Cham climbing down to bottom of cage?

[cigdoll]

Is it normal for a Veiled chameleon to climb down to the bottom of his cage? He is just about 10 weeks old, male and his name is Kiddo. Today was the first time I see him do this, he doesn't stay on the bottom very long; he would climb down from one side and walk the ground to the other side and climb back up. Here is a picture of him on the bottom getting ready to climb back up..

 

[Elizadolots]

It's normal for them to prowl their territory. It's also normal for them to freeze when they realize you're there, so if you catch him on the ground, wander away for a bit then come back to see if he's moved. If he's hanging out on the ground, there might be something you need to correct (it might be too hot at the top, for instance).

 

[Hoj]

They do like to wander. Mine are all over all day long

 

[cigdoll]

Alrighty, so he just wants to wander around. The temperatures are fine, he doesn't stay down there for very long and goes right back up. It's just this is my first time to witness him crawl down to the bottom

 

[winterbones]

Perfectly normal he's just exploring You should only be concerned if they stay sitting at the bottom for hours on end. Btw I noticed there's no substrate at the bottom of his cage, he will need some to help with humidity, also makes his surroundings more natural for him. Try Coco Fibre Brick, it's 100% organic, doesn't smell and is excellent for humidity

 

[cigdoll]

As for the substrate, I want to avoid as much maintenance as possible. I used to have some Zilla Terrarium Liners down there for moisture to keep up the humidity, but I was afraid it might be to moist and possibly cause respiratory infections. So I removed the liners and added two more plants and now my humidity ranges between 50-60%.

 

[Jac1582]

Substrate is generally frowned upon on this forum, there's really no need for it, it's just a place for bacteria to grow and could lead to digestive impaction if they ingest some while grabbing its food. It's not a strict rule cuz I've heard successful stories using it, but sometimes you have to do what works for you.

 

[burnedrose]

Perfectly normal he's just exploring You should only be concerned if they stay sitting at the bottom for hours on end. Btw I noticed there's no substrate at the bottom of his cage, he will need some to help with humidity, also makes his surroundings more natural for him. Try Coco Fibre Brick, it's 100% organic, doesn't smell and is excellent for humidity

Actually, most people recommend against substrate because it could cause impactions. Figure he aims for a cricket crawling around down there, gets some coco fiber stuck in his belly. He can't digest it, it starts to get plugged up, etc etc. Not only that, but it could cause bacteria to grow if you don't keep it clean. In the wild, the floor is generally turned up by so many other animals and humans walking around that bacteria doesn't have a chance to really grow, but in a small cage, with nothing churning it, bacteria can grow rather rapidly. There's also the chance of it causing injury to a chameleon. Rare, yes, but I do have a friend who would use substrate and found shards of plastic in it.

To answer the OP: crawling on the ground is normal. Kukui does "laps" around his cage - which involves crawling on the bottom every which way until he is sure there are no crickets in the bottom (which, of course, they are all in the top, in the corners, but he has yet to catch onto their sneaky ways).

 

[winterbones]

Actually, most people recommend against substrate because it could cause impactions. Figure he aims for a cricket crawling around down there, gets some coco fiber stuck in his belly. He can't digest it, it starts to get plugged up, etc etc. Not only that, but it could cause bacteria to grow if you don't keep it clean. In the wild, the floor is generally turned up by so many other animals and humans walking around that bacteria doesn't have a chance to really grow, but in a small cage, with nothing churning it, bacteria can grow rather rapidly. There's also the chance of it causing injury to a chameleon. Rare, yes, but I do have a friend who would use substrate and found shards of plastic in it.

To answer the OP: crawling on the ground is normal. Kukui does "laps" around his cage - which involves crawling on the bottom every which way until he is sure there are no crickets in the bottom (which, of course, they are all in the top, in the corners, but he has yet to catch onto their sneaky ways).

Apologies, was only trying to give advice as I've always used this substrate with no problems. I change it every two days and my chameleon is hand fed (he is extremely tame and affectionate which is bizarre but he gets annoyed at insects in his cage crawling on him etc and has always fed well from hand so I just do it that way) as for the substrate being dangerous if ingested, it's made specifically for reptiles and was recommended to me by a family friend who is a reptile vet so going by that I took his word it's safe. Again sorry if my advice has offended anyone, just trying to help

 

[Jac1582]

Apologies, was only trying to give advice as I've always used this substrate with no problems. I change it every two days and my chameleon is hand fed (he is extremely tame and affectionate which is bizarre but he gets annoyed at insects in his cage crawling on him etc and has always fed well from hand so I just do it that way) as for the substrate being dangerous if ingested, it's made specifically for reptiles and was recommended to me by a family friend who is a reptile vet so going by that I took his word it's safe. Again sorry if my advice has offended anyone, just trying to help

It's cool, it's not like it's never been used successfully before. And if it works for you then I'm happy you found what works best for you. Especially if you handfeed, I do the same with mine, I just don't wana change the substrate, I'd much rather just dump out the pan underneath once a day.

 

[chamlover98]

It could be to hot up top for him, the branches might be to high to the top of the cage as well mine hated being to close to the top so he stayed away until I lowered branches then he was up at the top all happy.