Weird sleeping position

[Julirs]

I am sitting here looking at my large 7 month old male Veiled sleeping. He picked a very strange spot. Normally he is clinging to a vine or plant stand with all fours, but tonight he has two feet on top of the cage, one on the side, and one clipped to a leaf of a plant. He is leaning backwards hanging by his toenails. I am very worried that he may fall, and that would be more than 4 feet straight down to the bare hard bottom, so I placed a towel on the cage floor. Anyone else have chams that do this?

 

[Chamelio]

Hah, Sounds like mine. I have woke up in the middle of the night with mine hanging upside down. I dont think its anything unusual to see them in odd positions during sleep.

 

[Julirs]

He hung there the entire night with no issues. I hope this is not a habit!

 

[Tygerr]

Weird sleeping positions sometimes happen when the cham is surprised by the lights going off suddenly - so it doesn't have enough time to find a suitable spot to sleep (because it can't find its way around in the dark).

By providing cues of darkness before all the lights go off, you can warn the cham that the lights will soon be off, and it should start finding a place to sleep.

One way to do this is to have the cham's cage face an outside window, so that as the light subsides outside, the cham will realise darkness is approaching and get ready for sleep.
Another way, is to set your UV and heat bulbs on separate timers, and to have the heat bulb switch off before the UV bulbs. When the heat switches off, the drop in temps will alert the cham that night time is approaching, and it will start looking for a place to sleep.

If you give the cham enough time after it has been alerted that it is almost night time, it will invariably head off to the same spot every night.

My adult Veiled sleeps without fail on the same branch every night - he starts moving towards it almost immediately after the heat bulb at his basking spot switches off. By the time the UB bulb goes off, he is curled up there and ready to sleep.

It does take some time to get the cham adjusted to the routine though. Even with the same light schedule as the adult, my baby female Veiled still sometimes takes too long to find a place to sleep and ends up sleeping in awkward spots such as this:

 

[Julirs]

We were out a bit past his lights out time, so he went to sleep there with the lights still on. He is very much on a schedule with sleeping and waking.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

I just remembered a photo that I took a year or two ago of my older Veiled sleepy, hanging by his tail...

 

[Tygerr]

We were out a bit past his lights out time, so he went to sleep there with the lights still on.

Oh, that is something I've seen before too. Weird sleeping positions (especially on the screen of the cage) when they fall asleep with the lights still on. I've wondered if it is related to the pacing behaviour that is sometimes exhibited when they are unhappy in their cage? Like they are trying to get out of the cage to find somewhere dark?

Also, I've accidentally left the room lights on (even though the cage lights were all off), and my chams have fallen asleep on the screen. It made me think that they might have been confused, and were trying to get closer to the light outside their cage...

 

[Tygerr]

I just remembered a photo that I took a year or two ago of my older Veiled sleepy, hanging by his tail...

And that's another thing... no matter where they fall asleep, and no matter how awkward the sleeping position is, they will hold it all the way through till morning, and they won't fall down either. Amazing creatures...

Funny photo Dave.

 

[PukaKeha]

Howdy,

I just remembered a photo that I took a year or two ago of my older Veiled sleepy, hanging by his tail...

thats to funny

 

[PukaKeha]

double post sorry

 

[Chamelio]

That is funny, Yeah my vieled has his special little branch he lays on everynight. He starts going to it about 5 min before the heat lamps go off. My uvb lights go off 30 min after them but he already heads to his limb before the heat lamps go off. How can he determine before the heat lamps cut off.

 

[Jordan]

I agree with Tygerr falling is not really a worry unless you spook them awake. I think Tygerr knows about that move. I have seen it myself.

For about a two month span my guy decided he would sleep hanging onto the thermometer/hydrometer. That looked weird seeing a big chameleon hanging onto something so little in comparison.

 

[VerteX]

And that's another thing... no matter where they fall asleep, and no matter how awkward the sleeping position is, they will hold it all the way through till morning, and they won't fall down either. Amazing creatures...

Funny photo Dave.

...unless Tygerr blows air on them. LOL

 

[kk1020man]

hanging upside down

I just got a 2 month old veiled two days ago and for the past two nights he sleeps upside down clinging to the top. I turn off his basking lamp 30 minutes before total lights out so he will get to a safe place, but he chooses that spot. I was wondering myself if that is okay? He is usually asleep before I turn out his uvb light. His temp is fine and humidity is fine. He likes to drink before he goes to bed too. Is that fine?

 

[alan23]

i think my baby yemen has fount his place now for last few nights he been trying out diff places bt is in same place as last night tonight bt in diff postion last night he ws hanging on a leaf with his legs wraped up curld on leaf ws bit weird i know he is eating well i think i saw him drink yesterday am sure he is.is just catching him at it

 

[Tygerr]

That is funny, Yeah my vieled has his special little branch he lays on everynight. He starts going to it about 5 min before the heat lamps go off. My uvb lights go off 30 min after them but he already heads to his limb before the heat lamps go off. How can he determine before the heat lamps cut off.

I think they can obtain cues that night time is approaching from other sources too. Like the drop in ambient temperatures in the house as night time approaches. They are probably far more aware of these subtle changes than we are.