Dilemma!

[dwayne]

Hey All...

I thought Id say a little hello as Im new to this site. I do however have a situation on my hands.

I am as all of you are a chameleon owner. I brought Cedric (a Veiled) May '08 so he's probably about 20months now. I love him to bits but he's such an angry little sh*t sometimes! He used to come to me initially, now he detests even the site of me! LOL

I know, I know, they all get grumpy with age which I appreciate.

So I figured I'd get him a female companion to cheer him up a little, provided he's not like his owner! But I seem to be getting mixed opinions on this, generally that he may not take to her, or that I'll need to grow her on a fair way before introduction ect..

So now I've seen this young pair of Two Horned in my local Rep' shop and have been offered a swap?!?!?!?!?!!

What to do?

What are they like to keep? Should I get um AND keep Cedric? Separate of course!

I like the pair of panthers there as well, so it's a tuffy!

Any clues guys..

Thanks

 

[SS4Luck]

what kind of horned chams? there are a few with horns.

DEFINITELY DO NOT KEEP THE VEILED TOGETHER! and do not introduce them until they are both physically mature, the male will more than likely eat the small female if she is small enough. Even if mated you would not be able to keep them togehter. It hs stress fighting and injury writen all over it

 

[tkilgour]

Welcome to the forum, it is nice to find a place where we all share an interest in chameleons. Introducing a female to a male takes timing. If your female is non receptive she will get nasy w/ the sight of a male. She will gape, and turn a dark non receptive color. They can even fight if you let them get to each other. So show the female to the male through the enclosure. When the female is receptive she will be passive to the male, at this time if the male is ready they will mate. Also, females require special care due to egg production. By the way I seem to be interested in all chams with horns. However, I prefer panther chameleons. I would recommend researching the care for each, because each species requires different needs. Good luck and welcome!

 

[dwayne]

what kind of horned chams? there are a few with horns.

DEFINITELY DO NOT KEEP THE VEILED TOGETHER! and do not introduce them until they are both physically mature, the male will more than likely eat the small female if she is small enough. Even if mated you would not be able to keep them togehter. It hs stress fighting and injury writen all over it

Two horned?! I believe its the fishers kind? They always referred to them as 'two horned'..

I quite against the idea of getting a female now to be honest. I'd rather buy a pair of similar age.

thanks

 

[dwayne]

Welcome to the forum, it is nice to find a place where we all share an interest in chameleons. Introducing a female to a male takes timing. If your female is non receptive she will get nasy w/ the sight of a male. She will gape, and turn a dark non receptive color. They can even fight if you let them get to each other. So show the female to the male through the enclosure. When the female is receptive she will be passive to the male, at this time if the male is ready they will mate. Also, females require special care due to egg production. By the way I seem to be interested in all chams with horns. However, I prefer panther chameleons. I would recommend researching the care for each, because each species requires different needs. Good luck and welcome!

Yeah, panthers are definately more pleasing to the eye.
He said they are of the 'blue diamond' variety? any good...?

Cool website.

thanks

 

[warpdrive]

welcome to the best forum on chameleons.

personaly, I could never give up my panther, even if he turned nasty on me.
yet I do agree that if you deside to get a female veiled, then she needs her own cage and sometimes some special care.
if you do get a female (and I think you should), you will have to raise her to at least a year old first before you even try to mate them...or you could look for an adult female, and I'm sure that it wont be too hard to find.

nothing wrong with getting others as well...talking about the two horned.
but I would find out just what type they are and read up on their care fist as it could be quite different then a veiled.

Harry

 

[dwayne]

No, no, no..

Its not about his temperament. More a new challenge. As I said I want to mate him but I seem to receive so much contrasting opinions. Prime example is that you guys are saying not to house them together, even once they have paired up/mated. Which is what I always thought was sensible. Where as in the pet shop, they seem to have a male and female cohabiting just fine, and recommend doing the same.?

What is correct..

Thanks

 

[warpdrive]

90% of chameleons need to have there own cage. Veileds are one of them.

