chameleon cage help

[wyodezz]

ok we bought this kind of crappy cage before i really dug into the care of chameleons. then i built the living wall its hard to see but there are two plants, and a few branches, and two ledge areas for hiding i also have a big plant on the bottom. my question is that she is always just sitting at the very top part of the wall and im worried about her getting to close to the lights. i don't ever see her drink from her dripper and she only really comes down to eat. we have had her for about 3 weeks now. we don't bug her a lot. shes in my daughters room where shes at school most the day. and we don't try to hold her to much. i'm just wondering if this is normal.

20161125_104416 by destiney Yates, on Flickr

 

[rminnis]

Honestly the cage is well done in terms of foilage and hiding places it is normal for them to spend much of the day under the heat lamp just use a temp. gun or thermometer probe to test the basking spot it is in mostly and make sure it is less than 85-88 degrees depending on what species you have. In terms of a dripper they are more of a secondary water source rather than one you can depend on I would look into a mist system google Climist or Mistking if these are too expensive buy a spray bottle that does fine mist they love WARM fine mist. The automated mist system is actually the best thing ive bought for my cham and when i first started i thought they were not worth it but they really are. Not sure what you really have and dont but you need a UVB bulb in addition to a normal house bulb for heat. Food, UVB, water , heat, calcium & vitamin supplements for its food are all musts. As long as your cham has a gradient of warm to cooler across the cage and a few shady spots to get outta the basking zone he will be fine. Hope this helps feel free to ask anything else your curious about.

 

[rminnis]

You never really see em drink unless you video them or are very patient and stealthy you monitor its hydration by looking at its fecals. If the white part is white it is hydrated decently if it needs more mistings the poop will be orangeish/white!

 

[rminnis]

Also if your basking zone is too hot simply raise your heat bulb another couple or inches above the cage to reduce the temp or use less wattage or different bulb

 

[Peachypink]

It may just be the picture but I don't see a lot of horizontal branches. She needs many pathways and places at varying levels to self regulate her temps. They will Spend a lot of time under bqsking light but they need options to get out.

What locale is she? If you don't mind filling out the how to ask for help questions that are in the Health Clinic we can help you make sure you have everything on point to give her a long healthy life. It's always good to have someone look over your husbandry, sometimes even the best miss something. Just copy and past the questions here.

 

[wyodezz]

I'm trying to get more branches there are a lot of vines back and forth. It's deep winter here (wyoming) so it's hard to find. Her cage goes from 82 at the top and bellow 70 at the very bottom. The cage is 2x2x4" I have this pump bottle for missing and we keep her humidity around 40% and most her twice a day. N do all the vitamins etc and keeping an eye on her stool. She's a veiled and about 6 mos. I don't think the pet store was keeping her very well she was in a tiny glass cage with no water system. But I do have a bar uvb light I just turned it off cuz it was satisfying my photos to darken too much. Lol I've been doing a lot of luring on this forum. Just wasn't sure how active they really are. And she is very shy. When I go in to check her water n most her etc she will creep way out of sight. She mostly just comes out to eat. Not sure how long it takes them to get used to their new environment/people. I'm looking into a mist system. Especially before summer when we are gone more but I'll have to save up! I didn't realise how spendy cham houses can get lol

 

[Peachypink]

Oh yea, they can get pricey but so worth it. It can take a bit for her to settle in but it will happen. Pour over the care sheets under the resources tab and make sure to study up on creating a lay bin for her. It won't be long before she will need one. Try hand feeding her a feeder or two a day so that she starts to realize that you are a good source and not just a big scary predator. Remember this is all new to her and it will take time.

I would run to a Hobby Lobby or Michales and get some branches and foliage for now just to give her more options higher in the cage, you might see more activity if she has more pathways and feels more secure.