5 month old Veiled looks like we wants to escape

[jdanielson69]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Veiled, Male, 5 months, 1 month
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? only twice since I got it
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? Crickets dusted with Calcium once a week, Calcium and D3 every other week and Multiviamin with D3 every other week. What amount? about 15-25 1/4 crickets a day-What is the schedule? 10-15 in the morning and about 10 in the late afternoon. How are you gut-loading your feeders? Using Carrots, potatoes, Flukers Orange Cube, Flukers Cricket Feed, and Flukers Cricket Quencher.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?Reptivite and ExoTerra
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Drip and Mist How often and how long to you mist? Mist 2-3 times a day for 2 min. Drip is about 1 drop every 15-20 seconds. Do you see your chameleon drinking? no
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. fecus looks normal with a black terd and white urate. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? no
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? Screen 10x15x36. Got it from from the breeder Amzing Blue Reptiles with the cham
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? incandescent 60 watt bulb in a metal dome for basking and 18" inch RetpiSun 5.0 On at 7am and off at 8:45pm.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? 82basking, 75 middle, 72 floor Lowest overnight temp? 66-67. How do you measure these temps? Handheld Raytek Infrared sensor
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? 40% normal ambient humidity and 60-70% after misting. How are you creating and maintaining these levels? mist, drip , live ficus. What do you use to measure humidity? Hydrometer in and outside enclosure
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Live 26" tall ficus.
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? not near fans or vents, semi moderate traffic in evenings after 4pm. At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? 36 inches
Location - Where are you geographically located? Vacaville, CA (Norcal between Sacramento and San Francisco.

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about. First, the cham always seems to be brown although recently he is turning more of a pale green around 6pm. He eats and poops like a champ. I am a bit concerned I don't see him drink but he does have white urate. He has shed once without problems since I got him at the end of September and seems to have grown quite a bit already in a month. Today though I took him out of his cage to clean it and although he was not real happy when i coaxed him into my hand, he turned very dark brown and black. The minute I held my hand up and he crawled to the tip of my fingers, he turned the most amazing green, blue, yellow pattern. From what I read brown usually means stressed and green pretty normal. So for the first time I think he was super happy being out of the cage. The last few days he looks like he wants to find a way out which is why I took him out today just to see what he would do. He was calm the whole time on my arm/hand. The instant I put him back in the cage, he went to brown. I guess I have two questions, is the cage and or location stressing him out and the cage is on the floor so should I evelate it more? Is he already ready for a new larger cage or is it that time where he might be looking for a female and is that causing him to run around trying to "escape"

Here is what he noemally looks like in the cage:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=88089&stc=1&d=1382645600


And here is what he looked like today outside his cage for the first time since I have had him.https://www.chameleonforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=88090&stc=1&d=1382645630

Thanks for your help and suggestions!

John

 

[jdanielson69]

I think he actually might be getting ready to shed again too. I just saw him rubbing his body on the screen. Thats what he did the first time he shed 2 weeks ago and he did run around the cage like a nut. Could that be possible to be shedding again within 2 weeks?

 

[carol5208]

Raise the cage up off the floor. The cage should be above eye level or atleast at eye level. Also that sounds like a very tiny cage besides the heighth. 10 inches? I have never heard of a dimension being that small on a screen cage

 

[jdanielson69]

Thanks, Yes I didn't realize it was a goofy size when we bought it (it actually is 10x15x36). It came as a "starter kit" with the ficus tree, the dripper, the sprayer and supplements. I am going to raise it off the floor ASAP and I will start shopping for a larger cage. Do you suggest I go to the 24x24x48 or should I go with the medium or large one first and then in several months go to the "XL"? Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[carol5208]

I would just get the large 24 X 24 X48. He will grow into it very quickly. Hopefully being up higher will make him feel more secure.

 

[carol5208]

Oh and a couple of other things....use the calcium with no d3 at every feeding. They require a lot of calcium to strengthen their bones when they are young and growing. Also, your gutload could use some improving with more fruits and veggies and dark leafy greens..mustard, collard, kale, romaine, apples, squash. etc. I would use oranges instead of the Flukers. And if you want to use a dry gutload then check out Sandrachameleon's page on here for gutloading. She is the gutloading guru and will steer you right on what to feed your bugs so the nutrients get passed on to your chameleon.

 

[jdanielson69]

OK thanks for the feedback. I will work on getting a better gut load as well. Another question though, will my current ReptiSun 5.0 18inch bulb be still ok or will I need to upgrade to a 24 inch bulb? You have been very helpful. I have had reptiles in the past but not in the last 10 years and it seems there are a lot more new theories and technology

 

[jdanielson69]

Ok I have raised up the enclosure 25 inches off the floor. I also added a golden pathos I am ordering the 24x24x48 enclosure. Hopefully it hear changes will make him comfortable. He was the normal color most of the day today. Thanks again for the advise.