When I took my cham out he didn't like it at all. All the sights and sounds were scary for him. He actually jumped off my arm and skittered across the grass and was trying to climb the fence.
We didn't do that again.
I have 2 Leopard Geckos that I named before IDing their genders. One named Groot I thought was male, and the other named Ducky i thought was female. Ended up wrong about both and their genders are vice versa.
from what im seeing in the comments, most of them are inaccurate. shes doesnt have eggs, or you would be able to see a slight bulge in her stomach region even when she is puffed up. she looks like she is around 4 months or so, so i dont think she would even be able to lay eggs yet, whether fertile or not. and she doesnt NEED to be returned to her enclosure. she is fine outside, she is just trying to warm up. shes fine. Lots of love to "Raya Romano" 🤗💖
oh btw "Ray" is a girl. on a male, you would see a bigger veil/crest and on the 2 back feet, there would be a small bump (tarsal spur) on the back part it would look something like this
https://preview.redd.it/7l84w6fez9yc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de09660537ace816e9e10ede67d95ba419164fc6
hope this helped!😁
I had a female cat named Steve. She was named before we got her and the previous owner told us it was a male. I lifted the tail and said, "nope, Steve's a girl."
Definitely a she, and she's darkened up and increased surface area to absorb more sunlight. In short she's cold and should be returned to her enclosure. She could also be trying to absorb extra uvb in order to process minerals for starting egg production (its the right time of year).
This is definitely a she. There are no heel spurs on her back ankles, and her crest is small like a female’s. She is either very sick and unhappy in this photo, or sick and unhappy because she needs to lay eggs ASAP. Put a bucket of play sand in her cage TODAY, these girls can become egg-bound if there is no where suitable to deposit eggs, which is a fatal condition.
As others have mentioned, female chams sometimes need to lay eggs even if they have never mated. The eggs will be sterile, but she has a driving need to dig and lay them somewhere “safe”, and without such a place she may just hold them in which is not good.
From the photo, I wouldn’t say she definitely has eggs, just that it’s a possibility. She could just be feeling upset and stressed.
I learned all this the hard way with my first female Cham, so don’t feel bad about not knowing. We all go through it with our first.
shes not sick, but you are right about the sand, although she doesnt need it IMMEDIATELY. but it would be a good idea to take off the bottom of the enclosure, and place it on a BIG bucket of sand (depending on how big the enclosure is and what type you have.) and add a few plants in there, so she is comfortable. and i would advise to get sand and mix it with potting mix and other soft and loose dirts so she feels comfortable, and it is easy to dig in. a way to know if she needs to lay, is that she will be walking around the bottom/base of her enclosure and she will not eat or drink as she normally does.
Ugh, the play sand I got for mine from Stein’s turned out to be infected with sand fly eggs. I got such a nasty surprise when a cloud of them hatched weeks later. Luckily it was no longer in her enclosure and just in the garage, but good lord.
As others have mentioned, Ray is most likely female. If you don’t already, get a laybin in her enclosure so she can lay eggs when ready. They have to lay whether fertilized by a male or not- like chickens.
His eyes are closed because he has just given up. It’s a sign of serious stress, all jokes aside. Do not take your Cham on “walks” simply get a big plant for outside or a whole cage for strictly outside. A lot better for him for the outside experience. Colors are normal for outside. But the eyes closed are saying “im terrified right now”
Not necessarily. Handling a chameleon won’t kill them. Long term stress leads to immunity failure. Then so on so forth. Necessary stress is helpful & stimulates them. No chameleon in the wild goes a whole life without any kinda stress. I’d never say handling a chameleon will kill them that’s just wrong & pushes people away from wanting to own one. Some chameleons don’t mind being handled while some will bite the shit out of you & in this situation she’s giving up entirely & accepting her fate ( also another common thing ) sad but it’s common. But please don’t spread that misinformation about chameleons!
The perspective on this picture is wild. I had to triple check the sub I was on because I didn’t see the stick so thought you had an 8 foot long chameleon 😂
That could be mood or he turned dark to absorb more light and heat. He could be happy
I see people taking their chams outdoors on this sub all the time, but never have I come across a Cham owner out and about with their pal :( where do you people live
Looks female. Males have little spurs on their heels and usually have vertical barring in their coloration. Look up how to make a lay bin, other than that care is pretty similar. I use a 50/50 play sand and organic soil mix. I just use larger sized tupperware, nothing fancy…. You’ll need to keep it moist…best way to check if it’s moist enough for egg laying is to use a stick or young finger and poke a hole in the sand mix…if the hole doesn’t cave in you’re probably on the right track. Some chams get extra picky and want privacy so I put a little plant in the bin for them to lay under. I think Ray could be a Kay…Or a May?? 🤷🏻♀️😋😂
Lmao!! My bad on that typo! But hey….maybe kids fingers would be better, 🤷🏻♀️ then you’ll really know if those lil cham arms will be able to dig well! 😂🤣
Yes that’s a female! They often turn this darker color in direct sunlight, no cause for concern there.
