Keeping chameleon in main room of the house + basking too much?

PlanetRemulak

Avid Member
Moved my boy Beau out to living room last weekend. The move made sense - air flow is much better out here in the main room. The cage is accessible on all sides. I can actually keep the cage on a table that fits both the drain tray and the cage, AND he’s a lot higher up which is preferred. I can also observe Beau/his cage conditions from the couch without having to disturb him. So far this set up has worked out GREAT during the week - I’m usually the only one home and traffic out here in the living room is low.

Today, Beau was able to see my fiance sitting on his floor seat in front of the TV (Beau‘s cage is located several feet away from the TV, but is along the same wall). It seemed to make him nervous and he spent some time climbing back and forth between the plants in the middle and the highest branch in the cage. It wouldn’t have been noise bothering him as my fiancé was playing a game on mute (things are very low-key out here. Noise kept to an absolute minimum, TV is mainly only used for games and is kept on very low volume or muted when it is on), so it’s got to be the sight of my fiancé that my chameleon was unnerved by. His cage isn’t under planted, but I feel like coverage could be better (my pothos and tradescantia zebrina at the very top could stand to grow out some more). How do things look currently? Any suggestions where I might add more plants toward the top?

At what point is a chameleon basking too much? After my fiancé moved, Beau stayed on his basking spot and showed dark basking colors until it was time for him to go to sleep (although he did come back up to the top in normal colors, hoping I’d have bugs in my hand when I opened the cage door to spot clean). Humidity at the very top ranged from 43-45%. The middle, heavier planted part of the cage ranged from 50-53%. Basking temp was at 84 F by the time the Sansi LEDs went off at 6 pm, so I doubt that him really needing the heat was an issue.

I’m really hoping to be able to keep Beau out here in the main room. It makes more sense and is easier to keep an eye on him without having to harass him by walking right up to his cage several times a day. My concern is that he will become stressed and fail to thrive out here if he’s able to see us regularly. I’ve picked up corrugated plastic sheets to replace the window shrink film with, and hopefully that will decrease visibility on the sides of the cage/make him feel a bit safer.

Poops look firm, urates are a creamy white color. Aside from deciding he’s sick of dubias, Beau hasn’t been shy about eating since he’s been moved to the living room. Cage pics attached, input/suggestions always appreciated.
 

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Probably just a bit stressed from moving rooms. You could put another plant in enclosure if he's gonna stay in that room. More hiding places
 
He need more plants to hide in. More foliage would be good. I think as long as you have lots of places for him to hide he won’t mind being in the living room. My Jackson’s is in my living room but I live alone so there’s not much traffic through here at all. I filled his enclosure pretty well so he can hide if he wants to.
 

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So first off how old is Beau now?

I agree with you over thinking... Even when it has to do with the noise level. They hear vibrations so having the game blasting during a first person shooter game might getting annoying for the cham. But basic noises no need to worry about.

He will get used to his new environment.

I do agree with getting a larger main plant. Start checking lowes and home depot. See if you can find a nice 3-4 foot money tree to fill that enclosure out more.
 
I had three of them 25 years ago when I had my other Jackson’s chams and they were great. Never had a problem with them.
 
So first off how old is Beau now?

I agree with you over thinking... Even when it has to do with the noise level. They hear vibrations so having the game blasting during a first person shooter game might getting annoying for the cham. But basic noises no need to worry about.

He will get used to his new environment.

I do agree with getting a larger main plant. Start checking lowes and home depot. See if you can find a nice 3-4 foot money tree to fill that enclosure out more.
Thank you, @Beman!

I definitely overthink. Wish I got paid for it - I’d make enough to tell my fiancé to quit his job AND get 2-3 more chameleons. Thank you so much for your input, it is always appreciated! I’ll check out Home Depot for some more plants this week.
 
I had three of them 25 years ago when I had my other Jackson’s chams and they were great. Never had a problem with them.
You know, I’ve had ficuses do really well and really bad. They seem pretty temperamental! I’ve been thinking about giving one a shot - couldn’t hurt!
 
So first off how old is Beau now?

I agree with you over thinking... Even when it has to do with the noise level. They hear vibrations so having the game blasting during a first person shooter game might getting annoying for the cham. But basic noises no need to worry about.

He will get used to his new environment.

I do agree with getting a larger main plant. Start checking lowes and home depot. See if you can find a nice 3-4 foot money tree to fill that enclosure out more.
Forgot to mention! Beau is 5 months old now, working on 6.
 
Thank you, @Beman!

I definitely overthink. Wish I got paid for it - I’d make enough to tell my fiancé to quit his job AND get 2-3 more chameleons. Thank you so much for your input, it is always appreciated! I’ll check out Home Depot for some more plants this week.
It is good you notice everything and ask questions. Nothing wrong with that. It will help you spot issues should they arise. :)
 
I think what you're interpreting as "nervous" may be curiosity. Since adding the tortoise enclosure very near to the chameleon, he's pretty constantly moving around checking out us and whatever's in the box (they can't see each other, but can likely smell each other).

Also, behaviors can be unpredictably "off" whenever there's a change in environment/location. They're all different, so there's really no predicting.

We're just watching & enjoying the show. Hope you can do the same.
 
I think what you're interpreting as "nervous" may be curiosity. Since adding the tortoise enclosure very near to the chameleon, he's pretty constantly moving around checking out us and whatever's in the box (they can't see each other, but can likely smell each other).

Also, behaviors can be unpredictably "off" whenever there's a change in environment/location. They're all different, so there's really no predicting.

We're just watching & enjoying the show. Hope you can do the same.
That is very reassuring. Thanks for that! My last chameleon was a veiled. I got him when I was very young, and sometimes I look back on husbndry mistakes and wince, I often think it was dumb luck that I had him for for as long as I did, but even then I was willing to research/try my best to correct my mistakes). I’ve always had it in my head that panthers are a bit more delicate, and if I didn’t get husbandry down to an exact science I’d lose my chameleon over it. Contrary to how I’m sure it sounds here, I’m beginning to learn that isn’t always the case. 😂

I’m still learning my cham and figuring out his quirks. I think it defInitely makes sense that what I was seeing the other day was likely more curiousity. Beau already has me pegged as his waitress, but I should have my fiancé try hand feeding him so he learns that neither of the giants around here are a threat.

I’ll definitely be keeping what you said in mind - just enjoy the show :)
 
It is good you notice everything and ask questions. Nothing wrong with that. It will help you spot issues should they arise. :)
Absolutely. Here’s to hoping they don’t of course. Taking the “observe and wait it out” approach over defaulting to defcon 5 has been a learning curve, for sure lol
 
ok so next phase is pacing... This should come in the next few months. This is normal when all husbandry is correct. They start trying to find a mate and explore every inch of their enclosure.
Sorry to reply in multiple posts - couldn’t figure out how to edit something I’ve posted and add a new quote to it. Anyway, it’s really great to know that in advance and to expect it t0 happen. Otherwise, I’d have been on here panicking over whether or not my cham was losing his mind with stress (when in fact, he’s only losing his mind looking for a girlfriend). 🙄

I’m thinking it won’t be long. He’s already dropped plugs a few times, now.
 
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