Need help with 4 month old very anxious male veiled chameleon

[TimothyOnTop]

I have had my veiled chameleon for about a month he has a big cage with tempos humidity levels 36 inch uvb bulb I will full out the husbandry form of someone can attach a copy of it I would much appreciate OK he seems very healthy strong appetite growing normally but for some reason he goes to the top corner and paws on the glass for hours above his cage I built a little bamboo free range place for him and he loved to be up on it could he just like it so much he doesn't want to be in his cage and with it being right in front of and above his cage to where he can look up at it in hoping this is what it is but any information would be much appreciated oh and his name is Mandella and my name is Timoyhy

 

[TimothyOnTop]

 

[TimothyOnTop]

Is 3am here right now so all his lights are off but in the morning i will attach more pictures of his enclosure and the bamboo hubble gym hopefully we can figure this out It kills me too see him so anxious

 

[Andrew1283]

I love that bamboo above his enclosure!

I highly suggest moving him into a hybrid screened enclosure. You can either buy a hybrid enclosure or make one by using a Reptibreeze XL and some coroplast sheets. Coroplast is essentially plastic cardboard and works great. Put the enclosure in the back left corner of that room so your chameleon feels like two sides of his enclosure are secure. Now he’s just looking for danger out of two remaining sides and he’s able to see you and anyone else approach from across the room. It makes them feel like there aren’t any surprises.

Right now he feels very vulnerable in the center of the room, in a glass display case. He’s probably scared to death.

Make sure those shades stay closed because hot sun through windows can be a killer.

 

[kinyonga]

Here’s the link to the husbandry form…
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

 

[Steve A]

View attachment 347239

Without knowing how big your chameleon currently is, this enclosure is definitely too small unless he's really, really young. And even then, it won't last long for him. IMO, you should get him in an enclosure ASAP that is at least 2ft x 2ft x 4ft (height). At the very least, it's not tall enough.

The bamboo above the enclosure is awesome! Definitely look around these forums and ask for more in depth help. There are excellent keepers here, who are super nice, who can provide you with great information!

 

[TimothyOnTop]

Without knowing how big your chameleon currently is, this enclosure is definitely too small unless he's really, really young. And even then, it won't last long for him. IMO, you should get him in an enclosure ASAP that is at least 2ft x 2ft x 4ft (height). At the very least, it's not tall enough.

The bamboo above the enclosure is awesome! Definitely look around these forums and ask for more in depth help. There are excellent keepers here, who are super nice, who can provide you with great information!

 

[TimothyOnTop]

Thank you for the response the cage he's in is 36 inch wide 18 inch deep and 48 inch tall and the sides are completely blocked with corrugated plastic sheeting and

 

[TimothyOnTop]

I love that bamboo above his enclosure!

I highly suggest moving him into a hybrid screened enclosure. You can either buy a hybrid enclosure or make one by using a Reptibreeze XL and some coroplast sheets. Coroplast is essentially plastic cardboard and works great. Put the enclosure in the back left corner of that room so your chameleon feels like two sides of his enclosure are secure. Now he’s just looking for danger out of two remaining sides and he’s able to see you and anyone else approach from across the room. It makes them feel like there aren’t any surprises.

Right now he feels very vulnerable in the center of the room, in a glass display case. He’s probably scared to death.

Make sure those shades stay closed because hot sun through wi

Here’s the link to the husbandry form…
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

Thank you i will fill this out as soon as i get to my office in about an hour

 

[Steve A]

Thank you for the response the cage he's in is 36 inch wide 18 inch deep and 48 inch tall and the sides are completely blocked with corrugated plastic sheeting and

Interesting. My apologies. The enclosure didn't look 48" to me from the photo haha! With that being said you do want something a little deeper (2ft), but this might work with it being 36" wide.

I'm not sure what your humidity situation is so I don't really want to comment on the type of enclosure you should have. Depending on the humidity, those sides might be just fine. But if you are struggling with high humidity then you might want to consider an all screen enclosure.

I personally think unless the situation is drastic, all screen is the way to go. And just use your tools (mister, fogger, air conditioning unit in your home, if you have one) to regulate your temps/humidity.

I live in south jersey and this is what I do and it's working very well! Best of luck

 

[kinyonga]

What is that substrate?? I’m worried that he might ingest it and become impacted.

 

[TimothyOnTop]

Without knowing how big your chameleon currently is, this enclosure is definitely too small unless he's really, really young. And even then, it won't last long for him. IMO, you should get him in an enclosure ASAP that is at least 2ft x 2ft x 4ft (height). At the very least, it's not tall enough.

The bamboo above the enclosure is awesome! Definitely look around these forums and ask for more in depth help. There are excellent keepers here, who are super nice, who can provide you with great information!

Thank you very much I will look into a screen cage

Interesting. My apologies. The enclosure didn't look 48" to me from the photo haha! With that being said you do want something a little deeper (2ft), but this might work with it being 36" wide.

I'm not sure what your humidity situation is so I don't really want to comment on the type of enclosure you should have. Depending on the humidity, those sides might be just fine. But if you are struggling with high humidity then you might want to consider an all screen enclosure.

