getting used to a new home

[gentlejamo]

i recently acquired a female veiled chameleon and just moved it home. she is about five inched long, snout to vent. my enclosure is beyond adequate as i have done this before.

she has been home for three full days not and has spent most of her time sitting near the bottom in the pot of a plant. she has also mostly been brown, not green. what does this mean for newly adjusting females? i do catch her at times in her basking spot, but when she sees me come into the room, she sort of leans over on the vine as if to hide from me, and then slowly makes her way to the bottom again..and i am not even opening the tank! any thoughts? how long did your juvi veileds take to adjust to their new home.

she has been eating some. i wish she would eat more though. maybe soon?
i have been misting regularly, but not actually seen her drink. she looks hydrated though.
should i let food free roam or cup feed that? or both?

thanks in advance for the help everyone.

 

[BocaJan]

Tank? is she in a glass tank or a screened enclosure. There will be lots of comments regarding this issue.

 

[jannb]

What are your temps? Is she in a glass or screen enclosure? I just got a new little girl (veiled cham) Sat. 4 days ago. She's 5 months old about the size of yours. She eats 6 to 8 crickests a day, from day one and spends most of her day under the basking light although she does roam around and check out her cage. Please fill out the following and the members here will be able to help you more. also a picture is always helpful, too. Jann

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage construction (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and type of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Location - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.

 

[summoner12]

Sounds like normal behavior for a cham in a new home. The leaning over is VERY normal. My guys don't do this now, but when I moved them to the new cages they have now they did this for about three weeks. The main reason they were doing this was because the new cages were screne and not plastic mesh. They could see out a LOT better than before.

The hanging out in the pot could mean shes gravid... but she sounds a bit young for that. She might just feel more comfy down there. What kind of temps do you have in the cage? As for misting... you'll need to mist for about 5 minutes straight before she'll see the water and think to drink. I would get a dripper or make one by poking a hole in a cup. Just give her space, she'll chill out soon enough.

 

[Maddycam]

Hello. I have a young chameleon as well I have only owned for about a week. I just re arranged her cage and she seems really pissed off. Only hanging out in one spot and huffing and puffing at the wall, and swaying back and forth like she is going to fall over. I also saw her eyes closed twice during the day. I know she is stressed out, what can I do to help?

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Veiled chameleon, 4-5months old, female
• Handling - None since the first day I brought her home
• Feeding - Mostly crickets and 1 meal worm. She eats about 5 a day right now ? She likes eating in the morning shortly after her lights come on and won't eat in the late afternoon after 3-4. I remove crickets she doesn't eat at night.
• Supplements - calcium dusting on crickets
• Watering - I mist about 3 times a day for 2-3 minutes each. I also have a humidifier. I have seen her drink only a few times, and she does get water drops off the walls and not the plants. She does not like to be misted and gets very angry at that as well so I avoid misting her. I am in the process of purchasing a water drip system.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Glass screen combo. Glass 2 panels, screen 2 panels. 2'x2'x3'. I find it easier to keep the humidity up in a partial glass cage. Last night I added a green "wallpaper" to the 2 glass sides of her habitat, because she was often seeing her reflection in the glass and I read that can stress her out because she thinks she is living with another chameleon. She was often trying to touch the glass reflections and I was worried about her. I also read that putting a wallpaper in their habitat can make them feel closed in, and I definitely don't want that either. I am hoping to upgrade to a larger, complete mesh cage as soon as possible but I am nervous all this change so quickly will really stress her out. I am looking for feedback about what the right move is. She seemed very unhappy with the "wallpaper" this morning just staring at the wall. Do you think her attitude About the wallpaper is a big concern? How long should I wait before re locating her ?
• Lighting - 12 hours light.1 5.0 UVB light and 1 basking heat light (not sure the wattage at this time).
• Temperature - I have thermometer at the top and bottom of the tank. The top by her basking lamp is around 80 degrees, and the bottom is around 75. At night both lights go out and it doesn't get below 71. Temperatures are pretty warm right now in the Midwest.
• Humidity - Humidity levels around 70-80
• Plants - a bamboo plant which is her favorite. And a golden pathos that I have only seen her on once.
• Placement - Cage is by a large window. In bedroom which is relitively quiet, low traffic. Only about 6' high right now, definitely need to raise the placement.