Getting a new Nosy Be ..concerned about my snakes

Aminah Undone

New Member
Hi folks..

I am getting a female Nosy Be pretty soon, but I'm a little concerned about my snakes scaring her. :eek:

I have 2 Burms, a mutt Burm/Indian cross, and a couple Sumatran Short tails. In other words, substantially large and very visible snakes.

Should I never ever allow the Cham to see them?
 
snakes are a natural predator for chameleons. To prevent major stress to your chameleon, that could be so severe as to cause death, I would locate the cham somewhere so it would never see the snakes.I would even be careful that I didn't walk by the snakes holding the cham, or walk by the cham holding the snakes. If the cham lives where it can see a snake it will never be able to relay. This is just what I would do.
 
Hello, and welcome to the board!

No! Keep your cham away from the snakes. They are a natural predator and will definately result in a stressed chameleon. If you are keeping them in the same room, use a solid barrier between their enclosures as to ensure their privacy.
 
Thank you! :)

I will do my best to keep them separate. My snakes are in the reptile room, so I'll keep the cham in another room. I think I'm going to need a larger house.. :p
 
IMO , its as easy as making sure the chameleon can get high enough to see the snake from above. I would not leave the snake in constant view but I keep without issues many reptiles in the same room. The chameleons that are in view of other reptiles can see them all day but are high enough to keep them calm.

You will notice if a change needs to be made. If the chameleon stresses or changes behavior it may be a good idea to move them or obstruct their view. Chameleons have adapted really well when it comes to dealing with predators. One out of reach on the ground they will not concern themselves with for long. They may keep an eye on them but I have not witnessed a lot of stress.

I see more stress in chameleons when they see one of their own than a perceived threat. My bulldogs don't even get a second look from my chams. Put a mirror on the other side of the room and some will freak.
 
Not to go off topic. But I saw you said you bulldogs. I have an english bullie Angus also. Used to have two but had the oldest Brutus put down about a yr ago. My chams dont care about my dog either.
 
Thank you, Ryan! I was sitting here thinking what a big mistake I've made... I love my snakes ..and I'm really excited about having another Cham in the family.

I will keep her in a different room, anyway. However, the most difficult part will be remembering to keep my shadow, aka. my female Burm, off me whenever I deal with the Cham ;)
 
Thank you, Ryan! I was sitting here thinking what a big mistake I've made... I love my snakes ..and I'm really excited about having another Cham in the family.

I will keep her in a different room, anyway. However, the most difficult part will be remembering to keep my shadow, aka. my female Burm, off me whenever I deal with the Cham ;)


I keep a lot of snakes too. Want to talk about a natural predator I keep a pair of Giant Madagascar Hognose snakes. There is a current video on Madagascar that shows one going after a panther. The panther drops from the tree and walks away the snake has the WTF look on its face. :D
 
I keep a lot of snakes too. Want to talk about a natural predator I keep a pair of Giant Madagascar Hognose snakes. There is a current video on Madagascar that shows one going after a panther. The panther drops from the tree and walks away the snake has the WTF look on its face. :D

I have to look for the video :D

Has anyone heard of this "pending danger with Bearded Dragons carrying a fatal disease or parasite for Chams" ..?

My house is a regular ZOO ..I have snakes, lizards (a Beardie, in fact), fish, shrimp, snails, tortoise, bRats (those would be snake snacks, mostly), and a husband... oh, and occasionally, two college aged children.

Am I setting myself up for disaster, here? I mean, come on... really... my Veiled Cham was not so fragile :(
 
I keep bearded dragons too. Just don't rub them together and they will be cool. :) Just like with all the animals wash between handling.

There is no special danger from a bearded dragon. A nosy be is no harder than a veiled just slightly different in care.
 
My daughter ust completed her science fair research project on social signaling in chameleons. In her research, if they see a predator, they signal (e.g. change color) and often flare and hiss. She used photos of natural predators (eagles shrikes and snakes). These are chameleons who were captive born who have never seen a natural predator in a natural environment. They knew instinctively that there was danger. Could they get used to them? Probably. Would it be stressful? Given their reactions to mere photos, I would say that the stress would be significant. We have geckos, beardies, chams, frogs, mammals. The reptiles are kept from viewing others of different species to keep the peace.
 
Considering a chameleons natural snake predators would generally be diurnal, arborial and highly active species, I wouldnt house such a species in the same room, however most family boidae are by comparison, nocturnal, largely unmoving (by day) sit & wait predators,
it seems unlikely they would recognised as predators, certainly mine are not. :)
 
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