Nosy- Be Chameleon Climbing on highest point of Mesh Enclosure...

[ChameLIonLover]

I just got my Nosy- Be Panther Chameleon this morning. He seems to be doing well... ate a few crickets, havn't seen him drink yet. Anyways, as you can see in the picture, he is climbing upside down on the mesh enclosure.

I realize that he is just exploring and such, but is it safe for him to be so close to the basking bulb? His basking perch I set up for him is already 84... so it has to be upper 80's at the top of the cage where he is climbing around.

Should I be worried? The bulb is not directly touching the mesh, but is spaced about 3/4" away with some rocks. Thanks!

 

[AACblackout]

The package should tell you how far to keep it

 

[AACblackout]

Can we get some pics of the enclosure and the Cham

 

[ChameLIonLover]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/nosy-panther-chameleon-arriving-tomorrow-morning-133752/ This link has pics of the enclosure. I have also attached a picture of the chameleon taken earlier today. it is hanging on one of the side walls.. As you can see, I have the lamp fixture raised about an inch up away from the mesh itself.

 

[AACblackout]

Your setup looks goodi keep my basking light at least 4-5 inches depending on temp. You need to check in on silkworms, Dubai roaches and hornworms as feeders also. You should look into an auto mister if you don't have one

 

[jamjam]

i think you should post more pics of your enclosure, i think they tend to go on the top more so when theres a lack of branches and foilage. since i redecorated my cage he doesnt go up as often still does and i think mine is pretty full but hes never up there for an extended period of time and willing moves on down and never goes near the basking thank god

 

[ChameLIonLover]

Hi AACblackout, what do you mean by keeping basking light at least 4-5 inches depending on temp? Does this mean having the perch 4-5 inches away from the lamp? Or having the lamp 4-5 inches above the actual mesh enclosure to ensure that the cham won't get burned?

@jamjam: I'll take some more pics tomorrow... I will definitely be adding an additional roosting spot for him so he has more choices. Thanks for the advice

 

[ChiefRedman]

Both, you can either have a stand that raises the level of the heat dome to 4-5 inches above the cage so that way if you little guy is at the top he wont get burned, or you can site the lamp on top of that cage and make the perch 5-7 inches away from the lamp depending on temp of basking spot. I do both I slightly raise my heat lamp and make my basking branch about 7in away. That way if he tries to climb on top of the cage, I can feel a little more secure than the the heat source being directly on top of him

 

[Bugz]

I wouldn't worry at all. My guy was at the top for like 3 days when I first got him until he was comfortable with his new home. He even slept upside down.

 

[sharp229]

It is very normal for them to climb on the top and sides a lot when you first get them, I wouldn't worry about it. Your set up looks pretty good. As suggested by someone in your other post you could add more branches and vines to give him more area to climb around. I use dowels from a hardware store and fake vines, and in my experience they usually spend a lot more time on those than the actual plants.

You can use large binder clips to hold the lamp off the top if you don't want to deal with those rocks. I think I first saw this suggested by Psychobunny so I will give him credit This is what I am referring to:
http://reputeofficeneeds.com/shopping/files/1262181309_BindersClipN00004.jpg

What wattage is the bulb? One way to tell if it is too hot on the top of the screen is to put your hand directly on the screen under the lamp and see if you can hold it there for a minute. If not, it is too hot.

 

[Sanababit]

Hi guys, all this talk about the chameleon getting burned, shouldn't the animal be aware of the amount of heat it is getting and when he feels uncomftable move to a cooler place, just saying, or am i missing something, i ask because i have a ambelobe phanter and he goes all the way to the top and hangs upside down a lot just under the lights, and after a little while he comes back down to the shade, i see no problem with this, but then again i am new to the hooby,

Sana

 

[ChameLIonLover]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think ive read that since chameleons are cold blooded, they will get to the light source and bask until their internal temperature is achieved. However, their external temperature will get warm before the whole body gets heated up so they may not realize their gettin too hot... And at that time it may be too late and could have been burned. Thanks all for the help

 

[sharp229]

Yes, they are able to regulate their internal body temperature but they do not respond to instantaneous contact with high heat sources like mammals do. So if they contact something very hot they can get burned badly before they know to move.