Cohabitation of jacksons
- Thread starter daveo
- Start date
bobcochran
Chameleon Enthusiast
Good advice!
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Who do you "keep hearing" this from? If the enclosure was complex and large enough (we're talking greenhouse or room sized free range) you might be lucky enough to have a compatible pair, but chances are one or the other will be bullied or prevented from feeding, drinking enough, and the female would be pestered constantly by the male. Doesn't sound like fun for the chams who depend on escape space in their habitats. If you ended up with a gravid female you'd have to separate them anyway...just do it from the beginning and save everyone the stress and anxiety.
daveo
Established Member
Do A Google search. More sites than not talk about keeping Jacksonii in pairs. I am not sure. I feel like the more adamant the objection, the more it is just parroting what others have heard. Any other opinions?
Lathis
Chameleon Enthusiast
Chameleons do not cohabitate well. One chameleon per cage.
You'll get a lot of vehement responses from long term members because we see the bad results of this on the forum all the time and yet still have to continually fight this bad information.
There is a lot if conflicting information on the internet about chameleon care. You can trust the care sheets here because they were put together experienced keepers and breeders.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/
You'll get a lot of vehement responses from long term members because we see the bad results of this on the forum all the time and yet still have to continually fight this bad information.
There is a lot if conflicting information on the internet about chameleon care. You can trust the care sheets here because they were put together experienced keepers and breeders.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/
Remkon
Chameleon Enthusiast
Quite some care sheets I came across mentioned that this would be possible...
Also video's on youtube that say it's no problem.
There's so much bad info around, especially on youtube ... Putting 3 jacksonii in a glass exo tera or keeping them in an aquarium... Since youtube is such a widely visited website it worries me.
I think the only cham's that can be housed together in a relatively small space are (some) pigmy species like Rieppeleon Brevicaudatus. Still only 1 male per terrarium.
Also video's on youtube that say it's no problem.
There's so much bad info around, especially on youtube ... Putting 3 jacksonii in a glass exo tera or keeping them in an aquarium... Since youtube is such a widely visited website it worries me.
I think the only cham's that can be housed together in a relatively small space are (some) pigmy species like Rieppeleon Brevicaudatus. Still only 1 male per terrarium.
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
I think you might be confusing people keeping pairs of animals in their collection but not in the same cages. People will often write something like, "I keep my pair of in this kind of a housing." They are not keeping them actually in the same cage, just the same conditions. Serious keepers often keep single pairs of animals but have many different species and all set up in single cages.
It is always good to question oft repeated rules on keeping chameleons because as you delve into it any issue, you will learn a lot more about the animal you want to keep.
Bottom line, stress suppresses the immune system. Stress takes many forms from the stress of being put outside on the grass in a wide open space to and it can be low grade chronic stress of incorrect temperatures or humidity.
A lot of novices have tried to keep chameleons in the same cage. A typical outcome is for one of them to suddenly die with no apparent warning. The keeper often doesn't put the chronic stress of having their territory invaded/being pestered by a male together with that animals illness or death. Animals don't usually die of stress per se although that does happen (death from capture myopathy, for example). They die of a disease that their compromised immune system didn't fight off. If the animal wasn't stressed, their immune system would have been able to fight off that disease.
Remkon
Chameleon Enthusiast
Watch this "care video", terrible advise for keeping jacksonii
Tells you that an glass exo terra is a good jackson's terra for 3 even...
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Shilohpsu
Member
That's a sad video
. Setup looks kind of small for even 1 full grown adult, but 3 in that setup?!?! I doubt that there will be 3 happy chams in that setup a year from now. Listen to the knowledgable people on here over a YouTube video or random internet information any day. Every care sheet distributed worldwide should have a note on it saying "join chameleonforums.com" for questions and good advice.
Chachi
Established Member
Never a good idea. They just want to be left alone by everybody. Seriously.
leedragon
Chameleon Enthusiast
exoterras works for montain species due
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Well, maybe people can disprove the garbage info by submitting comments on these sites or videos...and provide a link to our forum so readers who care will find us.
Remkon
Chameleon Enthusiast
Shilohpsu
Member
I made a quick post on the comment section of their video directing people to this link and this forum. Maybe it'll save a couple lives.
Chachi
Established Member
Damn it! Jacksons chameleons are a mountain species! They like it chilly w cool airflow and dampness in the air. Somebody get that kids video off the forum 3 Chams in that little glass box! O no. Not even 1 cham in a little glass box w no air. They live high up where the air is thin, not enclosed and stuffy. And w 3 in there w all the pants and dort its probably thick as snot. This thing mkes me mad. I tried to get all the water drops but my phone wont show them. This is how they live. In screen, swamp cooler, tons of mist and water.
leedragon
Chameleon Enthusiast
Chachi
Established Member
Ok
. That makes a lot of sense when i read it. I even have kept a baby cham in one of the exos but when i had a clutch of littlr Jacksons (by accident) all i had was a terrarium and they all died. I have always thought they died because they got too hot in the terrarium. But, i could be wrong and i am never too shy to admit when im wrong.
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