Does she hate her new cage?

BasilSews

BasilSews

Member
My Jackson(F) Chameleon Basil recently got a cage upgrade. The cage I had for her were screen walls and ceiling and the bottom lever kept popping out. And she loved to escape. After two scares of her escaping I thought it was time. I got her a bigger glass cage, a few new(chameleon safe) plants, and a little net for her to hang onto. But ever since she’s been in her new cage she’s took a total turn. She used to love climbing around. On the walls, ceiling, plants, her fountain, and her favorite thing would be to crawl on me when I let her. She used to be a bright yellow and would chow down on as many roaches I would give her(around 12 small ones or 6 medium ones every other day). Now she is always a greenish-grey, doenst move from her one spot, and is down to only 1-2 roaches a day. I also haven’t seen her poop in her new cage yet. She’s been in it for around a week now, the only changes from her old cage to now is she has more humidity(vet said she needed more), no screens to climb on, and more density in her plants. But I’m worried she is stressed about the new environment. Does anyone know how long this stress will last? I have the pics of her old cage vs her new one. (Ignore the basil leaves in her old cage, it was for an inside joke and it’s the only picture I have if the cage…). The question is if I just let her get used to it on her down or do I need to make some more(or less) changes?
 

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BasilSews said:
My Jackson(F) Chameleon Basil recently got a cage upgrade. The cage I had for her were screen walls and ceiling and the bottom lever kept popping out. And she loved to escape. After two scares of her escaping I thought it was time. I got her a bigger glass cage, a few new(chameleon safe) plants, and a little net for her to hang onto. But ever since she’s been in her new cage she’s took a total turn. She used to love climbing around. On the walls, ceiling, plants, her fountain, and her favorite thing would be to crawl on me when I let her. She used to be a bright yellow and would chow down on as many roaches I would give her(around 12 small ones or 6 medium ones every other day). Now she is always a greenish-grey, doenst move from her one spot, and is down to only 1-2 roaches a day. I also haven’t seen her poop in her new cage yet. She’s been in it for around a week now, the only changes from her old cage to now is she has more humidity(vet said she needed more), no screens to climb on, and more density in her plants. But I’m worried she is stressed about the new environment. Does anyone know how long this stress will last? I have the pics of her old cage vs her new one. (Ignore the basil leaves in her old cage, it was for an inside joke and it’s the only picture I have if the cage…). The question is if I just let her get used to it on her down or do I need to make some more(or less) changes?
Click to expand...
I'd say take out the hammock they can steal chameleon claws
 
BasilSews said:
My Jackson(F) Chameleon Basil recently got a cage upgrade. The cage I had for her were screen walls and ceiling and the bottom lever kept popping out. And she loved to escape. After two scares of her escaping I thought it was time. I got her a bigger glass cage, a few new(chameleon safe) plants, and a little net for her to hang onto. But ever since she’s been in her new cage she’s took a total turn. She used to love climbing around. On the walls, ceiling, plants, her fountain, and her favorite thing would be to crawl on me when I let her. She used to be a bright yellow and would chow down on as many roaches I would give her(around 12 small ones or 6 medium ones every other day). Now she is always a greenish-grey, doenst move from her one spot, and is down to only 1-2 roaches a day. I also haven’t seen her poop in her new cage yet. She’s been in it for around a week now, the only changes from her old cage to now is she has more humidity(vet said she needed more), no screens to climb on, and more density in her plants. But I’m worried she is stressed about the new environment. Does anyone know how long this stress will last? I have the pics of her old cage vs her new one. (Ignore the basil leaves in her old cage, it was for an inside joke and it’s the only picture I have if the cage…). The question is if I just let her get used to it on her down or do I need to make some more(or less) changes?
Click to expand...
More plants like pothos, how big is cage, take out fountain, use mister and if humidity is to low also fogger, use dripper for 15 minutes every other day, age of cham, and what you are gutloading your bugs with. https://chameleonacademy.com/the-jacksons-chameleon-trioceros-jacksonii/
 

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BasilSews said:
My Jackson(F) Chameleon Basil recently got a cage upgrade. The cage I had for her were screen walls and ceiling and the bottom lever kept popping out. And she loved to escape. After two scares of her escaping I thought it was time. I got her a bigger glass cage, a few new(chameleon safe) plants, and a little net for her to hang onto. But ever since she’s been in her new cage she’s took a total turn. She used to love climbing around. On the walls, ceiling, plants, her fountain, and her favorite thing would be to crawl on me when I let her. She used to be a bright yellow and would chow down on as many roaches I would give her(around 12 small ones or 6 medium ones every other day). Now she is always a greenish-grey, doenst move from her one spot, and is down to only 1-2 roaches a day. I also haven’t seen her poop in her new cage yet. She’s been in it for around a week now, the only changes from her old cage to now is she has more humidity(vet said she needed more), no screens to climb on, and more density in her plants. But I’m worried she is stressed about the new environment. Does anyone know how long this stress will last? I have the pics of her old cage vs her new one. (Ignore the basil leaves in her old cage, it was for an inside joke and it’s the only picture I have if the cage…). The question is if I just let her get used to it on her down or do I need to make some more(or less) changes?
Click to expand...
Do you have a laying bin
 
