New enclosure pics!!!

[dtown]

We have 2 veiled chams that we've had since they were 2 months old ( thank you to FL Chams). We just upgraded them into a DIY 24x24x48 cage. We have Scheffelera, Pothos, and Hibiscus plants for them. There is a 75 w basking light with a 5.0 repti sun uvb. Lazer and Arleen are loving their new digs. Any suggestions or comments are welcome!

 

[Sang]

WEll all and all, id try to get the plants to go a bit higher. and also, i hope you are not housing that male and female together, teh stress on the female will be her a very stressful ending for her.

 

[tatted1]

Looks good but Yeah I think you should get the foliage higher up. Remember theyre aboreal so they want to be up high and have a place to hide and feel safe. I would elevate the whole cage as well.I put 15in legs on mine and its already 5' wout legs.

 

[adamb94]

well hold on now...
though many 'say' that it can't be done...i have seen it many of times
if they are raised together it usually works out ok
some chameleons can get along with others, but some can't...not always will this work, but it can
best thing is to keep an eye on them..watch them get close and see if they react
mine are always together

 

[Surfrat]

Looks nice. Same as others have said, plants need to come up higher and normally male and female shld not be kept together however situations cN very.

 

[dtown]

Our little buddies have been together since we got them... the first 3 nights they were in there new digs and they cuddled together on the same branch. Suprisingly, they like each other. We have green thumbs and the foliage will grow into the top of their enclosure! We appreciate constructive critiscim.

 

[dtown]

Just to add to add to Tatted1... the enclosure sits off the ground on sturdy milk crates that give it a 12 in lift.

 

[wilfred]

Everything I have ever read about mature Veiled Chameleons says do not house anything except maybe two females together.

Found this as well on a reputable site.

Housing a male and a female together can be done if the enclosure is very large, say the size of a greenhouse. If the enclosure is small, do not attempt to house even a male and female together. The constant presence of the male will stress the female severely. The only time veiled chameleons should be put together is during the brief time required for copulation, otherwise, keep them separate.

I am a noob still so take my advice with a giant bag of salt.

 

[Bay687]

Seperate The Male and Female

definitley a no no... but it is your cage, but if i were you definitley would get another cage, but i do like setup, but like everyone else said.. more up top.. they do like to climb as high as possible

 

[summoner12]

You should not house the two chams together, period.

Any breeder or seasoned keeper will tell you this is a 'no no'.

Don't take it personal, you just shouldn't do it.

Edit: The cage does look nice though.... good work.

 

[karebear41486]

They should definitely not be kept together. Reptiles do not have the ability to "grow to love eachother" because they are reptiles...not mammals...they lack that part of the brain. They need to be kept apart from one another, because even though you may not see it, that female is going to be very stressed out and the male will more than likely out-compete her for food, basking, water, etc.

 

[GooglezNvincent]

They should definitely not be kept together. Reptiles do not have the ability to "grow to love eachother" because they are reptiles...not mammals...they lack that part of the brain. They need to be kept apart from one another, because even though you may not see it, that female is going to be very stressed out and the male will more than likely out-compete her for food, basking, water, etc.

Lol damn! i was not going to comment and let all of it go, but your comment set me over the edge! You MUST! see the documentary "Life in Cold Blood". Now speaking from experience there is a reason why beardies can be raised together from babies, but if you put two adults in with eachother there will most probably be a fight. Or in the essence of Uromastyx (while there isnt much info out there) when 2 uros, male and female, are raised together they can be mated extremely easy, but if not housed together and brought together only for copulation the only action there will be is fighting. There are many reptiles that prove they do cohabitate and "love" eachother.

 

[slowfoot]

There are many reptiles that prove they do cohabitate and "love" eachother.

It's incredibly dangerous to anthropomorphize your animals like this. Why can't we just respect that chameleons and most reptiles are different creatures and have different needs than humans do?

As others have said, please separate them. They may appear to be 'used to each other' and not fight right away, but long-term stress will kill chameleons.

 

[beeze]

Very few breeds of chameleons can be housed together. Veileds are defiantly one breed that CAN NOT. If you care about the well being of your chams get seperated enclosures.

 

[Pure]

It's incredibly dangerous to anthropomorphize your animals like this. Why can't we just respect that chameleons and most reptiles are different creatures and have different needs than humans do?

Wile I think it is wrong to attach emotions to reptiles as they simply do not have them. But there are some species like Trevor said that do form family bonds, some even communally caring for offspring. I think that's more along the lines of what Trevor was getting at. So to say 2 reptiles can't be housed together because they are reptiles is a false statement. It should be "because they are not the right species for having viv mates."

To the OP keeping 2 veileds together even if it works, isn't something a novice should attempt. It takes some level of experience to see the subtle signs that one of the animals is getting stressed or being out competed for food/basking. I have no idea of your experience with chams so don't take my comment as me calling you a novice. I'm just stating a fact.

The sad part is that usually by the time problems are noticed by the untrained eye, the damage is done and one of the chams is effected in some way or the other. Common long term stress symptoms include but are not limited to bent/brittle bones, emaciation, dehydration, and even organ failure.

For your's, at the very least provide separate feeding cups and basking areas. Don't free range feed. To make sure both get enough to eat you would have to put a lot more insects in the cage than if there was only one cham. More than you would want to have running free because all of them will not get eaten and inevitably every night you will be removing feeders. Separate basking areas require large cages. This is hard to do in a 2/2/4 enclosure.

OK with that mouthful being said, your cage looks nice if not a lil on the small side. You would be surprised just how much larger a 2.5/2.5/4 is. That extra half foot makes for a much larger foot print.

 

[bradley]

i had my veileds together at first and i would definately not do it again. she will never breed in thre with him if you want her to breed. Also if that is her brother and they did breed the young would be deformed. When he gets older and its breeding time he will hastle her and in the end she may die. Overall the cage looks awsome and hope to get one soon.

 

[SteveKC]

I like the cage setup! Right now I have an empty 2x2x4 awaiting some plants, vines and sticks. Thanks for putting pics up, it really helps me get ideas!

 

[GooglezNvincent]

Wile I think it is wrong to attach emotions to reptiles as they simply do not have them. But there are some species like Trevor said that do form family bonds, some even communally caring for offspring. I think that's more along the lines of what Trevor was getting at. So to say 2 reptiles can't be housed together because they are reptiles is a false statement. It should be "because they are not the right species for having viv mates."

To the OP keeping 2 veileds together even if it works, isn't something a novice should attempt. It takes some level of experience to see the subtle signs that one of the animals is getting stressed or being out competed for food/basking. I have no idea of your experience with chams so don't take my comment as me calling you a novice. I'm just stating a fact.

The sad part is that usually by the time problems are noticed by the untrained eye, the damage is done and one of the chams is effected in some way or the other. Common long term stress symptoms include but are not limited to bent/brittle bones, emaciation, dehydration, and even organ failure.

For your's, at the very least provide separate feeding cups and basking areas. Don't free range feed. To make sure both get enough to eat you would have to put a lot more insects in the cage than if there was only one cham. More than you would want to have running free because all of them will not get eaten and inevitably every night you will be removing feeders. Separate basking areas require large cages. This is hard to do in a 2/2/4 enclosure.

OK with that mouthful being said, your cage looks nice if not a lil on the small side. You would be surprised just how much larger a 2.5/2.5/4 is. That extra half foot makes for a much larger foot print.

Lol I envy you! I wish I knew how to speak properly to convey the message im trying to get across! Thanks for understanding what I was saying and then explaining it to every one.