weird cham behaviour

Bartman · 06-27-04, 04:29 PM

My veiled chameleon has be acting extremely odd since last night. At around 11 (lights go out at 930) i heard a thud, and opened the lights to see he fell out of his tree...i was really worried but he got right back up to his tree and was fine for the night. Then in the morning at around 11 (i only woke up then lol) i saw him running around the tank on the screen and now its 6 and he doesnt seem to like his tree. I am using a ficus bush and ive added some other branches going across the habitat. I mist all the time and temps are at 90. Is their something wrong with him or is he scarred of his tree or something. I was thinking to get a smaller tree so he can get lower down if he wants causs the one i have doesnt have to many leaves in the mid area, their all at the top and he never really goes their.

DragnDrop · 06-27-04, 04:55 PM

Under normal circumstances, a healthy cham does not fall out of his tree. A cham will however, drop to the ground if he feels threatened, specially from above.

Do you know if something might have scared the heebie jeebies out of him to make him try for a hasty getaway and drop to the bottom?
How's his health? Sick chams can easily lose their grip and fall. Is he acting okay, does he look sick or weak?

Adding more branches/leaves/plants lower down won't hurt as long as it stil allows him some room to move around. It's hard to overdo the plants but it is possible.

Bartman · 06-27-04, 04:58 PM

hmm nothing really i can think of..

OH wait it coooould be my snake..but when i turned the lights on i dont remember the snake being out..his tank is right next to his. Ill put something in between anyway. My cham is also shedding, i think, because he has a dull coloration and was scratching his head with his hind leg yesterday..i this a sign of something else? Im pretty sure hes very healthy...ill get a pic of him from today and you can make a conclusion.

Bartman · 06-27-04, 05:21 PM

Here is a picture I took today. See the black thing near his head/crest. I checked if it was a mite or something, but looks like a scabed injury. I know before he was kept with other cham's. Will those go away on the next shed and is their anything I need to do? (last pic)

meow_mix450 · 06-27-04, 05:26 PM

its probly one of those once in a while falls, mine fell once since i got him. But he seems fine

Meow

dank7oo · 06-27-04, 05:52 PM

Well the snake is a problem in that spot (regardless is thats the reason behind the fall). Chameleons are deathly afraid ofsnakes. As recall with Ichiro, when we brought him to the petstore he got crazy fired up at the sight of a snake. Just a thought.

Jason

vipervenom · 06-27-04, 05:53 PM

Sometimes they confuse where their feet and tails are and just accidentally fall. This can happen to any cham. Or another freek accident such as breaking branches/leaves could have happened. He looks healthy from what I can see. Also add branches and vines to all levels of the cage not only to increase the surface area to climb on, but should he fall again, he has something the grab onto ont he way down.

meow_mix450 · 06-27-04, 11:09 PM

ya add branchs just having a ficus tree isnt enough for him to run around

Good luck!

Meow

latazyo · 06-28-04, 09:24 AM

we have had chameleons fall in the past

if you want to see a truly UNgraceful chameleon, check out pygmies

anyways, huhet has a senegal that had some battle wounds from the wild and they seem to be disappearing with sheds, so I'd expect the same from yours

Bartman · 06-28-04, 08:22 PM

Well i found out what was wrong with my VERY odd chameleon. He was scared ****less of the branches..

????

I sorta noticed this when i wanted to add more and he started waving back and forth flattening out and getting really dark and really just going psyco everytime the stick went near him. I took all the branches out i added, just left the tree and today he is back in the tree acting normal

what the heck LOL, this guys a weirdo?!

meow_mix450 · 06-28-04, 08:55 PM

Thats normal my female does the name, you put a moving stick near it they will think its threating, cause its moving, not everyday they see a stick moving lol. I suggest you take him out and place him some where, then place those sticks in

Meow

vipervenom · 07-10-04, 09:31 AM

I was cleaning and re-arranging my cage about a week ago and my cham hissed at everything that moved in his cage! He would puff up the largest I'd ever seen him, turn these awesome but weird colours, gape his mouth, hiss and lunge at what ever was in there!!! I have never seen him like that before. I tried to take him out of the cage but he hissed and tried to bite my hand. I ended up getting gloves to remove him and he still bit me. I'll think twice about that again...

Bartman · 07-10-04, 10:44 AM

Yes, they do put on quite a show. But i treid meow's idea and it worked perfectly. He actually seems to enjoy the branches and sleeps in the same place everynight.

meow_mix450 · 07-10-04, 10:57 AM

glad it worked

Meow

kidchameleon · 07-10-04, 12:52 PM

my cham fell once, but that was only because he grabbed onto a branch that wasn't strong enough to support him. he got right back up though.