Baby Veiled Climbing Cage Constantly

[MatthewTran]

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, Female, About 8 weeks old, I've had her for 3 days.
Handling - I have not handled her.
Feeding - I am cup feeding with crickets always available, she eats about 8-10 a day.
Supplements - Repcal calcium and calcium d3 and minerall o. calcium everyday, cal d3 2x a month, minerall 2x month.
Watering - I mist several times a day for a few minutes with warm water and I haven't seen her drink
Fecal Description - I haven't seen any droppings
History - bought from tiki tiki reptiles at a reptile expo


Cage Info:

Cage Type - Screen cage 25x15x10
Lighting - zoomed powersun 100w raised above the cage
Temperature - The lower temperature of the cage is 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the basking temperature is about 85-90 degrees
Humidity - I am not sure about the humidity
Plants - Ficus tree
Placement - The cage is on my dresser almost 4 feet off the ground in my bedroom
Location - I live in las vegas, nv


Current Problem - My chameleon is almost always climbing the sides and top of her enclosure. I don't know if this is normal behavior and if she is just exploring or if something is wrong. I also don't see her drink, so I am kind of worried that she isn't getting hydrated. If I can remember even when i got her at the show she was climbing the cage so I am not sure if she just just playing around. Do I need a larger cage? She is about 3-4 inches in length and really active, however she only eats about 8 small crickets a day that are always available in a cup.

Here is a picture of her cage as you can see she is even climbing the roof as I took it

Thank you

 

[clarkrw3]

I am no expert but I would say it is somewhat normal for young ones to do this but I would put some branches/vines in there for her to crawl on as well as the plant. And you don't have a good perching spot 6-8" under the basking light. She could just be trying to find a good spot to bask.

 

[MatthewTran]

I have been trying to find a small branch at the petstore for her to bask, but the ones there are much too large. I will go today and look for some vines or something.

Thank you

 

[clarkrw3]

There are flex vines and bio-vines as well as you can get a grape vine writhe and soak it and take it apart and cut them down to size. And one of the easiest ways would be to go to lowes or HD and get some 4' bamboo sticks in the garden section and cut them down to size and use thumb tacks to hold them in place through the mesh.

 

[MatthewTran]

Also can I add, I don't know if she is stressed, but most of the time when she's climbing her cage she has these colors.

 

[clarkrw3]

Color aside (looks ok to me) The cage looks very dry. No droplet spots on leaves etc. How are you watering the cham? Are you using a dripper? You really NEED to know the humidity in the cage!! You are in Vegas which is similar in humidity to Phx and you really need to try and keep it as high as you can. Possibly a humidifier as well as mister. Also you need a UVB bulb on the cage Reptisun 5.0 it's very important to your chams development.

You are doing a good job...good cage...nice and safe plant...and you are here researching!!! But you do need to change some stuff to make her have a happy and healthy life.

Also being you got it from tiki you got a high quality healthy Cham so if you take good care of it you should be good (ie a huge head start from ones you find at a pet store)

 

[MatthewTran]

Thanks for being so helpful!

I went out and bought some wooden rods and am installing them as you said.

I am misting the cage for a few minutes and then when it dries completely I mist it down again.

I tried using a dripper, but the kind I have is really hard to control it drips really fast or not at all, so I think I need to buy a different kind. Any recommendations?

After installing the perches, she is still climbing everywhere . I hope she is not upset with her cage...

I also just plugged in the humidifier should I have the mist going into the cage or should I just leave the humidifier next to the cage? thanks

 

[Hoj]

from the looks of her size she may have a hard time holding onto those dowels, you might try wrapping some fake vines around the dowels secuing it at each end with zip ties also maybe add one more up high.
comin alone nicely tho.. as for a dripper i use a ice cream container with a hose tapped into it with a valve to control flow and the run the hose where i need in the cage.

 

[MatthewTran]

Great! thank you all so much, I only have two dowels so I raised that one a little higher so she can reach it from the ceiling.

I am still trying to find out why she is constantly climbing the ceiling and walls of her cage. She is hardly ever on her plant! If she is on her plant it's only because she's walking to the other side to climb the cage again!

Do you think she is asking for a bigger cage?

 

[Hoj]

i think her cage size is fine, both of my guys when they were babies would always crawl upside down on the top as well, its my baby panther defensive position LOL,, they seem to not do it so much as they get older, i think its easy for them when they are young and lite, and as they get heavier its less fun lol..
just make sure that the area at the top of the cage where his is hanging from does not get so hot as to cause burns..

 

[pinocchiosmommy]

I got little bamboo sticks from the dollars store that work awesome for little chams to grab ahold. They are supposed to be for plant stakes and only cost $2. Just an idea that worked great for my cages.

 

[MatthewTran]

Sorry new topic, but is it okay if your chameleon gets sleepy like an hour or two before the lights usually go off?

She is really active during the day and I know I can't go 12 hours straight awake so I was just wondering if this is okay behavior or if it is bad.

She never does this during the day, but I think she gets tired when it's almost bedtime and she will stay in one spot and kind of close her eyes.

Thank you!

 

[mons00n]

is it okay if your chameleon gets sleepy like an hour or two before the lights usually go off?

Hey Matthew,

my new baby panther is doing the same thing as yours. He loves the top of the cage, and seems to fall asleep an hour or two before the lights are scheduled to go out. I think it's normal...but I also got mine from tiki so it may be a conspiracy

 

[AZJ0SH]

My 3 month cham is doing the same thing, I just made a thread about it yesteray, Perfectly normal for a cham to climb on the cage.

 

[Chase]

A lot of times, even when they are older chameleons, when you first get them, they get used to their new enclosure by exploring it and knowing their territory.

As for the going to sleep early, that is normal as well. They are smaller, and they fall asleep earlier, because their bodies use up a lot of energy during the day. They'll slowly start to go to sleep later and later.

 

[RicoRoxy]

We bought our Rico from Tiki Tiki at the Dallas show, when I had questions, they were always available to me by phone. You live in their town, I am sure they can help too.

 

[RicoRoxy]

You have some time but I would start reading up on egg laying.. It can be challenging.. at least for me..