The species is highly dependent on intact, humid forest as its habitat, living in lower densities on selectively logged territories.

[6] During a 1997 study, researchers discovered that adult O'Shaughnessy's chameleons are most active in the morning and the evening.

Its populations are declining and fragmented, and the species is ranked as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Although reports of illegal trade in the species do exist, its primary threat is habitat loss, such as logging and deforestation.

While significant populations do exist in protected areas, further loss of inhabitable terrain could fragment and isolate these communities.