Usambara two-horned chameleon (Kinyongia multituberculata)

Short answers

Usambara two-horned chameleon: How big does the enclosure need to be?

80×50×100 cm (L×W×H) for one adult male; tall and vertical, mesh or gauze ventilation (the lid plus at least one side), densely planted.

Usambara two-horned chameleon: What temperature does it need?

Daytime 22–26 °C (not permanently above 28 °C – montane forest species, sensitive to heat), basking spot small basking spot up to approx. 28–30 °C (spot-sized, no warmer), at night 12–18 °C (a strong night-time drop is ESSENTIAL, all year round).

Usambara two-horned chameleon: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: UVB needed (Ferguson zone 2, partial shade, UV index approx. 2–3); e.g. a Solar Raptor / Bright Sun 50–70 W plus a halogen spot for warming up.

Usambara two-horned chameleon: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: approx. 5–10 years when kept well and cool (a mountain species, potentially long-lived; figures range from 4–6 to over 12 years).

Usambara two-horned chameleon: Is it suitable for beginners?

Rather not – it is considered an intermediate species (difficulty: Intermediate).

Climate

Daytime temperature

22–26 °C (not permanently above 28 °C – montane forest species, sensitive to heat)

Night temperature

12–18 °C (a strong night-time drop is ESSENTIAL, all year round)

Basking spot

small basking spot up to approx. 28–30 °C (spot-sized, no warmer)

Humidity

60–80 % by day, higher at night and in the morning (up to ~90–100 %); a marked day–night swing

UVB

UVB needed (Ferguson zone 2, partial shade, UV index approx. 2–3); e.g. a Solar Raptor / Bright Sun 50–70 W plus a halogen spot for warming up

Enclosure

Minimum size

80×50×100 cm (L×W×H) for one adult male; tall and vertical, mesh or gauze ventilation (the lid plus at least one side), densely planted

Substrate

Damp terrarium or garden soil (peat- and fertiliser-free); the females need at least 15 cm of depth for egg-laying; avoid pure sand (risk of impaction)

Feeding

Food

Flying insects preferred: butterflies and moths, green bottle and fruit flies, flies, small locusts; dusted with calcium and vitamins (house crickets and mealworms are often refused)

Feeding interval

adults 2–3×/week or every other day, juveniles daily

Key facts

Adult size

males up to approx. 34 cm total length (the tail more than half the length; SVL ~15–17 cm), females considerably smaller (SVL ~10–12 cm)

Life expectancy

approx. 5–10 years when kept well and cool (a mountain species, potentially long-lived; figures range from 4–6 to over 12 years)

Origin

Endemic to the West Usambara Mountains, Tanzania (the Eastern Arc); montane rainforest at about 1,200–2,500 m

Protection status

CITES Appendix II / EU Regulation Annex B → registration required under German nature conservation law, proof of origin needed (prefer captive-bred, ideally German-bred); it was only recognised as a species in 2010 (CoP15), and Tanzanian export is heavily limited and largely stopped after 2017; IUCN: Endangered

Brumation

No real winter rest; but a night-time drop in temperature is essential all year round (a day–night gradient) for health and life expectancy

Cohabitation

Keep them singly (strictly solitary and territorial). NEVER keep males together (territorial and ritual fights); keeping them permanently as a pair means stress. Bring them together only briefly and under supervision for breeding.

Notes

The commonest keeping mistakes: no night-time cooling (heat stress and a badly shortened lifespan – cooling equipment is usually needed), conditions that are too warm or too dry, and constant stress from keeping it as a pair or in a group. Wild-caught animals are often wormed and stressed → prefer captive-bred ones. Important: the species has often been wrongly traded as "Kinyongia fischeri" (over 95 % of the animals exported as fischeri were in fact K. multituberculata). It drinks from droplets and mist – a dripper and morning and evening misting are needed. One source generically gives pair keeping as possible – the majority view, the specialist consensus and the chameleon standard say: keep it singly.

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Related species

• Adolf Friedrich's chameleon (Kinyongia adolfifriderici) – Expert
• Böhme's two-horned chameleon (Kinyongia boehmei) – Expert
• Carpenter's chameleon (Kinyongia carpenteri) – Expert
• Fischer's two-horned chameleon (Kinyongia fischeri) – Intermediate
• Taveta two-horned chameleon (Kinyongia tavetana) – Intermediate
• Magombera chameleon (Kinyongia magomberae) – Expert
• Matschie's two-horned chameleon (Kinyongia matschiei) – Intermediate
• Strange-nosed chameleon (Kinyongia xenorhina) – Expert

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep Usambara two-horned chameleon (Kinyongia multituberculata) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (80×50×100 cm (L×W×H) for one adult male; tall and vertical, mesh or gauze ventilation (the lid plus at least one side), densely planted), substrate (Damp terrarium or garden soil (peat- and fertiliser-free); the females need at least 15 cm of depth for egg-laying; avoid pure sand (risk of impaction)), a heat source with a thermostat, UVB lighting, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.