Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well Ive had my chams for two weeks now, and they are doing great!!!
I recieved seven - 5 females {two are red-phase}, and two males {one is large and with lots of yellow and blue with very long horns!!} I think all the females are gravid, I know the red's are, they are HUGE.
I put them all in my greenhouse (30feet x 12feet x 8 feet high) and watched them carefully the first day. They started eating crickets and grasshoppers immediately, to my suprise. Over the course of a week they moved around alot and the females had lots of little "stand offs", although never even touching. The red females, which are smaller in size than the greens (although they are much much fatter with babies) usually got their way, or "right of way", even though they are smaller, hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. They have each now adopted an area of he grnhouse (which has many many vines and is very densely planted) I use three basking lights, one uv flood-light 160w in center. I make sure each has all they need in each territory. they seem to roam around alot in the morning, but seem to all have established a truce and hardly seem to notice each other anymore.
The two males on the other hand were not compatable. At first the smaller one got his way, establishing a terratory at the highest basking spot. The larger one then seemed happy with his spot in the epicenter of the enclosure, but eventually was not satisfied with just part of the enclosure. The small male began to get submissive colours and hid about half the day in the shadowed ficus. They must have had a battle of wills at some point but I missed it. I had to put small male in an outside cage and he is very happy and colorful now. The big male roams the entire greenhouse now and is obviously "proud". When he approaches too close to a female, she gets that "mossy banded lichen" look and swmetimes gapes, and that is that, they go on. This is happening less and less and the male seems to realize he knows these females and doesnt even seem interested in them anymore. They are all very healthy and according to their eating and colors are all very "happy".
By the way, don't chams usually have their babies in the morning hours??
I am trying to borrow a friend with a digital cam to get pics online, when she gets around to it I will post pix.
Thanks everyone again for being sooo helpful and interested in my project.
ALAN VINES

if you want to keep the babies i would move the moms into separate cages becuase when they have the babies in the green house you will have to try to find them and trust you wont get very many.

easiest to put the moms in a 38 gallon size reptarium and set them aside.

people say the moms will eat there babies but most of the time the moms are afraid of them and dont want the kids near them.....now i dont know what ould happine in your green house since other females are around and a male...i'm not sure if the others would eat the kids or not.

oh usually give birth in the morning

that sounds like such a nice set up but i was wondering where you go your red female jacksons from.

I just ordered five female greens and one male, greg muratu from rainforest exotics, on kingsnake classifieds, kicked in an extra male and substituted two reds for two females because he is nice, he is fantastic, great to do business with.

they do give there birth during the morning hours and i agree that the females should be in a smaller place so you will be able to find the babies esier. Also if you are going to post pics of your chameleons throw some pics of your greenhouse also i would like to get some ideas.
Thanx alot

I just got two baby phelsuma from Tim Evans. He drove a very very long way to see the greenhouse and take some pics, as well as hand deliver the babies. He also has cave roaches, which are softer and just cooler than my hissers. So when he sends me pics I shall post.

are you puttin ghte geckos in the green house too?....hope they dont match the trees.