Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know that chameleons are usually not social, but I thought there was a species that did quite well in small colonies of say 4-6. Perhaps I'm mistaken, or the information I heard was anectdotal in nature.
For some reason sailfin or crested chameleon comes to mind, but I don't have any experience with either.
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Victor Gomez
gomezvi.tripod.com/sdchamkeepers/
gomezvi@yahoo.com

Many species will congregate in groups - Melleri, montium, quads, cristatus. This is usually when territories are established, and everyone is "Cool". Forcing them into these groups doesn't work.

Chameleons are all social in a sense, they just vary. When my veileds were in a group in a large cage, they were very friendly to each other, the male respected the girls, and only tried to mate when they were receptive, and came to HIM. KEep them separate, and they never learn how to act.

Females have gravid colors for a reason, in the wild, males learn to avoid them when they show it. IF kept separate, male panther and veields will not stop, and will force themselves on even the most non-receptive female.

I think one of the keys here is space. After all, all creatures have to be social to some degree or there would be no mating. But, chams may have larger "personal space" needs than many other critters, and if a captive habitat does not allow every individual cham its space needs there will be stress, losers and winners in the contest. Most captive living spaces are much too small to allow groups to coexist well. The key point is that it is not safe to advise newbies to keep chams together. Once a keeper can read his animals well and offer a living space that is large, flexible, and can offer solitude for those who need it, maybe group housing can work for some species. I would never go so far as to say any species can automatically be housed together! It's just too broad a statement.