Chameleon went on a walk about!

[nacho]

Good evening all, today my Male Ambi BB decided to go on a walking trip. To start the day we put him in our large outdoor Ficus to let him sun himself for a bit. After a couple of hours of monitored free time in the tree I brought him inside. Took him to another favorite plant in the front of the house, after a half hour or so, i decided to go put him back in his cage. To my surprise I couldn't locate him, I searched all over the front and dinning rooms and then move to the other downstairs rooms without luck. After another 15 minutes of searching for him, heard a cricket upstairs so I decided to go investigate. What i saw was my Nero, on the far side of one of the upstairs rooms on the carpet attempting to climb up where my daughter had put a cricket cage with a Praying mantis that we had caught the other day that also held some crickets. Chameleons are pretty speedy in trees when they want to be however, now I will have to watch him more closely when he gets down off his plants and trees in the house as well.
Just wanted to share

 

[albert the veiled]

Try 3 months!! That's right my male veiled was on his little vacation for 3 months!!!!
Let me explain, I aquired "Albert" (named for his intellegence on finding his way out) at my local aquarium shop in may, he was 2 months old and a little dynamo. I had him in a 10 gallon tank and let him out often to hang out on the top of the blinds. I live in Indiana and the weather was hot and humid this summer so I had the windows open. One afternoon while I was napping Albert found a the bent screen frame that I was going to fix before something like this happened. I awoke to a miserable feeling of "OH NO!" where is he at and proceeded to search the place and found nothing.I got my neighbor involved in an outside search with no luck, He was gone. I was so sick, he was my first male (I have had a a couple of females in the past and lost them to egg bound problems) I informed the neighbor girl about Albert because of the nice trees they have in their backyard,She said she would keep an eye out. Around the 3rd week of July my doorbell rang and it was the girl's mom, She asked me if I was the one that lost a lizard? I was thinking maybe a iguana,bearded dragon or geko. These folks around here don't have a clue what a cham is, it couldn't be Albert. She said it's in my car please get him out! I saw a bookbag in the floor and she said he's in there, I opened it and there he was 3 times the size from when he "escaped" She told me that she saw him walking across the main street of my small town approx 1 mile away from my home and threw the bag on him. He was very upset to say the least, hissing and snapping at me. I've often wondered what he ate and how no one seen him during the day! Albert now resides in his huge repti-breeze cage, basking in the morning sunlight,gazeing out the sliding glass door every day. I feel sorry for him sometimes, but I know he would not have survived the winter here. He walks around the bottom of his cage,up the sides, on the ceiling, looking for that one flaw to make his escape. The answer to you're question is yes, I let him out from time to time but keep a close eye on him..
i love you my "not so little Buddy"

 

[dreamforthedead]

Try 3 months!! That's right my male veiled was on his little vacation for 3 months!!!!
Let me explain, I aquired "Albert" (named for his intellegence on finding his way out) at my local aquarium shop in may, he was 2 months old and a little dynamo. I had him in a 10 gallon tank and let him out often to hang out on the top of the blinds. I live in Indiana and the weather was hot and humid this summer so I had the windows open. One afternoon while I was napping Albert found a the bent screen frame that I was going to fix before something like this happened. I awoke to a miserable feeling of "OH NO!" where is he at and proceeded to search the place and found nothing.I got my neighbor involved in an outside search with no luck, He was gone. I was so sick, he was my first male (I have had a a couple of females in the past and lost them to egg bound problems) I informed the neighbor girl about Albert because of the nice trees they have in their backyard,She said she would keep an eye out. Around the 3rd week of July my doorbell rang and it was the girl's mom, She asked me if I was the one that lost a lizard? I was thinking maybe a iguana,bearded dragon or geko. These folks around here don't have a clue what a cham is, it couldn't be Albert. She said it's in my car please get him out! I saw a bookbag in the floor and she said he's in there, I opened it and there he was 3 times the size from when he "escaped" She told me that she saw him walking across the main street of my small town approx 1 mile away from my home and threw the bag on him. He was very upset to say the least, hissing and snapping at me. I've often wondered what he ate and how no one seen him during the day! Albert now resides in his huge repti-breeze cage, basking in the morning sunlight,gazeing out the sliding glass door every day. I feel sorry for him sometimes, but I know he would not have survived the winter here. He walks around the bottom of his cage,up the sides, on the ceiling, looking for that one flaw to make his escape. The answer to you're question is yes, I let him out from time to time but keep a close eye on him..
i love you my "not so little Buddy"

LMAO that should be a children book, awesome. I really enjoyed the read, lol. Albert is amazing.