I would highly recamend NOT ever keeping a male and a female veiled together, regardless as to what they are doing at the petstore.

a good book to read is "Chameleons - their care and breeding" from Linda J. Davison

Harry

 

[Pure]

And keep in mind, just because you don't see the male actively beating the snot out of the female, doesn't mean she isn't showing signs of stress. Nor does it mean that even the most subtle sign of stress, over a long period of time can and usually does end in death to the stressed cham. Keeping species that "can" live together, together takes constant observation. Keeping a species that aren't good at cohabitation (like veileds and panthers) together, takes a very well trained and experienced eye. Not something someone new or with limited experience should attempt.

 

[Carlton]

Be aware that the "two horned" or fischeri of some type is a montane species and will need a different climate from veileds. They will want higher humidity, cooler temps, lots of water, and careful supplementation (montanes tend to be more sensitive to dusting and vitamins). If your room is just right for the veileds it might be too dry and warm for fischeri without a more complex setup.

Also, almost all fischeri are imports and can have long term stress and dehydration problems due to capture and shipping, and parasite blooms. You'll have to be prepared for some vet bills. Some individual fischeri can be kept in 1 male 2-3 female groups in a LARGE densely planted cage, but if you aren't familiar with their temperments it's safer to separate them. The particular ones you get might not be compatible.

Nothing says you absolutely must keep cham pairs or even breed them. If you like your cranky male for himself, no need to get a female or introduce them.

 

[tkilgour]

Hey, thanks for the compliment. Also, during mating it is okay to leave a female w/ a male veiled or panther for a day or so all while keeping a close eye. However, long term cohabitation is asking for a stressfull situation for both the male and female. FYI, the pet store near my house had a male and female housed together, and the female was so skinny. I told the lady working there and she said, "we always house our chameleons together they like it like that, the female is just getting skinnier every day because she will not eat." I told her that she probably isn't eating because a male is with her. A couple days later there was a dead cham. on the bottom of the cage. To this day they still keep all their chameleons toghether. Also, if you want to change things up by getting a female then by all means do so. You are already in the right place for finding valuable information. Females make very pretty chameleons. Take care!

 

[laurie]

Hello & welcome, I am a veiled keeper and hobby breeder. I would never, ever keep any two together after they are about 3 months old. A male and a female together would be asking for problems. If you get a female 1 year or older you can breed them as soon as the female shows receptive colors. The female will usually let you know when she wants to leave the male. It is all about color and actions, You will learn to "read" your chams, at least where breeding is concerned. I would say stay with the veileds until you are comfortable with all phases of their care, even eggs & babies. Then do some research and decide where your interest will take you for your next chameleon. You will also see and learn about a large number of chameleons while reading this forum. Both chameleons and this forum are highly addictive so get ready.

 

[sttines]

To add to the difficulty of a separate suitable climate of these "2 Horns", if they are indeed fischeri, I'm guessing the fischer multis. Don't be misinformed by the pet shop. Fischeri multi are ready and willing to mate quite frequently. I've never seen a male not ready. You will need to keep these separately, also. If they have been together at this shop, I will guess the male has gotten to her and fischeri multi females will lay eggs and make more and more clutches from a single mating until they are depleted and expired. Find out if they have been together at the shop, identify this species to be certain, if they have been together, prepare for eggs in a few weeks and don't over feed this girl because she can possibly keep making eggs.

So, it's a lot of work ahead of you, possibly.

 

[Courtney]

No, no, no..

Its not about his temperament. More a new challenge. As I said I want to mate him but I seem to receive so much contrasting opinions. Prime example is that you guys are saying not to house them together, even once they have paired up/mated. Which is what I always thought was sensible. Where as in the pet shop, they seem to have a male and female cohabiting just fine, and recommend doing the same.?

What is correct..

Thanks

i have a very young juvi pair living together..im lucky they get along wonderfully...but that will change before i know it..also i want my pair to both live happy long lives..that wont happen if i keep them together. she will become over bred and worn out and will die in 3 yrs or less. i dont want that even if they want to stay together and dont fight i will seperate them. i only plan to breed her once and that wont be till a yr from now. not to mention from what i have learned if u keep a pair together after they mature you risking the life of one or both.