Hanging near cage bottom

[Christofolo]

Hello,

My jackson chameleon for some reason spends a a small part of the day walking around the bottom half of the cage and even traversing across the floor but later just climbs right back up. He is well hydrated and fed with gutloaded crickets.

Is this anything out of the ordinary? The temps are in the 70s so I don't see why he would be hanging down near the floor.

 

[hinoco1225]

Yes, that is out of the ordinary. Can you post a picture? Are you positive he's male?

If you are sure he's male, it would help for you to fill out this form to help us get a better understanding on the situation:

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

 

[Christofolo]

Your Chameleon - Jackson, unknown but believed to be male, Unknown, bought it at beverlys pet center in pembroke pines, FL. Been in my care for around 2 weeks.

Handling - Hanlded a couple times to change the cage, once to go outside.

Feeding - Every other day I toss in 2-3 gut loaded crickets with the Herptivite and D3 once, putting the D3 again soon.

Supplements - I am using the repcal pair to dust the crickets, I had also given the crickets dusted apples to further gutload them. The crickets are also given fluker's cricket quencher.

Watering -I have a dripper and I mist 3+ times a day, the misting ends with drops coming down from the roof of the screen cage and I have seen him drink from the drops in front of me.

Fecal Description - I've only seen him poop once and that was the day after I brought him into his home, It was clear-white with brown oval droppings. Since then he hasn't pooped and has eaten around 3-4 crickets. Doesn't appear to be bulging.

History - I bought him from beverlys which was housing the same size cage I bought for him only he shared the cage with almost a dozen other jacksons. Mistings and crickets were present but it was generally cluttered.

Cage Info:
Cage Type -I have a screen cage thats about 15 3/4'' x 15 3/4'' x 19 1/2''

Lighting - I have a 25w tube light from rep-glo and a repti-sun or similar UVB light. I leave the heat light on for short periods as my room is already in the 70s and puts his cage to 80s if i turn it on, but I leave the UVB on for the 8-10 hour span that clark would need.

Temperature - My temp range is in the low 70s at the bottom and mid to higher 70s at the top, I am recording with a fluker's temp and hygrometer.

Humidity - Humidity is at 71% at the bottom atm and it fluctuates around there as I mist and goes up.

Plants -I currently have an umbrella plant and a bamboo with thin limbs along with some dried wood all wrapped with fake vines that he vigorously climbs around with daily.

Placement - My cage is in an office with a ceiling fan with the air cond. vent away from his cage. He only sees me and my folks in there. the top of the cage is around 4-41/2' from the floor as its currently on a desk.

Location - I am in Miami, Fl.

 

[Christofolo]

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t308/Christofolo/IMG_20111028_132415.jpg He is at the top getting some heat now but he has done that almost every day with a range of coloration.

http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t308/Christofolo/?action=view&current=IMG_20111027_170221.jpg

http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t308/Christofolo/?action=view&current=IMG_20111027_170213.jpg

He seems healthy I even ordered in some phoenix worms to feed him so I am kind of stumped as to whats wrong. He DOES gape sometime and it even mimics yawning but thats only rarely, and when the heat light was off thats why I hardly use it since ambient temp is already mid 70s in the day.

 

[Elgato]

I too have a jackson male with the same issue. Didn't really think much of it. If it is a issue I'd like to see what other people have to say as well.

FYI chris, your chams actions are exactly like mine and I have about the same setup with a few differences.

 

[robski24]

if you free range your feeders he's just probably looking for some food
my chameleon often wanders around to the bottom for a short period of time actively bright and green

 

[BocaJan]

From what I can see of your set up from looking at your pictures:

1. You should have a taller cage. You should have at least an 18X36 minimum.
2. Nothing on the bottom of the cage. It really is much easier to keep clean with out all that stuff down there. How can you clean it every time he poops?
3. A Jacksonii that small should be eating 3-4, maybe even 5 1/2" crickets a day. Mine wanders around his 24X24X48 cage checking out all the corners for food. The only time he comes down is to hang his butt over the edge of one of the plant pots to poop and goes right back up.
4. Jacksonii like cooler temps. No heat lamps. Here in FL you don't need to give them any heat other then a 25 watt bulb, however your cage is so small it is heating up his entire envirnment. Where is the linear bulb? I only see a fixture made for 2 regular type bulbs. There isn't enough room or enough plants for the poor boy to hide from the heat and cool off in any shade. They really like to be sprayed throughout the day. Mine get 3-4 sprays a day and close their eyes, raise their chin and just enjoy the moisture.

I would say he is in the bottom of his cage for those reasons.

 

[KatiLemons]

Your Chameleon - Jackson, unknown but believed to be male, Unknown, bought it at beverlys pet center in pembroke pines, FL. Been in my care for around 2 weeks.

Handling - Hanlded a couple times to change the cage, once to go outside.

Feeding - Every other day I toss in 2-3 gut loaded crickets with the Herptivite and D3 once, putting the D3 again soon.
Supplements
Calcium w/o d3-everyday
calcium w/ d3-2 x's a month
Multivitamin-2 x's a month
Supplements - I am using the repcal pair to dust the crickets, I had also given the crickets dusted apples to further gutload them. The crickets are also given fluker's cricket quencher.
What are you gutloading with other than Apples that are dusted?
Watering -I have a dripper and I mist 3+ times a day, the misting ends with drops coming down from the roof of the screen cage and I have seen him drink from the drops in front of me.

