Why is my male at the bottom of his cage?

[lnsomnia]

Hey guys! So my male chameleon has been at the bottom of his cage for a while now and is considerably darker than usual. He's not by any means jet black or anything; just darker than usual and is the first time I've really seen him towards the bottom of his cage. Any ideas as to what may be wrong with him? If anything at all? Just trying to figure things out before I decide if I need to worry or not. The only thing I can really think of is that he doesn't like my female being housed next to him and he may have saw her and doesn't like that. However, they've been housed next together for over about two months now, and there have never been any problems.

He's hiding in the leaves so it's not very well lit in that area. Is that why he's dark?

I would just like to know if this is normal, or if it's a sign of illness! Thanks!

 

[carol5208]

First of all it would be beneficial to go to the health clinic and fill out the ask for help form. It could be something in your set up causing problems. Pics of your chameleon would be helpful also. I suggest you put a barrier between the cages so they cannot see one another. How old are they? If they were babies, they might not have been bothered by one another, but could be now.

 

[lnsomnia]

First of all it would be beneficial to go to the health clinic and fill out the ask for help form. It could be something in your set up causing problems. Pics of your chameleon would be helpful also. I suggest you put a barrier between the cages so they cannot see one another. How old are they? If they were babies, they might not have been bothered by one another, but could be now.

I suppose I will fill out a help form tomorrow if he doesn't seem to be acting 'normal' again by the end of tomorrow.

My male is almost 4 months old, and my female is about 5 months old. They've been housed next to each other each in their own cage since about 2 months of age.

I guess I will find something to divide the cages.

Hopefully these pictures are clear enough:

(He's in the bottom left of the picture on the pothos if you can't seem to find him)

 

[carol5208]

You cannot really see to much from the pics that you took. He looks ok from what I can tell. I mean, it might not be anything and maybe has nothing to do with your female. I just know from all the things I have read on here, that babies can be housed together and then at about three months on they need to be separated. I know that you have done that already, but as they are maturing the sight of each other may not be a healthy thing. If things don't get better, then definitely fill out the form and maybe try and post some clearer and close up shots if you can. Hopefully it is nothing. Sometimes they do little quirky things that are a little out of the norm and worry us for nothing!!

 

[lnsomnia]

You cannot really see to much from the pics that you took. He looks ok from what I can tell. I mean, it might not be anything and maybe has nothing to do with your female. I just know from all the things I have read on here, that babies can be housed together and then at about three months on they need to be separated. I know that you have done that already, but as they are maturing the sight of each other may not be a healthy thing. If things don't get better, then definitely fill out the form and maybe try and post some clearer and close up shots if you can. Hopefully it is nothing. Sometimes they do little quirky things that are a little out of the norm and worry us for nothing!!

Thank you so much Carol. Again, I wasn't necessarily worried, but I wanted to address what I had saw since it had seemed to be a bit out of the norm before I should worry! I love both of my chameleons and they mean the world to me, so I only want the best for them. I've only been reading up about chams for a couple months now, so I'm not near as experienced as you or other members on here.

I will divide the cages since it doesn't hurt, and continue to monitor him!

 

[Ninkylou]

I bought a cheap vinyl shower curtain liner and cut it to fit between the 2 enclosures, perfect visual barrier and it keeps water spray down.

 

[lnsomnia]

I bought a cheap vinyl shower curtain liner and cut it to fit between the 2 enclosures, perfect visual barrier and it keeps water spray down.

Good idea! I may actually steal that idea of yours. Thanks!

 

[kplatvoet]

How long do you keep your lights on ? He might be going to the bottom to find a darker place to sleep ? With winter coming on my guys get ready for bed a little earlier - he looks like he's just trying to find a safe spot - or a cooler spot? I had to change my basking bulb when my heat started coming on more - I'm not very experienced - I did notice his poop looked white - a good sign - a bad sign would be him staying down there and not moving around in the morning - if he's just going down to sleep I would check temps and make sure he s not being disturbed - put the curtain up and keep an eye on him -

 

[jackschamnewbie]

Veiled chams like to eat plants, and that plant you have is a golden pothos. If you have changed their diet recently he may have eaten some of its oddly colored leaves by mistake or on purpose. Usually on purpose.
I am only assuming that this is what calcium oxalates would actually do to a chameleon but blocking d3 metabolization would likely induce physical effects that may explain the behavior of seeking shade and cooler temps.

A territorial or mating response is likely the cause for color change but other than when hunting for food, chams don't often stay at the bottom all day... not from what I have seen or come to understand rather.
If you can afford it, get some new plants, perhaps a ficus benjamina or shcefflerra aboricola. If your buddy is eating the plant, both the weeping fig and the umbrella plant will discourage this behavior as they are awfully bitter to ingest and much more moderately toxic. Adding small pieces of cut fruit to the bottom help some people that this is a major problem for.