Advice on heating gradient/acclimation to cage

[Umberlee168]

Hi, all--I have a re-homed 2 or 3 year-old (his owner wasn't sure) veiled chameleon (Spike) who has spent his entire life in a drab, empty 30-gallon glass terrarium. We just got him set up with a lovely 4-foot tall and 2x2 wxd mesh cage. We have lots of plants in there and I'm wondering if it's just maybe too much or if he doesn't know where his food will be or what. It's a large parlor palm that pretty much fills the whole darn cage, as well as a pothos and hoya on the floor of the cage with some of his old climbing pieces strung up in between. I have some pics on my phone that I'll try to upload.

The room he's in is pretty cold. I had LOTS of issues with getting him a comfortable ambient temp and basking temp before he moved to his mesh cage, and now I'm even more confused. He has a 65-watt floodlight as his basking light and he pretty much avoids the area now, whereas he loved it before. I checked the temp and it was about 75 on the resting spot below his light, which means as tall as his casque is the temp should be higher and a little warmer which should be fine, right? I think he has had his casque scalded in the past as it's discolored a little gray so I'm afraid of burning him. But anyway, the temp in the room itself is typically around 65 and since the bulb isn't high-wattage I went ahead and bought a ceramic heating element for another dome light which is sort of beside the basking area to try and just keep the temps in the upper part of the cage reasonable. There is no trellis or anything beneath the heating element but lately I've found him clinging to the mesh near the heating element where there is nothing stable to grasp and I'm worried he will sleep there and fall. He isn't dark in color. He seems happy enough. He just isn't leaving certain two or three areas of his cage now at all.

The first thing we fed him after he moved was a dozen crickets. Not sure how many of them he got, but I know they were climbing up the mesh so they were probably easier for him to see. I just gave him a little bowl of mealworms which I brought in and made sure he saw before I placed them in the pot of the palm. He hasn't eaten in a few days and when I went back to see if he was eating he still hadn't left the top of his cage. Basically he will explore all around the top EXCEPT for under his basking light, and I'm not sure he'll go down below to "hunt" at all. I wonder if it's just all too weird for him to have all this space and because the space down below is so naked compared to the chock-full top, where the palm fronds are all squished in, that he isn't going to use the bottom 3/4 of his cage at all?

Anyway I haven't seen mention of anyone else using a ceramic heating element but I really felt like it was necessary in this chilly basement room. Does anyone else use them? Do you all think maybe he's just still adjusting to the move? He just moved from his glass enclosure about five days ago. Total chameleon n00b here, so thanks for your input very much. Been learning a lot from these forums to try and do right by this poor little neglected fella.

 

[Solid Snake]

CHE can be used to increase ambient temp, and would be much better than say a space heater(which will kill your RH) or an additional light(which you wouldnt be able to use at night anyhow, as it will keep him awake).

What are you using to measure temps?

Can you post a picture of the setup?

 

[Umberlee168]

 

[Umberlee168]

Just using a dual monitor thermometer/hydrometer that doesn't do instant checks so I basically have to balance it somewhere and leave it for ten minutes or so, then come back and hope it's stayed in the place where I'm trying to measure the temp.

Temp in the bottom of the cage is around 62.

 

[Solid Snake]

Dont worry, he wont fall.

What type of therm/hydrom? (brand, make, model, and such)

You are definitely going to want to give him more climbing routes.

I would accomplish this with sticks/branches from outside.

Pulled straight off a healthy tree is best. (you want smooth branches, nothing that may flake of and get in his eyes, or that has alot of sap, (like pine, by that I mean dont use pine))

What "spot light" are you using exactly? If its too bright it could be hurting his eyes.

Also, heat rises, so putting the CHE underneath/at the bottom of the cage may help to keep his ambient temps more acceptable.

 

[nickb]

So is 75 the hottest point in the cage? Or are you talking just ambient temps? Veileds typically need a higher basking spot than most chameleons, they're sun fiends actually - and most chameleons will bask (at least) around 85, veileds more around 90-95. So if you don't have the basking temp high enough he may not be getting enough energy to move around the cage and digest his food properly. So the 75 watt bulb should work, just have the basking branch and then some more branches below so he can choose where he wants to hang. Hope this helps!

edit* oops, thought you said the bulb was 75 watt. may want to get one and ditch the ceramic heater?

