How active is your cham?

[RescueMom]

A sure sign of illness or poor husbandry would be if your chameleon sleeps during the day (eyes closed, tail curled). They should be actively moving around their enclosures.

So, with that said:
how active is "active" ?

And what would cause a 10 month old to literally lay around most of the day in one or two places at the most, eyes open, alert, good appetite, husbandry on - point, vet checked and approved

My previous 2 chameleons (even with the health issues they had) were actively climbing around their cages, making the rounds on their branches, or climbing the screen because they wanted out (in the case of the cage needing an upgrade to a larger enclosure).

I'm at a loss as to what could be the issue. He was previously moving around his enclosure.

I noticed that he started looking up all the time and moving extra slowly after I replaced his UVB lighting that went across the middle of the cage with a longer strip that goes diagonally. It seemed like he could see movement in the light fixture and it was bothering him. I've changed the direction of it, but it hasn't made a difference.

I should also add that he WILL NOT let me handle him. He doesn't get aggressive, just flat out refuses. I was using the method @Beman posted and he progressed to not being afraid of me, but that seems to have ended there.

Any thoughts on this would be most appreciated

 

[Gingero]

Could you post recent pics of him and his enclosure? What are the current temps?

 

[nightanole]

My adults and almost adults, would make a min 2 passes a day walking completely around the bed room walls. id say they walked 100ft a day during the summer. Winter would be 1/3-1/2 that.

 

[RescueMom]

Could you post recent pics of him and his enclosure? What are the current temps?

Ambient temp ranges from 75-78.
Basking temp is around 88, but he hasn't gone to his basking spot in several days.

He seems to just stare at the window where there is a small reptibreeze. He can go from his cage, across a branch, down a trellis I adapted for my last cham, across another long branch and into the small cage. I open the window and he can get natural (filtered through the screen) sunlight. I have another UVB light on the small cage because the sun is only on that side of the house until noon. I'll post a few pictures.
That is the most movement he does. Otherwise he's a little lump

 

[RescueMom]

My adults and almost adults, would make a min 2 passes a day walking completely around the bed room walls. id say they walked 100ft a day during the summer. Winter would be 1/3-1/2 that.

Hmmmm I think my little guy wants to walk around, but for some reason he doesn't trust being outside of his cage.
In my reply to @Gingero you'll see what he does do.
His free range is going from an xl reptibreeze to a small one

 

[Beman]

Basking temp is a little high... I notice with mine that unless they have a purpose for moving they are perfectly happy sitting in one spot until bed. Typically this is the case unless going for water dripping, food, or pooping.

 

[Fchamel]

I have a female veiled and I spot her in different locations throughout the day. She is definitely still alert if she has stayed in a spot for a long period of time.
Please note that I am not always in the room to watch her as I try to leave her alone and am busy with other things.


I hope your boy will be ok!

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Just my observations...

1. They're all different; the behaviors of one or several won't necessarily apply to all.
2. There seems very little foliage in either enclosure, and none between. Has this changed?
3. At 10 months, he probably went through several phases; this may be another one.
4. He's old enough now to know his "turf", possibly with less reason to roam.
5. For any of the above reasons (or other), he may be feeling vulnerable.

Just spitballin' here.

 

[RescueMom]

Basking temp is a little high... I notice with mine that unless they have a purpose for moving they are perfectly happy sitting in one spot until bed. Typically this is the case unless going for water dripping, food, or pooping.

That sounds reasonable for sure! He moves without much hesitation as soon as I open his cage and set up the connection of branches etc so he can get from A to B (ie window).
I'll raise the light so the basking temp is a bit lower and see if that will motivate him a bit.
Thanks!

 

[RescueMom]

I have a female veiled and I spot her in different locations throughout the day. She is definitely still alert if she has stayed in a spot for a long period of time.
Please note that I am not always in the room to watch her as I try to leave her alone and am busy with other things.


I hope your boy will be ok!

I understand! Sometimes it seems like he hasn't moved at all, and even though he has his "own room" (half is my computer space) I have a little wyze video cam. I can go back and look to see if he's really been in the same spot, and even if it's just a little loop around, he still made that little loop around
Thanks for sharing your experience. It's helpful for sure!

 

[RescueMom]

Just my observations...

1. They're all different; the behaviors of one or several won't necessarily apply to all.
2. There seems very little foliage in either enclosure, and none between. Has this changed?
3. At 10 months, he probably went through several phases; this may be another one.
4. He's old enough now to know his "turf", possibly with less reason to roam.
5. For any of the above reasons (or other), he may be feeling vulnerable.

Just spitballin' here.

1) Agreed! I think this one thinks he's part veiled (or maybe he is )

2) looking at the pictures it does seem kinda empty as far as plants are concerned. I didn't realize the poor shefflera in the back corner had taken such a beating (and gotten shoved behind all the branches), and the dracenea on the bottom right was much fuller, but had also been a victim of some leaf trampling, therfore it's not nearly as full as it was. I need to add /replace some to make more coverage for him

3) yes, I was wondering if this might be a teenage ("I'm an uncooperative, rebellious, little jerk") phase . Or maybe he's constipated

4) I did discover that he's sitting on a branch where water is collecting on a pothos leaf below him from the dripper above, so he leans down to drink from the little puddle when I'm not in his sight, so that's good to know!

