I need your help!

My veiled chameleon is 2 to 3 months old and has been living with me for 2 weeks now. Every night I find him in a different sleeping places, often in the non-safest positions possible, like holding onto a tiny leaf. Sometimes I'll wait for his lights to go off and I'll watch what he does, and every time he flails his arms around as if he were blind. Tonight I found him at the bottom of my tank, sleeping on the wet tray I have to catch the drippers water. I was so terrified that he was dead. He wasn't though, but damn was he upset that I turned on his lights and picked him up to make sure. I am afraid he fell... There doesn't seem to be any signs of injury, but I worry that it is going to happen again. I have horizontal and vertical vines of different sizes in his enclosure, and yet for some reason he still hasn't found a place to sleep. Is this normal behaviour for a young male chameleon? What do you guys recommend I do??

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, Male, approx. 3 months old
Handling - Rarely, once a day at most
Feeding - Crickets, approx. 20 a day, feeding cup, gutload mix, water crystals, calcium powder (D3 and MV 1-2 per month)
Supplements - Repashy and Exo Terra. Calcium 5 times a week. D3 once every 2 weeks. MV once every 2 weeks.
Watering - Dripper, misting 3-4 times daily, drinks occasionally
Fecal Description - droppings seem clean. Brown with white calcium deposit.
History - None.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Combo, 18x18x24
Lighting - Sun Glo 50W and UVB 5.0
Temperature - 75-90 degrees F. Non-digital thermometer
Humidity - 60-70% controlled by misting and drip system. Non-digital thermometer
Plants - Golden Pothos
Placement - Located in bedroom, non-traffic area, raised approx. 2 feet off the ground.
Location - Vancouver, Canada

Current Problem - Seems to be having problems finding a place to sleep when lights go out. Walks around aimless, afraid he has fallen a couple of times.


PS I know he is not blind. He catches crickets and worms no problem, and climbs during the day with a sure-foot.
 
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Only recently has my Male veiled picked a 'sleeping' spot. Even then, he changes his positions. When I first got him he would sleep upside down on the lowest hanging branches. So I know how you feel. If you're worried something is wrong with his health you may want to fill out a https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/ form to get the more experienced members to look at your husbandry.
 
Only recently has my Male veiled picked a 'sleeping' spot. Even then, he changes his positions. When I first got him he would sleep upside down on the lowest hanging branches. So I know how you feel. If you're worried something is wrong with his health you may want to fill out a https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/ form to get the more experienced members to look at your husbandry.
Thank you, I filled it in and posted in my original entry.
 
Ok first you need to improve your gutloading.
fresh fruits and veggies. find blogs from sandrachameleon on this.


next- your basking temp is too high for a baby that small. lower your temps to be no more than 85 until he gets older.

and lastly- its normal for them to have various sleeping spots. not all chams sleep in the same place the same way.

ive had chams sleep on the floor, the ceiling, hanging upside down like abat, you name it, theyve done it.
 
I've had my veiled guy for a little over two months (he's not quite 5 months) and he still hasn't settled down at sleep time. Every night he sleeps somewhere else, often in "bad" places (hanging from the ceiling/wall or the tubes from his drip system). However, I have come to realize from other posts that this is not necessarily a reason to worry as many chams sleep in unusual spots. What I would suggest, if you're not already doing so, is to slowly dim the lights so your guy has time to find a spot before its too dark. I turn off the lights in the enclosure, but leave the lights in the room on for about 10-15 minutes so he has time to "look around" for a place to sleep. Of course, he still ends up in a spot I think is a bad choice but at least he has had time to choose :)
 
are your lights on a timer? if not, that might be why he doesn't find a spot earlier. When he gets used to a schedule he will "get ready for bed" at about the same time every night. 2 weeks isn't really long enough to establish a good sleeping pattern though. Bob my iguana and franklin my cham both did the same thing untill they go used to when the lights go out
 
Ok first you need to improve your gutloading.
fresh fruits and veggies. find blogs from sandrachameleon on this.


next- your basking temp is too high for a baby that small. lower your temps to be no more than 85 until he gets older.

and lastly- its normal for them to have various sleeping spots. not all chams sleep in the same place the same way.

ive had chams sleep on the floor, the ceiling, hanging upside down like abat, you name it, theyve done it.
I do put veggies in with the crickets. When I wrote gutload mix I had included veggies, I should have specified. And his basking spot is 86, the bulb I have produces 90 degrees. I misunderstood what the temperature thing meant, clearly :p I'm sorry for the mixups, I really did do my research before getting a cham! I promise :D

To everyone else, thank you so much for your help. I tend to leave a reading light on once his lights do go off, and yes they are on a timer for the same time every morning and every night. I was extremely concerned last night however because he had chosen to sleep in a small puddle that built up on the tray at the bottom. To ensure this doesn't happen again I am going to try and wipe up this water build up before his lights go out.
 
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