Strange Behavior, Will this be a problem?

[CrazyChamLady13]

My Veiled Waldo has been acting strange. I don't think that its a health concern that's the reason why I didn't put this in Health Clinic. Waldo has been making rounds in his enclosure. He's been screen climbing since day 1, hanging out where he can see our beardie. Most of the time he's really dark, in his enclosure. Had him out today and he was the prettiest colors. My original plans were to have them free ranging. But we have a cat, so that's out the window.

Waldo is 7 months old. He's being housed in a 27x27x48 enclosure. Is there a reason why he's so dark inside his enclosure?

 

[camimom]

He could need some more warmth.

as for the cruising- hes a male, they walk around their territory checking it out, making sure no other males are in it.

 

[CrazyChamLady13]

Would it be ok to provide separate free range times for Waldo and Kayla?

 

[NHenn]

I don't see why not as long as the cat isn't around

 

[Chris1648]

do cats just generally make them nervous or can they be ok seeing them? cause my cat sits in front of his cage and stares at him and he gets right up to the door and stares back.

 

[Carolina Critters]

I know it would freak me out if I had a man eater lion staring through my kitchen window every morning. lol but chams are curious critters that aren't afraid of much.

 

[CrazyChamLady13]

Our cat doesn't bother them. I'm curious why he keeps edging closer to our beardie. Our beardie likes sitting in the window and looking outside, which is right next to Waldos enclosure

 

[Ivan321]

do cats just generally make them nervous or can they be ok seeing them? cause my cat sits in front of his cage and stares at him and he gets right up to the door and stares back.

I found this both adorable and absolutely hilarious lolol

 

[CrazyChamLady13]

I just increased the wattage of his basking bulb from 40w to 60w. The reason why I had I 40w is because it Was already in the 80's in the house.

 

[camimom]

His basking spot needs to be mid 80;s, they don't do well with absorbing heat through the air

 

[CrazyChamLady13]

Ok I'll. Change it to 75w tomorrow

 

[J1635]

my cham actually prefers to hide from my dog, he will always slim down and hide behind the branches to keep himself out of view if the dog is around (what cham wants to show and expose himself to predators?) if hes cruising the cage it means hes not happy and he wants out. when my cham is most content he can sit somewhere for hours at a time, in the morning when the sun comes up he will motor on over to the deck and hang out and do whatever, if hes dark and constantly on the move you need to make some changes. first off block his view to the cat and the beardie before you do anything else.

 

[camimom]

my cham actually prefers to hide from my dog, he will always slim down and hide behind the branches to keep himself out of view if the dog is around (what cham wants to show and expose himself to predators?) if hes cruising the cage it means hes not happy and he wants out. when my cham is most content he can sit somewhere for hours at a time, in the morning when the sun comes up he will motor on over to the deck and hang out and do whatever, if hes dark and constantly on the move you need to make some changes. first off block his view to the cat and the beardie before you do anything else.

That's not actually true.

Males regularly cruise their cages to look for predators.

Not to mention, hes a youngin still.

And if hes dark it could be because hes not warm enough. they turn dark when they need to get warmer.

however, blocking views to other animals is a good thing to do

 

[CrazyChamLady13]

Unfortunately we don't have another room for my chams. We are in a 2 bedroom apartment and the only place to keep them is in living room. He has lightened up since I added the new light.

 

[Poptartjake]

I have had my male Veiled for a month now and he exhibits a lot of the same behavior (minus the screen walking as I was able to condition him not to) and is usually a darker shade while in his cage. I was told he was 4 months old when I got him which would make him 5 months now, but seeing as he hasn't even broken 20g and is still so small, I have started to think he may be more like 3-3 1/2 months. With that being said, I keep his basking temp around 80-85F and no higher because in the first week I had him, he would gape at temperatures around or above 85F. I worry about increasing his basking temp because I am not there during the day (mon-fri that is) to observe his behaviors and would really prefer to not come home to a dead Cham....Any suggestions?

 

[J1635]

That's not actually true.

Males regularly cruise their cages to look for predators.

Not to mention, hes a youngin still.

And if hes dark it could be because hes not warm enough. they turn dark when they need to get warmer.

however, blocking views to other animals is a good thing to do

believe me, chams are not stupid, they understand when the door is open vs when its closed, when they feel safe and secure somewhere they will stay in one spot if the temps are just right.

im not saying they will NEVER move around, but on a normal day he isnt looking for food or water, he prefers to just chill out and relax wherever it feels right. Im not saying yours does the same thing, but its pretty easy to tell when they dont feel comfortable in a situation

 

[Poptartjake]

believe me, chams are not stupid, they understand when the door is open vs when its closed, when they feel safe and secure somewhere they will stay in one spot if the temps are just right.

im not saying they will NEVER move around, but on a normal day he isnt looking for food or water, he prefers to just chill out and relax wherever it feels right. Im not saying yours does the same thing, but its pretty easy to tell when they dont feel comfortable in a situation

This is correct to some degree. An adult Cham is much more likely to show these behaviors in comparison to a baby or juv. This is because an adult Cham knows what it wants and once it has filled its needs for day (food, water, etc...) then they are more likely to find a comfortable spot to relax in for the next while. My 1 year old Jax is like this.

 

[J1635]

This is correct to some degree. An adult Cham is much more likely to show these behaviors in comparison to a baby or juv. This is because an adult Cham knows what it wants and once it has filled its needs for day (food, water, etc...) then they are more likely to find a comfortable spot to relax in for the next while. My 1 year old Jax is like this.

I think most of the issue is related to how they are kept. ever since ive had my cham hes always been socialized, hes in the living room, he likes coming out of his cage even if its just to hang off the window blinds and watch everyone. hes fed with people present, he likes being out in public, and doesnt mind friends and family handling him. If you make it your goal to ensure hes left alone and not bothered, they will find things that bother them. Try switching things up, even if it doesnt seem like "the norm"

 

[J1635]

I have had my male Veiled for a month now and he exhibits a lot of the same behavior (minus the screen walking as I was able to condition him not to) and is usually a darker shade while in his cage. I was told he was 4 months old when I got him which would make him 5 months now, but seeing as he hasn't even broken 20g and is still so small, I have started to think he may be more like 3-3 1/2 months. With that being said, I keep his basking temp around 80-85F and no higher because in the first week I had him, he would gape at temperatures around or above 85F. I worry about increasing his basking temp because I am not there during the day (mon-fri that is) to observe his behaviors and would really prefer to not come home to a dead Cham....Any suggestions?

i truely think too hot is worse then just warm. you have to think that growing up in the wild they are not guaranteed x degrees of temp everyday, sometimes they go through cold spells, sometimes it rains for weeks and its cold. the only thing you need to be absolutely sure of is that he has a good gradient of temps that he can travel to. after awhile it will be pretty obvious what temps he enjoys the most. start with 90/80/70, once you can determine that range then you can slowly fine tune it.

thats exactly how i started, and now hes at 68 hanging out, 73 few hours after eating, and 83 when eating. he loves it, everyone is different, dont let someone tell you it has to be __, try it out and see what he likes

 

[CrazyChamLady13]

Waldo decided that he wanted to hang out with me today. He's such a awesome boy!