Chameleon at bottom of viv

[Kjf1990]

My panther chameleon keeps roaming around the bottom of his viv. I believe he is a male 4-5 months old. Any reason why he may be doing this. ??

 

[Remkon]

They can end up on the bottom sometimes when exploring their enclosure, my chams used to come to the floor frequently when they were young and exploring their territory, if they remain active and alert it's not something to be concerned about. If they start to sleep on the floor it's a reason to be alarmed.

I do however feel your enclosure could use some improvement.
- The lamp inside the enclosure takes away a lot of the vertical space, I also only see only 1 light, if it's a combi light (uvb + heat) that can work well but it's more difficult to regulate temperatures while maintaining optimal distance from animal to heat source.
- I don't see a lot of ventilation on the pictures, if you're going to keep him in a wooden/glass enclosure it's recommended to have ventilation on the bottom and on the top to have proper air circulation, chameleons require plenty of ventilation.
- Soil can be difficult to maintain... Especialyl when misting regularly it will become mud if you don't have proper drainage.
You also need to be sure the soil is unfertilized and it also has to be free of any larger pieces that the animal can accidentally ingest which can lead to constipation.

 

[Kjf1990]

They can end up on the bottom sometimes when exploring their enclosure, my chams used to come to the floor frequently when they were young and exploring their territory, if they remain active and alert it's not something to be concerned about. If they start to sleep on the floor it's a reason to be alarmed.

I do however feel your enclosure could use some improvement.
- The lamp inside the enclosure takes away a lot of the vertical space, I also only see only 1 light, if it's a combi light (uvb + heat) that can work well but it's more difficult to regulate temperatures while maintaining optimal distance from animal to heat source.
- I don't see a lot of ventilation on the pictures, if you're going to keep him in a wooden/glass enclosure it's recommended to have ventilation on the bottom and on the top to have proper air circulation, chameleons require plenty of ventilation.
- Soil can be difficult to maintain... Especialyl when misting regularly it will become mud if you don't have proper drainage.
You also need to be sure the soil is unfertilized and it also has to be free of any larger pieces that the animal can accidentally ingest which can lead to constipation.

Hi. Thank you for your advise. The uv light is at the top you can’t see it in the pictures and the light at the top is a ceramic heat bulb. The stuff on the bottom is coco brick and we have clay balls underneath to suck in the moister it was recommended by the local reptile shop. There is 2 ventilation bits at the top of the viv. Thank you for the tips it’s much appreciated.

 

[Syreptyon]

Hi. Thank you for your advise. The uv light is at the top you can’t see it in the pictures and the light at the top is a ceramic heat bulb. The stuff on the bottom is coco brick and we have clay balls underneath to suck in the moister it was recommended by the local reptile shop. There is 2 ventilation bits at the top of the viv. Thank you for the tips it’s much appreciated.

If the UV light is so high up that it can't be seen in the picture, you have a big problem. Your chameleon cannot get even almost close enough to the UVB as it is currently set up. What you have is the equivalent of no UVB at all. All of the lights should be on top and you ought to raise up everything you have to the topmost part of the enclosure

 

[Remkon]

Measure distance of the UV spot to the baskingspot (minusheight of chameleon) for most lamps that distance should be around 20cm.... If the lamp is to far away the chameleon will not receive optimal uvb which can lead to mbd.

 

[JacksJill]

One reason they roam the bottom of the cage other than to explore can be to avoid excessive heat. If you haven't already you should recheck your basking & ambient temps just in case.

 

[Kjf1990]

If the UV light is so high up that it can't be seen in the picture, you have a big problem. Your chameleon cannot get even almost close enough to the UVB as it is currently set up. What you have is the equivalent of no UVB at all. All of the lights should be on top and you ought to raise up everything you have to the topmost part of the enclosure[/
Pictures below where the uvb light is. I was advised on the strength and length and where to place it from reptile shop. It’s set up just like there’s.

 

[Syreptyon]

Yes, as stated, you are very much in need of a redesign. That UV light is significantly too far away to be of any use. Moreover, the reason we use such tall enclosures for chameleons is because they are arboreal lizards and require vertical space to move around in and feel comfortable. You are only utilizing the lower half of the cage, which makes it very poorly suited for a healthy chameleon to thrive.

BTW, not only is the UVB too far away, but you also don't have a branch positioned close enough under the heat source for him to bask properly...

 

[Kjf1990]

Yes, as stated, you are very much in need of a redesign. That UV light is significantly too far away to be of any use. Moreover, the reason we use such tall enclosures for chameleons is because they are arboreal lizards and require vertical space to move around in and feel comfortable. You are only utilizing the lower half of the cage, which makes it very poorly suited for a healthy chameleon to thrive.

BTW, not only is the UVB too far away, but you also don't have a branch positioned close enough under the heat source for him to bask properly...

Noted will get things moved up.

 

[Kjf1990]

Noted will get things moved up.

On a mission sorting it now. Thanks for advise everyone

 

[Crashbandit05]

If you don't already have one, I highly recommend a golden pothos plant. They are water tolerant and grow quickly. Would fill out your enclosure nicely in my opinion.

 

[Kjf1990]

If you don't already have one, I highly recommend a golden pothos plant. They are water tolerant and grow quickly. Would fill out your enclosure nicely in my opinion.

Thank you I will look into it.