Reaching for light

manderson

New Member
Hello,

Has any one seen their cham(s) claw / reach for the light source in their terrarium?

Lately mine has been sitting on his basking vine and reaching up for the light, not sure what this behavior means?

He is seemingly healthy, eats and drinks very often, poop looks healthy and he is very active and friendly, loves to come out and sit on my shoulder when ever he can.

My first thought was that he is cold and just wnats closer to the heat source, however the temps are fine at 75ish in tank and mid 90's in basking area, humidity sits between 60-80%


Anyone seen this before or have any thoughts?
 
Not sure. You say "tank" though. Do you have any pictures of the setup? If there are not enough branches and foliage and places to climb then your cham may be reaching for the screen top just to explore.
 
Hmm didn't think of that ... there is lots of stuff to climb on, but i could likely use more foliage, i will snap a photo when i get back home.

Thanks for the input!
 
I had my baby veiled in a 20 gallon tank when I first got him, and every once in a while he would sleep upside down on the screen top :eek:. Since putting him in his large enclosure he barely ever climbs the screen.
 
i house my cham in the Exo-Terra Large X-tall terrarium. i really cant get anything bigger in my current house haha.

I will snap some photos tho im sure that will help a lot with trying to figure out if there is any need for concern.
 
I'd say he doesn't feel high enough. My cham used to do all kinds of weird stuff like that until I got him his new 4ft tall cage. Now he's totally fine.
 
What kind of UVB light do you use? If UVB is insufficient he could be looking for more. They need to be replaced every 6 months, and it should be a ReptiSun 5.0 or equivalent.

How far off the ground is the terrarium? I use the same terrarium for my veiled and this does not happen, but it is sitting about 4' off the ground with the top at a little over 6'.

Note that with the Exo-Terra terrariums you need to be extra careful about water and ventiliation because if there is not enough ventilation or too much moisture, it could cause RI.
 
I have noticed with the exo-terra the substrate does not dry very quickly at all... how did you increase air flow? all i have done is remove the vent covers at the bottom of the tank.

I have attached pictures, it is also about 6ft or so.

uvb is Exo-Terra uvb 100 13Watt
 

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For lighting, I would say a 13W UVB is pretty low. If you are going to use CFL a ReptiSun 5.0 26w would be best. A linear tube would be even better. In any case, he should have horizontal basking spots directly under the UVB and heat lamp at different distances. The hottest basking spot should be about 90F and he should be able to get within a few inches of the UVB. But there should be a gradient with both so he can choose how much he wants.

How much ventilation you need really depends on how much water you are putting in. You can do fine with the built in ventilation as long as long as the terrarium dries out between mistings. I have an automatic mister and I use a fan on a timer to improve ventilation. My Exo-Terra is also planted so the plants absorb the extra water. The fan and power supply I use is below, which fits the Exo-Terra 36x18x36 perfectly:

http://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-Pe...air+penetrator
http://www.amazon.com/110v-Power-Sup...x+power+supply

To be honest, using a glass terrarium is much more involved than using a screen cage like a ReptiBreeze, so if you just want the best possible environment with the minimum complexity you could just switch to a mesh cage.

For example, it is generally not advisable to use substrate because your chameleon can either try and eat it or accidentally get it in his mouth when trying to catch prey. Unfortunately to work around having substrate you would either need to drill drainage holes in the glass or have something on the bottom to catch the water and remove daily. This is still the best option though.

Since my terrarium is planted I have to use substrate, but I try to cover it with plants. I also use sphagnum moss since it does not have any large indigestible pieces like bark or rocks. But the risk is still higher than having an empty floor, so just be aware of that. Also, if you use substrate you would need to seed it with springtails or other similar insects that eat decaying matter, bacteria, and mold.
 
Thank you for the input,

I will get more plants i think, i had a repti-breze and i could not keep the humidity above 30% for sustained periods of time due to the climate where i live.

When you say planted can you explain more? like the entire floor is more or less plants ??

Sounds like I have some things to do this weekend.

Thanks again!
 
Just remember, whatever you do make it easy to clean! The more plants and vines the harder it is to clean up poop and stuff. (It can also become difficult to find your cham :D)
 
I have a veiled that stratches at the ceiling of his cage, but he also scratches at the door.
I think he just wants out!
 
I would consider a planted terrarium to be one that has substrate in the bottom with plants growing in it to recreate a natural looking environment. This is usually a micro ecosystem and keeping it clean requires that you populate it with springtails, terrestrial isopods, or other similar insects that will break down and consume decaying matter and bacteria.

You should still clean out feces and urates, but it is impractical to regularly change the substrate :) One of the best ones I have seen on these forums is here:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/enclosure-wall-130279/
 
Look up living vivarium there's a good thred on here about them I have a exoterra med xtall and my panther was digging so I built a mesh box to go on top he loves it but still climb upsidown somtimes I think he just enjoys it lol alos make sure the mesh isnt too hot with the lamps on it he might get burnt xx
 
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