walking around on floor of enclosure?

[Glen the Jackson's]

So my chameleon Glen has an odd routine every morning for about 1-2 hours he walks around the bottom of his enclosure. he does not sit still but walks around the entire thing, almost like he is running a marathon lol. I have no clue why he is doing this and was wondering if any of you might. I have a 24x24x48 cage with a very large umbrella plant in it with multiple sticks to walk on. The rest of the day after his "marathon" he does not go to the bottom...only every morning??? Anyone have any ideas???

 

[EveryGreen]

can i see the cage setup?

 

[Glen the Jackson's]

 

[JaguarShark]

I can't really say "why" he does it, but it's not uncommon.
My male veiled did the same thing most days, but not quite as thoroughly as that (he would maybe spend 30 mins going down, look around and then go back up).
I guess he just wants something to do, or is making sure he is safe. Perhaps he is patrolling his territory like a tiger.

 

[Glen the Jackson's]

i have actually added more sticks since then. hold on lemme add another picture

 

[EveryGreen]

i would lose the substrate (thats an umbrella on roids.. thing is huge!)

 

[Glen the Jackson's]

 

[Glen the Jackson's]

i would lose the substrate (thats an umbrella on roids.. thing is huge!)

ya next time i clean the cage i was planning on canning the substrate. I'm planning on doing that next monday actually.

 

[Nursemaia]

The plant offers lots of coverage but not a lot to climb on. I'd add more branches and he's probably doing it because he's bored and males do patrol their territory

 

[JacksJill]

Mine does a "patrol" of his cage daily, usually mid morning. A bad reason they pace at the bottom can be if the temps are too hot and they are trying to get away from the heat.

 

[Glen the Jackson's]

Mine does a "patrol" of his cage daily, usually mid morning. A bad reason they pace at the bottom can be if the temps are too hot and they are trying to get away from the heat.

the thing is that he does this right as he wakes up (i have it cooler at night for him) so the temps are low. Right as i turn on his lights he takes about 5-10 mins of waking up then heads straight to the bottom. I have the cage ranging in temp from 73-77ish when the lights are on and around 80-83 in his basking spot. He is a Jacksons so he likes it a bit cooler. I never blast him with heat. I feel like he is doing patrol as yours is. He walks around with his tail straight out (i think it is so he appears to look like a stick) lol.

 

[JacksJill]

I'd say that was what he's doing then. They are very territorial.

 

[theintouchable88]

Today was hot here in California and I noticed mine walking on the lower end of the enclosure. Almost where the pot is. I have vines and sticks there all over so I was wondering if it was too hot. I check the Temps with a gun and sure enough, it was 88-89. He's 3 months old sone it should be a little cooler than that. I changed to his old 60w bulb and he went back up within minutes. It was around his first feeding time too so he might have been looking for his father to bring him his lunch lol

 

[kelly_girl199]

the thing is that he does this right as he wakes up (i have it cooler at night for him) so the temps are low. Right as i turn on his lights he takes about 5-10 mins of waking up then heads straight to the bottom. I have the cage ranging in temp from 73-77ish when the lights are on and around 80-83 in his basking spot. He is a Jacksons so he likes it a bit cooler. I never blast him with heat. I feel like he is doing patrol as yours is. He walks around with his tail straight out (i think it is so he appears to look like a stick) lol.

Mine use to do the exact same thing. He still does it but very little. He stopped after I made him a free range and let him roam on it for a few hours almost daily. But mine will rub his nose all along the bottom.

 

[kelly_girl199]

Personally I think its sheer boredom. you just got a spoiled lizard who wants more room to move. Thats why everyone well experienced would tell you 4x2x2 is literally a minimum requirement for any chameleon. for some tahts not even close to enough. They gotta get they walkin fix ereday ;}

 

[EveryGreen]

Personally I think its sheer boredom. you just got a spoiled lizard who wants more room to move. Thats why everyone well experienced would tell you 4x2x2 is literally a minimum requirement for any chameleon. for some tahts not even close to enough. They gotta get they walkin fix ereday ;}

mine is the exact opposite. all he does is role over and bask all day and when i spray him he just casually takes some sips

 

[kelly_girl199]

mine is the exact opposite. all he does is role over and bask all day and when i spray him he just casually takes some sips

Every little Chammy is different.

 

[EveryGreen]

Every little Chammy is different.

not so little anymore

 

[ChamLB]

Since you have a male of a live birth species you don't have to worry that you have a female looking for a spot to lay eggs.

 

[FancyRaptor]

My Veiled does a few patrols around the bottom. It seems like he just is checking his territory. (I was reading the beginning and saw you say you had a huge umbrella plant. I was expecting some 2ft tall thing not that monster of a plant)