Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[BELIAL]

your husbandry (basic care) has to be very good and you have to understand what the chameleon is trying to tell you. Cos they all speak to you with their colours. Is like a language and once you understand it you will be sorted.

I'm sure a lot of keepers would agree...only prob is different species have a different language but there are still defining factors throughout the species.

[aidan]

so should i keep my 1.1 separated
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2.4. beardies
1.1 fire n uce beardies
1.1.0 yemen chameleons
0.0.1 corns
0.0.2 crested geckos

[BELIAL]

upto you...

if you think you know enough then they can be kept together. Like i have always said it's not the chams that have the issues it is us.

[aidan]

well they are my first chams so i think i may keep them separate
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2.4. beardies
1.1 fire n uce beardies
1.1.0 yemen chameleons
0.0.1 corns
0.0.2 crested geckos

[leigh0101]

Hi,

I'm interested in peoples posts about keeping yemen chameleons together. I had mine together from when they were only a few weeks old but they had to be separated because the fought allot after they mated.

I tried putting a mesh screen down the middle of the viv with plants on it so they could catch a glance at each other but could avoid each other too. My vet, whos an specialist in reptiles thought this was the best way to do it.

After a while of being separated (and before I spoke to the vet) i tried them back together again and it made my female ill with the stress of having him around. She lost allot of weight and after laying her last batch of eggs she was too weak and had to be put to sleep. I felt terrible and still do! He was quite chilled but she hated him even when he was minding his own business!

I really wanted them to be together but i think as humans we think having a pair is better than being alone... maybe they are like humans, some get on and some need their space?

I think its dangerous to advise people its OK when so many people have experience of it being a problem. I would never keep them together again unless they had a very large home.... like a small room rather than a large viv.

As I'm selling my babies at the moment i'm interested in what people think about keeping them together. I've been advising against it.

I'm keen to hear other peoples experiences.
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OF ALL THE THINGS I'VE LOST, ITS MY MARBLES I MISS THE MOST.

[leigh0101]

They were cared for very well by the way and still are. I admit, I'm always learning but I really think you've been very lucky to have chameleons living together happily.

I read allot of books, talked to allot of experts about this topic and the only one who told me they would be OK together was the guy who sold them to me and a couple of books who were talking from experience with very large enclosures.

I just think that if your advising people they can live together you need more than your own experiences to go on.

My viv is the same size as the one suggested for 1:2 and the mesh fence down the middle worked really well. So maybe you could try that?
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OF ALL THE THINGS I'VE LOST, ITS MY MARBLES I MISS THE MOST.

[leigh0101]

I mean maybe you could try them together and if your lucky and they get on OK cool but if they grow up and decide they don't like each other you could try the screen.... using 1" square plastic fence type stuff with greenery attached. This means they don't get lonely but don't have the chance to head-but each other and stress each other out. And you don't need two vivs.

I'm not criticizing the other poster at all but even by good husbandry I don't see how I could have stopped them from fighting... maybe chameleon counseling?
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OF ALL THE THINGS I'VE LOST, ITS MY MARBLES I MISS THE MOST.

[BELIAL]

There is always going to be debate on this issue...

Some chameleons just don't get along.

What is a myth is that in the wild these are solitary animals that do not interact on a daily basis and CANNOT live together because of their antisocial behaviour. There has been plenty of research done by some very distinguished scientist/herpetologists which disproves this theory. Admitedly it was not done on yemen chameleons but as you keep more and more species you can understand each species own traits. Yemens are not an antisocial chameleon.

good husbandry is not just about giving them what they need. It is about understanding your chameleons and knowing exactly what they want and need. They WILL be telling you what to do and if you ignore this, for whatever reason, you are very likely to have issues.

I have never had a problem...and i keep everything i can in a pair/trio. You do not get to truly understand a species until you see that interaction.

[kinyonga]

You said..."There has been plenty of research done by some very distinguished scientist/herpetologists which disproves this theory. Who were the herpetologists/scientists who disproved this theory? Can you please post the articles...I would be very interested in reading them.

[BELIAL]

i do not have the articles unfortunately...

But they were done on four montane species. Ch. dilepsis; Chameleo hoehnelii, jacksonii, and bitaeniatus

The studies were conducted in east africa and showed that only the flap necked cham (notoriously antisocial) did not form pairs of groups and that the adults lived seperately.

TOXEPEUS et al 1988..

These kind of studies can be used to spread over to other species...i mean oustalati have been seen in the wild paired up.

People that succesfully keep a 'pair' (shock horror) can tell you that the interaction of the chams is not one of anitisocialism. they interact and often the males will show some sense of loss when their female is taken away.