Just curious if Im the only one.... find it odd that no one else mentions their cham doing this .

[KKess]

Ok, so I know I cant be the only owner of a veiled chameleon, or a chameleon in general that notices this about their sleep behavior. But I Googled this and searched for a forum on here and found nothing related..... Do chameleons body or motor functions shut down while they are sleeping? Harvey (my cham) falls asleep every night no matter what at 6:30 on the dot. Ive noticed over time that I can come home, flick on the light in the room and he wont wake up. I can go over to his cage and open his door and he wont wake up. Ive accidently bumped into his cage once and he didn't move an inch or open his eyes. So my boyfriend and I joke around saying that he legit just checks out at night time.... Well today Harvey really showed us how out of touch he is when he is sleeping. I put him on his plant outside so that we could do some improvements to his cage w/o stressing him out. Well it was 6:30 by the time we were done so he was fast asleep on his plant. I tried to gently rub his chin and belly to wake him up so I could put him back in his cage.... Dude was out cold! Did not open his yes, did not react to me. I tried a couple mpore times and nothing. So I left him on the plant, carried it in and put the plant back in his cage.... he never moved a muscle......My cham has always done this since day one though, so I know its " normal" for him and he is not sick. But its like his motor functions, brain and body just turn off when he sleeps. I figured this was a normal thing for them in the wild, but never could find anything online. Anyone else have a cham that sleeps this hard?

 

[Lathis]

Totally normal for chameleons.

 

[jpowell86]

Agreed...completely normal.

 

[KKess]

thanks! I wasn't afraid of it being an abnormal thing. I just found it strange that I couldn't find out more about it and why they do it, or anyone else talking about their cham doing it. Its pretty cool and strange at the same time. Makes me wonder though in the wild, they must be east prey for other animals if all their sense seem to be turned off

 

[xrowdac]

a bit diff..with my Rex.. still great to know..your observation...

 

[Andee]

I notice this heavy sleep behavior is more common among the veileds and panthers I keep, while among montane species like the Jackson I have tend to be more easily disturbed. Hope definitely is more sensitive to light general. I have dimmers on my room's overhead light just for her.

 

[Remkon]

I notice this heavy sleep behavior is more common among the veileds and panthers I keep, while among montane species like the Jackson I have tend to be more easily disturbed. Hope definitely is more sensitive to light general. I have dimmers on my room's overhead light just for her.

Definitely also depends a lot on temperature.
My jax will sleep way deeper if temperature is lower, it's why they need the temp drop at night, to get proper rest.

 

[wavingsnail]

Out of curiosity is this how they capture wild chameleons?

Seems like the combination of their "pajamas" and sensory shut off would make for easy pickings (unfortunately).

 

[Andee]

Definitely also depends a lot on temperature.
My jax will sleep way deeper if temperature is lower, it's why they need the temp drop at night, to get proper rest.

This actually makes a lot of sense, in my opinion Hope would do relatively better with at least another 5 degree drop or more for her sleep cycle. Which is why I started a mist cycle right before they sleep. Her cage holds water better because of her lower temps so the extra mist tends to cool it off for most of the night. But my house doesn't drop below 64 degrees do to the heater. We drop it to 64 every night. But we can't go below because of other animals in the house. I have been thinking about possibly adding one of the blue ice cooling things on top of her cage for an extra drop and do one of the ones that are hard plastic on the outside so it would last pretty much all night?

 

[Remkon]

This actually makes a lot of sense, in my opinion Hope would do relatively better with at least another 5 degree drop or more for her sleep cycle. Which is why I started a mist cycle right before they sleep. Her cage holds water better because of her lower temps so the extra mist tends to cool it off for most of the night. But my house doesn't drop below 64 degrees do to the heater. We drop it to 64 every night. But we can't go below because of other animals in the house. I have been thinking about possibly adding one of the blue ice cooling things on top of her cage for an extra drop and do one of the ones that are hard plastic on the outside so it would last pretty much all night?

I have my panther and jax in the same room, I have a pretty large vent in the room above the balcony door.
What I did is just string up 5 12cm PC fans and program an arduino nano as thermostat and put that on a timer. It switches on 9PM after lights out and cools the room with air from outside to 15C, then it switches off and switches back on when the room reaches 18C ...
(I did the 15C (59F) and 18C (64.5F) according to what was reccomended in caresheets at the time, I would probably lower the margin next time.)
It works pretty well, especially during the colder seasons, when it's summer and the fans only help a bit I have a second room fan that just keeps air moving in the room (not aimed directly on the enclosure) I also use the icepacks (I have like 30 of em) and just make sure there are like 5-10 in the freezer and 5 or so on or around the cage.
This year I will just put my Jax outside when it's spring and the nights are warm enough...

