Stress, and how to avoid it?

Doss

Doss

New Member
Firstly, I'd just like to point out that yes I am new to the forums; sorry if this is the wrong place to ask this; and no I do not own a chameleon yet.

Before I buy a chameleon of my own, I have been reading about how to take care of them (don't exactly want to run into this blindly.) And one thing I have noticed is that they are easily stressed.

When I do purchase one, it will have to be sheltered in my room.

However, I am still in school. Which means I have to get up at the crack of dawn to get ready. So my question to you all, is will my alarm clock buzzing at 5:30 A.M. every morning disturb him? Also, will the light being turned on so early affect his stress levels?

I've been debating getting an overnight light to monitor the temperature at all times, but the amount of light given out is significantly different from that one, as opposed to a normal room light.

Thanks ahead of time for any and all help.
 
Light at night will disturb it,best without, chams need dark time too. so long as you dont have the light on for long as you ready for work in the early morning, he should keep sleeping till his lights come on. Maybe you could use a small lamp to dress by. The buzzing alarm wont bother him.
A thermometer or heatgun that is accurate is best for temp checking. Temp should drop overnight as it does in nature, but not below 65f I think.

Dont Play Kylie Minogue in the same room! :) how stressful would that be! Celine Dion Either LOL
 
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jojackson said:
A thermometer or heatgun that is accurate is best for temp checking. Temp should drop overnight as it does in nature, but not below 65f I think.

Dont Play Kylie Minogue in the same room! :) how stressful would that be! Celine Dion Either LOL
Click to expand...

I'll have mounted thermometers so I can watch the temperature at all times.

I don't like either of those artists, so I'll have no problem doing that ;)
 
Panthers and Veilds are similar in different areas, I think new users generally get linked to the raiding kitty blog because (you have to remember) veilds are easier than panthers. so, assuming you're very confident about a panther over a veild, just make sure you know the cage and temp requirements of a panther and remember that they're different from in the raising kitty blog- but it's a good thing to read regardless of your species.
 
You can get thermometers (and humidity guages) that keep track of highs and lows over time. I recommend having one of these. That way you can see the extremes during the time you are at school, asleep.

I started with Panthers (and never moved on). Care is very similar to Vs. Temperature shouldnt go quite as low at night, and not quite as high during the day.

LOTS of useful information in my blog: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/

Alarm clock wont bother the chameleon.

Ways to avoid stress: large enough cage; low traffic location; top of cage above the top of your head; good temp gradient; adequate humidity; adequate cover in cage (veileds seem to need more hiding places than panthers, but still at least one plant seems most commonly recommended); different sized branches placed at varing levels of cage; little to no handling; correct type of lighting, lights on a timer so that its consistent; dark at night; lots of water, in the right ways; good choice of prey items...

I recommend to all owners of chameleons that you have about a thousand bucks saved up for the inevitable vet bills.
 
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also if lights on before his would come on worry you, i cover my veiled's cage with blackout material i got off of ebay.
My son and husband are up two hours before mista and helps him not get disturbed
 
Hey, in the wild chameleons wake up at the crack of dawn too, so that's not an issue. Alarm clock won't bother him (however, loud, vibrating base might cause some minor stress).

As long as they get 6-10 hours of darkness, they'll be fine. No lights necessary. If it gets below 70F at night, you might want to get a red heat lamp or better, a ceramic heat emitter to raise it to 70F-72F for night time.

Personally, and this is my opinion from my own experience, I always recommend handling your chameleon a lot until it's used to you, comfortable around you, will eat from your hand, and will come towards you when you open the cage (in a 'I wanna climb you' way). This reduces stress greatly over the lifespan of a chameleon. Just take your time and be patient, don't over-stress them while you handle them, go slow.
 
Brock said:
Hey, in the wild chameleons wake up at the crack of dawn too, so that's not an issue. Alarm clock won't bother him (however, loud, vibrating base might cause some minor stress).

As long as they get 6-10 hours of darkness, they'll be fine. No lights necessary. If it gets below 70F at night, you might want to get a red heat lamp or better, a ceramic heat emitter to raise it to 70F-72F for night time.

Personally, and this is my opinion from my own experience, I always recommend handling your chameleon a lot until it's used to you, comfortable around you, will eat from your hand, and will come towards you when you open the cage (in a 'I wanna climb you' way). This reduces stress greatly over the lifespan of a chameleon. Just take your time and be patient, don't over-stress them while you handle them, go slow.
Click to expand...

Exactly i agree, im still working on my veild who doesnt quite get it, but my panther handfeeds, comes right out of the cage when i open it, and has no problem with drinking in front of me, It times when you need it (vet visits etc.) it can really help with stress
 
I cover the front of my panther's enclosure with a towel. It's lights off for him at 8pm. He's ready and perched for sleep by 730. I notice he'll keep his eyes open after the cage lights go out and watch me walk around the room. As soon as I put the towel up though he's out in 5-10 minutes and seems to stay asleep. Then, you can just take the towel off when you leave in the morning.
I'll tell you though, having a cham has made me run late many a time as I get caught up in looking at him in the morning thermoregulating. Interesting stuff.
I've only handled him once, but after doing so, for the rest of the day he was very chill with me and didn't seem bothered when I was around the cage. It's been a few days though and now he's back to looking at me with a weary eye. I think regular handling is important too, I just can't get him out of his enclosure very easily b/c of the density of the foliage...
 
Cool, thanks for all the advice so far. I've never come across a thermometer that records the highs and lows, i'll definately have to get a couple of those :)

As far as the handling goes, is there a definate sign that says "Hey, leave me alone right now, I don't want to leave my cage." Or is it dependant upon the chameleon?
 
I remove poop daily (when its there - most of them dont poop every day).
I do a light cage clean weekly.
I do a full blown everything clean only once a year or so (unless a parasite or some other reason prompts it sooner)
 
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all i have done is set the auto lights to my schedual... hes up at 9 am and sleeps at 9 pm.... by that time im already gone from the house and at nine... the most noise is a tv.... so hes golden... and im there is any one over i seal off the whole cage and throw a towel over his door.... sleeps like a baby...
 
Pieces said:
and im there is any one over i seal off the whole cage and throw a towel over his door.... sleeps like a baby...
Click to expand...

I've wondered about doing that.. But wouldn't doing it too long raise the temperature too much?
 
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