5 month old awake at night

TaraDawn

New Member
My 5 month old male jackson chameleon sometimes awake at midnight when I get home from work. Sometimes he's just awake and crawling around his cage and sometimes he's hunting. All of his lighting is on times and other than his lighting, there are no other lights on when I get home. Is this something normal with juveniles?
 
My 5 month old male jackson chameleon sometimes awake at midnight when I get home from work. Sometimes he's just awake and crawling around his cage and sometimes he's hunting. All of his lighting is on times and other than his lighting, there are no other lights on when I get home. Is this something normal with juveniles?
Welcome to the forum! :) How much :coffee: are you giving him? (Kidding)

This is not... usual, and frequent/irregular sleep patterns can eventually take a toll stress-wise.
When you say, "sometimes," how often is this occurring, and what are his nighttime temps & humidity?

Jackson's chameleons require a nighttime temperature drop.
And if [ Jackson's chameleons] do not get a 10 to 20 degree F nighttime drop they gradually decline in health. This is thought to be due to exhaustion from not having a restful sleep. The temperature you will be able to provide is a significant consideration when thinking about a Jackson’s Chameleon. For many of us, air conditioners are part of Jackson’s Chameleon husbandry.
https://chameleonacademy.com/jacksons-chameleon-care/

Also, while chameleons do not have ears, they can sense vibrations within certain ranges. Could there be any loud noises or vibrations to account for his... "insomnia"?

There are certainly other possibilities, but these are the first to that come to mind.
 
Welcome to the forum! :) How much :coffee: are you giving him? (Kidding)

This is not... usual, and frequent/irregular sleep patterns can eventually take a toll stress-wise.
When you say, "sometimes," how often is this occurring, and what are his nighttime temps & humidity?

Jackson's chameleons require a nighttime temperature drop.


Also, while chameleons do not have ears, they can sense vibrations within certain ranges. Could there be any loud noises or vibrations to account for his... "insomnia"?

There are certainly other possibilities, but these are the first to that come to mind.
This is occurring about once or twice a week. There are no noises or vibrations. I feed him about 10-15 cricket or mealworms once a day around 11 am.
 
Because it's the night light
How did I miss that? I didn't see any mention of a night light. :unsure: That could be the problem right there.

There should be no lights—of any color—on at night whatsoever. If someone (like a pet store employee) told or sold you otherwise, you were given bad information.
Pet stores often send new keepers home with a red heat bulb for nighttime heating. This is unnecessary and can be unhealthy. Unfortunately, despite what is said at some points of sale, chameleons can see the red light and it disrupts their sleep patterns. Give chameleons as dark of a sleeping area as possible. And, as you will learn in the heating section, additional heating at night is not only not necessary, but, much of the time, is unhealthy. Especially with Jackson’s Chameleons, a night time temperature drop is critical. If you are in a situation where nighttime heating is necessary, do so without light.
https://chameleonacademy.com/basics-chameleon-lighting/

Some folks put a cover over their chams enclosure at night, which can keep light out, and help keep humidity in—with some caveats.

Humidity​

Jackson’s Chameleons experience high humidity nights and mid to low humidity days. A nighttime humidity of 75% to 100% and then a drop to 30-50% during the day will allow them to engage in their natural humidity cycle. The exact numbers are not critical. There are two important aspects. 1) during high humidity times keep the air moving. Often cages are modified to enclose sides to impede airflow so a fogger can increase humidity. In this case have a ceiling fan or computer fan mounted to the top of the cage make sure that the “fog bank” circulates. Stagnant air, regardless of how humid, is unhealthy. 2) All surfaces must be dry during the day. Even if humidity is higher than the numbers listed, if the surfaces are dry then there shouldn’t be a health problem. It is when surfaces, such as the branches the chameleon climbs on are constantly wet the feet get sores and bacteria/fungus/mold is able to take a hold.
https://chameleonacademy.com/jacksons-chameleon-care/
 
As @Klyde O'Scope said "There should be no lights—of any color—on at night whatsoever. If someone (like a pet store employee) told or sold you otherwise, you were given bad information."...exactly.
The night light is more than likely the problem.

Please answer the questions in the how to ask for help thread near the too if the health forum so we can check your husbandry.
 
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