Cham Hates Enclosure

PabloTheCham

PabloTheCham

Chameleon Enthusiast
My cham has been climbing on the screen from the moment he wakes up to the moment he sleeps. He won't stop going on the screen... I think he doesn't like the enclosure and that is why he doesn't want to be in it. Does anyone know what is the problem that is causing him to do this??

Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Male Veiled Cham, ~1 year old.
  • Handling - Every day to take him out of his enclosure to the freerange.
  • Feeding - Red runners, Gutloaded with Carrots, Kale, and Mango (Yes, yes i know, I am getting some more vegetables and fruits)
  • Supplements - ReptiCalcium without d3 every feeding, Pollen every two days, d3 and multivitamin on alternating weeks.
  • Watering - I mist right before his lights turn on and right before they turn off.
  • Fecal Description -No, he has not been tested for parasites. His droppings look normal.
  • History - Nope.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - 24-24-48 bioactive
  • Lighting - reptisun 5.0, 12 hour on 12 hour off schedule.
  • Temperature - Ambient temp is very variable... Around 70 in the morning and right now 83. Basking spot is 92
  • Humidity - 40-60% during the day, 80-100 at night
  • Plants - 3 Schefflera and a Pothos
  • Placement - In my room, top of cage is 6ft off the ground.
  • Location - California
CA2CD9B2-664F-4060-8822-DB7A808C8877.jpeg


Thanks for the help!
 
PabloTheCham said:
My cham has been climbing on the screen from the moment he wakes up to the moment he sleeps. He won't stop going on the screen... I think he doesn't like the enclosure and that is why he doesn't want to be in it. Does anyone know what is the problem that is causing him to do this??

Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Male Veiled Cham, ~1 year old.
  • Handling - Every day to take him out of his enclosure to the freerange.
  • Feeding - Red runners, Gutloaded with Carrots, Kale, and Mango (Yes, yes i know, I am getting some more vegetables and fruits)
  • Supplements - ReptiCalcium without d3 every feeding, Pollen every two days, d3 and multivitamin on alternating weeks.
  • Watering - I mist right before his lights turn on and right before they turn off.
  • Fecal Description -No, he has not been tested for parasites. His droppings look normal.
  • History - Nope.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - 24-24-48 bioactive
  • Lighting - reptisun 5.0, 12 hour on 12 hour off schedule.
  • Temperature - Ambient temp is very variable... Around 70 in the morning and right now 83. Basking spot is 92
  • Humidity - 40-60% during the day, 80-100 at night
  • Plants - 3 Schefflera and a Pothos
  • Placement - In my room, top of cage is 6ft off the ground.
  • Location - California
View attachment 277798

Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
Welcome to my world with Beman.... So only thing I see with the form is I would drop that basking temp back to 85 max.

So you may want to prune back the plant a bit it may be too dense for him.

What I notice with Beman is that he has gotten so used to going outside or on the free range that he now paces and screen climbs constantly when in the enclosure. It has become a situation that even though the enclosure is great and temps are perfect he prefers to be somewhere else and he makes sure that I know it.
 
PabloTheCham said:
My cham has been climbing on the screen from the moment he wakes up to the moment he sleeps. He won't stop going on the screen... I think he doesn't like the enclosure and that is why he doesn't want to be in it. Does anyone know what is the problem that is causing him to do this??

Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Male Veiled Cham, ~1 year old.
  • Handling - Every day to take him out of his enclosure to the freerange.
  • Feeding - Red runners, Gutloaded with Carrots, Kale, and Mango (Yes, yes i know, I am getting some more vegetables and fruits)
  • Supplements - ReptiCalcium without d3 every feeding, Pollen every two days, d3 and multivitamin on alternating weeks.
  • Watering - I mist right before his lights turn on and right before they turn off.
  • Fecal Description -No, he has not been tested for parasites. His droppings look normal.
  • History - Nope.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - 24-24-48 bioactive
  • Lighting - reptisun 5.0, 12 hour on 12 hour off schedule.
  • Temperature - Ambient temp is very variable... Around 70 in the morning and right now 83. Basking spot is 92
  • Humidity - 40-60% during the day, 80-100 at night
  • Plants - 3 Schefflera and a Pothos
  • Placement - In my room, top of cage is 6ft off the ground.
  • Location - California
View attachment 277798

Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
Your enclosure is gorgeous just one thing 92 is pretty high for his basking temps id stay within 80-85 and as for the screen climbing its a VERY common thing with chameleons my guy loves to climb up the screen as a short cut to the top instead of using the stick I worked hard to get him ?
 
