Megana chasing Herc out of the free range?

[Chameleons Northwest]

Update

I would have to say the visual barrier seems to be a success.

When I first put it up it upset Megana, who breeched it and approached Herc anyway, making him angry, as the video posted 5/15 shows. After his "show" she slowly, quietly, climbed back up to sit near him for many hours, demurely. Only moving to adjust position a few times.

The next day she left the free range altogether, and was found up near the ceiling, on some cables, on the other side of the room. The night after that she slept on top of the visual barrier support (where she could see Herc). The next day she pretty much spent the day, not in her basking spot, but in a position where she could see over the visual barrier and watch Herc.

Yesterday they spent the day together, on "his" side of the barrier. Today she is on "her" side, basking, and he is on his side, doing the same.

So, they seem to have come to terms with whatever was going on. The visual barrier seems to have helped cool them off a bit. Megana is not stalking him anymore. And, when she does enter his zone, he no longer runs for cover.

This is a great relief to us, because we were not looking forward to building another free range, and separating them. And I don't think re-caging one of them would have been an option.

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

Another Update

Well, I haven't seen Hercules run from Megana since he stood up to her that time. Now when she approaches he will normally turn to face her. He will allow her to enter the area but won't move to accomodate her. Twice, when he was sunning himself in the window, he barked- once at Megana when she moved to approach him and once at me when I approached him. He adores the sun, I just wish we had more of it here.

The two of them spend hours together these days. Here is a cute shot of them through some palm fronds (taken with a zoom lense) :

 

[royden]

I want a barking chameleon!

The first time you told me that Sandy, I was like "I gotta get me one of those mellers". It's the space I lack.

Someday. So many incredibly cool animals - not enough time to own them all!

 

[studiocham]

Twice, when he was sunning himself in the window, he barked- once at Megana when she moved to approach him and once at me when I approached him.

Do you mean, the "dzjop!" sound? I can't spell it.

I think the male in with Akia has finally got some nerve. I caught him chasing her the other morning, the good kind of chasing.

 

[SoCaliSon]

Gesang... I just wanted to say that I am so jealous of your Free Range room... It looks awesome... I am glad to see they are getting along agin.... They are both beautiful. It was so funny watching Herc work up the guts to stand up to her in that vid... Quite the lil man!

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

Do you mean, the "dzjop!" sound? I can't spell it.

I think the male in with Akia has finally got some nerve. I caught him chasing her the other morning, the good kind of chasing.

He quickly compresses his stomach and blasts out a short deep "rruUFF". It's almost like a cough. But I can tell he is doing it very intentionally. No doubt it's really just a deep throated pressurized hiss, but it sounds for all the world like a bark. So, I call it his bark. I've only heard him use it when I didn't get a feeder to him quickly enough first thing in the morning (pre-Megana), and when he thinks someone's going to interfere with his sunshine.

It may be the "dzjop!" you are describing. When do your guys make that sound? Under any special circumstances?

 

[studiocham]

My foundation male Ferris made the sound when he was negatively surprised by a visual. He was on my shoulder, his usual mellow self, when I was working around the garden one day. I walked past one of the house windows, not thinking. It had no screen and reflected a "stranger" melleri. He suddenly tightened his grip and uttered "Dzjopp!" at a such a volume that it startled me. I'd say a bark is a good description.

That's the only one I can recall at the moment. Don't most chameleons have the ability to force air out in a false vocalization? Some people call it "roaring". I raised a montium that peeped with positive excitement when he saw food approaching.

On the thread topic of melleri females "chasing" males:

I just came in and caught my walk-in cage pair testing each other. She is receptive color, approaching him from the front on the same perch, with both of her lobes fully raised (no spots on her). He is BLACK and yellow, holding his ground, and even made a rostral jab in her direction (no contact, however). The white component of his usual courtship color was missing. Is this real aggression at her mock/testing aggression? She casually dropped her front end down a perch level and stayed vertical, head-down, still receptive green, classic chase-me behavior. She is shedding everything, so not very photogenic today.

When they stopped, he went back to normal courtship color. She's the same receptive green.

 

[summoner12]

I don't know if I have heard the 'bark' But I had Henry outside once and a crow flew over head and he exhaled REALLY fast and it made a strange sound. It was also loud enough to startle me as well. I thought he was hurt or something by the way he groaned and shrunk up and tried to roll under my hand.... which hurt like hell because of his massive strength. The twisting force he made on my hand with his claws left marks for a couple of days