How to set up a small cage.

[rango123veiled]

So my new juvenile panther chameleon is having trouble eating because of the stress of him moving into a new cage, i thought id make it smaller so he has them right infront of him and so he has limited roaming space. Could you tell me how to set up something like that? like something the size of a laybin maybe?

 

[rango123veiled]

at the moment his cage is 16" by a little more than 2 ft, about 28-30

 

[CBee7726]

How long has he been in the new cage? I can take a little while for them to settle in.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Not necessary. Some relocation stress is normal, but generally resolves within a few days if/when left alone.

Does he have adequate foliage to hide in? That can be a problem. He'll be happiest if you pretend you don't see him.

There is no such thing as too large an enclosure, despite size/age. In the wild, he would have the whole outdoors.

can a reptile enclosure be too large?

 

[Thompson]

Hi, could you please fill out this form located on this link with your basic husbandry for your chameleon so we may assess how you're taking care of your new chameleon. That way we can fix any issues that may arise that might help you come to a better decision that is better for your chameleons health in the long run. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

I would not try moving him into a separate feeder bin, although I am not sure if this is something that has worked for others in the past. Personally, I would think you'd benefit more with getting him completely acclimated to his new environment by feeding him in his cage. Could you post pics of him and his cage as well.

I use to put my feeders in a cup after dusting them. It helped keep track of how many feeders were being ingested and make it a little easier on smaller babies living in a bit larger cages to find their food more quickly and easily. I did not like to allow my feeders to free range most of the time, but did provide my adults the luxury of having to hunt for their food throughout the cage, as this is more natural for them to do in the wild anyway, and adults feed on much larger, more easier to spot food items than do babies.

 

[caroline?]

wouldn't it be more stressful for him to be moved?

 

[CBee7726]

wouldn't it be more stressful for him to be moved?

Yes, moving chams around (or constantly rearranging their setup) too much can add unnecessary stress.
If a cham continues to be stressed after a few days of being in their new enclosure, it could mean that they aren't happy about something in it. Most often these issues are related to inadequate foliage (not enough places to hide), temperature/humidity issues, or they see a neighboring cham, among other possibilities.

So with that, we need more info to determine the cause.

 

[rango123veiled]

nvm scratch what i said, hes stressed and wants to get out when hes in the small cage but the big cage has to much room for him so i put the small one in the big one and now hes not stressed in the small one and can eat the bugs because they are not far, I tried everything to get him to eat so this was really just a last resort, it seems to be working well, now he eats everyday

 

[rango123veiled]

nvm scratch what i said, hes stressed and wants to get out when hes in the small cage but the big cage has to much room for him so i put the small one in the big one and now hes not stressed in the small one and can eat the bugs because they are not far, I tried everything to get him to eat so this was really just a last resort, it seems to be working well, now he eats everyday

its also means he technically does not need to move cages