Sleeping a lot

[SquallySteam]

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Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - probably around a 3-5 month Male Veiled chameleon
• Handling - Every day
• Feeding - mostly large crickets, he eats around 5-7 a day, and we get them dusted with calcium every other day
• Supplements - usually Pet smart dusts them for us but if not we have D3
• Watering - when he's in the cage we usually mist him 3-4 times a day but also well turn the faucet on till it just drips slowly and he'll sit in our hands and drink from there
• Fecal Description - brownish with some white
• History - this is our first chameleon so we don't know much about him, we got him as a gift

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - we have the 18x18x24 Exo Terra glass cage
• Lighting - we use a normal heat/ basking lamp and a UV bulb. When he's in the cage we keep both on during the day then turn them off at night
• Temperature - the temperature stays around 80 in the room and cage
• Humidity - the humidity is usually around 50-60
• Plants - we have a fake plant in his cage but he's been hanging out on the real on in the picture
• Placement- in the corner of our hot room about 2-3 feet off the ground
• Location - Central NJ

Hello, so I live in NJ so it's cold here and we put on our pellet stove in our "hot room" which keeps the room very warm ( get the name?) anyway since its been so warm we've moved our chameleon into the room and he really likes hanging out on this one plant so we just let him chill there all day and well feed him and everything like that, sometimes he even stays over night on the plant. Recently he's been sleeping a lot during the day and I'm a little concerned since people say they're not supposed to sleep during the day, can anyone help me out?

 

[ChamDE86]

Please visit the link provided below and fill out the form. Be as descriptive as possible so we can better understand what is going on with your chameleon.


https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

 

[LindsayG]

Well for one thing he needs a uvb light. He's not getting any uvb just sitting there unless you have a light over that tree that I'm not seeing? This is a problem. Fill the how to ask for help form out so we can see what else he is lacking or if anything else needs to be changed.

 

[SquallySteam]

I just edited it. And that's what I was thinking but I figured he was getting sunlight during the day @LindsayG

 

[LindsayG]

I just edited it. And that's what I was thinking but I figured he was getting sunlight during the day @LindsayG

You said you're in NJ so I doubt you're taking him outside eight now. He can't get any uvb through glass of the windows, he needs direct sunlight on him or have a uvb bulb over him. You also need to be dusting your feeders daily with plain calcium Without d3 daily, calcium With d3 twice a month and a multivitamin twice a month. I would suggest doing thus yourself instead of having petco do it because most of the calcium will have been rubbed off by the time it gets eaten. Are you misting your tree several times a day too when he's out? I think it might be better for right now to keep him in his cage the majority of the time. You have a much easier time keeping his needs consistant and getting him everything he needs if he's in his cage.

 

[LindsayG]

How long have you had him for?

 

[SquallySteam]

We've had him since a little before Christmas, late November or early December. He has his first shed a couple of days ago actually @LindsayG

 

[LindsayG]

We've had him since a little before Christmas, late November or early December. He has his first shed a couple of days ago actually @LindsayG

Thats always exciting and a little scary seeing them burst all their skin off. I get so excited to see how they're going to change after a shed. I think if you get him back in his cage and get him under a basking light and a uvb light you will start to see some improvement. Just keeping him in a hot room isn't going to be enough. He needs to be able to bask and choose the temp that's right for him. Also make sure he's getting the right supplements and that you're gutloading the feeders properly. Keep him well hydrated and if he hasn't started doing better in a couple days I would suggest a vet visit. Have you had a Fecal done yet? That would be a good idea if you haven't yet just to make sure he doesn't have any parasites. Do you have any more pictures of him?

 

[SquallySteam]

It was really cool to watch the process and it was crazy how quick it just starts coming off haha. But I'll definitely do those things, thanks for all the help. I haven't gotten any tests done yet, maybe I'll have that done as well. And of course I do!

 

[LindsayG]

It was really cool to watch the process and it was crazy how quick it just starts coming off haha. But I'll definitely do those things, thanks for all the help. I haven't gotten any tests done yet, maybe I'll have that done as well. And of course I do!

He is too cute! I really hope he starts doing better soon

 

[jajeanpierre]

Sometimes if they don't get enough light they will be pretty lethargic and sleepy. A low temperature will slow them down as well. He definitely needs a good UVB light. No UVB radiation will go through glass windows.

I noticed a little pet bed beside him. I would be very careful that whatever usually sleeps in that pet bed doesn't kill your chameleon. A dog or a cat acts on instincts. I never leave small animals unattended with other bigger animals. It doesn't take much to kill your chameleon. A friend lost a show parrot during their performance when someone's leashed dog grabbed it and killed it. The owner was in shock--completely unexpected to the owner. Just a warning.

He's cute!

 

[SquallySteam]

Yea I cleaned his cage out real quick and put him back in there and he seems to be doing fine now, it's crazy how picky and precise every thing needs to be for them. And yea we have 3 outdoor/ indoor sometimes cats haha. It's very weird though because they all don't mind eachother, we also have chickens that the cats just hang out with. But they'll come home with a bunch of dead bunnies or birds... Weirdest thing! Smart animals, don't even bother the little guy, they care more about the crickets haha @jajeanpierre

 

[oneillchameleons]

Please don't take the chance with the cats. Even if they don't attack him (which they eventually will) the sight of them will be incredibly stressful for the chameleon, whether you think so or not. Also you'll definitely need a bigger all screen enclosure within a few months. You should be gutloading and dusting a variety of feeders for him with the schedule mentioned above. These are the most basic parts of chameleon husbandry, and if they aren't provided the chameleon will not do well.

 

[SpIKe6535]

my chameleon is sleeping a lot is that normal ? my chameleon is 2 years old

 

[Graves923]

• "Temperature - the temperature stays around 80 in the room and cage"

Nobody else pointed this out but a temp drop at night is good for a chameleon. No need to keep a space heater on in the room. You'll also want to have a temp gradient in the cage to give the chameleon places to go if it is too warm up top. My cage is 85*F at the basking spot, 75-70 in the middle and room temp at the bottom of the cage. At night, the temp drops to around 62-65*F.

I am in NJ as well so I have been misting alittle bit more than usual since the air in my apartment is really dry with the heat on.

 

[kinyonga]

Spike...no it's not. There can be a few reasons for it. Please post a photo and answer the questions in the ow to ask for help thread at the top of the health forum.
Please start your own thread so there is no confusion about who we are answering.

 

[Nursemaia]

Spike...no it's not. There can be a few reasons for it. Please post a photo and answer the questions in the ow to ask for help thread at the top of the health forum.
Please start your own thread so there is no confusion about who we are answering.

He already did

 

[kinyonga]

And I ignored it because the title to it was about the cage being OK not sleeping a lot.
Thanks for pointing it out.