I personally think unless the situation is drastic, all screen is the way to go. And just use your tools (mister, fogger, air conditioning unit in your home, if you have one) to regulate your temps/humidity.
ttyott.osrowednieemealahcxyI live in Washington State. And it is very hot and dry in the summer and very humid and cold in the winter. And so for my situation, it's much easier to keep the humidity at a constant with the glass cage.

 

[TimothyOnTop]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon 4 month old male veiled been in my car for just over a month
• Handling I try not to handle him but whenever i open his cage he extends his arms to me
• Feeding I switch between dubia roaches and crickets as staple and give him a wax work or 2 a couple times a week all are gut loaded with celery carrots apples strawberries bee pollin crushed cheerios and green bell peppers i dust calcium without d3 every feeding them with d3 once a month 2nd week of month and multi vitamin once a month 4th well of month they are zoo med reptivite for multivitamin and zoomed for calcium powders
• Watering I have a fogger that i run for 30 mins @1am 30 mins @2am 30 mins @ 3am for one hour @ 4am 30 mins @ 5am I have a mister that runs for 1 min right before fogging starts @ 1am then 4 mins at 7:45pm right before lights out @ 9pm i have an adjustable dripper that I run all day from lights on until lights off I see him drink and is very well hydrated he loves his dripper
• Fecal Description his urates are white and semi runny his stool is firm and moist he usually goes once a day sometimes twice a day

Cage Info:

• Cage Type it is a glass enclosure it was modified to be 48 inches tall 36 inches wide and 18 inches
• Lighting - I
• 2 halogen bulbs for light I run these from 9am to 9pm and a 250 watt heat bulb that I run from 9am to 8pm
• have a 36 inch T5 uvb strip light it is arcadia brand that is on from 10 am until 7pm
• Temperature his basking spot is 85 on the other top side of cage it is 75. It is 71 about 6 inches from bottom of cage and between the top and bottom is 72 to 73 tempatures are controlled by electronic thermostats I use a digital thermometer with 4 sensors located around cage
• Humidity humidity is 100 from 12am to 6am then it gradually drops through the day at 8 am its around 80 then around 11am its around 60 at 2 pm its around 30 then slowly goes down to 20 to 25 for the rest of the day the cage is mostly dry
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location Spokane wa

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

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Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[regal81455]

If you have two halogens + a 250w heat lamp you're cooking your little guy and it's no wonder he wants out lol.

Seriously, you only need one (1) 40-75w bulb for the heat they need at the basking branch and that is assuming your ambients are not already in the 80-85* range. Other than that and an UVB you have, no other lights are necessary except for supplemental lighting. WHITE LEDs for sup lighting are best as they put off virtually no additional heat.

I see where you say you're temps are correct and controlled by thermostats but dang that 250w heat lamp probably gets to temp pretty quickly so it has to be cycling alot????

 

[TimothyOnTop]

What is that substrate?? I’m worried that he might ingest it and become impacted.

It is large marble sized clay pellets i have plenty of drainage and a cleanup crew with isopods

 

[TimothyOnTop]

If you have two halogens + a 250w heat lamp you're cooking your little guy and it's no wonder he wants out lol.

Seriously, you only need one (1) 40-75w bulb for the heat they need at the basking branch and that is assuming your ambients are not already in the 80-85* range. Other than that and an UVB you have, no other lights are necessary except for supplemental lighting. WHITE LEDs for sup lighting are best as they put off virtually no additional heat.

I see where you say you're temps are correct and controlled by thermostats but dang that 250w heat lamp probably gets to temp pretty quickly so it has to be cycling alot????

My heat lamp is 50 watts not 250watts sorry for the typo but the 2 halogens are 30 watts a piece and theb heat bulb is a 50 watt the heat bulb is connected to a dimmer so i can dial it in pretty good so it doesn't cycle off Course, I need to readjust this every time the weather changes. But it works out pretty good for me

 

[TimothyOnTop]

My heat lamp is 50 watts not 250watts sorry for the typo but the 2 halogens are 30 watts a piece and theb heat bulb is a 50 watt the heat bulb is connected to a dimmer so i can dial it in pretty good so it doesn't cycle off Course, I need to readjust this every time the weather changes. But it works out pretty good for me

it hovers right around 125 his baking spot is at 205

 

[regal81455]

Lol thank baby heysus it was a typo, I was like is this person serious 250w?!? lol

IMO the halogens are prob not necessary but if it's working for you then I would think that's OK too as long as you're able to maintain temps at suggested levels without crazy spikes. Others may have a differing opinions.

 

[kinyonga]

It is large marble sized clay pellets i have plenty of drainage and a cleanup crew with isopods

The pellets are a size that he could ingest easily…either intentionally or accidentally. It could lead to an impaction.…and death. I would remove it.

 

[TimothyOnTop]

The pellets are a size that he could ingest easily…either intentionally or accidentally. It could lead to an impaction.…and death. I would remove it.

I thank you for the info I have removed them