 

[Umberlee168]

Just a Safeway brand 65 watt floodlight. I have like four other bulbs I tried before this one--he definitely didn't like the incandescent or the infrared that the pet shop associate talked me into. I have a couple other variety of just housebulbs too.

Lemme see--my gauge is a zoomed. Trying to do this from my phone so lemme see if this will work: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=safari&tbo=d&biw=320&bih=416&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=zoomed+thermometer+hygrometer&oq=zoomed+thermometer+hygrometer&gs_l=mobile-gws-serp.3...8382.11689.0.12072.12.12.0.0.0.0.445.1788.5j2j3j0j1.11.0.cpsugrerhigh..0.0...1.1.GUCyZYhwnfo#i=13[\img]

How do branches from outside "hold on" to the mesh? His climby things have hooks in the sides. He does climb all over the palm fronds, which incidentally are starting to fry a bit from the basking light and the CHE. Not sure it will make it long-term.

Do you think the bottom is too crowded?

 

[Solid Snake]

You can simply place them in there, and let them lean against each other, in a stable manner of course. Or you can cut them, and put push pins into them through the mesh.

The bottom isnt too crowded, but the bulk of the cage is too barren.

I would try to clear the palm leaves away from the lighting, so as much UVB gets through as possible.

I would hang that pothos from the top of the cage. You can do this by screwing little hooks into the frame.

This is for a jackson setup, you are probably not going to want to go as dense as this, but may give you a few ideas: (photos are in reverse-build order ;/ )
http://s618.beta.photobucket.com/user/davidfishman/library/Cage Build

 

[Umberlee168]

Trimmed my palm, moved some branches around, hung my pothos from one of my climbing vine things. Bought some more fake vines and plants--we have a willow in back that just loves to drop sticks but everything is buried under inches of snow right now unfortunately. UV light is getting through more. I was worried about temperature and I finally found a temporal arterial thermometer that will check ambient temps too--to my surprise/horror, I've been roasting my poor cham! No wonder he's been clinging to the edge of the cage! I turned off the CHE completely and am going to get a dimmer switch so I can have the option of a little heat if it's too cold without it altogether, which I'll bet it will be.

This is our cham, Spike--does his casque look like it's been burned in the past? It has this dull gray stripe running down the top of it. His color in general looks pretty dull compared to the gorgeous pics of other chams I'm always seeing on here.

 

[dom1959]

i think the new arrangement is better
how long has he been in that new cage?
my new jackson is just now looking real comfortable after 8-9 days.

 

[Solid Snake]

Yes, much better.
As you change the enclosure over time, and observe the chameleon, youll develop your understanding of what they need/want more and more.

Still needs more climby things though, I say grab a sweater and hacksaw and brave the snow.

Im not experienced with burns really, but that looks like a burn to me.

Has your chameleons behavior had any notable changes?

 

[sandrachameleon]

...would be much better than say a space heater(which will kill your RH) ...

not necessarily. I use oil-filled radiators and they dont hardly effect the humidity.

he needs more climing brances and vines. He could loose toenails climbing on screen like that.

 

[nick barta]

Trimmed my palm, moved some branches around, hung my pothos from one of my climbing vine things. Bought some more fake vines and plants--we have a willow in back that just loves to drop sticks but everything is buried under inches of snow right now unfortunately. UV light is getting through more. I was worried about temperature and I finally found a temporal arterial thermometer that will check ambient temps too--to my surprise/horror, I've been roasting my poor cham! No wonder he's been clinging to the edge of the cage! I turned off the CHE completely and am going to get a dimmer switch so I can have the option of a little heat if it's too cold without it altogether, which I'll bet it will be.

This is our cham, Spike--does his casque look like it's been burned in the past? It has this dull gray stripe running down the top of it. His color in general looks pretty dull compared to the gorgeous pics of other chams I'm always seeing on here.

His colors look fine, be proud!