Discussion: Keeping 2 in same cage And something else

[VCMan]

1.Whats your thoughts or experience with keeping 2? I'm think of getting 2 and keeping them in the same cage (don't just say don't do it without providing experience)

2. Anyone wanna help maybe with a chameleon sanctuary ? from pet shops or something like that not sure if ill do it though.

 

[Zephalia]

I'm sure there are a lot of strong feelings regarding keeping two together and that there will be some voiced opinions.

Imo, chameleons are solitary creatures who only happen upon eachother in the wild during territory conflicts and breeding. Then they continue on their merry way. Alone. Forcing two to live in close quarters will cause territorial behaviours and stress on the animals. There is a lot of evidence that stress will kill your chameleons, if not shorten their life spans significantly, if exposed over a prolonged period of time.

To be a responsible pet owner one must do what is best for the animal first. If something like money is keeping you from purchasing two enclosures, why not just invest in one animal? What is the appeal of keeping them together?

 

[VCMan]

Breeding but you know id rather wait and get more money then purchase another cage

 

[Restricted E]

On the sanctuary thing, since 1 has already been answered, that would be a never ending battle. The pet shops will only get more in because they see they are making sales. Breeders as well. If you do a sanctuary, given you know what you are doing, I would take in chams from individuals. Also you might need a license or something in certain areas. And a ton of funds because depending on the age of the chams you get in they would need separate cages. It would be a ton of work on your part.

 

[Big Gulp]

Imagine your most hated enemy. No imagine somebody forcing you to live with them in a tiny apartment.

That's about as easy as I can put it.

 

[Olimpia]

The size cage you need to keep most species of chameleons together in would be more expensive than just buying two separate setups. You can't keep two panthers or two veileds in a 4' cage, for example, certainly not two veileds, etc.

More importantly, no one should put two animals together without the experience to recognize cues in their behavior that indicate that something is wrong. Chameleons can be very subtle, and only an experienced eye is going to be able to pick these cues up (and even then it's sometimes very difficult.) If you have to ask about this you're not at that experience level yet.

If you want to breed eventually that's great, but it's best to start with one animal, gain your footing, then get a second, etc. If the parents aren't in top condition then any babies that come out of it will not be either, because the health of the mother affects the babies long before she lays those eggs.

And as far as your second question, similar answer. You need experience before you can take on sick or injured animals and get them back into shape. Sick chameleons are tricky to save even for people with years of experience. So I would also wait, gain experience, and then take on something as noble as rehabilitating chameleons.

 

[SRTtoZ]

Even if they didnt fight it would stress them out beyond belief. Not very smart IMO.

 

[symphonica]

I do agree about the stress killing them. And a lot depends on the personality of the two chameleons. Don't you have people that you just can't stand? Same for them. And just like there are social butterflies who enjoy the company of others, there are those who prefer to have their own, quiet space. Do you want roommates in a big place, or be alone in a little place?

I used to have a large free-range set-up. They all had two, 6' ficus for themselves, and at first, I had the new guys isolated from the group. Once they determined that those two ficus were theirs, I slowly started bringing them closer and closer to the "jungle." The jungle was where all of my chams were kept, which included pairs of ficus for each cham. Eventually, their two ficus are brought completely into the jungle. There's about a 3' space between each pair of ficus, so that there's at least some empty, neutral space between the territories. I also had neutral spots to where they could go roam. Most were completely fine, and loved the set-up. I even had two males that would often perch on the same branch together in the neutral zone.

Once in a while, I'd get those chams that just couldn't tolerate it. They would climb down from their ficus and run away on the ground, to an isolated corner of the room. They were never active, always dark in color, and didn't have much of an appetite. The other chams never threatened these guys - just the sight of the others freaked them out. That's when I knew that they weren't suitable for this set-up and had to go. I always had cages set up in an isolated area as temporary housing. I'd keep them there until I could find them a new home. I even had a Nosy Be die in less than 36-hours from stress.

 

[Chameleon Creator]

I do agree about the stress killing them. And a lot depends on the personality of the two chameleons. Don't you have people that you just can't stand? Same for them. And just like there are social butterflies who enjoy the company of others, there are those who prefer to have their own, quiet space. Do you want roommates in a big place, or be alone in a little place?



I used to have a large free-range set-up. They all had two, 6' ficus for themselves, and at first, I had the new guys isolated from the group. Once they determined that those two ficus were theirs, I slowly started bringing them closer and closer to the "jungle." The jungle was where all of my chams were kept, which included pairs of ficus for each cham. Eventually, their two ficus are brought completely into the jungle. There's about a 3' space between each pair of ficus, so that there's at least some empty, neutral space between the territories. I also had neutral spots to where they could go roam. Most were completely fine, and loved the set-up. I even had two males that would often perch on the same branch together in the neutral zone.



Once in a while, I'd get those chams that just couldn't tolerate it. They would climb down from their ficus and run away on the ground, to an isolated corner of the room. They were never active, always dark in color, and didn't have much of an appetite. The other chams never threatened these guys - just the sight of the others freaked them out. That's when I knew that they weren't suitable for this set-up and had to go. I always had cages set up in an isolated area as temporary housing. I'd keep them there until I could find them a new home. I even had a Nosy Be die in less than 36-hours from stress.

Sounds like a pretty cool setup, I like that idea. Shame about the nosy be, I did not realize stress could kill then that quickly.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

You stated breeding for the reason of keeping them together but when breeding the male and female only stay together for a short period of time, at very most a couple days. They are only introduced if the female is receptive. This is much different then keeping them together all the time. Chameleons are very territorial and will hurt one another. I have had one of my males bite a female I introduced, which can cause infection. Please read up and get experience. It is a much better idea to get a second cage, if for no other reason then to extend the life of the animals you invested money in.

 

[symphonica]

Oh, forgot to mention, I only kept males in my set-up. No females. Although males are more territorial, they are less aggressive in the absence of a female. There's nothing for them to become testosterone-ridden and fight over. Most of these males have probably never seen a male apart from their clutchmates from when they were babies.

 

[carol5208]

Oh, forgot to mention, I only kept males in my set-up. No females. Although males are more territorial, they are less aggressive in the absence of a female. There's nothing for them to become testosterone-ridden and fight over. Most of these males have probably never seen a male apart from their clutchmates from when they were babies.

on a side not here...the chameleon in your avatar...are those colors for REAL or enhanced??? If those are his real colors, alls I can say is WOW!

 

[symphonica]

on a side not here...the chameleon in your avatar...are those colors for REAL or enhanced??? If those are his real colors, alls I can say is WOW!

Thanks Those are his real colors, but I do have LED lights that make their colors pop. No photo editing for color enhancement or anything. I was into reef-keeping for a while, and us coral people are very much into combinations of different-colored LEDs to bring out the best colors of our corals.

 

[carol5208]

Thanks Those are his real colors, but I do have LED lights that make their colors pop. No photo editing for color enhancement or anything. I was into reef-keeping for a while, and us coral people are very much into combinations of different-colored LEDs to bring out the best colors of our corals.

oh ok, I got ya! I like his barring also.