 

[laurie]

Glad to hear all is well with the wandering kids.

About the cham basking in the sunlight in front of the door, UVB does not pass through glass so while he may enjoy the warmth please make sure he also has a proper uvb bulb .

 

[Chuck67]

Good evening all, today my Male Ambi BB decided to go on a walking trip. To start the day we put him in our large outdoor Ficus to let him sun himself for a bit. After a couple of hours of monitored free time in the tree I brought him inside. Took him to another favorite plant in the front of the house, after a half hour or so,

Watch for birds of prey, they can make a chameleon disappear in a tick

 

[albert the veiled]

Yes Laurie he has his 5.0 UVB light.Thank you for the info about the UVB's not passing through glass. Thank you Dreamer for the kind comments, Albert is some Cham for sure..

 

[Amanda1801]

Caught my own escapee in the act last week!

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos...25940810_100000150017800_658961_5612398_n.jpg

so much for him being slow and clumsy because of his MBD, he was gone in a shot!

 

[albert the veiled]

I am balling my eyes out while I post this reply......I had Albert in a small ficus tree outside on my patio and he got away again!!!! I turned my back for a second and he was gone. I raised him all winter long and it was a cold nasty winter here in Indiana, I keep telling myself that some beautiful creatures are not ment to be caged but it still HURTS!!!!I am going to put out flyers in my little hometown and hope and pray someone finds him.....

 

[Tandra Lee]

awe,im so sorry he is missing,chin up ok,they have a very good habit of turning up just when it seems you cant possibly bear another min without them,you have my prayers for you and your little one

 

[ataraxia]

where are you from in indiana?

 

[BakedGoodies]

It isn't a chameleon story, but my iguana used to take off on "mating" trips. We found him to begin with in a trailer park, walking around, with some scars and a crooked jaw, probably two ish years old. We took him in. We used to let him bask outside with a close eye on him and give him baths and stuff, so he knew the layout of the house... So the first time we saw him open the cage (by himself!) we watched. He'd go outside, go potty, and climb back into his cage. No problem.

After a year of pretty much letting him be free range with no problems, he disappeared! We put up posters, searched every nook and cranny, no success (but we did get calls about people finding other iguanas in their backyard...). Then about two months later, a neighbor a street over said they spotted him on the horse trail between our streets.

Hoping it wouldn't repeat, my parents put up barriers all over the bottom of the fences. Two years later, he disappeared for another three weeks, but he showed up on our neighbors patio--right next door. He almost made it home!

Needless to say, we were super cautious about a repeat... He didn't do it again and he died a couple months ago (totally unrelated and after 13+ years with us). He always came back happier though. Just weird that multiple iguanas would escape the same time every year in our area... Mating season I guess!

And I hope you find Albert again.. Maybe this will give you hope. :/

 

[albert the veiled]

I put flyers out Wed.all over town, It is getting cold around 50 degrees and it has stormed the past couple of days. PLEASE be ok my little Buddy!!! I have been on pins and needles the past few days, it has been 4 days and counting, no calls or knocks at my door yet. I prayed really hard for god to keep him safe and watch over him until he is found.....I miss him very much.

 

[Leroux2008]

Aw im so sorry to here that! Its sad hearing of people having their chams take off on them. Its like in the 80s for us right now and humid as all heck. I was told next week over here its going to be in the 95s ...100s... =[ Keep strong and keep your neighbors informed!

 

[robmd1]

your best chance at finding him is goin out at nite shining a Q-beam or good flashlight into the trees around your place ive had a few escape artists an have found them that way.

 

[DavidBuchan]

I am balling my eyes out while I post this reply......I had Albert in a small ficus tree outside on my patio and he got away again!!!! I turned my back for a second and he was gone. I raised him all winter long and it was a cold nasty winter here in Indiana, I keep telling myself that some beautiful creatures are not ment to be caged but it still HURTS!!!!I am going to put out flyers in my little hometown and hope and pray someone finds him.....

