Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have had my veiled for about 4 months now. he used to eat anything and everything but now he eats about a quarter what he used to. i have him under a compact 10.0 bulb which ive heard mixed reviews. i just ordered a floresent 10.0 that will replace the compact setup. he used to be calm but now he runs all over the cage looking for a hole to get out. sometimes when i open the door he trys to run out. he seems to not like his cage anymore. it is 20x20x40 with a photo and palm plant with branches allover. any ideas will help!
thanks,
chris

Well,

I think the problem is that you are not providing something that he wants/needs. It could be he see's a beam of sunlight shining on another plant. It could be he is thirsty and cant find any water. It might be too hot. What wattage of bulb are you using?

Do you have any other lizrds in his sight? He might being think that the other lizard is invading his territory. I really think the problem is that the cage is too hot. He cant cool off so he is trying to get out of the cage and find a place to chill for a while.

Take him out of the cage and watch him wander around the room. He might walk over to a little patch of light or something. Where ever he wanders there must be something in that area that he likes.

Could you give us more details and a picture of his cage? It would help clarify what is going on.
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eric

Are you sure its a male?

If your chameleon is a female and over six months of age it could be looking for an egg laying site! Even if your chameleon hasnt mated with another chameleon she will still develop a clutch of infertile eggs.

She could just be looking for a spot to drop her load!LOL

Post more info!
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eric

ok i have a 100 watt basking bulb that makes the cage around 90 degrees in the day but 65 at night. he is for sure a male because of the back feet having an extra part. ill try to get some pictures and put them on here. tommorrow im going to let him out and see where he goes. i hope he goes to my weeed drawer to smoke good herb!
he is in my bedroom with no other animals in the house.
thanks for your help guys,
keep it coming

chris

Maybe he got into your speed drawer rather than your weed drawer. It sounds like he is stressed. Try offering him something besides crickets, silkworms would be a good choice. Is his setup new? What kind of plants does he have in his cage? You don't smoke in the same room he is in do you? What kind of 10.0 bulb are you talking about? If you don't have any already, I would get some Bio Vines for him to climb on, they go a long way in reducing stress. Please provide more information about his setup then somebody might be able to determine the problem(s) he is having.

is the whole cage 90 degrees? He shoudl have a cool spot, so he can cool down. If the whole thing is 90 degrees, and he's small, he's probably looking for a place to cool down.

Sounds to me as if he is stressed from being too "visible" all the time, the cage may be too low to the ground so he feels vulnerable, and if he's too hot he will be more hyper and show a paler color. If there isn't anywhere he can hide from view (just sticks for climbing routes won't be enough...need bushy plants) he can't relax and sit quiet. Chams are stealth predators who prefer watching the world while hidden.

Carlton u are absolutly correct!! he has a palm plant at the bottom and a photo hanging from top corner with plenty of branches connecting. his cage is about two feet off the ground and then is about 3 more feet , so the top of the cage is at eye level(6 feet). he is in my room where me and my mom see him about 10 times a day.....probly too much. i have a perfect place for him in the basement where im going to build a bigger cage hidden from all humans. thanks for your help and keep it coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

chris