My panther chameleon keeps falling from his cage, he keeps climbing on the sides of the screen cage wall and tries to climb upside down on the cage as well. I don't know if hes not strong enough or something but it seems like he keeps slipping like he cant get enough grip on the screen cage or something? He keeps going back to the same spot as well Ive watched him fall 3 times today already and he keeps doing it...falls to the bottom of the cage, climbs back up and slips..I dont really know what to do but I don't want him to coutinue doing it and get hurt accidentally. Im not sure if this is a health problem so I posted in the general discussion to see if anybody has had there panther do this before. Anyway what do you guys think he is doing that for or what I should do?
Panther Chameleon keeps falling?
- Thread starter DrSchultz
- Start date
LilBlue
New Member
With him going back to the same spot to climb and fall sounds like something is stressing him out. He is trying to get the furthest away he can from whatever is bothering him. Maybe he's too hot? Another animal he can see? An object?
And you are right about not having enough grip on the screen. This needs to be remedied so he doesn't damage his nails/toes, and of course prevent hurting himself from falling. You can fasten another layer of larger screen to the inside of his enclosure. How big is his enclosure?
And you are right about not having enough grip on the screen. This needs to be remedied so he doesn't damage his nails/toes, and of course prevent hurting himself from falling. You can fasten another layer of larger screen to the inside of his enclosure. How big is his enclosure?
I bought a reptibreeze chameleon kit from zoomed so however big that is? Hes about 4 months old so the cage is big enough.
Give him some ( extra) vitamin d3 with calcium
You can make a paste and smoosh it on a crickets butt if your guy will take food off tongs. This happened to me also. Dont worry. Make sure he is getting enough sunlight to process the calcium. If you are using a 5.0 bulb make sure it is not over 6 months old. Extra vitamins will help also.
You can make a paste and smoosh it on a crickets butt if your guy will take food off tongs. This happened to me also. Dont worry. Make sure he is getting enough sunlight to process the calcium. If you are using a 5.0 bulb make sure it is not over 6 months old. Extra vitamins will help also.
reptoman
Avid Member
Post pics of your setup. If you dont have enough branches and vines so that he can get to all reaches of the cage, especially in the top region, he will climb the screen. If he climbs the screen all the time it could break his nails off and eventually tear them out. If there are large expanses of air, fill them in with vines and branches. You can use natural branches so its not necessary to buy synthetic vines. There should be climbing opportunities from the very top and I mean within 2 inches, to within 4 to 5 inches from the bottom and all the way across where he can easily reach the sides to get to feeders. Dont worry that its to crowded with branches. These are not birds and do not appreciate wide expanses of air as they would. Something to climb on would be more appropriate. See the link below for some examples of what I am try to describe.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.531302093590006.1073741831.291375457582672&type=3
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.531302093590006.1073741831.291375457582672&type=3
I guess I should add some more branches as the bottom half of the cage doesnt have much.
LilBlue
New Member
Yep, reptoman hit the nail on the head there, need some more branches, and some more vines too
The only thing I would be cautious with is how close you put the extra vines to the top of the enclosure because your lamps are sitting on the screen. Oh and ditch the substrate, chams can accidently eat it and it is also a breeding ground for bacteria. Happy cham-ing!
The only thing I would be cautious with is how close you put the extra vines to the top of the enclosure because your lamps are sitting on the screen. Oh and ditch the substrate, chams can accidently eat it and it is also a breeding ground for bacteria. Happy cham-ing!Yep, reptoman hit the nail on the head there, need some more branches, and some more vines too
I guess I will have to find some more sticks and what not, and I will ditch the substrate as well, might just go back to reptile store and give the chameleon back though because it has an eye problem and I cant afford to take it to the vet with the chance of the vet not helping..
DELxREPTILESJC
New Member
You can go to michaels and get some dowels of different sizes.
LilBlue
New Member
I think we should move this thread to the health clinic.
An eye issue could be easily fixed with a couple husbandry changes and that doesn't cost anything. And also, with a little checking around you could find a vet that at least "sees" reptiles. One like that would be ok if you're just dealing with an eye infection, basic medicines to prescribe, and wouldn't cost too much. Many vets are pretty good with payment plans, too. I'm sure if you took the time to fill out the "how to ask for help" form in the health clinic, and post some pictures of your cham we can point you the right direction.
An eye issue could be easily fixed with a couple husbandry changes and that doesn't cost anything. And also, with a little checking around you could find a vet that at least "sees" reptiles. One like that would be ok if you're just dealing with an eye infection, basic medicines to prescribe, and wouldn't cost too much. Many vets are pretty good with payment plans, too. I'm sure if you took the time to fill out the "how to ask for help" form in the health clinic, and post some pictures of your cham we can point you the right direction.
I ended up taking it back to LLLreptile and just letting them deal with the panther so I pretty much just gave it back to them. It had an eye infection in both eyes. When I purchased it they told me it was male but it turns out its female. I probally would have kept it and dealed with the eye infection my self but the only reason I wanted a panther chameleon in the first place was for the amazing colors. So pretty much wasted $300 probably more on everything and they wouldn't even give me any type of refund..
Well catch you guys on the flip side, thanks for all the help!
LilBlue
New Member
Sorry to hear about your bad dealings with the company. I would push the matter with them, try to get an exchange, or a credit. If they still won't deal with the matter, inform them you are taking them to the "Board of Inquiry" on faunaclassifieds.com. Hope to see you around here again with a new cham