I actually plan on building a shed too where I will keep my chameleons (and tools)... This way it will be easier to regulate temperatures and it will allow me to mist more since I don't have to worry about drainage as I can just run it outside.... and maybe... you know... some new chameleons...

 

[Branman]

My veiled Cham doesn't knock out after he sleeps. He is weird. When I first got him, I would clean out his cage after his light went out. One day, I accidentally touched him when he was sleeping, and he hissed and turned black. But he was still sleeping! A few months later, I was cleaning his cage again and I accidentally touched his tail, and he hissed again. But he was still sleeping. so I took him out of his cage and I accidentally bumped him into a few branches on his plant and he leaped off the branch with his eyes closed. It freaked me out. He just leaped off the branch and didn't even open his eyes. Luckily he fell on my carpet and he was fine. But it freaked me out. He did it again a few months later when I was cleaning his cage. So I had to clean his cage out when he was awake cause I didn't want him to leap on a hard surface and injure himself.

 

[MedicMan1]

My Panther is sort of sensitive to light when he sleeps, but otherwise seems pretty out of it. We can stomp around and bump his cage and he usually doesn't flinch.

It's funny when he does wake up though because he gets super goofy and apparently can't think straight, and nearly falls off of his branch trying to figure out what is going on. It reminds me of ME in the morning before I have my coffee.

 

[Remkon]

Talking about sleep...
My panther tried a different position last night... Must have been so comfortable!
I'm sorry the flash of my phone woke him up tho.

 

[jajeanpierre]

@KKess I've noticed this behavior in one of my parrots, a White Capped Pionus. She will be completely out of it when she sleeps, but the unnerving thing with her is her eyes could be open! None of my other parrots are like that. If I disturb them at night, they are immediately alert and talking to me. They'll step up on my hand, eat and be as alert as in the day (Scarlet macaw, Red-fronted macaw, and two African Greys). Not little Bitsy--she is like a Zombie. If I go outside to check and maybe give them a high-calorie nut because the night is a little cold, she won't eat it. She might take it in her beak but usually drops it (she's a glutton). If it is too cold and I want to bring her in, I have to actually grab her by her body and lift her up like your unconscious chameleon.

When whales sleep, only half their brain sleeps. I always wondered if something like that was going on with Bitsy--maybe only half her brain was asleep and the other half was keeping an eye open watching.

@wavingsnail I believe they do a lot of chameleon harvesting at night, sadly with a big, long stick.... Maybe @Chris Anderson could elaborate. I believe a lot of his pictures in the field were taken at night but I could be mistaken.

 

[Peachypink]

@KKess I've noticed this behavior in one of my parrots, a White Capped Pionus. She will be completely out of it when she sleeps, but the unnerving thing with her is her eyes could be open! None of my other parrots are like that. If I disturb them at night, they are immediately alert and talking to me. They'll step up on my hand, eat and be as alert as in the day (Scarlet macaw, Red-fronted macaw, and two African Greys). Not little Bitsy--she is like a Zombie. If I go outside to check and maybe give them a high-calorie nut because the night is a little cold, she won't eat it. She might take it in her beak but usually drops it (she's a glutton). If it is too cold and I want to bring her in, I have to actually grab her by her body and lift her up like your unconscious chameleon.

When whales sleep, only half their brain sleeps. I always wondered if something like that was going on with Bitsy--maybe only half her brain was asleep and the other half was keeping an eye open watching.

@wavingsnail I believe they do a lot of chameleon harvesting at night, sadly with a big, long stick.... Maybe @Chris Anderson could elaborate. I believe a lot of his pictures in the field were taken at night but I could be mistaken.

I would love your life!! I've always wanted a big bird like a macaw, cockatoo, Amazon or eclectus. I worked with a eclectus at a pet shop I worked at in college(one that actually cared to learn and know the proper care for the animals they sold). Since they form a really strong bond with their owners we weren't able to spend a whole lot of time with him, but he was awesome.

I did have a quacker for a while. Got her while still handfeeding. Unfortunatly, my mom would put her with my brothers male when I was at work because she felt so sad for her when she would cry out. When they moved to Texas and I was still in Iowa both birds ended up going into a depression and I had to drive her down and reunite them. I loved my Micky.

