maybe a week or two later they would rearrange and then they'd be alone for a while before forming pairs again.

If they're choosing to do this and they still have the option to separate, let them. They know what they want to do, I guess.

 

[thephotoprincess]

I keep 4 melleri together in a large free range with no problems - it's not uncommon to keep melleri together.

In another room I have a free range that my male Jackson's and male Kinyongia multituberculata live together on with no problem. Sometimes they hang out near each other but usually the Jackson's sit on a branch near the top while the k. multi crawls through the leafy parts like a little ninja.

 

[coldbloodedAL]

I keep 4 melleri together in a large free range with no problems - it's not uncommon to keep melleri together.

In another room I have a free range that my male Jackson's and male Kinyongia multituberculata live together on with no problem. Sometimes they hang out near each other but usually the Jackson's sit on a branch near the top while the k. multi crawls through the leafy parts like a little ninja.

Your jackson and multi are awesome!

 

[CauseNAffect]

That's fantastic, lots of cool things people do i guess.

It's interesting to me because my meller is gigantic, he is diesel, and my panther is just a lil guy, they couldn't be any more different. yet they like gravitate to the same trees all the time. Just interesting i guess.

Glad to hear others are free ranging and experimenting as well

 

[Panther16]

Olimpia that's is so cool! They have there own groups Lol
I love i

 

[okiroo]

mine are girls so they are less agressive to start with but i have a veiled and a hoe that have their own FR. the veiled will visit the hoe alot and if she lets up on her visits the hoe will go over to the veiled. you can tell they enjoy being around eachother and dont mind climbing all over eachother. i think its good mental stimulation, animals shouldnt be kept and never/rarely see another.

sorry about the qaulity. the way the light is when they were here make them look dark. they can see them peaking

 

[jannb]

Panther's will often get along but most male veileds are very territorial and don't even like the sight of another male chameleon. I have to be very careful not to let my Luie lay eyes on another male or he freaks out. I've only hear of one veiled in my 8 years of keeping chameleons that could get along with another male.

Two of my panthers are good friends. This is Jr and Hendershot.

 

[CauseNAffect]

what a great photo....

jann and olimpia i always enjoy hearing your feedback, always objective and always have something nice to add.

*For me... keeping chameleons makes most sense to simulate their natural environment as best as possible. I do this with no cage, free water flowing around and mistings, multiple plants and places to go... and other chameleons. I feel like that is the best way to create an environment that best replicates the natural wild. I even look up the barometer / temperature in madagascar to see what the daily / nightly humidity and temperatures are.

 

[jannb]

I free range all of my animals. https://www.chameleonforums.com/some-free-ranges-66598/ BUT I always put the safety of my animals first in the way that I free range. I know who gets along with who and who I can't leave together and who I can never allow to even see eachother. For example, my panther Sid does not like his brother Jr and my male veiled hates all the other males.

 

[thephotoprincess]

Your jackson and multi are awesome!

Thanks - they have awesome personalities!

 

[Olimpia]

Thank you!

Here are a couple pics of two of my panthers one day in the shower together:

My ambilobe and my veiled:

Two of my panthers when they were young feeding from the communal feeding "cup."

 

[camimom]

Olimpia, i love how your two panthers are licking water off each other. so beyond cute! kisses!


i love your kids, so pretty. and lucky. i hope kermti and kink can be that nice one day.
kink likes to visit on kermits cage alot. doesnt seem to stress them out, so hopefuly one day.

 

[Carlton]

WONDERFUL licking shots!!!!! I love it! Just make sure no newbie stumbles across that pic and decides this is how to house them.

The key here is really escape habitat. In the wild, chams can choose to get away from each other even if it is just out of sight close by. A free range offers that best of all things....choice. With some control over their daily living they won't feel as vulnerable. When something is cornered it can only attack or freeze in place miserably.

I had a male deremensis and a K. f. multi who shared a large cage for a couple of years. Somewhere I have a pic of them sleeping on the same branch, feet touching. Now my melleri hated the sight of my verrucosus so I had to cover his cage carefully. It just depends!

 

[CauseNAffect]

Well said carlton... the key is definitely escape. I think it all stems from being able to make real choices that a wild animal would do in a space where it can come and go as it pleases, or conceal itself at will.

I just would never do it differently, once i switched over, I felt bad that I ever kept my cham in a cage, i realize this is extreme and won't work for most people.... But there is absolutely no arguing that a free range cham is clearly happier, no animal wants to be caged.

Thanks for the posts everyone this has been great hearing people's experiences

 

[Olimpia]

Thank you!

I definitely agree, when these guys have choice it's fun to see what they choose to do. On the flip side, my Jackson's and my Nosy be couldn't be together because the Jax would try to mount the panther, so they had to be separated. And then my female eventually matured and hated all males equally, so she was separated as well. But with different individuals you got different relationships, and it was a great deal of fun to do.

Now I can't because I only have a male and female panther and we all know what relationship they'd choose to have but maybe in the future I'll try this experience again, hopefully I'm lucky enough to get pretty docile animals again.