Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have several panther chameleons and several different cage set ups and was wondering if anyone has experimented in rotating chameleons from one cage to another???? I mean can they get bored with their surroundings??? enyy suggestions let me know.

thanks jason

I wouldnt reccomend doing that...Chams like things to stay the same in there cages....i remember when i added a big old manzinita bracnh to my mellers cage they would show stress coloration and constantly paw at the cage tryiny to get out...after i removed the branch everything went back to normal...
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eric

I totally agree. I moved my 5 mos.old Panther into his "adult" cage and he has damn near died on me. Changing the perimeter branches, trees, dripper locations has caused him to become dehydrated and sick. I tried the shower thing and he jumped off his plant and fell. I have been giving him 2 cc of pedialyte by syringe morning and evening for the past 48 hrs. His color is better but he still doesn't fight me like he should. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I have to leave him in my husbands care for the next 6 days and hubby WILL NOT be syringe feeding him pedialyte. Diane
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dianedfisher@yahoo.com

My 3 CWD-Avanyu, Tripod and Drago

I had the same problem with my Girl Rana. Everytime I tried to put her in her big-girl cage she would turn black and sit in the corner. I put the two cages together thinking she would eventually want to wander over but it never happened. The big cage was identical to the small cage in set up, she was just to stubborn. SO she still lives (happily) in her small cage and as long as she's happy, that's just fine with me.
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Feenie

Ahhhh crap . Does this mean it is better for a 2 1/2 mo old cham to be in his adult cage ? I have his adult cage (4ft L , 2ft W , 2ft D ) pretty much ready for him when he gets big .

If he is gonna freak I might as well move him in now unless it will cause him to not be able to catch his food items . He is eating 1/2" crickets now .

Didn't mean to hijack this thread , I figured it was pertinent to the discussion at hand . . .

We learned a couple of tricks that might help you folks with chams that react to cage changes.

For the small one that needs a bigger cage:
1. Sit the small cage in front of the larger one (door to door). Remove the doors, and block off open areas. Allow the cham to come out and explore the new one. Only offer the drip in the larger cage. If you use a feed cup - place it in the larger cage. Once the cham has moved himself into the larger cage, you can remove the small one.

2. We designed a "expand-as-they-grow" cage. Since we build our own, and hubby can incorporate my ideas into wood or steel, we made a few of these for customers who purchased young chams from us.

We made a 4x2x2 cage. The trick is to make a false bottom that can be lowered as the cham grows. Think of a push-up ice cream treat - or tubed chapstick. Simply make a table that fits inside the cage, with 4 legs that can be cut off or removed as needed. We found that it is best to do 2x2x2 then 3x2x2 then remove the table for 4x2x2. To keep insects in the smaller area, I recommend getting a fine nylon mesh (available in colors at fabric stores) and placing that across the table and up the sides a bit. This can be discarded when you are done with it. Your plants can be sitting on the table - or you can hang a pothos from the top. Larger plants can be introduced or more added as you expand, along with branches.

We found a 24" x 24" plastic tub that is 4-6" deep to place in the bottoms of these cages, and that controls any water drips. These tubs are available at most places that sell items for hydroponic gardening. Another option is to use vinyl tile over the wood on the base of the 4x2x2 cage, and 2" up the sides (silicone the seams). We recommend a small "shop-vac" for water extraction.

Just some ideas....

What a superb design and idea. Where were you when I needed you-LOL. My panther, Thraxxis, is in baaaad shape. Of course, being a novice, I ripped apart his "old" cage to scavenge items for the "new" set-up, so it's pretty much sink or swim for him. He acts like he's "blind" in the new cage. Can't find the dripper OR his food bowl and only drinks when I mist. And, he only drinks by licking drops off the screen wire of the cage top. I love him, but he's about to drive me nuts! I've been giving him 2 cc of pedialyte for the past 48 hrs.-am and pm by syringe. 2 days ago he was really bad-eyes all sunk in and dark. His color is back and his eyes are no longer so sunken, but he's still far from well. He did poop today and it was loose, but I didn't find any urates with it. He drank from the mister (cage wire drips again) for a long time this afternoon, so I didn't give him the pedialyte tonight. I leave on Saturday am (4 am) for 5 days and my non-reptile loving husband is going to be the caregiver. He'll mist the cage and throw in some crickets, but Thraxxis won't get the TLC he's used to. Diane
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dianedfisher@yahoo.com

My 3 CWD-Avanyu, Tripod and Drago

Gosh, I hope Thraxxis will be okay for the 5 days.
But if he started drinking from the drip - it sounds like he is adjusting. Let us all hear from you when you get back too.

www.reptayls.com

Well I moved my little guy to the big cage yesterday . He is getting too big for the 10 gallon aquarium he was in and he is only 2 1/2 months old . He immediately went on the hunt and caught a cricket . He has been exploring a bit too . Hopefully he will adjust to the big cage . If not I have a 20 gal aquarium he can stay in until he is big enough .

Does anyone else keep their baby cham in a big screen cage ? Any problems you encountered ?
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