| Member |
Message |
|
#2069331
Chitown
View Profile
|
Trying to get out 
I recently transferred my 7mo old panther cham from a 20"x24"x32" cage to a 2’x2’x4’ cage. It has been almost 2 weeks now that he has been in the new cage and he is constantly crawling all around the cage like he wants to get out. I have read that if they see other plants in the room or if they are too close to a window and they see something, that they are trying to get out of the cage to get to that object. So i have removed the other ficus tree that i had in the room but no matter where i move the cage he will always be able to see out the window. I have a reptisun 5.0 uvb light a basking light, with basking temps 85-87F, lowest temp in cage is 70F, a ficus tree the fills about 60-70% of the cage with branches and vines covering the rest. I have an automatic mister that goes off 8 times a day for a min or so as well as a couple manual misting a day. I feed a staple diet of gut-loaded crickets dusted with calcium everyother day, mineral supplement once a week and multi vitamins 2 a month, with an occasional roach, silkworm, hormworm, waxworm or butterworm. he is eating plenty and drinking plenty, feces looks normal blackish/brown with white urates. but its like he is on crack and im worried that he might hurt himself cause he is always rubbing his face on the screen to try to get out. He doesn’t do this all day long, after he has an eating spree he’ll bask himself for a little then crawl around the branches. Do you still think he is getting use to the new cage or is it something else? i try to send photos if i can figure out how
|
|
09/08/09 02:23pm
|
|
|
#2069335
Chitown
View Profile
|
Message To: Chitown In reference to Message Id: 2069331
Trying to get out
sorry for the novel but i know you guys want info, so let me know if you need anything else
|
|
09/08/09 02:28pm
|
|
|
#2069438
Chitown
View Profile
|
Message To: Chitown In reference to Message Id: 2069335
Trying to get out
here are a couple photos
|
|
09/08/09 05:56pm
|
|
|
#2070175
Xanthoman
View Profile
|
Message To: Chitown In reference to Message Id: 2069438
 Trying to get out
from the photos it looks as though you let him occassionaly free range , i did the same thing with my jacksons and had the same problem, all chams are different, i tried this with 4 chams only one ever came to accept it. when you let them free range it intensifies their desire to be without boundries and i do believe they understand the difference between confinement and freedom , my suggestion would be to not take him out of his cage unless neccessary , until he feels more comfortable in his cage than any place else , also being able to see out the window can cause similar problems a set of venetian blinds might help , it also could be that other factors in his enviroment (like high traffic , being able to see tv or other issues of too much comotion) are making him nervous , just my 2 c worth
|
|
09/10/09 02:00am
|
|
|
#2070221
Chitown
View Profile
|
Message To: Xanthoman In reference to Message Id: 2070175
Trying to get out
actually i took that one picture when i was swapping out cages. I don’t take him out, only when cleaning the cage. I don’t ever handle him unless i have to clean the cage cause i feel that these animals need their space and are more for viewing purposes. I will try to cover the window to see what happens. Actually the other day i was cleaning up the bottom of the cage and i left the bottom flap open when i went to throw out the paper towels, and he must be smart, cause when i was gone for 20 sec. he climbed to the bottom and was hanging half way out of the cage lol. theres no tvs, not really high traffic just me and my finacee and the cage is in a den were no one goes except me. is there anything else i could be missing? forgot to add humidity is between 60-80%. or do i just have a curious cham who just wants to explore.
|
|
09/10/09 08:11am
|
|
|
#2070633
Xanthoman
View Profile
|
Message To: Chitown In reference to Message Id: 2070221
Trying to get out
some chams are definitely more explorative than others and that could very well be the case, one thing you could try is adding some additional climbing structure so that there is less space of open wire, he is less likely to stay on the wire if everywhere he steps there is another branch. another thing you could try (since he does not currently free range ) is to get a large free range type plant and let him work off some nervous energy , but i have to warn you that has as good a chance of backfiring as it does working, sometimes they just dont want to go back in the cage after that. also a close look at your cage conditions might be in order, it could be he is searching for different lighting or humidity or feeder options than what is currently being offered, im not a panther keeper but maybe he is seeking lower humidity, i think 80% might be a little humid for a panther, but i really dont know. bear in mind that there probably are no magical fixes, i would just try and dial his cage in until he is as comfortable as he can be. also i have never had a panther so i am just thinking in terms of common sense type stuff , i keep only jacksons (i used to keep veileds) but jacksons can be kind of a nervous cham and often do the same thing. you might also want to email some large scale breeders of panthers as they are almost certainly familiar with the problem (and often dont post on this forum, but will usually answer emails). as long as he is healthy and his fecals are in order its probably more of an issue for you than it is for him , but i would continue to seek an improvement none the less, after your post has been up longer you will probably have a better range of ideas. probably not much help but just my 2 c worth, good luck hope you get it worked out
|
|
09/11/09 05:00am
|
|
|
#2070634
Xanthoman
View Profile
|
Message To: Xanthoman In reference to Message Id: 2070633
Trying to get out
ps i would be interested in knowing what kind of wood those bleached looking climbing branches are?and i also forgot to ask if there were any other chams in his view as that would be an issue
|
|
09/11/09 05:06am
|
|
|
#2071266
Chitown
View Profile
|
Message To: Xanthoman In reference to Message Id: 2070634
Trying to get out
thanks for the info. the branches are sandblasted manzanita i got them from lllreptile.com
|
|
09/13/09 04:29pm
|
|
