steppedinds
New Member
do chameleons have nightmares? I ask because every so often at night I hear a hissing sound and when I go to check every1 is asleep
nightmares
- Thread starter steppedinds
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SaintJimmy
Avid Member
I do not think so, but they DO sneeze!
They sneeze to get rid of excess sodium in their bodies. I hear my veiled do it a lot even when he is sleeping.
They sneeze to get rid of excess sodium in their bodies. I hear my veiled do it a lot even when he is sleeping.
pigglett79
Avid Member
I'm not sure, but one night my Jackson stood up and moved a little. I did look closely at him and he was still asleep.
steppedinds
New Member
no im not turning on the lights...I grab my cell phone when I hear it and use the light off the screen to look in. there's nothing that should be waking them, they always seem to be in the same position, eyes closed
maybe it could be a sleep-sneeze, lol
maybe it could be a sleep-sneeze, lol
Psychobunny
Avid Member
No one really knows for sure.
The anwser is probably no, because a reptiles brain are not that evolved.
The reason why animals dream is not even clearly understood, and it has
been scientificly proven that more animals do dream then we used to believe.
It's also been demonstrated that REM neural function is not needed for
dreaming as was thought.
The ganglia needed for a dream state (maybe not as we know it) is not known, or I should say, understood.
Trouble is, no one wants to spend the big $$$$ for research this esoteric.
I personaly believe all animals have their own unique dream state which would be totally different then any other animal.
So, I like to think our little friends do dream
The anwser is probably no, because a reptiles brain are not that evolved.
The reason why animals dream is not even clearly understood, and it has
been scientificly proven that more animals do dream then we used to believe.
It's also been demonstrated that REM neural function is not needed for
dreaming as was thought.
The ganglia needed for a dream state (maybe not as we know it) is not known, or I should say, understood.
Trouble is, no one wants to spend the big $$$$ for research this esoteric.
I personaly believe all animals have their own unique dream state which would be totally different then any other animal.
So, I like to think our little friends do dream
SaintJimmy
Avid Member
No one really knows for sure.
The anwser is probably no, because a reptiles brain are not that evolved.
The reason why animals dream is not even clearly understood, and it has
been scientificly proven that more animals do dream then we used to believe.
It's also been demonstrated that REM neural function is not needed for
dreaming as was thought.
The ganglia needed for a dream state (maybe not as we know it) is not known, or I should say, understood.
Trouble is, no one wants to spend the big $$$$ for research this esoteric.
I personaly believe all animals have their own unique dream state which would be totally different then any other animal.
So, I like to think our little friends do dream
Rats and mice have been proven to have dreams to prepare them for real life events. It's sort of like a training facility for when you're asleep.
So who knows. I think chams are smarter than rats so I think maybe they do have dreams.
Maybe not though.
Psychobunny
Avid Member
Yes, but rats and mice are mammals, so they have a more evolved and
advanced brain, or 'Neomammalian Cortex'- (new, outer brain).
Chams dont have these advanced cerebral areas because evolution did not select for there development.
So, they only have whats called the 'old' brain, or brain stem plus spinal cord.
With that said, it is not known if that is all that is required for a kind of dream state because we know very little about the cognitive abilities of the primative reptilian brain.
advanced brain, or 'Neomammalian Cortex'- (new, outer brain).
Chams dont have these advanced cerebral areas because evolution did not select for there development.
So, they only have whats called the 'old' brain, or brain stem plus spinal cord.
With that said, it is not known if that is all that is required for a kind of dream state because we know very little about the cognitive abilities of the primative reptilian brain.
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Psychobunny
Avid Member
Here is a interresting paragraph from "Electric Dreams" by Richard Wilkerson:
"The common ancestor of birds and animals are reptiles, so we might expect that instead of developing REM independently of one another, that there was a common reptilian ancestor with REM. But if they do have REM, it must be quite different from mammalian REM. Reptiles don't have the brain development of mammals and don't show the extreme EEG differences that mammals do between wake and sleep. Further, reptiles don't seem to have atonia during sleep. This means that the three measurements, brain activity, input/output gating and neuromodulation are all going to be quite different, if they exist at all. Reptiles don't even have a neocortex!
Some REM characteristics have been found in reptiles, including chameleons, desert iguanas and caimans. But the experiments all had problems that have left the question open. Were they in REM or just awake? Does slower heart rate count as atonia? More studies are needed to determine if REM is active in reptiles."
"The common ancestor of birds and animals are reptiles, so we might expect that instead of developing REM independently of one another, that there was a common reptilian ancestor with REM. But if they do have REM, it must be quite different from mammalian REM. Reptiles don't have the brain development of mammals and don't show the extreme EEG differences that mammals do between wake and sleep. Further, reptiles don't seem to have atonia during sleep. This means that the three measurements, brain activity, input/output gating and neuromodulation are all going to be quite different, if they exist at all. Reptiles don't even have a neocortex!
Some REM characteristics have been found in reptiles, including chameleons, desert iguanas and caimans. But the experiments all had problems that have left the question open. Were they in REM or just awake? Does slower heart rate count as atonia? More studies are needed to determine if REM is active in reptiles."
Kamikaze Chameleon
Avid Member
I think they might... i hear a bunch of rustling around last night n come to find my lil guy running around the ground lever of his cage just running into the corners frantically. It had been at least two or three hours since hos light turned off so i KNOW he WAS sleeping but randomly woke up in a panic! Ive never seen this behavior, not that aggressive at least. He just seemed like he wanted out so i took him to one of his free range plants and he fell back asleep where i then put him back in his cage. He seems to be okay but that certainly gave me a good scare and couldnt figure out any other reason why this could've happened.
nightanole
Chameleon Enthusiast
Mine had its sleeping branch rot out. He fell with the branch 3ft into the bush below. Didnt even move...