5) and no reason to feel vulnerable. I tell him all the time, "I promise I DON'T want to eat you "

Thanks for your thoughts! Always helpful and appreciated!

 

[MissSkittles]

Only one of my chameleons is what could be considered very active...my male veiled. Several times a day I find he patrols every inch of his enclosure. I often don’t see him moving...just find him in different spots all the time. One of my girls spends most of her just sitting on the same branch, but at least a couple of times a day I find she’s elsewhere in her enclosure. Same with my panther. My other veiled girl has days where she hides under her plants and I don’t see her basking. Irregardless of their individual activity levels, when it’s food time, they all come rushing forward.

 

[RescueMom]

Only one of my chameleons is what could be considered very active...my male veiled. Several times a day I find he patrols every inch of his enclosure. I often don’t see him moving...just find him in different spots all the time. One of my girls spends most of her just sitting on the same branch, but at least a couple of times a day I find she’s elsewhere in her enclosure. Same with my panther. My other veiled girl has days where she hides under her plants and I don’t see her basking. Irregardless of their individual activity levels, when it’s food time, they all come rushing forward.

So they're very different for sure


Thanks!!

 

[Fchamel]

I understand! Sometimes it seems like he hasn't moved at all, and even though he has his "own room" (half is my computer space) I have a little wyze video cam. I can go back and look to see if he's really been in the same spot, and even if it's just a little loop around, he still made that little loop around
Thanks for sharing your experience. It's helpful for sure!

Of course!
Yes! I understand your experience too!

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

5) and no reason to feel vulnerable. I tell him all the time, "I promise I DON'T want to eat you "

Yeah, I keep saying that too, but I still can't get near him without a threatening gape & hiss.
I got him to take a worm out of a little cup, but not from my hand.

Today I was vacuuming the enclosure floor, and he vulched over me like he was going to jump on me.
After I got through, he climbed down a dowel, sauntered across the floor, and up a flower pot to the trunk of his ficus and back up to the top. I think he was on an escaped cricket hunt—he's never done this before. Most of the time he just sits atop one tree or another.

 

[RescueMom]

Yeah, I keep saying that too, but I still can't get near him without a threatening gape & hiss.
I got him to take a worm out of a little cup, but not from my hand.

Today I was vacuuming the enclosure floor, and he vulched over me like he was going to jump on me.
After I got through, he climbed down a dowel, sauntered across the floor, and up a flower pot to the trunk of his ficus and back up to the top. I think he was on an escaped cricket hunt—he's never done this before. Most of the time he just sits atop one tree or another.

That's hysterical! With those googly eyes, you never really know what they're looking at.

The other day I was trying to herd little Snogzilla (his name is what I got when I added the word cuddle with the word monster ) back into his large enclosure. It seemed like he was trying to go on top on the small cage, but when he got around my hand, he shot into the shooting gallery on the door of the big cage to snag a cricket!

He knew exactly what he was doing, and I had no clue. So this time, I was the dumb dumb

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

That's hysterical! With those googly eyes, you never really know what they're looking at.

I can kinda tell most of the time. I know when he's looking at me, and I know whenever I dump bugs in his feeder cup he's looking at that, no matter where he is. Sometimes it's fun just to watch his eyes move around and guess what he's looking at—probably on the lookout for predators even though he's never seen one.

 

[RescueMom]

I can kinda tell most of the time. I know when he's looking at me, and I know whenever I dump bugs in his feeder cup he's looking at that, no matter where he is. Sometimes it's fun just to watch his eyes move around and guess what he's looking at—probably on the lookout for predators even though he's never seen one.

None of these guys would like being in my living room.

High up in a window ledge is a large wooden cockatoo and on another ledge is a large parrot that sits on a stand, both are about just under 2 ft tall

I had to take them down when I would bring Waldo out because he was terrified (naturally) and would slide around the back of my arm to hide

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I had to take them down when I would bring Waldo out because he was terrified (naturally) and would slide around the back of my arm to hide

Mine used to do similar whenever I opened the enclosure doors. If/When sitting on a dowel, he'd slide down around the back side of it to hide, and come back up again after I closed the doors.

I'd forgotten about that until you mentioned it; he doesn't do it anymore—gotten too big, I guess.

 

[RescueMom]

Mine used to do similar whenever I opened the enclosure doors. If/When sitting on a dowel, he'd slide down around the back side of it to hide, and come back up again after I closed the doors.

I'd forgotten about that until you mentioned it; he doesn't do it anymore—gotten too big, I guess.

Waldo did that when I first got him it was so funny, yet really sad too
Can't help but feel sorry for their tiny little brains!