Chameleon Taking Naps

[AlfredoMayFire]

Cage Type: The cage is an 18x18x36 glass tall terrarium. I chose glass cause it is the only way I can maintain a steady temp and humidity for my cham.
Lighting: 60 watts basking bulb, reptisun uvb 100
Temperature: Is a steady 80-85 degrees.
Humidity: stays between 70-90% this time of year.
Plants: No live plants yet.
Location: The cage is in a small corner, isolatd from most of the room. I put a fan near it to promote air flow but not near enough to startle, make any noise, or be prominently visible to the cham.

Chameleon: Jackson chameleon, dont know the age but i believe juvenile or sub-adult, male.
Feeding: Gutloaded crickets, mealworms, and superworms. High calcium cricket feed, flukers orang cubes, cricket quencher and sweet potatoes for the crickets, just sweet potatoes for the worms.
Supplements: Calcium with D3 twice a month, multivitamins twice a month.
Watering: Misting through automatic mister 3 times a day for 20 seconds to drip off the fake leaves and misting twice a day for 3 minutes on and off.
Fecal Droppings: Recent vet visit reveals that he is parasite free and perfectly hydrated.
History: He finished shedding about two days ago. He didnt eat any worms during the period and still hasnt. Has eaten crickets like only two or three per day since it started.
Current Problem: He's taking naps randomly during the day. The attached photo was taken just now which is 1:38pm. His lights are on from 6:30 am to 7:00pm. Im afraid cause even though he turns green again when he sleeps he will tak naps sometimes two times a day and also I don't know if it's cause he likes me but he can nap in my hand after about like 5 minutes. Help!





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[SlurpeeBuddha]

My friends have a jackson that takes naps all the time. Ive held it a few times and it would fall asleep on my hand like 1 minute in. Not sure about him napping in his cage, but it seems normal?

 

[frankpayne32]

It is likely a stress response. He need much more cover in that cage. He probably feels very exposed. I recommend live plants like ficus, scheffelera, or pothos.

This is what you should generally be aiming for.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/enclosures/

 

[ChamDE86]

Cham's do not take naps. Closing of the eyes during the day is a bad sign. I would also get rid of that bowl of water at the bottom of his cage. You don't necessarily need the green mat either. Both can be a breeding ground for bacteria growth. More foilage for him to hide as Frank mentioned, because they need a place to hide when they feel threatened.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

My friends have a jackson that takes naps all the time. Ive held it a few times and it would fall asleep on my hand like 1 minute in. Not sure about him napping in his cage, but it seems normal?

Napping and sleeping during the day are a sign of illness. They may close there eyes for a minute but keeping the eyes close is not a good sign. If your friend's cham takes naps, tell him to get on the forums and seek help regarding his husbandry.

For this cham, your temps are way too high. Jacksons are high humidity, low temp. With my jacksons, I aim for 68-70 ambient temp and 82-85 at the basking spot. I have never been able to get the temps low enough in a glass cage. I have had to devote a room to my montane species and install a stand alone ac unit to keep temps down. Just by getting your husbandry correct for this species, he will probably come around. there is a great video on youtube about jacksons care, I would check it out

 

[AlfredoMayFire]

Sorry it's taken so long. Busy with university and what not. I changed his enclosure to where it offers lots of hiding spots and conceals him easily but aso gives him maneuverability. He definitely is consistently lighter colored and doesnt take "naps" unless i mist him with the shed-aid (he has had shedding problems before). Even though i can't afford a standalone A/C unit i moved him to a darker and cooler place and added a fan (not visible to him) to promote air circulation. The new temps are 70-75 and the humidity still varies between 50-80%. He seems a lot happier now in his new terrarium. Thanks alot for the advice

 

[kinyonga]

you said..."Supplements: Calcium with D3 twice a month, multivitamins twice a month"...normally its recommended to dust with a phos.-free calcium powder at most feedings. You said you are gutloading/feeding a high calcium diet to the insects though so that may be enough.

 

[leedragon]

My friends have a jackson that takes naps all the time. Ive held it a few times and it would fall asleep on my hand like 1 minute in. Not sure about him napping in his cage, but it seems normal?

no, that is what they do when the are the heck off stressed, it is the way to calm themself down and if it happens to ofte, to be pick up then and they respons like that they will eventually die