 

[Remkon]

I would love your life!! I've always wanted a big bird like a macaw, cockatoo, Amazon or eclectus. I worked with a eclectus at a pet shop I worked at in college(one that actually cared to learn and know the proper care for the animals they sold). Since they form a really strong bond with their owners we weren't able to spend a whole lot of time with him, but he was awesome.

I did have a quacker for a while. Got her while still handfeeding. Unfortunatly, my mom would put her with my brothers male when I was at work because she felt so sad for her when she would cry out. When they moved to Texas and I was still in Iowa both birds ended up going into a depression and I had to drive her down and reunite them. I loved my Micky.

I had a big bird once... Annoying fellow, would not ever shut up!
Eventually I got fed up with it and I ended up releasing it to the wild.
Turns out it returned to civilization and found itself a spot on sesame street, now everybody there hate my guts!

 

[jajeanpierre]

I would love your life!! I've always wanted a big bird like a macaw, cockatoo, Amazon or eclectus. I worked with a eclectus at a pet shop I worked at in college(one that actually cared to learn and know the proper care for the animals they sold). Since they form a really strong bond with their owners we weren't able to spend a whole lot of time with him, but he was awesome.

I did have a quacker for a while. Got her while still handfeeding. Unfortunatly, my mom would put her with my brothers male when I was at work because she felt so sad for her when she would cry out. When they moved to Texas and I was still in Iowa both birds ended up going into a depression and I had to drive her down and reunite them. I loved my Micky.

Thank you!

Honestly, parrots are just too darn intelligent and demanding to make good pets. Most go insane in captivity. They need to fly. They need to be paired with a friend, and a human just doesn't satisfy them. A human/parrot pair bond is usuallly very unhealthy because few people recognize when it crosses from healthy relationship to unhealthy, frustrating mate bonding. I've watched people sexually arousing their birds and not ever recognizing what they are doing. I believe parrots absolutely need to be kept with other same-species parrots in a big flight. Paired birds are not the needy, mentally ill birds that most people keep. What you saw in a baby bird is not the behavior an adult bird should exhibit. Just a note about the pet shop: Their attitude was wrong. Parrots will form a pair bond with whatever animal or bird is available and by not giving that baby bird the attention it needed as a baby, they hurt it. It is the equivalent of leaving an orphan in a crib alone and crying because the orphanage didn't want to interfere with any bonding of the adoptive parents. I agree with your mother! The way I keep parrots is still not the norm in the US. In Germany, it is illegal to keep a solitary parrot. The US infantantilizes parrots, calling them "fids" (feathered kids) and themelves "parronts" and crippling them by clipping their wings. It diminishes their majesty. Many parrots in captivity live very frustrated and rather horrible lives.

For you, @Peachypink,

 

[jajeanpierre]

I had a big bird once... Annoying fellow, would not ever shut up!
Eventually I got fed up with it and I ended up releasing it to the wild.
Turns out it returned to civilization and found itself a spot on sesame street, now everybody there hate my guts!

I thought you were serious until the last sentence! I'm sure that happens to a lot of real-life parrots in captivity. Most don't have a good end, though.

 

[Remkon]

I thought you were serious until the last sentence! I'm sure that happens to a lot of real-life parrots in captivity. Most don't have a good end, though.

I would never seriously have done that.

I wanted a parrot in the past but I've been at peoples houses that had them and some would just scream all the time so I rather stick to my silent lizards instead of having my ears bleed from parrot screams.
Also my wife doesn't like them because of the extra vacuum cleaning they would bring from their feathers.

We have a 'plague' of small green parrots here, someone in (or around) The Hague released some and they flourished.
Now you see swarms flying here but also in Delft and Rotterdam.
It's a pretty sight but I bed the local and smaller species of birds suffer from this too!

 

[jajeanpierre]

I would never seriously have done that.

I wanted a parrot in the past but I've been at peoples houses that had them and some would just scream all the time so I rather stick to my silent lizards instead of having my ears bleed from parrot screams.
Also my wife doesn't like them because of the extra vacuum cleaning they would bring from their feathers.

We have a 'plague' of small green parrots here, someone in (or around) The Hague released some and they flourished.
Now you see swarms flying here but also in Delft and Rotterdam.
It's a pretty sight but I bed the local and smaller species of birds suffer from this too!

There are a lot of feral parrots that have established colonies in Europe and the US, even Chicago of all places. They don't seem to impact the local bird population from what I understand.

Just so you know, a happy parrot doesn't scream all the time. But, yes, most are very loud and all are messy. I try to keep them outside in big aviaries 24/7.