Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

I am considering purchasing 2 Vieled Chameleons to add to my family of other pets. My biggest concern is with my 3 cats. From 5 years of experience with my Bearded Dragon and Corn snake is that my cats enjoy sitting on/next to or as close as possible to the cages (same with the fish tank).

I plan on building my own cage as I have done for my other reptiles. This cage would be aproximately 4 feet wide, 1 foot deep and 4-5 feet tall with at least one divider to separate them as they age. The front will be of plexi glass (for better viewing), the bottom will be of wood with the other sides screen for ventallation.

So, I'm worried about how the chameleons will react to having cats constantly looking at them. The cage will be 2 feet off the groung, but I know the cats I have will stand on their back feet to get a good look. Is this going to create a problem?

I know I said a lot, but I'm trying to get as much information as I can before purchasing.

Cats watching them will definitely stress them. They may spend much time frozen waiting for the cats to leave, and won't bask, drink, or hunt well. The plexiglass will also cause some problems. Depending on how the lighting is set up most chams will see their reflection in glass/plexi and think they are being constantly threatened by another animal. Also, chams never figure out why they can't walk through the glass and may spend hours pawing at it. If you really want chams you need to consider keeping your cats out of view of the cage and consider using all screen instead.

I hate to say this but this sounds like a pretty bad mix. As Carlton said, the cats will stress the chams just too badly. They have a hard enough time being watched as it is. A cat or two will stop the cham from moving and he/she will end up not eating, drinking, etc.

Also, the cage dimensions sound a little funky. Chams usually need more depth than just a foot. I would say you are best off with a cage that is at least 18" deep. You are right on by preparing to separate the chams, as well. They need their own individual cages by about the 4th month in my experience.

Also, as Carlton mentioned, you will want to avoid the plexiglass. Chams have a tendency to get respiratory infections when oused in cages that are anything but screen (or mesh). You would want a screen cage, but that could prove to be a bit too tempting for the cats as they may be able to figure a way in.

~MP
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1.0 Ambanja 9 mos. - LESTER
0.1 Nosy Be 6 mos. - KUBO

This is just me, but my solution to this problem was legs. My chameleon cage is about a foot off the ground. THe bottom is of the cage is solid on the bottom and on all sides foe about another foot. THis seems to have solved my cat problem, but then agian this is just me. Another good thing to try is training your cats to stay away from the cage with a squirt bottle. Any time they get near it, or show any interest in the cage or chameleon, just squirt them. After a while, they get the idea. Hope this helps, jrbl

In our house we have Sanchoz our 8 month old male veild, Raum a 85 pound rottweiler pup, a budgie and now 2 cats (a kitten whom we've had since he was 4 wks old and now a old 6 yr old stray cat)

And as far as Sanchoz being stressed and not eating well that doesnt happen. Unless we try to get him to eat from a cup. Then hes one unhappy camper.

The kitten we taught him not to go ontop the cage with the spray bottle idea, it only took a few squirts and he learnt not to go there. The stray who we call Roach doesnt care, hasnt gone near the cage, just cant be bothered I guess. The dog likes to look in the cage and sleeps on the couch with his head on the arm so he can look in. Sanchoz doent care he doenst show stress colors, and still crawls all over his cage regardless.

The budgie is always on the cage. A big NO-NO I know but he flys there and its hard to teach him not to go there. You cant scold them like dogs or cats. Sanchoz doesnt care though and will often sit under the budgie on his branch and bask in sunlight from the window.

We cant move the cage our house is way to small to put it anywhere else and the 2 bedrooms we have - one is ours but its already crowded and the other is Embers nursary *no lizards in or near there*

We've had all these animals just as long as Sanchoz and he has always been around them one way or another. We havent noticed anything stressed about him, except when we went on holidays and he was left with a "bad" baby sitter. And there wasnt any other pets in the house but him then.

Try too keep them away though I wouldnt recomend letting your animals get this close to your Cham(s) if it possible. I'm just stating from our experience.. good luck

Christa

It kind of just depends on your animals. We have a cat/kitten (still in that inbetween stage) who was impossible to train away from the cages. He liked to sit there and watch my male. I could squirt him all the time and he never moved, actually he seemed to enjoy it... strange cat... But my veiled never showed and stress colors when he was around. I think he understands that his cage keeps him in and others out.

After feeding my guy one day (with smudge the kitten "helping" by jumping in the cricket cage and making cricket paste while my back was turned) I stayed to watch my guy eat and keep the cat away. Gene wandered all around the bottom of the cage looking for crickets, stayed a lovely green, and never looked twice at the kitten, who was walking around the perimeter. In fact the cat kind of helped him by tapping the side of the screen and making the crickets who were hiding move.

So who knows, just my little story (sorry for boring you guys lol) But just kind of try it out, it might not be as bad as you think.