Cage Aggressive Cham

[JoXie411]

Oh my, what red flags where you thinking of?

Well flag number one you didn’t know if you had a male or female. So now if you want to make sure you and your chameleon have a long happy life the set up needs to be checked
Plz fill out this form

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


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.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types 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?
• Placement - 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?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

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Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

L

 

[Tobias&Jellybean]

• Your Chameleon - veiled chameleon, male , no clue on the age. been in my care for about 1 year.
• Handling - maybe once a week?
• Feeding - crickets, and superworms. maybe 10-15 crickets or 5-7 superworms every other day. every other day. gut loading using carrots and greens.
• Supplements - D3 on weekends, without D3 on weekdays. I use Flukers Calcium with D3 and Zoomed just plain calcium.
• Watering - I use a mister. I mist 1-2 times per day. Do you see your chameleon drinking? All the time.
• Fecal Description - Fecal is normal. He has never been tested.
• History - Ripped out of the cage by a friend Scared now.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - 1ftx2ftx5ft tall. wooden, with glass doors.
• Lighting - I use Reptisun 10.0 and a 75watt heat lamp by Exo Terra. they are on for 12 hours, off 12 hours.
• Temperature - about 80degrees. lowest is about 70degrees. I measure the temps using little gauges
• Humidity - Humidity is typically at 70-80
• Plants - I use Pothos plant.
• Placement - Cage is located next to another cham cage (cant see eachother)
• Location - North America

Current Problem - Cage aggressive cham

 

[Tobias&Jellybean]

I also have no clue how to attach a photo, I’m still new

 

[Syreptyon]

I also have no clue how to attach a photo, I’m still new

Underneath the box you write in, there is an "Attach files" option

 

[Tobias&Jellybean]

 

[Syreptyon]

View attachment 231400

Yikes, we've got a lot of ground to cover here. I'm gonna need a minute.

 

[JoXie411]

I don’t see anything about uvb? Do you have one?

 

[Tobias&Jellybean]

Yes I have uvb, and heat. Reptisun 10.0 for uvb and 75watts for heat

 

[KobaOregonherper]

i’d recommend building trust and a solid bond so the chameleon recognizes you as everything but a threat. my female was the same way until i started hand feeding her worms and roaches. hand feeding helped mine out a LOT. any time i stick my hand in there palm up she thinks i’m giving her food and she comes right up to me.

Not a veiled owner, but hand feeding my panther has been a blessing. He now sits on his branch near the front of the enclosure and waits for me. I dont take him out but he doesnt hiss anymore nor try and bite. Hes okay with me transfering him from enclosure to enclosure or taking him outside for natural sun.

 

[JoXie411]

Yes I have uvb, and heat. Reptisun 10.0 for uvb and 75watts for heat

Is it compact or tube?

So number one

Or number two

 

[Syreptyon]

Red Flags before seeing the picture:
(1) not knowing how to sex your chameleon
(2) not knowing that females lay infertile eggs/knowing about the necessity of laybins
(3) 12" of depth is at least 2x too small for veileds. They need at least 2 footx2 foot square
(4) Using ecoearth substrate at the bottom
(5) too frequent feedings of superworms (these should only be offered as treats)

After seeing the picture:
The enclosure is not well set up to suit a chameleon's needs at all. It is almost entirely empty space and, in chameleon keeping, we stress the phrase, "Wasted space is empty space!" And your enclosure is 90% wasted space.

What this means, is that your chameleon has no where to hide, feel safe, or go for cover/shelter. If you have an easy time finding your chameleon, then you have way too little foliage cover. This is the case with you. You need wayyy for foliage in there. Preferably live plants like pothos, schefflera, and ficus.

Arguably even more important: chameleons are obligate arboreal reptiles. They climb and need to be able to go as high up as possible to feel comfortable. The rope you have is too loose and the pokey threads can harm the soles of your chameleon's feet. The fake vine on the left side is dangling limply, which is not suitable for climbing. The most important thing for chameleon motility and exercise is to have an abundance of horizontal branches/vines/walkways of your choosing. They need to run horizontally, all the way from the left side to the right side. And there need to be multiple of them, at all levels of elevation throughout the enclosure

Oh, and the eco-earth has to go. It will just collect water and mold and harbor infectious bacteria. Better to go either bare bottom or fully bioactive

 

[Tobias&Jellybean]

Thanks for your comments.

 

[SharpShooter]

Thanks for your comments.

You may have found that harsh. However every point raised is valid and I hope you will try to address these points.

Please don't take things personally, folk are 100% on the side of the chams best interests.

I kept out of this one for fear of being a bull in a china shop. @Syreptyon is bang on.