Urgently requesting help, new enclosure shock

[Sypher]

I just moved Lord Louie Segundo into a new cage, 24x24x48, on the recommendation that Veiled's love verticality. He's a medium-size cham, and I remember someone on the forums saying move them into their final enclosure before they get too old, otherwise there will be more stress.

So, I JUST moved him (like, 10 minutes ago) and his behavior has me extremely worried, almost to the point of tears. I watched him for those 10 minutes and watched him fall 3 times from about 2-2 1/2 feet up onto the white cardboard bottom. After the second time he fell, I put some towels under there to cushion his fall, but he fell again before I could get them set up. He's hissing the entire time he's exploring the cage, his color is super-bright green, and being my paranoid self, I can't help but think that a 2-foot fall means automatic bone-break.

Can someone comfort me or something by telling me this is normal? If this is, the relief would be immense. Otherwise, tell me what's wrong and what I can do to make him comfortable.

 

[Julirs]

Is your cage filled with plants and vines and things for him to hold onto? Whenever I have moved a cham into a "big-boy" cage there never seemed to be panic, but rather a few days of not-eating and exploring cautiously. Is there something in there that is a bright color or is there a mirror orsomething near by that is making him think there is another cham in there? The falling thing is a bit out of whack.

 

[Sang]

my friends vieled did something somewhat similar. he fell once, but he ended up spending most his time at the bottom very confused. he was about 1-2 years old.


she moved him when he was asleep, and he woke up the next day like WTH. were am i.

please post some photos of your vieled for us all. and photos of your enclosure if possible.

 

[Teresa]

Humm
I just moved my 3 month old (aprox) in to a 24x24x48 and has had no problems. What does he have to grip onto. I used dowl rods fake vines with leaves and some with out.

 

[Sypher]

Okay, I'll get pictures. I will admit that his cage is sparse-looking right now. The plants I had bought from the store weren't nearly as big as I thought they were and I don't have a freaking clue what happened to the others that I had. My dad and I are planning a store trip either today or tomorrow, preferrably today. Hang on, I'll get pics.

 

[MutantHybrid]

One thing I can think of is stress from too many changes. When I clean and change my chameleon cage layout I do so with small changes over time. Too many big changes can stress chameleons too much. Are the plants set up similarly to how they were before? Is the cage situated the same way and with perches just over eye level?

As Julirs mentioned, something in the cage or near the cage environment might be frightening the chameleon and causing fight or flight responses. Chameleons are visually oriented, but sounds and smells can also affect them. Mine just heard and saw the vacuum cleaner for the first time and climbed up the cage side trying to escape. Do you have other animals near the cage where the chameleon can see them that it might not have detected before? Snakes, dogs, birds, cats? All of those might be seen as predators to a chameleon.

 

[Sypher]

There we go.

And no, the only thing near his cage is a window and my bed. He's in my room (which doesn't see much traffic, lol) and there are no bright colors or any other stressors nearby.

And no, the plants are not set up as they were before. His last cage was an 18x18x24, so things were much tighter and cozier in there. Now al the objects are scattered about, and I hope he'll be comfortable when I add more vines and branches and stuff.

There was no sound when I moved him, although a lot of my family was watching, so I guess there might have been too many people around. He fell once more when I took these pictures, like he was trying to get away from me. He's no longer hissing but he's still extremely cautious of his new home and doesn't want to move around much.

Can someone tell me he'll be okay from the falls? Should he see a vet? What signs indicate bone-breakage?

 

[Lizardlover]

One thing I can think of is stress from too many changes. When I clean and change my chameleon cage layout I do so with small changes over time. Too many big changes can stress chameleons too much. Are the plants set up similarly to how they were before? Is the cage situated the same way and with perches just over eye level?

As Julirs mentioned, something in the cage or near the cage environment might be frightening the chameleon and causing fight or flight responses. Chameleons are visually oriented, but sounds and smells can also affect them. Mine just heard and saw the vacuum cleaner for the first time and climbed up the cage side trying to escape. Do you have other animals near the cage where the chameleon can see them that it might not have detected before? Snakes, dogs, birds, cats? All of those might be seen as predators to a chameleon.

