Large panther cham has trouble gripping sides and falls

[tkilgour]

Hello, my 10 mo. old Nosy Be got his new large enclosure from fl chams. Aluminun screen cage 24x24x48. He cant seem to grip the sides any longer and falls. He is very healthy, eats and drinks normally, he simply cant hold on to the slippery mesh sides. Vincent from screameleons told me to use the green fencing inside the enclosure. This advice helped a lot. However, he still seldomly takes a high fall. I worry about him hurting himself. Therefore, I put more vines and more moss. Once again he fell today, but only 1 time as compared to many times. He got right back up and started his journey to every square inch of his enclosure. It doesnt seem to be hurting him, but it is painfull for me to watch. Any advice out there you could recommend.

 

[beeze]

You need to put him PLENTY of vines and branches in the cage so he will not be crawling on the sides. Here's a link to how I did mine: https://www.chameleonforums.com/mem...m-cage-picture1771-added-branches-plants.html

 

[sandrachameleon]

Falling (beyond once in a blue moon) is not normal. Weak grip can be a sign of health issues. Have the chameleon been seen by a vet?

You might like to complete the "how to ask for help" questionaire, so that we can perhaps provide suggestions.

 

[tkilgour]

He is perfectly healthy

it is simply the mesh, sides. Vet says he is in perfect health. When he gets onto the sections not totally covered w/ green fencing, he is so large he slips. He has no problem gripping everywhere else. I added lots more vines and moss, this has helped dramatically, but he is extremely active. He covers every inch of his cage, so when he gets to the non covered part he falls. So I added more green fencing on the door that wasnt covered and so far no falls.

 

[tkilgour]

You need to put him PLENTY of vines and branches in the cage so he will not be crawling on the sides. Here's a link to how I did mine: https://www.chameleonforums.com/mem...m-cage-picture1771-added-branches-plants.html

Nice pic, that is exactly what i have done. I just kept the door uncovered and covered everything else. I saw him slip off door so I covered that as well today and added more vines. Also, what is your tip for getting that green fencing nice and tight to the sides?

 

[PardalisGirl]

Question.........

What state is "Lebanon" in?

 

[tkilgour]

Ohio, near Cincinnati

 

[tkilgour]

Thanks for your photo of the cage breeze

I just finished the final touches of my Nosy Be enclosure. I covered all the sides and top w/ the green fencing. I also added more vines. I saw your picture and made mine very similar. So far so good, he has crossed over every inch of the new fencing. He has climbed the sides and top successfully w/ no falls. This guy is very active, and very large. He could simply no longer grip that mesh and needed larger holes to grip. Thanks Breeze I really appreciate it.

 

[dondeb562]

Some larger chams have a tough time climbing on the regular screen which is why they can loose there nails. The wholes on the screen are just too small for them to grip. cages.net sells the larger grade screen cages which would make gripping for a panther or veiled (for example) easier and less risk of loosing nails.

 

[tkilgour]

When you get the enclosures w/ larger holes have you ever ran into problems where chams get there toes caught?

 

[Breeze]

wrong name

Thanks Breeze I really appreciate it.

Glad i couldn't help j/k you mean beeze.

 

[tkilgour]

I stand corrected Beeze

Thanks again for your help. Have you encountered my problem before?

 

[tkilgour]

Beeze Breeze I am confused confused:

 

[sandrachameleon]

it is simply the mesh, sides. [...] He has no problem gripping everywhere else.

ah! good news. Didnt realize the falling was just from the screen

 

[tkilgour]

Also, I noticed the screen was slowly wearing down his nails one is almost a stub. Each day he wore them down more and more apparently. He still has nails so they should grow back. As I searched the forum I noticed people having probs w/ nails wearing or even falling out from screens. So, now all should get better. Thanks everyone for your help!

 

[chequepoint]

yeah my guy has lost a few nails that makes climbing tricky... doesn't matter what i do he climbs the side, so the next enclosure hopefully in august will be the green fencing.