Is this a bad sign?

Baby Lobie

Baby Lobie

New Member
he was perfectly normal all day.. he ate about 5 or 6 of his crickets... then his heat bulb went out.. it was out for like 4 or 5 hours.. but since about 4 hours into his bulb going out he just stood in his basking spot with his eyes closed... he hasnt opened them.. i mean.. its his bed time now and he fell asleep in that same spot but.. still! he was there for about 2 hours before his bed time.. i heard that closed eyes is a bad thing? ?.. is this to worry for?
 
Hi there! Yes, closed eyes are a bad thing! Buuut for chameleons darkness = time to sleep! If the lights were out and it was dark in there he probably thought it was an impromptu bed time so I wouldn't worry too much :) As long as he doesn't do it through the day when it's bright.
 
My guyz sometimes will wink out as soon as they see it getting dark
outside through the window regardless of the cage lights.

I would not worry. :)
 
Unless you see him doing this in the middle of the day (more than just the one time), with all the lights on, I wouldn't worry. As mentioned, darkness means bedtime for our chams, and one of my guys (the one who can see the big piture window in the living room) goes to his sleeping spot when it gets dark out, which is usually a couple of hours before lights out. And, he's often given up on me and gone to sleep before I turn the lights out for him :p. But, since he only does this at night, and isn't sleeping during the day, I don't worry about it. He just likes his sleep. :D
 
hes doing this still. its rise and shine time since an hour ago.. hes still in that same spot. if he feels his cage move he opens his eyes but once he sees its me, he just closes them again. i dont know what to do... this is not normal.
 
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?- Ambilobe Panther, Male, about 4.5 months.. and i have had him for a little over 3 months.
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?- i havent in the passed month
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?- he eats dusted crickets. about 6 or 7 a day.. sometimes 10 or 12.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? zoo med w/o D3 everyday.. multis and with D3 twice a month
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?- i bottle mist. everytime i see its dry. heavily. maybe 6 times a day.. yes he drinks the water
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?- no on the parasites. feces is dark brown with the white on the side
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.- i couldnt get crickets for like a week...so i had to feed him meal worms.. i just got the crickets in 3 days ago.. and he did this on the 2nd day.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?- screen.. not sure on dimensions, but its about 2.5 feet high.
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?- zoo med 5.0 with florescent bulb.. basing is about 90 degrees. 12/12
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?- temps are lower 70 to upper 60s. basking is about 90-92
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?- humity is tropical about 70
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?- pothos
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?- cage is in livingroom on high table... he has never had problem with this.
Location - Where are you geographically located?- sacramento, ca.

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.- ever since yesterday... i fed him about 6 crickets.. then, when he was going to bask, his bulb went out. it was out about 5 hours before i came back with a new one.. about3-4 hours into bulb going out.. he just layed in his basking spot and closed his eyes... he did this until his bed time which was maybe 3 hours later and through.. i woke up in the morning, 2 hours into his rise and shine time and he was still doing the same thing.. ? now he will walk around a little but stops, chills, and closes his eyes again... i dont know if maybe he just doesnt feel good since im thinkng maybe he wasnt able to digest his food..
 
There's nothing I can be sure of.........I would call the vet :( I hope he's ok. Take a fecal sample.
 
Doesn't seem to be anything specific wrong that I can see with the care you are providing. Couple of things though: have you seen him poop since you started feeding mealworms only? When was the last poop? Mealworms can be constipating and I'm wondering if that could be going on. I realize he's back on crickets again, but...

Also, you said he's in the living room. His lights are are a 12/12 schedule, which is fine, but is there light in the living room when his lights are off? Chameleons are very sensitive to light, so you need to make sure his cage is actually dark for the 12 hours. For example, one of my guys is in the living room where the TV is, so when his lights go off, I have a large, thick, piece of fabric that gets draped over the cage to ensure it stays dark inside.

Good luck with him. I hope he's OK.
 
CLP said:
Doesn't seem to be anything specific wrong that I can see with the care you are providing. Couple of things though: have you seen him poop since you started feeding mealworms only? When was the last poop? Mealworms can be constipating and I'm wondering if that could be going on. I realize he's back on crickets again, but...

Also, you said he's in the living room. His lights are are a 12/12 schedule, which is fine, but is there light in the living room when his lights are off? Chameleons are very sensitive to light, so you need to make sure his cage is actually dark for the 12 hours. For example, one of my guys is in the living room where the TV is, so when his lights go off, I have a large, thick, piece of fabric that gets draped over the cage to ensure it stays dark inside.

Good luck with him. I hope he's OK.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your response, yes I have seen him poop since he was on the mealworms. And about the lighting... see, i've thought of this before.. but he seems to be right on his schedule.. there is a little bit of light in the livingroom, but not much hits his cage. actually hes in a corner so it kind of looks like a shadow in his corner there. he hides in his bushes about 30 minutes before lights out and closes his eyes when its lights out..- as we got further into the day, he started opening his eyes more and being more active... so im thinking that maybe he wasnt able to digest those crickets he had eaten and probably got a tummy ache or didnt feel so well.. I will see how it goes tomorrow.. Thank you guys for the help though.
 
so its 15 minutes into his rise and shine time... but hes still just there with his eyes closed!!! ?? can someone tell me how long does a uvb bulb last? what if it needs to be replaced? would that be causing this?
 
Most uvb tubes need replacing at least every 6 months. I don't know if that could be what is causing this though.
 
Baby Lobie said:
so its 15 minutes into his rise and shine time... but hes still just there with his eyes closed!!! ?? can someone tell me how long does a uvb bulb last? what if it needs to be replaced? would that be causing this?
Click to expand...

No, light is light. A lack of UVB wouldn't make him think it was still night. If the other lights are on, that should wake him up. Some chams take their time waking up, but 15 minutes seems a bit long. Keep a close eye on him. If he's sleeping during the day still, I would seriously consider a visit to the vet.
 
CLP said:
No, light is light. A lack of UVB wouldn't make him think it was still night. If the other lights are on, that should wake him up. Some chams take their time waking up, but 15 minutes seems a bit long. Keep a close eye on him. If he's sleeping during the day still, I would seriously consider a visit to the vet.
Click to expand...

Definitely vet for me.
 
i think vet is the right way to go.... i was staring at him and i seen his insides jump.. sometimes he looks like hes going to throw up.. ?? its weird... but im wondering if its possible there is live food inside him... im gunna call..
 
CLP said:
No, light is light. A lack of UVB wouldn't make him think it was still night. If the other lights are on, that should wake him up. Some chams take their time waking up, but 15 minutes seems a bit long. Keep a close eye on him. If he's sleeping during the day still, I would seriously consider a visit to the vet.
Click to expand...

i dont think he thinks its night. he opens his eyes and crawls around for a little.. but then he just stays still and closes his eyes again.. i dont think hes sleeping though because his eyes are moving and he will turn... but his eyes are closed.. i hope that makes sense...
 
You look to be doing things properly. How are the outside temps in your area? If the temps are high enough (over 70 degs). I would try putting him outside for several hrs in the cage. Let him get some real uvb, there is no substitute for real sun. Ive seen lots of chams perk up after spending a few days outside. Make sure you can be there and keep an eye on him though and keep misting him if you do put him outside. I'd still do a vet visit even if the outside time does help him. There is def a reason for this behavior its either a med prob or possibly hes stressed in the location hes in and is showing that by stress by exhibiting these symptoms. So if a fecal comes back clean I'd try moving his cage to a more private location.
 
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