Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[scorpion251067]

I have two Yemen chameleons, a male and a female, they are in separate vivariums at present but my aim is to put them together when the female reaches the same size as the male, I am adding some pics for some feedback, IE.. does it look right, is their housing OK, also I have been told by people different things about if the chameleons can be placed together, the males enclosure is huge and there will be enough room in there so both male and female can have their own space, I want the best for them and would appreciate any feedback, advice offered to me.. thank you (hope pictures show?)

[garysumpter]

Where are you mate? Im in Kent too.

Chams should be kept singly and only introduced as part of a breeding programme.

Gary
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[Rickeezee]

No pictures on my screen mate.

The great chameleon housing debate, yes you will find a conflict in what is said about group housing. There have been many lengthy threads on this subject. There is no definitive answer as not enough research, recording and monitoring has been conducted. Some folk will say a clear no to group housing as they may have introduced long term single chams together that have then not got on. Or may have read or heard somewhere that it cant be done. An interesting topic indeed!

The general consensus of opinion is never house chams together. However, there are those out there who have successfully housed chams together. There are some cham species that can never be kept together and maybe some species that can.

It has been suggested that if raised together from a young age then some speices of chameleons may adapt to a group housing situation better and make social adaptations in their behaviour. One male only but with females. Never more than one male in an enclosure. Introducing established chameleons that have lived singularly to a group housing situation would potentially lead to disaster, quite logical if you think about it. People have tried this with established single chams and it has gone wrong, then group housing has become a big no no, but the reasons why it has gone wrong are quite obvious and may have been avoided if approached differently. Emphasis on may.


Some points to consider if going for a group housing approach:

Do you feel confident that you would be able to spot any overt / covert signs of stress to either chameleon? Including long term hidden stress factors that may not be apparent by observation alone.

What are your reasons for trying this approach?

Is the viv large enough to provide plenty of hiding places and dense foliage for cover and more than one basking area set up to prevent one cham dominating the basking area. (not cheaper to group house). Is the viv large enough so that each cham can have its own space and territory.

Do you have the time to observe the chams regularly for lengthy periods of time to ensure they are OK.

Are you introducing established chameleons to a group situation or raising them in this situation?

Interestingly it has been noted by those who do group house; that the male becomes far less of a rapist when it comes to breeding, when introducing single housed chams for breeding e.g. introduce female to males viv, the male quite often will be a tad violent in his mating approach. But when housed together it has been observed that mating takes place in a more relaxed manner.

My own experiences have reflected the above. I have housed a variety of chameleons in group situations and often noted that when separated the male or female will often appear to pine for their mate. Extremely hard to qualify this statement and quantify / measure it. Some of my chams simply are not up to group housing due to their naturally aggressive / territorial behaviours.

Group housing will allways be a controversial subject, and more questions will be raised than answered, nothing is clear cut. However in my view this is an extremely interesting subject worthy of deep thought and planned experiential learning.
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[garysumpter]

Great post, thanks Rick.
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