Clawing at cage / loss of apetite

[Kodak]

Hi,
So my male, 9 month old veiled chameleon has for a whole month now, been clawing at his cage. He always does the same routine for hours: he starts clawing at the screen roof, then he goes down to the floor and claws at the glass, then e climbs up while he claws at the glass and starts clawing at the screen roof again. Under this month he has lost his appetite and only eats 2 roaches, when i offer him food. He is displaying darker colors than usual.

What can be the problem? Today, i elevated his cage and put it on top of my drawer, it was previous on the floor. because i thought he wanted to get higher up (hence the clawing at the roof), but a half hour in, he started his same routine again.

 

[Carlton]

Describe your cage in detail. He is either stressed by something he can see "outside" and can't get away from, or the cage itself isn't big enough, doesn't provide the right conditions (temps, humidity, cover, light, climbing options), or is simply not suitable for an arboreal herp.

 

[Millz&Jukka]

A picture would help a lot <3

 

[Chameleomom]

Are you sure its a he?

 

[Kodak]

The cage is a Exo-terra terrarium 24” x 18” x 36”.
There's 3 Lights (Normal visual light, UVB light, and heat+uvb light),
Humidity: 60-70%, spiking to 80% during night.
Temperature: 70F (coolest spot), 85-90F (basking spot)

The cage has currently 2 wooden branches, with 3 plastic branches going all over, a pothos plant and a ficus tree.
IMO i think he could have some more foliage that i will get this week, but tbh i dont think it will help.

 

[Nursemaia]

That's too small for a male veiled and he needs more climbing branches. Sounds like he's bored and stressed

 

[Carlton]

Agree...its too small for him. Another problem that can (but not always) come up is the glass. Because chams don't "get" why they can't get past the barrier, they keep trying to reach the room outside, especially if they don't like their space. Even though you do have foliage, there isn't all that much space to move all around his territory. As was already said, boredom and frustration most likely.

 

[Andee]

Yes, this is exactly how my chameleon acted when he was ready for a larger cage when I thought he technically had a couple more months left in his juvenile cage. However once I switched him to his adult cage he was perfectly fine and all his upset behaviors stopped. Also you need a lot more branches and a lot more foliage. You need to be able lose him in it.

 

[Kodak]

I can see what you guys mean, my male is very small though and not of the normal or big size

 

[Andee]

Size doesn't matter as much, when their hormones kick in is when they would start patrolling territory. And in the wild, regardless of size, he would have a larger territory than any size cage you could provide especially the size you have now.

 

[Kodak]

Ok, I see what you mean. Before i got the chameleon i read alot of caresheet and asked around and got the notion that the cage would be adequate. Now i simply dont have enough funds or space to get a larger cage. What can I do?

 

[Andee]

You can technically do a DIY cage and make your own dimensions to fit your needs. They also cost less with the size you get for it. Otherwise, if you cannot provide any larger sized cage I would look into rehoming

 

[rminnis]

Heres a suggestion to help until u get a bigger enclosure, make him a free range he can access when u leave ur doors open. There are lots of examples of free ranging if done safely it could make him much happier and give him some freedom even with the biggest cage money can buy some will always want out they are very curious when when not being watched.

 

[Kodak]

I've tried free ranging and he turns dark everytime I let him free range

 

[Atlas chameleon]

He may turn dark because he is in the open and would like to hide when you free range him

 

[Atlas chameleon]

You can technically do a DIY cage and make your own dimensions to fit your needs. They also cost less with the size you get for it. Otherwise, if you cannot provide any larger sized cage I would look into rehoming

That's totally true I made DIY cage for my chameleon and she seems to love it more

 

[kelly_girl199]

Yes, this is exactly how my chameleon acted when he was ready for a larger cage when I thought he technically had a couple more months left in his juvenile cage. However once I switched him to his adult cage he was perfectly fine and all his upset behaviors stopped. Also you need a lot more branches and a lot more foliage. You need to be able lose him in it.

mine was the same until I moved him to the 4 ft. cage.He is very very active now, drinking and eating well and displays wonderful colors. Especially now that his temps are higher.