Name That Behavior

[Andrew1283]

I felt like giving the title of this post a game show like feel. Here’s my ever present friend, Tony. As previously posted, Tony watches me work all day, mostly in silence. His new thing is popping out from behind a plant on the floor and hissing at me. He will stand there for 20 minutes or so, standing up tall and proud, like he’s the ruling dinosaur of his domain.

No one else is around, the dogs are all asleep. It’s just Tony and I. He doesn’t screen climb, he’s eating great, and doesn’t want me to hold him. I can absolutely hold him if need be, he just puffs out his gular and looks around spooky but that’s about it. He’s a sweetheart.

When I open the enclosure he doesn’t make a break for it, ever. He usually stands his ground and slowly retreats to the back where he feels safe.

It’s weird to see a chameleon walking on the ground. Takes a lot of confidence. Or maybe he’s just abandoned the “tree” because he knows he has a safe retreat? I’ve watched cham documentaries where chams will take to the ground to fight another cham and defend their tree.

So my question is, what the heck is he doing? Trying to intimidate me like im a rival male or just trying to get my attention? We are good friends as long as the door is closed. Otherwise he’s a scaredy cat.

 

[MissSkittles]

I don’t have an answer, but I share the question with you. Every day Lucky wanders down to his floor for a little while before climbing back up to his branches. The pet chameleon at the pet food & supply store I use is often on his floor too. *Both he and mine are both wild caught from the same area and could even be related. I’ve wondered if they’re searching for a way of escape.

 

[Andrew1283]

I don’t have an answer, but I share the question with you. Every day Lucky wanders down to his floor for a little while before climbing back up to his branches. The pet chameleon at the pet food & supply store I use is often on his floor too. *Both he and mine are both wild caught from the same area and could even be related. I’ve wondered if they’re searching for a way of escape.

I agree he could be searching for an escape but then why hiss at me? He’s trying to show me how tough he is. I swear I just want to squeeze this love bug

 

[Steve A]

I felt like giving the title of this post a game show like feel. Here’s my ever present friend, Tony. As previously posted, Tony watches me work all day, mostly in silence. His new thing is popping out from behind a plant on the floor and hissing at me. He will stand there for 20 minutes or so, standing up tall and proud, like he’s the ruling dinosaur of his domain.

No one else is around, the dogs are all asleep. It’s just Tony and I. He doesn’t screen climb, he’s eating great, and doesn’t want me to hold him. I can absolutely hold him if need be, he just puffs out his gular and looks around spooky but that’s about it. He’s a sweetheart.

When I open the enclosure he doesn’t make a break for it, ever. He usually stands his ground and slowly retreats to the back where he feels safe.

It’s weird to see a chameleon walking on the ground. Takes a lot of confidence. Or maybe he’s just abandoned the “tree” because he knows he has a safe retreat? I’ve watched cham documentaries where chams will take to the ground to fight another cham and defend their tree.

So my question is, what the heck is he doing? Trying to intimidate me like im a rival male or just trying to get my attention? We are good friends as long as the door is closed. Otherwise he’s a scaredy cat.

How far is his enclosure from where you're physically working? Can he see you easily? He might just be super territorial with you lmao

I've never once experienced Spike walking on the bottom of his enclosure.

I wonder if he wants a treat. Do you hand feed him at all?

 

[Sonny13]

My chams that are sitting free range and which can leave it also, are constantly walking on the floor. I’ve several movies where they choose the bottom above a branch to get somewhere. In case for both sexes they’ll do this during mating season. Which can be 3-4 times a year. There’re periods they don’t leave the basking branch the whole day and periods where they’re constantly on the move.

 

[Sonny13]

To get an answer, open the enclosure and give him something to escape and see what he does. My male Jackson did this in front of the door and I eventually opened it and he walked straight to his outside basking tree. Probably he sees something in the room he wants to explore.

 

[regal81455]

My little guy does this, IMO, for two reasons...

1. He's looking for food, specifically crickets, since they seem to be running a relay around the bottom edges of my enclosure.

2. He wants out onto his free range.

 

[Andrew1283]

To get an answer, open the enclosure and give him something to escape and see what he does. My male Jackson did this in front of the door and I eventually opened it and he walked straight to his outside basking tree. Probably he sees something in the room he wants to explore.

When I open the enclosure he does his freeze thing like I’m a T Rex that can only detect prey in motion. Then he slinks off into the back park of the enclosure and back to his branch.

 

[Andrew1283]

My chams that are sitting free range and which can leave it also, are constantly walking on the floor. I’ve several movies where they choose the bottom above a branch to get somewhere. In case for both sexes they’ll do this during mating season. Which can be 3-4 times a year. There’re periods they don’t leave the basking branch the whole day and periods where they’re constantly on the move.

Absolutely. Some days he’s a wanderer and other days a sloth. Well…most days he’s a sloth actually.

 

[Andrew1283]

How far is his enclosure from where you're physically working? Can he see you easily? He might just be super territorial with you lmao

I've never once experienced Spike walking on the bottom of his enclosure.

I wonder if he wants a treat. Do you hand feed him at all?

He has never let me hand feed him. He actually doesn’t eat when I’m around at all. It’s all very secret. He drinks in secret too but the food is gone and he has a belly so he’s doing great!

Tony is maybe 5 feet from where I work and stares at me all day. I’m focused on my work and he’s focused on me. Once a week he does this thing where he comes down and lets me have it with a hiss right down front at the screen. I say OK come here, come on out, and open the screen. He retreats like his pants are on fire.

 

[elizaann2]

Yep...he is my favorite boy

 

[Sonny13]

When I open the enclosure he does his freeze thing like I’m a T Rex that can only detect prey in motion. Then he slinks off into the back park of the enclosure and back to his branch.

That would be a normal reaction. You need to give him time, open the enclosure and offer the option to get out, and step away and observe from a distance. Then he will probably go for it.

 

[Sonny13]

Absolutely. Some days he’s a wanderer and other days a sloth. Well…most days he’s a sloth actually.

 

[Andrew1283]

Look at that bad baby!

 

[elizaann2]

This is beyond adorable

 

[Andrew1283]

That is absolutely adorable!

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

Bolt is on the bottom branch for 2 things
1. Hunting escapee feeders
2. Trying to be an escapee from his enclosure to roam.

Either way he is escapee motivated.

 

[Kodyf]

He is definitely territorial as to be expected all charms are. I hand my feed veiled chameleon Iris and plan to continue doing that until she reaches adult age it helps them get used to a human/human hand. When I first got Iris she hissed and wasn’t fond to humans, but I expected that, but I did not try to force a handle, I just continued to offer bugs from a distance slowly moving my hand into the enclosure with bugs for the first month or so she finally warmed up enough to crawl out on to my hand for a hornworm. They’re very treat/bug motivated. I recommend you to try hand feeding and don’t handle him at all if he shows those signs he will take you as a threat.

 

[Kodyf]

Also just throwing this out there, sometimes a chameleon will change color and go to the bottom of cage for temperature relief or due to stress or illness. It probably isn’t his temperature or an illness just give thought to those that is possible for a reason why he could be at the bottom, pissed or hissing recently.