How much sleep?

ChameSecret

ChameSecret

Member
Hi All, newbie here posting first thread. I recently brought home a 2 month old female Veiled to rescue her from a local pet store, having previous experience with herps. This forum has been a compendium of everything Cham-related but I noticed there isn't much info on an overlooked life process to a chameleon's happiness.... sleep!

Let me start by saying that my lights are on a photodiode controller next to an open window to follow the natural ~12hr photoperiod.. Even so, I notice my little girl seems to sleep a minority of the time the lights are off before 2am. She'll nap for a bit, climb around her cage, find another spot, nap for a bit, climb around a bit, etc.... Is this kind of behavior normal for a healthy 4-month-old veiled?
 
Shes supposed to sleep all night.

Are there lights either outside the window, or near her, that she can see?

There should be no lights on at night. for this exact reason.
 
Sleeping during the day is not normal behavior chameleons. They do not nap or sleep during day hours, only evening and night hours. They basically pick a spot and go to bed when evening hours set in. Sometimes they will go to their sleeping spot an hours or two before. That is ok.. Sleeping during the day unfortunately usually suggest some sort of illness. Incorrect lighting(lights being too intense) can cause a chameleon to close its eyes and appear to be sleeping. Putting your chameleon in front of the window and having the lights coincide with the natural lighting is fine. If she is sleeping at 2 a.m. that is a good thing, because that is when she should be sleeping. Normally they sleep through the night though. You will usually find them in the same spot they fell asleep in.
 
Could something (or someone) be disturbing her? TV, computer monitor, car lights, you checking on her, etc? She may feel insecure while she's trying to fall asleep, hence the moving around. Not just her lights should be out, but ideally all other lights in the room. Chameleons have a sensory organ on the top of the head, called the parietal eye, that sees light.

Is there an area of heavily foliage she can hide in to sleep? If not, consider arranging something like a pothos plant with large leaves in one corner so she has somewhere dark and comforting to hide. If that doesn't help settle her down, you might try covering her cage at night with a dark sheet, like you would for a bird.

My cham gets into his sleepy spot - but not necessarily the same place every night - about 1-2 hours before lights out, maybe even earlier if the day is gloomy. He's not sleeping, just sort of chilling until full dark. I have disturbed him on accident before and he will get mad an move to another location, so I try not to bother him when he's settling in for the night. He has a really thick pothos plant that he will sleep in if we have the lights on past bed time.
 
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Lathis said:
Could something (or someone) be disturbing her?... you checking on her, etc? Chameleons have a sensory organ on the top of the head, called the parietal eye, that sees light.
Click to expand...
Ugh, I've read a few papers about the parietal eye for unrelated reasons but hadn't put two and two together. The living room she is housed in is approx. 30ft long, and although I only keep lights on that are a minimum of 25ft from her on after sunset (for both of our circadian rhythm's sake), she is definitely inadvertently exposed to light levels that would trigger her parietal eye, which would constitute a zeitgeber cue. Oof. My bedroom is a much more appropriate living quarters, with the same natural lighting but far less to disturb her after the sun goes down. Thank you so much for this insightful factoid!!!

Lathis said:
...really thick pothos plant that he will sleep in if we have the lights on past bed time.
Click to expand...
In retrospect, I have seen this hiding behavior, and I've been seeking out this plant at local nurseries for this exact reason. Although Ramona has a low but dense Hypericum calycinum I added for watering and humidity-retention reasons, pothos would be a more navigable solution to supplement the other silk bushes in her cage.

Thank you all for your insight! I've been doing whatever it takes to make her happy and healthy and I appreciate your input!:cool:
 
carol5208 said:
Sleeping during the day is not normal behavior chameleons. They do not nap or sleep during day hours, only evening and night hours. They basically pick a spot and go to bed when evening hours set in. Sometimes they will go to their sleeping spot an hours or two before. That is ok.. Sleeping during the day unfortunately usually suggest some sort of illness. Incorrect lighting(lights being too intense) can cause a chameleon to close its eyes and appear to be sleeping. Putting your chameleon in front of the window and having the lights coincide with the natural lighting is fine. If she is sleeping at 2 a.m. that is a good thing, because that is when she should be sleeping. Normally they sleep through the night though. You will usually find them in the same spot they fell asleep in.
Click to expand...

Hi Carol, sorry if I did a poor job explaining, but she is not sleeping during the day. I'd be much more worried if she was! Although she seems restless once the sun goes down, I think Lathis and camimom nailed it with their points on (low-as-it-may-be) ambient light. Thanks tho!
 
ChameSecret said:
Hi Carol, sorry if I did a poor job explaining, but she is not sleeping during the day. I'd be much more worried if she was! Although she seems restless once the sun goes down, I think Lathis and camimom nailed it with their points on (low-as-it-may-be) ambient light. Thanks tho!
Click to expand...

No, you explained right, I just should have read your post more thoroughly. When I went back and read it I see what you are saying now. You can cover the cage with a sheet or blanket. Both of my cham cages are covered with dark sheets at night when they sleep indoors(sometimes they sleep outside) as my computer is in the room and there is light coming from that.
 
12 hours is the approximated "right" amount if sleep. Turn your lights off at 7pm and back on at 7am. Follow your areas sunrise and sunsets
 
ChameSecret said:
Hi All, newbie here posting first thread. I recently brought home a 2 month old female Veiled to rescue her from a local pet store, having previous experience with herps. This forum has been a compendium of everything Cham-related but I noticed there isn't much info on an overlooked life process to a chameleon's happiness.... sleep!

Let me start by saying that my lights are on a photodiode controller next to an open window to follow the natural ~12hr photoperiod.. Even so, I notice my little girl seems to sleep a minority of the time the lights are off before 2am. She'll nap for a bit, climb around her cage, find another spot, nap for a bit, climb around a bit, etc.... Is this kind of behavior normal for a healthy 4-month-old veiled?
Click to expand...
How do you post your own questions? I just got this yesterday and I can’t figure out how to post my own questions.
 
I am pretty sure you need to have "Member" status and not "New Member". Just keep being active and you should be able to post soon!
 
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