glass scratcher and climber

firecat998

New Member
My veiled has been scratching on the glass and climbing up it as well is she trying to tell me she wants out of her home for awhile or is she trying to tell me something else?Shes very healthy we spray her 3 times a day and her temp is always between 26,27 and 28 never gets higher than that.i have attached 2 photo'sof what shes doing:
 

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Does your cage have a screen top?-It seems with all that glass that the humidity could be very high.
 
I think your cham is definitely telling you it’s not happy. Post more detail on your husbandry and more detailed pics of the setup. 28(C) ambient IMO is too warm for an enclosure like that and you are probably not offering a sufficient heat gradient.

-roo
 
its just the front that is glass no we dont have a screen top as i live in the uk its quite cold here so it has to be wood on 3 sides with glass sliding doors on the front she has a energy saving light bulb, ceramic heat conicle with a pulse stat iam not to sure what u mean by heat gradient sorry,she gets sprayed 3 times a day with a plant sprayer she has a big plant and branches to climb on.we feed her crix,hoppers and waxworms not to oftern with the waxworms about 2-3 a week.Her colours are always light green with orange or white or shes light green with dark green stripes and spots.hope this infomation helps a bit if u need anymore just ask thanks.
 
Even though it is cold there, it seems that there is not enough air flow in the cage. Creating a heat gradient means that one side of the cage is at a good basking temp but the other side may be cooler so that the cham can choose to get out of the heat if it is too hot. Alot of heat and moisture can lead to mold build up and respiratory issues in any animal.
 
ok didnt no there was a name for that.The vivaruim shes actually in now is tempuary untill the new has been built which wont be too long but i really want her to be a happy little girl.iam a little worried now with you mentioning respitory problems would it help to leave the door open a tiny bit?
 
I live in Canada and it is also really cold here in the winter so we build our cages with three solid sides, a solid floor and screen on the front and top. We find this works great, it helps keep in the heat while still allowing for air flow from the screen and it also helps with the humidity, here is a picture of one of our veiled cages.
IMG_5518.jpg


This is a older picture before we added all of the plants but you can see the solid walls in this one better.
IMG_4735.jpg
 
One of the problems with glass can be the fact that it doesn't provide a visible barrier. In other words the animal thinks there is nothing there and may try to venture out that way (end up scratching climbing on the glass).
Besides all the other reasons to have a screen enclosure, the screen provides
visible walls which don't confuse the chameleon like glass can.


-Brad
 
My cages are all screen and the mesh is small enough that the crickets do not get out. The screen is like window screen.
 
how do u keep the crickets from escaping with a screen front?

At first we put a aluminium screen on like the ones you use on windows but he was climbing on it and we were worried he would tear out his nails so we replaced it with a pet screen which is the same think but is made from nylon. The holes are very tiny so nothing can escape. I also put my crickets and worms in a pail and hang it in the cage and he will stand above it on a branch and eat from the pail.
 
Maybe there is more to it then just a glass door. Some more pictures of the actual inside would help. Glass is of course not a barrier they understand but assuming that the cage is of adequate size perhaps the inside is not up to par for her. Lack of branches, vegatation, as roo touched on temperature gradients could all be reasons to look for a new spot as far as chameleons are concerned. If the cage is small she could be seeking more territory.

I do think that a screen door would not hurt if possible on the cage you already have if you want to retain it for awhile longer or permanently.



Jewel the cage looks great.:)
 
Maybe there is more to it then just a glass door. Some more pictures of the actual inside would help. Glass is of course not a barrier they understand but assuming that the cage is of adequate size perhaps the inside is not up to par for her. Lack of branches, vegatation, as roo touched on temperature gradients could all be reasons to look for a new spot as far as chameleons are concerned. If the cage is small she could be seeking more territory.

I do think that a screen door would not hurt if possible on the cage you already have if you want to retain it for awhile longer or permanently.



Jewel the cage looks great.:)

Thanks Jordan
 
Mine does this but only when I come towards him / his viv and then when he sees the wax worm pot :D. He not so much scratches but ' pads ' the glass with both front feet. The second I raise my hand to open the viv door he gets all exicted and positions himself one foot stepping forward in anticipation to step onto my hand.
He is the 3rd Cham I know to do this in the UK...all kept in different vivs, glass, mesh or a mixture.
Mine is wood and alternate mesh panels, offering 3 way airflow. Only the doors are toughened glass and they are only top half length and the bottom half of the front has the glass removed completly and replaced with mesh.
If I am below him giving a waxworm to my BD, he climbs down and does the same ' padding ' on the mesh. He simply wants out to play.
Ok he is a very sociable Cham and much prefers sitting on his tree with me while I iron in the kitchen :rolleyes: but I am happy he is ' Knocking the door ' rather than any form of distress. His 'patting ' isn't random..it's done at clear defined times / reasons and he scampers out like a school kid at break time :D
 
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Mine does this but only when I come towards him / his viv and then when he sees the wax worm pot :D. He not so much scratches but ' pads ' the glass with both front feet. The second I raise my hand to open the viv door he gets all exicted and positions himself one foot stepping forward in anticipation to step onto my hand.
He is the 3rd Cham I know to do this in the UK...all kept in different vivs, glass, mesh or a mixture.
Mine is wood and alternate mesh panels, offering 3 way airflow. Only the doors are toughened glass and they are only top half length and the bottom half of the front has the glass removed completly and replaced with mesh.
If I am below him giving a waxworm to my BD, he climbs down and does the same ' padding ' on the mesh. He simply wants out to play.
Ok he is a very sociable Cham and much prefers sitting on his tree with me while I iron in the kitchen :rolleyes: but I am happy he is ' Knocking the door ' rather than any form of distress. His 'patting ' isn't random..it's done at clear defined times / reasons and he scampers out like a school kid at break time :D

:D That was a nice read :D

You'll have to see about capturing that on a short video clip
 
Thaanks Gary....:)

Now capturing that on Video is the easy part...seeing as he knocks to come out as many times a day as I even think of approaching him :D I swear he sits and waits for me / waxxies.
Sometimes..as I pass him to go out to the shops say...I feel so guilty having to ignore him as he frantically pads away for my attention..his little beady eyes following and imploring me to take him with me...guilt guilt guilt..one guarenteed way to ensure I buy him fresh pea shoots while out to say ' sorry ' :rolleyes:
The hard bit is getting the viv on here. Another kind member offered suggestions which I tried only to find the site didn't support vids?
If anyone can convert and get it on for me brilliant....
In the meantime I shall continue being stalked by my own Cham :D
 
My cham showed similar behavior when he was in a glass enclosure. It seemed like barrier confusion and as soon as i got him a new screen enclosure those behaviors stopped.
 
Metric.....I originally believed it was due to the glass door.....but I can't explain why he does it on the mesh aswell...well anything if I am the other side.
A real mystery for sure....
 
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