PabloTheCham said:
And then you feel bad and take him out anyway XD
Click to expand...
Only if the weather allows for it. He prefers the outdoor enclosure over everything else. He is hardly ever content in his enclosure. I just reworked the entire thing and all he has done the rest of the day is screen climb. It has gotten so bad that I had to buy 1 inch plastic garden fencing to hook to the inside of the screen so he would not lose grip and fall from the screen.
 
Anisa.corp said:
Your enclosure is gorgeous just one thing 92 is pretty high for his basking temps id stay within 80-85 and as for the screen climbing its a VERY common thing with chameleons my guy loves to climb up the screen as a short cut to the top instead of using the stick I worked hard to get him ?
Click to expand...
Thanks!
 
Like they said, high basking, Also the dense lower foliage, he has little comfortable places to go. When you prune, think of making an area cut in the back where he can shelter.

The second problem is he is a male, lol. He will always want to claim more ground, and therefore more females. Free range will help get the wanders out, but it will vary from cham to cham.
 
Beman said:
It is the one thing that makes me at peace with Bane thinking he is a Raptor and not wanting out. At least he loves his home.
Click to expand...
One side of them cham wants to be a territorial beast but the other wants to ride his human to get out XD Few swallow their pride and choose the human uber option ?
 
CasqueAbove said:
Like they said, high basking, Also the dense lower foliage, he has little comfortable places to go. When you prune, think of making an area cut in the back where he can shelter.

The second problem is he is a male, lol. He will always want to claim more ground, and therefore more females. Free range will help get the wanders out, but it will vary from cham to cham.
Click to expand...
Ok!
Now stupid question. If a cham has a higher basking temp, can't he just bask for less time in the stronger heat?
 
PabloTheCham said:
Ok!
Now stupid question. If a cham has a higher basking temp, can't he just bask for less time in the stronger heat?
Click to expand...

Sort of.
1. if he feels comfortable lower, they to not like it crowded with plants.
I believe they feel trapped, but that part is pure theory.

The other part is the desire to claim the high ground.

Lastly and most important, they are like a child at the beach, they do not realize they are getting dehydrated, burned and overheated until it is too late.
 
CasqueAbove said:
Sort of.
1. if he feels comfortable lower, they to not like it crowded with plants.
I believe they feel trapped, but that part is pure theory.

The other part is the desire to claim the high ground.

Lastly and most important, they are like a child at the beach, they do not realize they are getting dehydrated, burned and overheated until it is too late.
Click to expand...
Ok!
I know they are not ideal conditions, but how come chams do well in Florida when the ambient and basking temps are way too high (not to mention humidity)?
About the plants, Will trimming them make them grow vertically or will they try and grow back what I trim?
 
PabloTheCham said:
Ok!
I know they are not ideal conditions, but how come chams do well in Florida when the ambient and basking temps are way too high (not to mention humidity)?
About the plants, Will trimming them make them grow vertically or will they try and grow back what I trim?
Click to expand...

Ok so in Florida it is nature. There are winds breezes, and the can retreat to cooler areas. But what if it is hot all over you say ? Well the thing is it is not always like that. Further they do not thrive in Florida, but exist.

So your enclosure looks great by the way. Plants will always grow, but we can shape the way they grow, like bonzi trees.

The other side of lower temps is longer life.

If It we me the only thing I would change is a little pruning so he has more room to move around lower in the cage, and have less branches up top, and move some lower in the cage, so he has other resting spots. They like cover, but seem to want to be able to see out, and have a easy escape.
 
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