matrex1990
New Member
what is everyone's views on housing 2 young panther chameleons together for life ? of course in a extra large cage
housing
- Thread starter matrex1990
- Start date
dacrazycanadian
Established Member
Generally it's something you don't do. Best to house separate.
matrex1990
New Member
ive heard so many mixed views and i know of two people that have done it successfully so im trying to get as many views as possible
dacrazycanadian
Established Member
One question though, are you speaking in general or just with two males or a male and a female (etc.)?
junglefries
Avid Member
Clutchmates might get along together for a while longer than two random chams. However, two males or two females could easily injure or kill themselves. One male could easily stress out his female into a confrontation, or vise versa. Your cage would have to be like @ least 6'x6'x6'. Even then, heavily planted, you may still have problems. The stress alone would be detrimental. If you absolutely must do this, i would go no smaller than your standard bedroom size 8'x10'. Please reconsider.
matrex1990
New Member
i was talking as in 2 females, i know of 2 breeders that have 2 housed together one has 2 girls and 1 has a male and female housed together, both are a good age male and female are 5 years ish and the two females are 3 n a half both breeders have had no problems. House them in large enclosures im also keeping in mind that they would be passing by each other in the wild, not constantly but they would all be in a close enough location to bump into each other on occasions.
junglefries
Avid Member
In the wild the only times they encounter each other is during the breeding season. Afterwards, a lot of them die off from stress and fights. It is uncommon for them to run across one another on a daily basis. They have individual territories.
NHenn
Avid Member
What species are you talking about?
You are correct that they do run into each other in the wild, usually when his happens it involves fighting between two males with one losing or fighting between a male and female if she doesn't want to breed. The difference is they have square miles to move around in, not a 6x6x6 cage.
You are correct that they do run into each other in the wild, usually when his happens it involves fighting between two males with one losing or fighting between a male and female if she doesn't want to breed. The difference is they have square miles to move around in, not a 6x6x6 cage.
matrex1990
New Member
well im not talking about having a small cage thats for sure and panther chameleons
matrex1990
New Member
well the 2 i have are 6 months old maybe a bit older and they have lived together since thay hatched they bask together and sleep together they was kept in a much smaller cage at the reptile shop i got them from and it wasnt an ideal setting for sure i now have then in a 24x24x48 inchs and they are getting a bigger cage in a few months time
NHenn
Avid Member
That is still fairly young for them so I can see you not having any obvious problems with them right now but I guarantee you that you are creating extra unnecessary stress on both of them. Once they both become sexually mature they will most than likely become aggressive towards each other.
That cage is a great size for an adult panther. I recommend picking up another cage just like yours and separating them in the every near future.
That cage is a great size for an adult panther. I recommend picking up another cage just like yours and separating them in the every near future.
matrex1990
New Member
the guy i got them from ( reptile shop) stated that they will be fine to live together
NHenn
Avid Member
I'm not going to argue with you. I don't recommend it and I will never recommend it. You are more than welcome to do what you want. You started the thread and wanted opinions on keeping them together in one cage and my opinion is no never. If you didn't want to hear about the negative affects of doing so you shouldn't have asked.
Rodcham
New Member
If you want two healthy chams seperate them in the future. As young chams they seem to be fine but as mentioned, when they come of age they will stress each other out and aggression will be displayed. Just one mishsp and it's over. The stress alone will mean at least one sickly cham. You are welcome to try but as soon as you notice any signs of a miserable or injured cham you need to seperate them.
I don't see the point of letting it get to that but yes it is your call. So far numerous people have advised against it so you should have the correct answer.
I don't see the point of letting it get to that but yes it is your call. So far numerous people have advised against it so you should have the correct answer.
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
I suppose someone who has kept a lot of chams and who knows exactly what the subtle signs of stress are might get away with it, but if you are new to them I would not do it. Once in a while two individual chams who just don't happen to be very territorial might tolerate each other but it is by far the exception to the rule. You would have two new animals who's personalities you do not know. Kind of risky.
Signs of stress can be very hard to catch early. One cham may fire up its colors a little more often, be a little less active, feed or drink a little less, sit in a cool area of the cage too long every day, and spend a lot of energy avoiding the other cham. All this builds up over time, and by the time most keepers notice one or both of them are not thriving, its can be hard to reverse the problem.
I think what I would do is keep your two separated until they are well established and healthy. If you want to watch how they interact, give them a free range and let them get familiar with each other before you make a decision to have them share territories. And, the cage you would need will be a lot larger than 24x24x48! Two males will most likely spend a lot of energy displaying to run the other off...and all this is a drain. A female would spend a lot of energy keeping a single-minded male at bay if she's not in condition to breed. Seems pretty unkind to put either of them in this situation.
