mischievous Max escapes

[sandrachameleon]

phone rang while I was feeding chameleons this morning. Must not have properly closed Max's cage. Came back only a few minutes later to an open door and no Max anywhere to be found. Searched high and low in there for half an hour, then gave up. Turned the heat down in that room a little and put a branch leading from the floor to his cage, figuring he'd eventually get cold and return to his basking area of his own accord.

well, I was sorta right.

Came back an hour later. The stink-eye look on one of the panthers gave him away immediately. He'd climbed somehow on top of the panthers cage (not sure how), and under the heat lamp dome fixture on that cage. He was snuggled in right touching the heat bulb. Possibly burned himself all down one side, the little idiot. sigh.
sure didn't want to go back home either.

 

[laurie]

Why does it make us feel bad when they do stupid things? It is like taking care of a two year old.

 

[jannb]

What a little stinker.
I sure hope he didn't get a burn.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I've had such "well behaved" chameleons lately, I'd sorta forgotten what the bratty spirited ones are like (yes- very much like 2 year olds!).

I've gotten too relaxed i guess - in my newbie days I'd have checked the cage doors 10 times before I left the room, and would have kept looking for him (in a panic) until the entire room was pulled apart and I was half bald from worrying.

I still have no idea how he got ontop of that cage, he's more clever and determined than I gave him credit for. And I'll never understand how he lifted up a dome fixture to get under it.

luckily, he doesn't look to have suffered any permanent damage, so I wont have to make an emergency vet trip or feel guilt!

 

[pigglett79]

awww he is such a rascal. Such a challenge when you have one that likes to be mischievous. I have one of those myself. I cant keep George in one spot for the life of me and will likely have to build a little wall around his free range as I find him all over. Its amazing how they can climb up just about anything. I even found him climbing up the molding around the closet once.

 

[Lathis]

I lost Ferdinand while he was free ranging one day and finally find him INSIDE the gas fireplace (it was off). He must have climbed up the screen door and wedged himself through the tiny gap under the door hood. For someone who regularly gets trapped in a tree by his own horns, I have no idea how he managed that. He certainly couldn't get back out.

The sneaky ones are the most fun, though. You can just see the little gears grinding in their minds as they work stuff out

Glad to hear he will be okay.

 

[sandrachameleon]

He did end up having a fairly bad burn on his fin Its pretty much healed now, but the evidence is always going to be there