SenegalPete
New Member
Hello! Sorry for the long post, but I've been mulling this over in my head and doing a bunch of research and really think it's time I turn to a community of experts and enthusiasts for some help.
I purchased my first chameleons about two weeks ago at the reptile show in Pomona, CA. I have some experience with reptiles (beardies, leos, torts... the basics), and have been a chameleon enthusiast for decades, but now that I'm an owner, I seem to be stuck with a few questions!
I bought two Senegals (Tomax and Xamot) due to both the cost and their reputed "starter" nature. I assume they are wild caught, which was really not my first pick, but I really did want a Senegal because I am genuinely curious about them as a species and really would like to see more of them taken seriously in the hobby. They are both very small, about 2-3".
Setup: I currently have them in a large reptibreeze (18x18x34). Full spectrum UVB 10. Heat lamp. One ficus on the floor and one Pothos attached to some pegboard I put up in the back. They also have a manzanita branch to climb on.
The bottom of the cage is newspaper.
The two are housed together. I'm well aware that this is usually frowned upon, but I've read a lot of conjecture about this in regards to Senegals. Some say the species tolerates it well, while others say it should be fine if there are lots of visual barriers and the screen is large. I assume I have both those conditions met. The cage is misted several times a day. I do not handle them for giggles, and try to stay out of the cage unless I'm cleaning or tweaking it. These guys have been through a lot, I'm sure, and so I want to make life easy on them.
The problem:
Since I got them, Tomax seems to be pretty content. His color is even, with only slight variations if he is basking. He eats a few dusted crickets a day and will take them from my hand if they are presented to him. He is slightly larger, and just seems to have an overall healthier look to him. Xamot on the other hand doesn't seem to be taking things well. He usually tries to be at the very top of the cage, above the plants and clinging to the pothos hook. He is typically dark brown while up there, and I assumed this was just his basking color. He doesn't eat. Early on, he took a few small mealworms, but when cleaning out the cage, I saw a clump of what I assume were regurgitated worms. He won't eat crickets from my hand, and the ones I leave in the cage go uneaten. He has his good moments, but overall, he just doesn't seem to happy with life. Neither is ravenous to eat, but I have much fewer concerns about Tomax than I do Xamot.
So is my problem with Xamot due to the fact that he is housed with Tomax? Is he just stressing out? Or do I possibly have a sick chameleon? The two have not shown any aggression towards each other that I can see.
I've been pricing out other cages to house them separately, but I'm still not convinced that is the issue, and I'd frankly like to avoid the cost if indeed cohabitation is possible.
Thank you in advance for your feedback and advice!
I purchased my first chameleons about two weeks ago at the reptile show in Pomona, CA. I have some experience with reptiles (beardies, leos, torts... the basics), and have been a chameleon enthusiast for decades, but now that I'm an owner, I seem to be stuck with a few questions!
I bought two Senegals (Tomax and Xamot) due to both the cost and their reputed "starter" nature. I assume they are wild caught, which was really not my first pick, but I really did want a Senegal because I am genuinely curious about them as a species and really would like to see more of them taken seriously in the hobby. They are both very small, about 2-3".
Setup: I currently have them in a large reptibreeze (18x18x34). Full spectrum UVB 10. Heat lamp. One ficus on the floor and one Pothos attached to some pegboard I put up in the back. They also have a manzanita branch to climb on.
The bottom of the cage is newspaper.
The two are housed together. I'm well aware that this is usually frowned upon, but I've read a lot of conjecture about this in regards to Senegals. Some say the species tolerates it well, while others say it should be fine if there are lots of visual barriers and the screen is large. I assume I have both those conditions met. The cage is misted several times a day. I do not handle them for giggles, and try to stay out of the cage unless I'm cleaning or tweaking it. These guys have been through a lot, I'm sure, and so I want to make life easy on them.
The problem:
Since I got them, Tomax seems to be pretty content. His color is even, with only slight variations if he is basking. He eats a few dusted crickets a day and will take them from my hand if they are presented to him. He is slightly larger, and just seems to have an overall healthier look to him. Xamot on the other hand doesn't seem to be taking things well. He usually tries to be at the very top of the cage, above the plants and clinging to the pothos hook. He is typically dark brown while up there, and I assumed this was just his basking color. He doesn't eat. Early on, he took a few small mealworms, but when cleaning out the cage, I saw a clump of what I assume were regurgitated worms. He won't eat crickets from my hand, and the ones I leave in the cage go uneaten. He has his good moments, but overall, he just doesn't seem to happy with life. Neither is ravenous to eat, but I have much fewer concerns about Tomax than I do Xamot.
So is my problem with Xamot due to the fact that he is housed with Tomax? Is he just stressing out? Or do I possibly have a sick chameleon? The two have not shown any aggression towards each other that I can see.
I've been pricing out other cages to house them separately, but I'm still not convinced that is the issue, and I'd frankly like to avoid the cost if indeed cohabitation is possible.
Thank you in advance for your feedback and advice!
