Help with a new pair

[ambi16]

Hi to all,

Im new to forums so please excuse any mistakes.

I have kept chams for quite a few years and currently have a trio of ambilobes. I have also just purchased another pair which have been living together all their lives. The male is approx 13mths and the female is approx 18mths old. The female is either very fat or could possibly be gravid but is not showing any usual colourings but does like to dig around. They are in a fully live planted viv 5'x4'x2' and seem quite happy together without any fights, displays or arguments.

I decided to seperate them but both then decided to stop feeding for a week and both looked very miserable. I put them back together and hey presto they fed quite happily after about an hour!!!!!!

So my question is should I just leave them and hope that if she is gravid that she will lay with him in there or do I seperate them and bear with the not feeding and hope again that she will lay without him? God I hope she is not gravid but im just not sure each time I look at her underside.

Will try and put some pics of them so see what you think.

 

[djfishygillz]

If you were housing them together then separated them that wouldn't change their eating habits. It is that they are in a new enclosure and are nervous but would probably eat in a day or two. You shouldn't house different sexes together except for breeding.

 

[ambi16]

I know they should be seperated, its just when i did neither of them fed for 5 days which I felt was a little excessive. When I purchased them I bought the viv with them so nothing had changed for one of them when seperated.

So why would they feed after an hour of being back together, I know it goes against all the rules but cant work them out. Maybe its just a case of seperate them and just play the waiting game.

Anyone know how long they can go without food before the need to get concerned?

 

[laurie]

I think a pair that have been housed together and shows no stress or fighting could be left together. Sounds like a nice big cage, and if it is well planted you should be fine. It is true that usually we all say don't house them together but those two are familiar with being together. But if you want to separate them, just ensure they can't see each other, and I would assume they will adjust. I would also say the female looks gravid.

 

[ambi16]

Thanks for the replies, I think I will move the male just so the female stays in her original home that she is used to incase eggs are on their way.

 

[jannb]

From the picture I think your female has eggs. Normally keepers don't keep chams together but it sometimes works well in a free range. If you have a safe area to set up a free range you might try that so she will have space to get away from him so he will not mate her all the time.

 

[Echoezra]

gradual separation?

Maybe if you knew you'd want them apart but it upset them to have it done suddenly, maybe you could put like screen down the middle first to physically separate them but they could still see each other somewhat, then gradually start visually blocking off that screen also?? Just an idea. Then you could still use the same enclosure even.