Do chameleons doze?

Aeon Riddle

Aeon Riddle

New Member
Do chameleons doze?
because i have noticed that Apollo has taken to closing his eyes. He opens them when i arrive, so i dont think anything is wrong.
Would just like to know if this is normal.
Thanks
A
 
No, closing their eyes is a sign of something wrong. Chameleons eyes should be plump, wide open and moving around all day. It could be anything from an illness to your lights. Fill out the "how to ask for help" form under the health section and let's see if we can figure out the problem, before it gets worse.
 
Eyes closed mean something is wrong. Please fill out the how to ask for help for in a sticky titled how to ask for help in the health clinic section.
 
Your Chameleon - Ambelobie PAnther Chameleon
Male
4 months old
I have had him for 4 days
Handling - I have handled him once when i took him out of the cage to move
some foliage
Feeding - I am feeling Apollo number 1 locusts a day and have some
small/medium crickets on the way. I also feed him 2 Indian baby
stick insects a day.
I feed him 4 locusts in the morning and 2 locusts in the afternoon
as it gives him something to do.
I give the locusts gut loading substance and a lettuce leaf. The
stick insects privet.
Supplements - Gutload pro-formula given to the locusts every evening.
Nutrobal calcium-put in with the locusts every other day.
No vitamins used
Watering - I use a simple spray bottle which i use to mist the cage for 20
seconds 3 times a day. I do see Apollo drinking, he drinks off
leaves and the walls.
Fecal Description - The droppings are long and thin. mostly brown, with a
white tip. Solid shape.
I don't know if he has been tested for parasites
History - He came from a breeder who i have met personally. No other
history.


Cage Info:
Cage Type - A five sided wooden sided cage with sliding glass front. I has a
plastic section at the back 2.5"x14" which holes in it to allow
a good ventilation.
36"x14"x18".
Lighting - Repti Glo 10.0 UVB. 26W Exo Terra.
Reflector R80 100W 240V Red.
I have a timer which turns on both at 7:30 am and turns it off at
8pm.
Temperature - Basking Spot:30c 86F
Floor temp: 25c 77F
Lowest temp so far: 17c 62.6F But i do cover the cage with a
cloth.
I measure the temp by using a digital thermometer.
Humidity - The average humidity level is 50%
After i have sprayed it goes up to 70% tops. Usually 60%.
I have a small analogue dial.
Plants - I am not using lives plants at the moment. Only plastic. Though i
hope to change this.
Placement - My cage is in my room, which is on the second floor. There are
no vents near it and the door to the room cant be seen. He is
on small cabinet, just under waist height.
There are no small children around and the cats stay down
stairs, i keep my door closed.
Location -I live near London, United Kingdom.
 
It's great you filled out the form, nothing really jumps out that is drastically wrong. Can you post pictures of the enclosure and the cham?
 
Privet is not good for chameleons. Change your stick insect diet at least one week prior to feeding off to the chameleon - choices include: blackberry bramble, raspberry bramble, rose leaves, romaine.

What are you using the red light bulb for?

What is in the cricket/locust gutload?

Do you ever use a plain calcium supplement (nutribol contains D3, Vitamin A and more, right?)
 
Your chameleon looks ill. Have you notice any other signs like noise breathing, open mouth breathing? Respiratory/Ocular Infections can cause your cham to close his eyes. Other husbandry factors that may contribute to respiratory/sinus and ocular problems include poor hygiene of water sources and insect cultures, poor ventilation, and improper environmental temperatures. Another theory is that your chameleon is lacking in vitamins. You stated that you do not currently use vitamins and this could be causing the closed eyes. Some clinical signs of Vit A deficiency include eye problems, respiratory infections, difficulty shedding to name a few. Please do not take what I am saying as a diagnois, I am by no means a Vet. You should get rid of the substrate at the bottom of the cage as it causes impaction and do away with the bowl of water. Cham can drown easily. You need a drip system and you can look under thread Water fall to see an example and how to build. Give us more details of other things your cham is doing, it might help.
 
I have stopped feeding Apollo stick insects a few days ago.
The red light is my heat lamp. i does not go over 30c as i use a digital thermometer every week.
He is starting to shed and has shown the smallest amount of colours colours, as he had developed not colours as of yet, hence the reason for the dull grey colours.
I feed the locusts on Gutload pro-formula which has edible clay in it, it was recommended by a breeder.
I have heard no wheezing or hissing. He doesnt open his mouth.
I think i got the photos when he wasn't very happy with me. I sprayed the cage and hit him with water, so rather annoyed with me.
I will phone the retile pet shop that i bought him at to talk about the vitamins.
Can you tell me what vitamins you use and how often.
Thanks for the advice
A
 
I was told by a breeder that chameleons close their eyes when not much is happening.
The supplement at the bottom of the cage was to keep the humidity up, i will talk to the pet shop about it.
Thanks
A
 
Chameleons need a 'white' light to bask under - it simulates the sun. They need to bask to keep their body temp at the right level plus they need to bask to digest their food. Quite honestly, your normal 'run of the mill' petshop will probably not be of much help - they often give out the wrong advice where cameleons are concerned. You are best off asking questions and doing plenty of research on here.