From the pics it looks as if that cage is a bit on the smaller side I’d recommend getting at least an 18x18x36 however if you have the room a 2x2x4 wether it’s a full screen cage with corrugated plastic on the sides or if you want to go on a little pricier side a hybrid cage made for chameleons. Besides that cage looks great and she may be just getting acclimated to her new environment.
 
Jackson’s do not need laying bins as they are live bearers Which means they give birth to live fully formed babies. What size is your cage? It should be at least 24x24x48 inches. She definitely needs more plants. Jackson’s prefer small trees in their enclosures like a ficus Benjamina or schefflera or even money trees. They prefer a lot of foliage to hide in because they are very shy and need to feel protected and safe. What uvb lights are you using and what are your temp and humidity levels? Jackson’s prefer it cooler than most Cham species. They prefer high 70s during the day and 50s to 60s at night. For humidity they like 30-50% during the day and 80-100% at night. I think if your temps and humidity are good and you get her a small tree that has full foliage she will do better as long as you have the correct uvb lighting and basking lamp not too hot.
 
Lindasjackson said:
Jackson’s do not need laying bins as they are live bearers Which means they give birth to live fully formed babies. What size is your cage? It should be at least 24x24x48 inches. She definitely needs more plants. Jackson’s prefer small trees in their enclosures like a ficus Benjamina or schefflera or even money trees. They prefer a lot of foliage to hide in because they are very shy and need to feel protected and safe. What uvb lights are you using and what are your temp and humidity levels? Jackson’s prefer it cooler than most Cham species. They prefer high 70s during the day and 50s to 60s at night. For humidity they like 30-50% during the day and 80-100% at night. I think if your temps and humidity are good and you get her a small tree that has full foliage she will do better as long as you have the correct uvb lighting and basking lamp not too hot.
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My bad I forgot that Jackson's don't I'm so used to reptiles laying eggs.
 
CCT Reptiles said:
From the pics it looks as if that cage is a bit on the smaller side I’d recommend getting at least an 18x18x36 however if you have the room a 2x2x4 wether it’s a full screen cage with corrugated plastic on the sides or if you want to go on a little pricier side a hybrid cage made for chameleons. Besides that cage looks great and she may be just getting acclimated to her new environment.
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She is only around 5-6 inches long(not including tail) in length, and the new cage is 18x18x36 so I thought it would be big enough
 
cadet21345 said:
It's big enough for now but when she's a adult you'll need to resize
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Easiest way to do this instead of going through multiple cages is to just start out with a large cage your chameleon will thank you. On top of that you’ll get a lot more enjoyment as they can be a little bit more active and not super stationary
 
cadet21345 said:
I'd say take out the hammock they can steal chameleon claws
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What if I cover all of the net in moss so it’s a softer material for her to grab onto? She seems to love the hammock and it fills up an empty corner in the cage. I took it out for the time being though
 
cadet21345 said:
More plants like pothos, how big is cage, take out fountain, use mister and if humidity is to low also fogger, use dripper for 15 minutes every other day, age of cham, and what you are gutloading your bugs with. https://chameleonacademy.com/the-jacksons-chameleon-trioceros-jacksonii/
Click to expand...
I don’t have exact age, I got her from petco(last thing I ever bought from petco after seeing her condition) and I’ve had her since April 26th of last year. I gut load the roaches and crickets with “chow” from the place I get her bugs. I’m not sure exactly what is in it but I know it’s safe seeing as I’ve used it for about 5 months or so. Then I coat her bugs in calcium and vitamin supplements. Her food recipe hasn’t changed since the move, it’s just how often she eats
 

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Hi welcome! I would not recommend covering the net with moss because this is something your chameleon could ingest and become impacted. I would also remove the water fountain as those are not recommended either. She’s a cutie
 
Beppo said:
Hi welcome! I would not recommend covering the net with moss because this is something your chameleon could ingest and become impacted. I would also remove the water fountain as those are not recommended either. She’s a cutie
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Thank you! She does use the fountain, and my vet recommended I get once since I’m a college student and I don’t have a lot of time to set up a dropper and put it away and clean out the water ever few days. I normally clean out the fountain once a week so she can get water whenever she needs. When I first had her, she didn’t use the dropper as much and I was scared she wasn’t getting enough hydration because of her sunken eyes and kind of wrinkly skin. Is there any other plant I could use like a vine or some kind to wrap around the net?
 
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