Ok, I have 3 of melleri (my next generation) growing in one cage. 2 of them are "friends" and usually close each to other. Third is "self-contained" it can be close to them at bask spot, but mostly it is separated.
However they are "food competitors" and they oberve each other. If one is hunting, they start hunt as well and often go closer to "look". I guarantee that in some cases they do not see prey itself, just hunting behavior. Moreover if the pray is in competitors range, they act much more quickly to be the first. By large prey items (Pseudoproscopia) the largest sometimes is ready " shoot another prey end" and take it out from mouth of the weaker collegue.
Ok, chameleons often eats shedded skin. This is normal, common. My largest specimen shedded yesterday. Today it was almost clean, just one small piece on left hind foot, mini right on front foot and one on tail. It was shedding yesterday afternoon. All are not hungry because there are hatching flies in cage and they are that full that "no one fly can pass inside". They will need 2-3 days to clean that cage
. Today came smaller "sibbling" and has eaten piece of skin from tail of larger bro. I took a camera. Than made attempt to get skin on left foot. But the sheeded animal go away and was eaten part of skin, hanging there from past evening:
You need excuse quality of pictures, I am shooting through metall wire by artificial light (I know flash bothers them), 1600 Asa and still long time, oh and manual focus.
The shedded melleri was provoked to eat that own skin by eating of another animal? I do not know, but until than he was not doing it many hours and it was sittingi right bellow as minimum 2 hours. After that he allowed "hunt" that piece of skin on left hind foot:
On last picture you can see piece of skin stuck out of mouth.
I noticed in past that they "clean" each other. They do not allow "bites" in pieces on head, nose or front foot (probably are too sensitive) but simple they allow it on tail or dorsal ridge without protesting. I am sure they know each other, understand a bit what is another doing (if one is hunting they try compete, if they see that one found good bask spot and gets in basking position they will go there as well). They are not so simple dull animals and minimum we can observe a bit social behavior between them similar like we expect between mammals. This eating of rest of skins on another chameleon looks very interesting to me. They simple know what skin is - they recognise it long after shedding and on another animal as well. Eating of sking is not "I need clean myself" but it is instinct.
Ok, I need admit something that I never told to anybody. I have that instinct as well. I have problems, my skin around fingernails thickens and dries quickly and I and removing it with nails. I do not throw it away - I eat it. Same way I eat thick skin from heels on fooths. There is so strong instict somewhere deep inside that normally I can not came over it. I am sexually quite conservative and eating skin even from heels of Sharon Stone when she was 20 does not look attractive to me. Just mine own, there is something deep inside... Ok, I agree that it is disgusting, but I can not help me, it is stronger than me. May be I remember when I was reptile?
However they are "food competitors" and they oberve each other. If one is hunting, they start hunt as well and often go closer to "look". I guarantee that in some cases they do not see prey itself, just hunting behavior. Moreover if the pray is in competitors range, they act much more quickly to be the first. By large prey items (Pseudoproscopia) the largest sometimes is ready " shoot another prey end" and take it out from mouth of the weaker collegue.
Ok, chameleons often eats shedded skin. This is normal, common. My largest specimen shedded yesterday. Today it was almost clean, just one small piece on left hind foot, mini right on front foot and one on tail. It was shedding yesterday afternoon. All are not hungry because there are hatching flies in cage and they are that full that "no one fly can pass inside". They will need 2-3 days to clean that cage
. Today came smaller "sibbling" and has eaten piece of skin from tail of larger bro. I took a camera. Than made attempt to get skin on left foot. But the sheeded animal go away and was eaten part of skin, hanging there from past evening:
You need excuse quality of pictures, I am shooting through metall wire by artificial light (I know flash bothers them), 1600 Asa and still long time, oh and manual focus.
The shedded melleri was provoked to eat that own skin by eating of another animal? I do not know, but until than he was not doing it many hours and it was sittingi right bellow as minimum 2 hours. After that he allowed "hunt" that piece of skin on left hind foot:
On last picture you can see piece of skin stuck out of mouth.
I noticed in past that they "clean" each other. They do not allow "bites" in pieces on head, nose or front foot (probably are too sensitive) but simple they allow it on tail or dorsal ridge without protesting. I am sure they know each other, understand a bit what is another doing (if one is hunting they try compete, if they see that one found good bask spot and gets in basking position they will go there as well). They are not so simple dull animals and minimum we can observe a bit social behavior between them similar like we expect between mammals. This eating of rest of skins on another chameleon looks very interesting to me. They simple know what skin is - they recognise it long after shedding and on another animal as well. Eating of sking is not "I need clean myself" but it is instinct.
Ok, I need admit something that I never told to anybody. I have that instinct as well. I have problems, my skin around fingernails thickens and dries quickly and I and removing it with nails. I do not throw it away - I eat it. Same way I eat thick skin from heels on fooths. There is so strong instict somewhere deep inside that normally I can not came over it. I am sexually quite conservative and eating skin even from heels of Sharon Stone when she was 20 does not look attractive to me. Just mine own, there is something deep inside... Ok, I agree that it is disgusting, but I can not help me, it is stronger than me. May be I remember when I was reptile?
