Not wanting to go back inside her enclosure!!

[ronnie]

Hi all....i've had Trixxi out a few time now and she really likes to rome around and scare the living daylights out of me by falling at every opportunity she gets!anyway....every time i go to put her back into her viv she goes mental and tries to clime back out again!when she does settle down she sits there looking at me like she wants to kill me!any idea on why this would happen

 

[Syn]

Sounds to me like your chameleon is unhappy with it's cage.

Please post some pictures of the enclosure.

 

[Miss Lily]

Have you changed anything in her viv at all? I'm thinking that maybe there is something in there that she's not happy with. Another thought - she may be becoming receptive. How old is she? Lily was a pain in the bum sometimes when she was receptive. All she wanted to do was come out on a man hunt. Every time I offered her food she'd grab my arm and walk straight out, ignoring the food! Some days it was so hard to put her back in again - every time my hand neared a branch she would bend herself in half and do a swift U-turn! I found that if I left her to roam in her sunning cage (indoors) for a while she would then be willing to go back in her cage as it was nice and warm in there!

 

[SliK JiM]

It's probably not that she's that unhappy with her enclosure, its just that she's happier out of it. What do you have her on out of her enclosure? If it's higher and hotter, she probably just wants to stay there and doesn't like the intrusion into her new 'territory'.

 

[chambabysitter1]

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
* Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
* Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
* Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
* 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 - Where are you geographically located?


Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
* Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
* Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
* Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
* Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
* Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
* History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
* Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.


Pictures are helpful

----

Filling this out will probably get you more conclusive answers and perhaps help people spot out an issue in your husbandry.

 

[ronnie]

Cage type:glass with mesh top,depth:60cmx60cmx45cm
lighting:exo-terr UVB 2:0 coil(in process of replacing with tube bulb)lights on from 8am-8pm
Temp:floor 68-highest:73-84 at basking spot using house hold 60 watt bulb.lowest temp at night 62 using digital thermometer at basking spot and manual ones else where in cage
Humidity:40 rising to 70 after spraying using manual hydrometer
Plants:two live ones both fictus
Placement:in living room quite in the day watch TV in the evening.Height from top of cage to floor 5 feet 2 inc

Cham info:Veiled female about 2 years old had here 3 months
Handling :2 times a week
Feeding:4 crickets,1 locusts daily,2 wax worms a week,gut loaded on lettuce,carrots,potatoes apples and bug grub
Supplements:dust crickets 3 times a week with cricket dust(Komodo 99%pure calcium carbonate)and 2 times a month with Nutrobal
Water:was using ice cubes but just started to use a little dripper also spray 3 time a day giving her a good soaking,don't see her drinking
Fecal: pee bright white and poop good shape and a dark brown,never tested
History:when i got her she had no plants,vines and had substrate(sand)at the bottom of her cage,she also didn't have a basking spot just a ceramic heat lamp and would sit under her uvb light!
Currant problem:i don't think it's a problem as such but when i go to put her back into her cage after she has been basking in the window she trys to get back out again!i think she just likes being out!

 

[ronnie]

Any help would be great guys

 

[sandrachameleon]

Is the enclosure 60cm in height or 40cm in height? Either way, this seems small for an adult female chameleon. I keep my panthers in enclosures that are ~60cm wide, 60cm deep and 120cm tall.

When putting her back in the enclosure, try squatting down on the floor, raising your arm and hand such that to move into the cage she can climb upwards. If the cage/branch you're trying to move her to is lower than your shoulders, she may simply want to be highter.

I know many people keep chameleons in glass enclosure without any issues, especially if there are vents on the front or lower sides of the cage in addition to the screen top. Does yours have vents?
I have heard that glass can sometimes cause a reflection that a chameleon may not like. Is there anything dark behind the glass which could be making it act like a mirror?

You said

Temp:floor 68-highest:73-84 at basking spot using house hold 60 watt bulb.lowest temp at night 62 using digital thermometer at basking spot and manual ones else where in cage

That's quite a range of temperature in the basking spot. Why is it changing so much? Are you using a quality temperature gauge? 68F/20C at the floor is fine, and 84F/29C is fine for the hot spot. But with glass you do have to be extra careful about monitoring temp and humidity.

Not related to her dislike of returning to the cage, but FYI most types of lettuce dont make for a good gutload.

 

[Howdyco]

Flash recently started this same behavior.
He wants to roam more and now climbs his cage alot.
If I open the door he also now eagerly comes out to walk on me and a small branch I keep right there.
I have been hand-branch walking him once or twice a day for about 5-10 minutes a session and actually have taken him outside to get some sunshine on our deck in this manner.
I can't let him wander freely because of the dog, cat, and lack of soft surfaces to break falls.
I think Flash is about 6 months old now. I assume that this is part of his growing up and do not think too much more of it. Since it is and has been his idea, I'll continue to do this with him.

He too doesn't like to go back in his cage unless it is on his terms. He went up and down both arms earlier today before I could get him to walk onto his ficus.

Folks say handling chams can be stressful. Is it as stressful if it is the chameleon's idea???

 

[ronnie]

Thanks guys for the comments.....Sandrachameleon her basking spot rarely gets to 84 as i am trying to keep her Temps slightly lower as i have heard this can decrease the chance of her wanting to lay eggs the usual Temp at basking spot stays between 73-78 and only gets higher if i put the heating on in the living room(with that said it never goes over 84)I didn't want to put her in a really tall cage as when i first got her she had no vies and when i put them in she took a couple of drops of them and scared the living daylights out of me!the cage also has small vents along the bottom at the front.We have a polystyrene backing and side(meant to look like rock)in the cage,don't know if this is causing an refection?also regards to her new UVA light(how big long)will it need to be for her cage?Cage 2feet across-2feet height

 

[Pure]

You can help matters with the hight of the cage by raising it up on something. Try to get her roost at or above eye level.

An 18 or 24 inch bulb would be fine.