Frantically moving around cage

[amf45005]

Hello everyone! So recently (last day or two) my guy has been going crazy climbing all over his cage, top to bottom side to side. Using all his vines and branches as well as screen climbing. I haven’t changed anything in his cage or bothered him all that much. He fell as well my wife told me, I wasn’t home at the time, she said it wasn’t a very high fall, but he’s still moving all over the place. Any ideas why he’s acting so weird?

 

[amf45005]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Male piebald veiled, had him since December 2023
• Handling - rarely, maybe a few times a month
• Feeding - I have a feeder run with crickets and Dubia, a dish I provide bsfl, he gets silkworms, hornworms, has had a few wax worms and super worms but only once or twice a week. Crickets get taken care of like it’s a second hobby, I make ice cubes made of collard/mustard greens, sweet potato, almonds, chia seeds, bee pollen, water and provide that along with fluckers feed and water crystals.
• Supplements - Zoomed repti calcium w/o D3 every feeding, zoomed reptivite w/ d3 once every other week.
• Watering - Gallon jug with some water dripping on top of cage, fill it and drips once a day for a few hours at a time, mistking set to mist 30 before/after 2min as well as recently added an extra morning mist at 10 for 3min for his eye
• Fecal Description - looks good always, white
• History - nothing to note out of ordinary

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - 2x2x4
• Lighting - Zoomed 22” linear t5 HO uvb 5% and ExoTerra 50w basking
• Temperature - Ambient lower cage temps 68-72. Basking spot mid 80s to 90
• Humidity - Ambient day time 30-40, at night at his sleeping spot 80s-90s depending on the night. I adjust the fogger based on where he’s sleeping
• Plants - All live plants from safe list. He’s recently been chomping away at his pothos.
• Placement - Controversial I know, but it works, his cage is in the living room, placed on 3ft stand so floor to top his cage is 7’ tall, ceiling fan that’s rarely used in the room, medium traffic, he’s been in this spot the whole time and has thrived, he has plenty on hiding, I’ve placed lots of fake vines on the outside of his cage to provide him with more privacy.
• Location - SW Ohio

 

[elizaann2]

Can you share a photo of your chameleon?

 

[TheMotherChameleon]

how old is it? Sometimes they start exploring their cage looking for a mate

 

[elizaann2]

Thats what I am thinking or you may have a female.

 

[elizaann2]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Male piebald veiled, had him since December 2023
• Handling - rarely, maybe a few times a month
• Feeding - I have a feeder run with crickets and Dubia, a dish I provide bsfl, he gets silkworms, hornworms, has had a few wax worms and super worms but only once or twice a week. Crickets get taken care of like it’s a second hobby, I make ice cubes made of collard/mustard greens, sweet potato, almonds, chia seeds, bee pollen, water and provide that along with fluckers feed and water crystals.
• Supplements - Zoomed repti calcium w/o D3 every feeding, zoomed reptivite w/ d3 once every other week.
• Watering - Gallon jug with some water dripping on top of cage, fill it and drips once a day for a few hours at a time, mistking set to mist 30 before/after 2min as well as recently added an extra morning mist at 10 for 3min for his eye
• Fecal Description - looks good always, white
• History - nothing to note out of ordinary

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - 2x2x4
• Lighting - Zoomed 22” linear t5 HO uvb 5% and ExoTerra 50w basking
• Temperature - Ambient lower cage temps 68-72. Basking spot mid 80s to 90
• Humidity - Ambient day time 30-40, at night at his sleeping spot 80s-90s depending on the night. I adjust the fogger based on where he’s sleeping
• Plants - All live plants from safe list. He’s recently been chomping away at his pothos.
• Placement - Controversial I know, but it works, his cage is in the living room, placed on 3ft stand so floor to top his cage is 7’ tall, ceiling fan that’s rarely used in the room, medium traffic, he’s been in this spot the whole time and has thrived, he has plenty on hiding, I’ve placed lots of fake vines on the outside of his cage to provide him with more privacy.
• Location - SW Ohio

Hey there! The only thing I can see in your husbandry is:
1. You are missing a multivitamin for your cham, with you having a D3 supplement, you can add the Reptivite with out D3 in your supplementation schedule on the weekends you do not supplement with D3.
2. Your ambient temps are a bit low, if you can raise those a little bit, ideally 72 is on the cooler side for the enclosure and get your highest ambient temps 76-78 near the top of the enclosure
3. Your basking spot is also getting a bit too hot, for a male you dont want it hotter than 85 degrees. A female no hotter than 80.

Everything else looks great to me

 

[Andrew1283]

Can you share a photo of your chameleon?

It’s a male according to prior posts and pics

 

[Andrew1283]

Young veiled males can be restless. You are probably handling him too much so he doesn’t feel secure in his enclosure. Put his enclosure in a corner of the room with coroplast sheets on the two sides facing the wall. It should be in a corner opposite the door to that room so he can see you coming from far away. They do not mind people being around but they do not do well with surprises.

