Thinking about removing foliage from Leon's cage...pics

[pba110]

Hey,
So I think I have too much stuff in Leon's cage. It makes it difficult to clean. However, he seems to love the hiding places. This sort of bums me out though because it makes it difficult for me to observe him from afar. Instead, I have to get real close to see what's going on and I don't think he likes me peering in like that.
I would also like to train him to hand feed and it makes it really difficult for me to present food to him without rattling all the plants/vines etc 'cause my huge hand doesn't fit in there well. He was eating from my hand initially but now he's a little more weary of it.
If i were to remove all of the fake plants now, I would have a lot easier time cleaning, the droppings would all fall to the floor and I could have a little easier access to present food to him.
I know I'm going to get flamed for wanting to do this, but I do want to be able to see him, even if that means he has a few less hiding spaces. I've seen a bunch of enclosures on here that have hardly any hiding spots and the chams seem to be doing well.
Any suggestions? His eating has decreased, I'm wondering if he's about to shed. He's roughly 4 months old now.

 

[nicoRamirez]

Looks good to me i wouldn't touch it.

 

[Chameleon Caretaker]

His cage looks good I would just remove the fake ivy.

 

[neonate]

Yeah someone told me i need more... and mine looks similar to yours so jus leave it

 

[spec and spot]

I think it's good that he has hiding places, i have a hiding place where if he runs to it i leave him soi think one is good but if you have to many then he will usually run to them

 

[FOREVER ENDEAVOR]

Cage looks great like said above i wouldn't touch much other than the fake ivy... the more foliage you have the better. It will allow better humidity, more places for water to collect for you lil guy to drink, as well as make him feel right at home with plenty of coverage.. The downfall to all that cover is yes, it is a pain to keep clean.. Welcome to the hobby IMO i think your set up looks pretty good as it sits..cute lil cham too!
Ray

 

[pba110]

cool,
Yea, I was just going to remove the ivy. I would like to free range him when he's old enough. He just camps out in the back most of the time where I can't see him. I thought I would remove the fake vines on the right side at least, or the ones on the back-most stick across the cage. He's always back there. He does hang and sleep on the umbrella plant a little, but there are two places he likes to camp out which are basically completely hidden.
I guess as he grows he won't be able to fit in those spots anymore.
I just want a friendly cham and I worry that with all the banging around I do when I'm trying to clean, etc he's associating me with stress...

 

[FOREVER ENDEAVOR]

I hear ya..., In my experience, i found that most chams friendly ,or mean.. not to many inbetweeners... Chances are if hes not too aggressive toward you now, he wont be in the future..It makes sense that he's "camping out" towards the back as you say, generally speaking, chameleons are pretty shy creatures..As he gets bigger, he'll grow out of his old hiding spots and make new ones.. There are a few oddballs though(i own 2) that don't seem to mind interaction at all, and actually appear to enjoy it at times....As he gets bigger, he'll grow out of his old hiding spots and make new ones..Hand feeding is a great way to build a "relationship/trust" with your lil guy..

 

[pba110]

Forever, thanks for the feedback.
He's stopped hand feeding completely. He doesn't hiss or lunge at me but just sort of looks at me worried like and then climbs to the back of the cage when I'm presenting him with food. I will just continue to try to be patient.
A few days ago he climbed onto my hand, i was pretty stoked but then the auto mister turned on and blasted him. He freaked out and jumped off. What great luck...
He's eating though, maybe he just prefers hunting at the moment...

 

[CNorton]

Hey where'd you get Leon? He looks the same age as my little dude, Ollie.

 

[pba110]

screameleons how about you? pics?

 

[chambabysitter1]

Yeah someone told me i need more... and mine looks similar to yours so jus leave it

Actually, hers looks more fleshed out than yours I think.

There is alot more foliage in the middle and the top. But if this is an old picture, I bet it has fleshed out a bit.


pba,
I think knocking out a few leaves here and there and removing the ivy wouldn't be too bad. Mine seems more fond of hanging out in the open sections, while retreating to the heavily covered ones when he feels like it. That is just mine though, hes around 5 months and started getting more comfortable in the open spots just suddenly.

 

[pba110]

Well today he was in an open spot and I came up to the cage and he flipped. he brought out these black bars and just sort of stood there stressed. I think I must have surprised him. Really bummed me out. I just stepped back and he sauntered up to the back of the cage. I actually think he's hunting gnats that are flying out of the potted soil. Anyway, I felt terrible. He's sleeping in that same spot now.
He'll eventually get used to me right? I mean, eventually he's going to have to realize that I'm not attacking him. major bummer. I knew it was going to take patience though. My veiled took some time to warm up to me too.
Nonetheless, the colors were amazing albeit unwelcome!