I have lined the bottom of my two cages with off cuts of vinyl flooring - it looks nice and is easy to wipe clean too! When using substrate of any kind there is always a risk of your chameleon eating some of it, and this can cause a blockage in their intestines. Better safe than sorry!

Chameleons don't 'close their eyes when there is nothing happening' - a healthy chameleon will be alert with its eyes moving pretty much the whole time. I would think that most breeders would know that it isn't the case. A chameleon who sits with closed eyes is most probably sick!
 
Miss Lily said:
Chameleons need a 'white' light to bask under - it simulates the sun. They need to bask to keep their body temp at the right level plus they need to bask to digest their food. Quite honestly, your normal 'run of the mill' petshop will probably not be of much help - they often give out the wrong advice where cameleons are concerned. You are best off asking questions and doing plenty of research on here.

I have lined the bottom of my two cages with off cuts of vinyl flooring - it looks nice and is easy to wipe clean too! When using substrate of any kind there is always a risk of your chameleon eating some of it, and this can cause a blockage in their intestines. Better safe than sorry!

Chameleons don't 'close their eyes when there is nothing happening' - a healthy chameleon will be alert with its eyes moving pretty much the whole time. I would think that most breeders would know that it isn't the case. A chameleon who sits with closed eyes is most probably sick!
Click to expand...

Good catch Miss Lily on the "red" basking light. Can you get the weight on your chameleon? You will need to know this if you are going to give him some Vit A. My male panther weighs 196 grams and I gave him one capsule of liquid Vit A which is 8000IUD. This is under the recommended amount as I didn't want to over do it. Too much supplements is as bad as not enough. Check out some threads on supplementing schedules. There is not one right way to do it as it depends on age, species, etc.
 
I have no scales that will go that low. So dont know what he weighs.

I have done research on here, but there seems to be millions of solutions, i have had people say that dozing is fine and others say that he is seriously ill.
It all gets rather confusing over what advice to listen to.

Apollo sits near the UV lamp that i have in the right hand side of the cage. I have a feeling he basks in between the heat lamp and the UV bulb.
 
Yes being new to the forum is very confusing, I was there once. Here is a link to vrs supplement schedules https://www.chameleonforums.com/collection-supplement-schedule-36203/. I think SandraChameleon' blogs are the best for feeder info and supplements. I would advise that you do not listen to the pet shop for answers. Everyone on this forum truly brings more information they have learned from experience. It of course is merely people's opinions and cannot replace an experienced vet. It can however help you correct husbandry issues, supplements, feeders, etc. Chameleons will bask under the UVB light as it simulates the Vit D that the sun provides. They know when they have had enough and will move away. That's why you have a basking light, so when they need to get warm they can and when they need to cool off they move to a cooler spot in the cage. Try using just a regular 60 watt household bulb instead of the "red" basking light and see if that helps with his eyes.
 
Aeon Riddle said:
I have no scales that will go that low. So dont know what he weighs.

I have done research on here, but there seems to be millions of solutions, i have had people say that dozing is fine and others say that he is seriously ill.
It all gets rather confusing over what advice to listen to.

Apollo sits near the UV lamp that i have in the right hand side of the cage. I have a feeling he basks in between the heat lamp and the UV bulb.
Click to expand...


Whoever is telling you that cham's sleeping during the day is fine then they don't know anything about cham's. This is a sign that something is wrong. Cham's need 12 hours of sleep and 12 hours of daytime. The red light is probly stressing him out.

trash the red bulb and get a normal 40 or 60 watt house hold bulb
 
A five sided wooden sided cage with sliding glass front. I has a plastic section at the back 2.5"x14" which holes in it to allow a good ventilation.
Click to expand...

Is that sufficient ventilation? I know that in England chameleon cages have more solid walls than we typically see here, but when I think of ventilation I think of air moving through the enclosure.
 
Elizadolots said:
Is that sufficient ventilation? I know that in England chameleon cages have more solid walls than we typically see here, but when I think of ventilation I think of air moving through the enclosure.
Click to expand...

Good observation, if the air is stagnet and moist it could be causing a respiratory issue.
 
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