 

[Andrew1283]

Oh and I also have a pied veiled guy and they’re the best! He’s beautiful, congrats

 

[amf45005]

Hey there! The only thing I can see in your husbandry is:
1. You are missing a multivitamin for your cham, with you having a D3 supplement, you can add the Reptivite with out D3 in your supplementation schedule on the weekends you do not supplement with D3.
2. Your ambient temps are a bit low, if you can raise those a little bit, ideally 72 is on the cooler side for the enclosure and get your highest ambient temps 76-78 near the top of the enclosure
3. Your basking spot is also getting a bit too hot, for a male you dont want it hotter than 85 degrees. A female no hotter than 80.

Everything else looks great to me

Are you saying I should purchase a multivitamin w/o d3 to add on say the weekends and then keep using the multivitamin w/ d3 every other week?

 

[amf45005]

how old is it? Sometimes they start exploring their cage looking for a mate

He is maybe 6-8months?

 

[amf45005]

Young veiled males can be restless. You are probably handling him too much so he doesn’t feel secure in his enclosure. Put his enclosure in a corner of the room with coroplast sheets on the two sides facing the wall. It should be in a corner opposite the door to that room so he can see you coming from far away. They do not mind people being around but they do not do well with surprises.

I honestly don’t handle him much I thought. But I was planning on moving him into my office, so that might help?

 

[amf45005]

Pics

 

[TheMotherChameleon]

He is maybe 6-8months?

Hmmm I’m not sure what the approximate age is when they start looking for a mate but @elizaann2 might know

 

[Andrew1283]

Moving him to your office is a great idea. That’s where my buddy is. He will be used to you being around but not focused on him. They like to people watch so long as they don’t feel noticed or like they’re the focus of the room. My chameleons never hide. They’re always down front watching everyone intently. I’m working next to Tony 8 hours a day of which maybe two or three times I roll my chair back and say hi. He’s always staring at me!

 

[Andrew1283]

Case in point. As I’m writing this look who is creepin

 

[MissSkittles]

Are you saying I should purchase a multivitamin w/o d3 to add on say the weekends and then keep using the multivitamin w/ d3 every other week?

I’m going to go against some of what has already been said. Sorry guys. Love you all. But…
I think @elizaann2 is maybe copying some of my habits of reading too fast and/or not being caffeinated enough. Your supplements and schedule for them are perfect. The ReptiVite with D3 is both multivitamin and D3.
When you say ambient temp is as low as 68, when, where and how are you measuring that? I can’t imagine that with a basking temp of near to 90, the temp just a couple of feet down would be as low as 68. Yes btw, basking temp should be around 85.
I don’t feel like handling him just a few times a month is too much either.
I do think it’s is correct that your healthy young man is having some urges to find a pretty young lady. Every cell in his body is desperately telling him that he must procreate asap. It is normal for adult males to patrol their territory (enclosure) several times daily, but now he’s on a mission.
The only suggestions I have are to be careful that he doesn’t escape and to think about doubling his territory. https://chameleonacademy.com/double-wide-chameleon-cage-project/

 

[Ghostbirb]

Pics

Wow he is handsome!!!! Welcome to the translucent veiled club XD
And the enclosure looks great

 

[Ghostbirb]

I’m going to go against some of what has already been said. Sorry guys. Love you all. But…
I think @elizaann2 is maybe copying some of my habits of reading too fast and/or not being caffeinated enough. Your supplements and schedule for them are perfect. The ReptiVite with D3 is both multivitamin and D3.
When you say ambient temp is as low as 68, when, where and how are you measuring that? I can’t imagine that with a basking temp of near to 90, the temp just a couple of feet down would be as low as 68. Yes btw, basking temp should be around 85.
I don’t feel like handling him just a few times a month is too much either.
I do think it’s is correct that your healthy young man is having some urges to find a pretty young lady. Every cell in his body is desperately telling him that he must procreate asap. It is normal for adult males to patrol their territory (enclosure) several times daily, but now he’s on a mission.
The only suggestions I have are to be careful that he doesn’t escape and to think about doubling his territory. https://chameleonacademy.com/double-wide-chameleon-cage-project/

MissSkittles strikes again!

 

[amf45005]

I’m going to go against some of what has already been said. Sorry guys. Love you all. But…
I think @elizaann2 is maybe copying some of my habits of reading too fast and/or not being caffeinated enough. Your supplements and schedule for them are perfect. The ReptiVite with D3 is both multivitamin and D3.
When you say ambient temp is as low as 68, when, where and how are you measuring that? I can’t imagine that with a basking temp of near to 90, the temp just a couple of feet down would be as low as 68. Yes btw, basking temp should be around 85.
I don’t feel like handling him just a few times a month is too much either.
I do think it’s is correct that your healthy young man is having some urges to find a pretty young lady. Every cell in his body is desperately telling him that he must procreate asap. It is normal for adult males to patrol their territory (enclosure) several times daily, but now he’s on a mission.
The only suggestions I have are to be careful that he doesn’t escape and to think about doubling his territory. https://chameleonacademy.com/double-wide-chameleon-cage-project/

Thank you! As for the temps, we keep our house at about 70, and turn it down to 67 at night. So in his cage using a digital thermometer/ hygrometer placed midway in his cage, I’ve seen it drop to as low as 67 but durning the day as high as 73