Chameleon's Enclosure Tips?

Hello everyone,

I have an ambilobe panther chameleon named Newman Picasso. He's 1 year and 8 months old. I've had him since the end of April last year when he was 7 months old. My family and I have since moved upgraded his cage setup. I need some expertise Firstly, his cage is 23.75″ Wide x 23″ Deep x 48″ High. It has a screen front and the side walls and back are made of clear pvc. His cage is in the living room on a wooden table towards the corner where the lamp is. As you'll see in the pictures below, his cage is next to the shelves which see into the kitchen. The front of his cage faces the living room (which means he faces the tv, the couches, coffee table). The back of his cage faces the shelves which see into the kitchen, and that's what I'm concerned about. I think the back is a bit bare. When you walk into the kitchen, he can see us on his basking branch. Now if I'm in the living room, depending on what part of the couch I'm sitting at, he should be hidden behind his ficus tree. Anyways, I'm concerned about him being stressed out because he can see us when we're in the living room PLUS the kitchen. And at least one of us will be moving in and out of the kitchen and the living room, and so that means we go around the cage when we do. What should I do? The living room is the only place we can keep him because we don't have any room in our bedrooms. We have 2 dogs, who are in the living room at different times of the day. Sometimes it's one, sometimes it's both. They never pay attention to him and I would like to think that he's used to seeing them and he does have places to hide if he doesn't want to see them. Anyways, what I want to know from you guys if putting more plants that hang by suction cups on the sides so it blocks his view of us is the best solution? I will say our house isn't chaotic at all. There's only three of us: My mom, older brother, and I. No little kids, but our two dogs. And they're not in the living room all the time. The living room is very low traffic. I'm the one that's in the living room the most out of my family (watching tv or on my laptop). You rarely see all three of us in the living room at the same time. My mom is always in her little office near the living room and my brother is always in his bedroom. So we're usually spread out all day. A lot of times I'm in the kitchen on my laptop so the living room can be totally empty at times. I believe he's become very used to us over the course of a year but I just want him to be secure and have as little stress as possible. This is the the 3rd upgrade we've done for him. I'm proud of his new cage (my mom and I set it up together) but I know that there's room for improvement.
 

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Raise everything up about half a foot too 8 inches. Add more branches so he can explore more. Make it so it's a highway of branches in there for him. You could also buy some dragon ledges from dragonstrand.com so you could hang potted plants on the sides of the enclosure. Just seems very bare and chameleons love to hide in the foliage.
 
Hi there welcome. Looking good!
Yeah you are going to want to raise that basking level up higher. Should be about an 8 inch drop below the screen top. Also you want your basking and uvb to be closer together over the basking spot so he is getting both uvb and heat at the same time. If you are worried about him seeing too much. You have a clearside dragon strand right so just wrap the clear side material with a bamboo mat. This will look natural but provide a block for him to not have so much stimulus. Only concern for me would be with the front facing the TV and such. When his lights go off are y'all still up? If so do yo cover the cage at all to make it darker while you are up?
What is the bowl in the bottom with the pump? And is anything living in the tiny screen cage next to him?
 
Hi there welcome. Looking good!
Yeah you are going to want to raise that basking level up higher. Should be about an 8 inch drop below the screen top. Also you want your basking and uvb to be closer together over the basking spot so he is getting both uvb and heat at the same time. If you are worried about him seeing too much. You have a clearside dragon strand right so just wrap the clear side material with a bamboo mat. This will look natural but provide a block for him to not have so much stimulus. Only concern for me would be with the front facing the TV and such. When his lights go off are y'all still up? If so do yo cover the cage at all to make it darker while you are up?
What is the bowl in the bottom with the pump? And is anything living in the tiny screen cage next to him?
Thanks for the expertise! :D You're right, his cage is a clearside by Dragon Strand. The bowl at the bottom is to catch the drip from his dripper plant by exo terra. That's what he has for drinking. The pump sits in the bottle and pumps the water through the tube you see in the picture and it comes out at the top leaf and drips down, to simulate water that drips on the leaves. And the guy in the cage next to him is a Giant Dead Leaf Mantis named Beetlejuice. We are still up when Newman's asleep but we turn down the lights in the kitchen and we turn off the lamp that's in the corner near his cage so it's very dark in that corner at night.

http://thetyedyediguana.com/dripper-plant-drip-watering-system-large/
 
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Thanks for the expertise! :D You're right, his cage is a clearside by Dragon Strand. The bowl at the bottom is to catch the drip from his dripper plant by exo terra. That's what he has for drinking. The pump sits in the bottle and pumps the water through the tube you see in the picture and it comes out at the top leaf and drips down, to simulate water that drips on the leaves. And the guy in the cage next to him is a Giant Dead Leaf Mantis named Beetlejuice. We are still up when Newman's asleep but we turn down the lights in the kitchen and we turn off the lamp that's in the corner near his cage so it's very dark in that corner at night.

http://thetyedyediguana.com/dripper-plant-drip-watering-system-large/
Ok so your going to want to consider getting rid of the exo terra plant dripper. The pump and where the water sits are really not good because it is a breeding ground for bacteria. These would literally need to be cleaned everyday and monitored to ensure that their is never fecal or feeders that fall into the water source. I would recommend a little dripper that sits on the top of the cage and drips into the cage down on to the plants.
Did you get the drip pan with the dragon strand? This is a great way to deal with excess water. You may want to cover the sides and front of the cage while yall are up when his lights go out. This will give him total darkness. Then remove when you go to bed. I have a black out drape I use for mine.
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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?
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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?
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