Overcrowding an enclosure?!

[hopps31]

So I was just wondering is it possible to over crowd an enclosure? My males veiled enclosure is "full" he seems to enjoy it and gets around fine but can it be to "full"? The picture explains the fullness

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Scottsquatch]

Well heck, they live in trees, shrubs, and bushes. Those are usually quite thick. I would think he probably feels very safe and secure in there. I think you did a good job. Especially considering how many people put a fake plant and vine in and think they're good to go.

 

[Sloppysponge]

Well done! What are the dimensions on this enclosure?

 

[Panthro413]

I would have to say yes, It is possible to over crowd. Bruce Galbraith from Chameleon Paradise gave me a tip. He told me not to over crowd the cage because the Cham will always hide and be shy/ scared which will make it difficult to train if you intend for your Cham to be friendly and want to handle it occasionally. He raises his with plenty of branches just not much coverage. I believe thats why his Chams are pretty friendly.

 

[hopps31]

@Scottsquatch that is what I was thinking, in nature it can be pretty dense. Thanks for the nice words!

@Sloppysponge thanks for the kind words!! It is an Exo Terra 36" x 18" x 36" I know ideally more height would be better but with our wood stove in the winter it was impossible to keep any humidity in. I love this enclosure so far it has worked really well for us!

 

[Scottsquatch]

There is also a school of thought that says if a cham has plenty of places available to hide, then they will feel very secure and spend more time out in open view. I'm sure each cham has their own preferences.

 

[Trent H.]

With veiled chameleons being an arboreal lizard who live in trees and other plants, as long as they have room to get around, and a basking area that is a little more open, I don't think you can get too crowded. Your enclosure looks beautiful, and looks to be like a very good setup. Just as long as he can get around ok (which you say yours can, so I'm not worried about yours) he should thrive.

 

[hopps31]

@Panthro413 that is interesting! So far that has not been a problem in my case, he is so super friendly that the minute he sees me coming he is right at the door, then he is up my arm and on my head before I can blink He loves everyone, I am not sure how we got so lucky with him he has been like that since the beginning!

 

[Sloppysponge]

Your vines what are they?

 

[DigitalBeetle]

I think overcrowding is possible. I had a palm plant, hibiscus, scheflera, and a pothos in my panthers cage and he never seemed to come down from the top bamboo branch.

The hibiscus wasn't seeming to do well in the cage so I took it outside to let it bolster up some. In the mean time, he's been climbing down and through the more open area of where the hibiscus was.

Maybe just a coincidence but I think I'm going to leave out the hibiscus.

 

[DigitalBeetle]

Here is what it looks like now. The hibiscus was in the middle. It was pretty small.

 

[jamest0o0]

Your cage is good, but I do believe it's possible, for Panthers at least... Many sources say Panthers in their natural habitat pretty much make it a point to be as visible as possible. They like to have retreats to hide in just incase, but it seems most of the time they like to display themselves loud and proud. Also Panthers are very active as far as chameleons go. I can't speak much on veileds though

 

[hopps31]

@Trent H. thanks for the kind words!

 

[hopps31]

Your vines what are they?

Some are outdoor branches and the rest are Fluker bend a branches of all sizes

 

[hopps31]

@DigitalBeetle that is interesting, we just moved our younger panther to the same exact setup and he seems to be everywhere as well but does like to be watching everything from the middle branch more than our veiled who is always somewhere new hanging out

 

[hopps31]

@jamest0o0 we just moved our younger panther to the same setup, he does utilize every space but he really likes to hang out more on the middle branches and see what is going on. So I moved more of his branches out in the open a little. Here is his setup

 

[jamest0o0]

Looks nice! Those live plants? Jc, looks good either way

 

[hopps31]

Looks nice! Those live plants? Jc, looks good either way

There is a mixture of fake and real same with the vines there are real outside branches and fake vines. I thought poop would get lost but I kind of give everything a shake and the poop/urate falls to the bottom

 

[jamest0o0]

Get a good bio substrate going, won't need to worry so much about poop

 

[hopps31]

Get a good bio substrate going, won't need to worry so much about poop

I have done bio's with cresties but I thought these guys were not suppose to have substrate? I will have to look in to it, thanks for the heads up!