Chameleon on the ground?

[philc21]

Lately my juvenile veiled has been venturing to the ground and wandering around there. i was told that this only happens when there is something wrong. all the temperatures are fine and hes eating like a pig. is there anything wrong with him leaving the branches to go to the bottom?

 

[Stuey!]

well if its older than 5 months or so, if its female, witch u have not posted, it needs a place to lay eggs, even if it hasnt been introduced to a male. they will lay eggs regardless. if they dont get a place to lay eggs they will die.

 

[philc21]

sry its a male and im not sure how old it is but its about 2 1/2 - 3 in from head to vent and its not like hes being lethargic or ne thing hes basically roaming the grounds

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy Phil,

I'm less worried about short ground visits as long as the critter goes back up afterwards with no signs of any trouble. I have a panther that basically takes a daily tour of his 2x2x4 enclosure, top to bottom just about every day. If, on the other hand, he stayed down on the bottom for hours or didin't return before bedtime to sleep up above, combined being on the bottom with any signs of illness (sunken eye etc.) then you have a problem on your hands. Spotting health issues can be difficult with chameleons and are often discovered too late for recovery possibilities.

 

[Stuey!]

how large is your cage? i asked this same question and they said he was looking for more teritory

 

[voxxom]

well my veileds used to (still sometimes do) wander the ground after i feed them.

they eat the worms and crickets i give them (i give them a planned diet) and they still seem to be hungry after that on some occasions. which a few minutes after they realize they are out of food, they wander the grounds looking for more.

it doesnt seem like anything to be worrying about though.

 

[philc21]

ok good thanx for the help i just never saw him doing this before and thought it was odd and the cage size is 3x18x3 so he should def have enough territory for his size

 

[Brad Ramsey]

My male veiled started exploring the ground of his cage at exactly the same age, after his second shedding.
I think activity is a good thing as long as they go back up.