Bored chams??!!

[Psychobunny]

Just read this interesting article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114172820.htm

It explains the behaviour I have seen in my chams; happy to see me when I come home from work, wanting to get out and climb on me or their free range.

I know the artical talks about a whole different class of animals, but I have to wonder if this applys to chams also, it all fits.

Maybe they are simply bored to death with being cooped up in a cage, any stimulation is welcome !?

Any thoughts?

 

[Olimpia]

I wouldn't see why not. The wild is tough, but at least you're always doing something. In a cage they have a very limited range of movement and absolutely nothing to do because you provide their food for them probably at the same time every day, they catch it in 30 minutes, and they're done. They don't spend the rest of the day looking for more food or mates, so they just sit or wander around a little.

When I had my room free range, the boys were on the move the entire time. Around, up, down, here, there, all day long. One even added a part of my livingroom to his territory and would patrol it at the same time every day and go back to his free range with the others. But my caged boys don't do very much at all, which is why I take them out, maybe I walk my dog with one on my shoulder, I put them outside to bask, they come with me to seminars at my university, etc.

 

[squeekz1992]

That's interesting, and I think totally possible.
Especially when I think of my Kuzco. He sits in the cage, pacing all dark, then climbs to the door and comes out, brightens up and clings on for dear life when I try to put him back in the cage.

I think reptiles have a lot more going on in their little craniums than we give them credit for

 

[Psychobunny]

I know that some parrots will pull their feathers out and become sick and even die from boredom and lack of any attention.

I have noticed, esp with Noogie, that the more stuff they do durring the day, the better they eat and drink.
If Noogie does nothing all day in his cage, I have a hard time getting him to drink.
If I let him out for a few hours, even just to wander around the house, he will drink and act more alert.

 

[Psychobunny]

"I think reptiles have a lot more going on in their little craniums than we give them credit for "

I agree.
There really is still alot we do not know, probably will never know!!

 

[squeekz1992]

Or probably don't want to know

They are really intelligent, even when they do silly things

 

[lovepicasso]

Bored, I believe they do get bored, dumb, they are not and if anyone says they are, they have never spent time around one......we have been letting Picasso come out of his enclosure for more time each day and each day it is harder to get him back in, and if we leave the door open where he can come or go when he wants we have noticed a color change different than his locked up color.

 

[Psychobunny]

LOL! I know what you mean. I play hell with Smeagie trying to pry him off the free range and back to his cage.
The process can take a few minutes

Od thing is, he doesnt grumble, puff up or gape at me, even when I have him in both hands trying to get him off the free range
As soon as I think I have him free, he wraps his tail tenaciously around something and clamps on

 

[phylicia]

Bored chams

Its possible..my guy didnt eat for the 3 weeks we had extremely hot weather here on southern ca..oceanside..i took him to vet stool was negative.y vet gabe me tje name of a woman who had many chams her husband wrote books on chameleons..she told me everything i was doing for him was excellentand to get him outside in the sun even for a little while..it worked he missed being outside..i believe the change plus sun did him good
so he could have bren bored..

 

[CLP]

For those of you with multiple chams: This may be a dumb question, but I'm still new at this so here goes... I have both my male veileds in the same room, but separated so they cannot see each other. If I let them free range, it would be easiest for me to just let them out in the room they're in as I also have 2 cats and a dog . One cat I'm sure would see them as something worth hunting down I assume it has to be one at a time so they don't interact, but is it OK for them to a) take turn using the same space and b) see each other from their enclosure while one is free ranging and the other is not?

 

[cricketkilla]

Just read this interesting article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121114172820.htm

It explains the behaviour I have seen in my chams; happy to see me when I come home from work, wanting to get out and climb on me or their free range.

I know the artical talks about a whole different class of animals, but I have to wonder if this applys to chams also, it all fits.

Maybe they are simply bored to death with being cooped up in a cage, any stimulation is welcome !?

Any thoughts?

In the evenings my Cham will lay on a branch with his chin resting on it and give me the "I'm bored.." Stare