Crawling on cage bottom

[titan501x]

My female veiled chameleon keeps crawling on the bottom of her cage, and when she does so, she turns dark brown or gets really odd patterns. She is only 4 months old, so i don't think she is gravid, and i don't think she is looking for food, she is bowl fed and will sit next to her bowl when she is hungry. What is going on?

 

[Jordan]

When a chameleon is on the ground in a cage it is normal for them to get darker. The bottoms of cages are usually color then the rest of the cage. Turning darker would allow them to try and absorb more light heat and perhaps help to control the rate at which heat that has already been obtained dissapates off at. Every cage and variables are different so this may not always hold true.

Why is she going on the ground? I think you are on the right track already. My males does this about twice a day. I personally think he is looking for food and perhaps looking to see if there are intruders into his territory. He too gets dark when he is at ground level.

If she is just roaming around for a small portion of the day I would think there is not to much concern there. Now if she is spending a great portion of her day on the ground it might be better if you provide more specifics into your husbandry: temperatures, cage size, feeders....etc....

 

[titan501x]

well, she knows were her food would be if she was hungry, and she waits by her food bowl, so i don't think shes looking for food. Maybe she is "patrolling" her territory, because she only spends a few minutes at best at the bottom.

 

[titan501x]

okay, today she is spending about half her time on the bottom of the cage. What should i do?

 

[joe keenan]

she may be getting ready to lay eggs

 

[titan501x]

shes not old enough, shes only 4 months old.

 

[Laragail]

Personally, I would take her to the vet. (if she is spending half her time on the bottom)

Other people might be able to help you more if you do what Jordan suggested and tell everyone more about your husbandry.

 

[titan501x]

Shes in a enclosure 28 inches tall, 14 inches deep and 14 inches wide. she has uvb and i dust her crickets at every feeding. the top of her cage is 86 degrees, and the bottom is about 70. i mist her twice a day. Usually she is yellow-greenish, but now she is a light brown.

 

[joe keenan]

ur cage is to small and dont they only need vitamins twice a week

 

[Cherron]

Is there any way that you can post pics of your chameleon and your setup? Also, any information on humidity, basking and ambient temperature, the look of her poop, anything at all that you can think of, will be helpful. This link tells the information that is most often needed when asking a question of this sort

https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

 

[Brad Ramsey]

What are you dusting with every feeding?

-Brad

 

[titan501x]

actually, shes doing much better now, she hasn't been to the bottom of her cage in several hours, her colors are now normal, and shes been eating and drinking fine. I think it was my sisters cat that was bugging her, the cat likes to paw and sometimes try to climb that cage.

 

[BethG]

Shes in a enclosure 28 inches tall, 14 inches deep and 14 inches wide. she has uvb and i dust her crickets at every feeding. the top of her cage is 86 degrees, and the bottom is about 70. i mist her twice a day. Usually she is yellow-greenish, but now she is a light brown.

No mention here of a basking area, do you have a lamp for basking?

 

[titan501x]

yes, i do have a lamp for basking, its a standard heat lamp with a 100 watt bulb

 

[Laragail]

You should try to keep the cat away from your chameleon.

The stress could eventually lead to health problems.

I know how hard it can be- as my cat likes to torment my critters as well.

I keep my chameleon in a room that I can shut my cat out of when I am not around.

She used to climb on top of my anole's cage and torment him too, but I started spraying her with water when she did it and she has since stopped.

 

[titan501x]

yea, i have started to keep her out, she is always trying to bug my pets.

 

[Laragail]

ha that reminds me....

Does she go for your crickets too?

my cat LOVES to watch them hop around....Sometimes I give her one and she mashes it to death with her paws...

So I guess feeders aren't just for reptiles after all.

 

[titan501x]

my cats do that too! when i used to keep crickets in a kricket keeper, my sisters cat would knock them over, and they would get out, it would cost me an extra $5.