Sorry to hear that, but really, you should not get any more until you sort out your internal debate about whether it's moral to keep them or not. On your profile you mention God, and if you have faith like mine it should be easy to convince yourself that looking after Gods creatures is not the same as keeping them prisoner. It's a duty to care for the universe, including the whole planet and each individual life. Be more careful, because it's a lot less moral to lose an African Cham where it will die in winter. We've all seen how easy it can be for them to get away, so I'm sympathetic to you really. But be more CAREFUL, mate, serious business.

 

[albert the veiled]

Sorry to hear that, but really, you should not get any more until you sort out your internal debate about whether it's moral to keep them or not. On your profile you mention God, and if you have faith like mine it should be easy to convince yourself that looking after Gods creatures is not the same as keeping them prisoner. It's a duty to care for the universe, including the whole planet and each individual life. Be more careful, because it's a lot less moral to lose an African Cham where it will die in winter. We've all seen how easy it can be for them to get away, so I'm sympathetic to you really. But be more CAREFUL, mate, serious business.

David I have sorted out my internal debate years ago when I "aquired" my first female veiled in 1999. It should be known that we do live in civilized, overpopulated world IMO and should take every measure to care for gods wonderful creatures as I try to do. I am not a breeder that goes across the country and sells these BEAUTIFUL creatures for a profit, I am just a person who cares very much for the species. I do believe that veileds and other African types should have not crossed the equator, (that thought has crossed my mind many times) but they have and since I do live here in the USA I have no other choice but to try to care for the ones that I come in contact with to the best of my abilities. As far as keeping them prisoner, did you read all of the thread here? I cared for him all winter, I took him out a couple of times while the sun was shining and held him close to me for warmth so he could see the beautiful snow, If that is not a testament to the love I have for the species then I must be ignorant to the fact of seriousness. I do think of the all the animals kept in cages that never get to get out and enjoy nature and I am saddend by that fact, those creatures are indeed "prisoners" Maybe I should have just left him in his cage and payed less attention to him, but I am not that kind of person.

 

[DavidBuchan]

David I have sorted out my internal debate years ago when I "aquired" my first female veiled in 1999.......
........ I do think of the all the animals kept in cages that never get to get out and enjoy nature and I am saddend by that fact, those creatures are indeed "prisoners" Maybe I should have just left him in his cage and payed less attention to him, but I am not that kind of person.

Cool. I just misread it a bit earlier then. It seemed to me that you maybe were trying to justify the loss by saying it shouldn't be kept anyway. I am happy to be corrected.
My point about being more careful does still stand tho - you knew he was an escape artist and you've been caught napping by the little rascal twice now.... I hope you can find him again, hopefully quicker than last time!

 

[Carlton]

those creatures are indeed "prisoners" Maybe I should have just left him in his cage and payed less attention to him, but I am not that kind of person.

A cage is certainly a restriction in contrast to a wild life, but also consider that a large well designed cage or indoor free range, careful nutrition, vet care, kind treatment are not bad things for an animal who would establish and defend a specific territory in the wild. If you provide the necessities for a species that does not migrate, roam huge areas, live in herds, or happen to be a highly cognitive thinker your cham may feel pretty content in captivity. Consider that a cage can also be a place of security and safety...taking it outdoors will always be a risk. Chams like stability and predictability.

 

[DavidBuchan]

If you provide the necessities for a species that does not migrate, roam huge areas, live in herds, or happen to be a highly cognitive thinker your cham may feel pretty content in captivity. Consider that a cage can also be a place of security and safety...taking it outdoors will always be a risk. Chams like stability and predictability.

Exactly. I can say with authority that not only may all the reptiles I've kept have been more content - they certainly had less stress than if they had to survive out in the wild. I'm not an 'expert' nor even a professional keeper, and I made some stupid mistakes as a kid, but all have been more than content. It's not a question of whether these animals are meant to be caged, but simply of how well they're kept.

 

[albert the veiled]

UPDATE.... My neighbors 2 doors down spotted my little buddy lastnight!! They didn't catch him but he is in the area and not too far away. I am glad that he made it through all the bad weather we had last week!!!