Fecal Description - I've only seen him poop once and that was the day after I brought him into his home, It was clear-white with brown oval droppings. Since then he hasn't pooped and has eaten around 3-4 crickets. Doesn't appear to be bulging.
He should be pooping every couple days. If he has only pooped once in 2 weeks you should take him to the vet. He should be eating more than 3-4 crickets in 2 weeks!
History - I bought him from beverlys which was housing the same size cage I bought for him only he shared the cage with almost a dozen other jacksons. Mistings and crickets were present but it was generally cluttered.

Cage Info:
Cage Type -I have a screen cage thats about 15 3/4'' x 15 3/4'' x 19 1/2''

Lighting - I have a 25w tube light from rep-glo and a repti-sun or similar UVB light. I leave the heat light on for short periods as my room is already in the 70s and puts his cage to 80s if i turn it on, but I leave the UVB on for the 8-10 hour span that clark would need.
You should be using a Repti-sun 5.0 and also know that you will need to change your uvb out every 6-8 months.
Temperature - My temp range is in the low 70s at the bottom and mid to higher 70s at the top, I am recording with a fluker's temp and hygrometer.

Humidity - Humidity is at 71% at the bottom atm and it fluctuates around there as I mist and goes up.

Plants -I currently have an umbrella plant and a bamboo with thin limbs along with some dried wood all wrapped with fake vines that he vigorously climbs around with daily.

Placement - My cage is in an office with a ceiling fan with the air cond. vent away from his cage. He only sees me and my folks in there. the top of the cage is around 4-41/2' from the floor as its currently on a desk.

Location - I am in Miami, Fl.

My chameleon likes to explore the bottom of his cage aswell and its not anything to worry about if he is just cruisin along and is just curious. The things you want to look out for when a chameleon is on the floor is if they look sickly and are weak. Or if they are spending the majority of thier day on the floor of the cage.

 

[Christofolo]

From what I can see of your set up from looking at your pictures:

1. You should have a taller cage. You should have at least an 18X36 minimum.
2. Nothing on the bottom of the cage. It really is much easier to keep clean with out all that stuff down there. How can you clean it every time he poops?
3. A Jacksonii that small should be eating 3-4, maybe even 5 1/2" crickets a day. Mine wanders around his 24X24X48 cage checking out all the corners for food. The only time he comes down is to hang his butt over the edge of one of the plant pots to poop and goes right back up.
4. Jacksonii like cooler temps. No heat lamps. Here in FL you don't need to give them any heat other then a 25 watt bulb, however your cage is so small it is heating up his entire envirnment. Where is the linear bulb? I only see a fixture made for 2 regular type bulbs. There isn't enough room or enough plants for the poor boy to hide from the heat and cool off in any shade. They really like to be sprayed throughout the day. Mine get 3-4 sprays a day and close their eyes, raise their chin and just enjoy the moisture.

I would say he is in the bottom of his cage for those reasons.

Well it is pretty easy to clean my cage i really only have to take out a couple things. The problem is that I don't know any other good places to put him where he won't be bothered like crazy by people. As for the higher temps I wouldn't be able to explain it because he hugs the ceiling sometimes.

I have the repti-sun 5.0 thats whats lighting it up right now as its warm enough I'm not using any other light. The forward end of the cage isnt getting hit by the light so he hangs there alot to sleep and whatnot but he almost always stays near the center at the top of the cage. He had pooped about 2 hours ago and possibly another time when I wasnt home as I found another dropping. He's pooping fine but he isnt going to crazy with the crickets..theres 2 in there now but he's ignoring them. The guy has eaten fine if you ask me and he will probably go ballistic once the phoenix worms come in. But yeah I want a bigger cage for clark :/

 

[lindawaz]

I don't have a Jackson, don't know much about them but I do know that my female veild is offered more food than yours.

He could be bored with the crickets. Giving them variety in feeders helps prevent this.

You said he hangs out in the front where not much light and sleeps. Is he doing that during the day or just at night when all lights are out?

Hope he does better soon

 

[Christofolo]

Oh he hardly stays put till its night time then he just chills and knocks out on top of the vine i set up near the ceiling or on the umbrella plant. Heck he is there now just looking around. If he was hungry he coulda nailed the crickets but w/e, by tomorrow the worms should be here.

I'm looking for good cages now to see what works.

 

[Tasiaaaa]

Helppppp

Hi I need help I just bought a chameleon veiled and he's only 3 weeks he keeps staying on the top of the cage by the heating thing! Idk y does anyone

 

[Video Master]

Hi I need help I just bought a chameleon veiled and he's only 3 weeks he keeps staying on the top of the cage by the heating thing! Idk y does anyone

This thread is 2 years old and has nothing to do with your chameleon. Please start a thread in the health section and fill out the HOW TO ASK FOR HELP FORM.

 

[Dgood]

Jacksons chameleon are a montane speices, they require less supplementation, and are more prone to become over dosed by it. Plain calcium with out d3 or phosphorus should be used 2 times a week, not every feeding. Also I have done without calcium with d3 completely and now use a multivitamin with d3 instead.
Here is the care sheet, veiw the supplementation and food for jacksons chameleon

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/

My chameleon likes to explore the bottom of his cage aswell and its not anything to worry about if he is just cruisin along and is just curious. The things you want to look out for when a chameleon is on the floor is if they look sickly and are weak. Or if they are spending the majority of thier day on the floor of the cage.