Just so you know, chameleons are deaf, so sounds arent going to be a problem for him, dont worry about that, but other animals etc. like MutantHybrid mentioned could be the problem so check around for that and his cage is very sparse, now that i see it he needs ALOT more plants to make him feel secure, I think we found our problem

 

[Julirs]

Yes-fill that cage with live plants. Plant stands are great for this since you can put a bushy Pothos or Shefflera on one to make it fill up the top of the cage.

 

[Sypher]

Also, he looks small in the pictures because he's choosing to be skinny. When he's normal size (not puffed up, but just relaxed) he's easily the size of my fist, maybe just a bit smaller.

Can someone allay my fears about his falls? Are 2-ft falls serious? What signs should I be looking for in the following days that indicate he's suffered a break?

And about the pothos: how strong are they? Some in my household are worried that he's so big that he'll grab onto a pothos vine and he'll pull it right out of the pot. I know this wouldn't happen, but can a pothos support a good amount of weight once he gets bigger?

 

[Sang]

i think he is falling cause he has nothing to feel comfertable, and he probably isn't used to crawling on only the mesh, that wimpy little biovine probably doesn't provided much stability for him to rest on either.

 

[Julirs]

Usually a fall in that size cage results in little more than an ego-owie.

 

[Sypher]

Usually a fall in that size cage results in little more than an ego-owie.

Oh thank God. Watching him fall those 3 times almost made me cry.

 

[dodolah]

Ditto on what Juli and lizardlover said.
The reason why he falls too much is because he is not comfortable inside of the cage; therefore, he climbs the screen.
climbing the screen requires him to rely on his claw rather than his grip.
Thus, the chance to fall will be greater.

Fill the cage with plants.
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/enclosures-habitat.html

Look how much coverage in the cage.

Coverage in the enclosure will provide him hiding spots. And, trust me, your chameleon will be a lot happier and will not fall as much (unless, if he has some underlying health problem).

Generally, chameleon can handle an occasional fall that high.
But, that does not mean that he will be fine to fall that often.

 

[dodolah]

And about the pothos: how strong are they? Some in my household are worried that he's so big that he'll grab onto a pothos vine and he'll pull it right out of the pot. I know this wouldn't happen, but can a pothos support a good amount of weight once he gets bigger?

for enclosure that big, I suggest adding a good sturdy plant such as Ficus benjamina, Schefflera Arboricola, or my favorite Hibiscus Rosa Sinensis.

Pothos is a great addition (not main support) to those plants since its branch are very wimpy.
I put my pothos on the bottom inside of hanging.
But, so far, if you have a well rooted pothos, i don't think you should worry about it.
Veiled Chameleon is big; but, they should not be strong enough to pull a whole plant out of its pot (unless if the pot is tiny and the soil is too loose).

 

[Teresa]

I got my cages decorated for min. money dow rod .69 each at walmart the have fake vines also 3.00 each but not real flexible. and some floral wire 2.00
and about 12 feet of bio vine 6.99 for 6 feet of it at petsmart.View attachment 8054 make sure if you use dow rod you notch both ends of it so it will not slip out of the wire when your cham climbs on it. I tie my dow rods to the screen with the wire. I am having trouble finding tall plants right now. They will be added in the spring!

 

[MutantHybrid]

Just so you know, chameleons are deaf, so sounds arent going to be a problem for him, dont worry about that, but other animals etc. like MutantHybrid mentioned could be the problem so check around for that and his cage is very sparse, now that i see it he needs ALOT more plants to make him feel secure, I think we found our problem

They still pick up vibration as snakes do, making them sensitive to sound in any event. Mine reacts to sounds. I was unaware that they do not possess inner ear structures as many lizards do. As I had indicated, the vacuum cleaner did make mine react before it was visually referenced, indicating that sound does have an effect on them even if they do not actually hear.

 

[chequepoint]

You can find an appropriate plant at a real nursery, even when they don't have them at home depot, etc.

 

[THECHAMMAN]

here's my cage. same dimentions as yours

 

[THECHAMMAN]

sorry about the cell phone quality