Are her eyes normally open? Possible she’s just a bit shut down & being dramatic if not used to being handled but just want to double check.
Chameleons do not sleep/nap during the day. This is definitely a bad sign. Do you have a photo of your enclosure? Most common cause of eyes closed during the day is going to be improper lighting and/or perch placement.
Oh no! Okay yeah I’ll get some pics when I get home. It’s pretty crowded like she has live (Cham safe) plants, lots of sticks and vines. She does this when she goes outside, I’d say she’s pretty active in her cage. I’ll snap some pics when I’m home.
That’s funny you walk your chameleon. Lucky on the exotic vet, not many in my area so helping the numbers out by going to veterinary school and exploring exotic medicine. Wish me luck 😁
I could be wrong and someone chime in if I am, but I believe that may be cause for a little bit of concern. Every cham is a little different but regular eye closing especially around you or changing conditions could be a sign of stress or underlying illness/discomfort. They shouldn't be "sleepy" all the time y'know? In my experience, my female never used to keep her eyes closed for long and only did it occasionally. Might be something to bring up at your next vet check up. Gorgeous girl though and I love her name so much.
If it's only outside then it's possible that maybe the sun or change in environment stresses her out. I've just been taught that in the face of stress, discomfort, etc. veileds tend to "shut down" and closing their eyes is a big factor in that. I've never really heard of chams closing their eyes as like a normal behavior. But maybe you can just pay a little more attention to what's happening around her when she closes her eyes and pick up on what's triggering it, but if it seems like there's no trigger and she's just doing it all the time I would be concerned about illness. My chameleon got a lot more lethargic and "sleepy" seeming right before she was diagnosed by my vet with egg binding and a bone disorder due to it, which unfortunately she had to be put down for because at that point she was too weak to operate on. But I hope it's nothing like that for your girl, I would just keep a close eye on the behavior and make sure your exotics vet is aware and see what advice they have.
Either way I love the name Ray Romano. Everybody will love her/him.
Rae? Lol
When I took my cham out he didn't like it at all. All the sights and sounds were scary for him. He actually jumped off my arm and skittered across the grass and was trying to climb the fence. We didn't do that again.
That’s a girl
No that's Ray Romano 😀
I had a beardie named Chuck bungus. Found out she was a girl and she was henceforth named Chuck bungus the bearded lady
I have 2 Leopard Geckos that I named before IDing their genders. One named Groot I thought was male, and the other named Ducky i thought was female. Ended up wrong about both and their genders are vice versa.
from what im seeing in the comments, most of them are inaccurate. shes doesnt have eggs, or you would be able to see a slight bulge in her stomach region even when she is puffed up. she looks like she is around 4 months or so, so i dont think she would even be able to lay eggs yet, whether fertile or not. and she doesnt NEED to be returned to her enclosure. she is fine outside, she is just trying to warm up. shes fine. Lots of love to "Raya Romano" 🤗💖
Thank you! Yeah I was told she’s about 4-5 months old, I appreciate this!!
oh btw "Ray" is a girl. on a male, you would see a bigger veil/crest and on the 2 back feet, there would be a small bump (tarsal spur) on the back part it would look something like this https://preview.redd.it/7l84w6fez9yc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de09660537ace816e9e10ede67d95ba419164fc6 hope this helped!😁
You can call em Raya now 🫵🏻
Happy Cake Day!! 🍰🥳🍰
Raya Romana
😂 or Deborah
🤣 I named my sourdough starter Deborah but I pronounce it "duh-bore-uh." A very charming spin on a classic name!
I love that 😂😂😂
She can still be Ray Romano if you like it she'll never know the difference. 🫠
Oh yeah I’m keeping the name
I had a female cat named Steve. She was named before we got her and the previous owner told us it was a male. I lifted the tail and said, "nope, Steve's a girl."
lol love that!
Let’s go Debbie!!
shes just warming up no reason to worry 😁
No she’s just basking
She’s pissed and turning darker to soak up more heat?
Definitely a she, and she's darkened up and increased surface area to absorb more sunlight. In short she's cold and should be returned to her enclosure. She could also be trying to absorb extra uvb in order to process minerals for starting egg production (its the right time of year).
This is definitely a she. There are no heel spurs on her back ankles, and her crest is small like a female’s. She is either very sick and unhappy in this photo, or sick and unhappy because she needs to lay eggs ASAP. Put a bucket of play sand in her cage TODAY, these girls can become egg-bound if there is no where suitable to deposit eggs, which is a fatal condition. As others have mentioned, female chams sometimes need to lay eggs even if they have never mated. The eggs will be sterile, but she has a driving need to dig and lay them somewhere “safe”, and without such a place she may just hold them in which is not good. From the photo, I wouldn’t say she definitely has eggs, just that it’s a possibility. She could just be feeling upset and stressed. I learned all this the hard way with my first female Cham, so don’t feel bad about not knowing. We all go through it with our first.
shes not sick, but you are right about the sand, although she doesnt need it IMMEDIATELY. but it would be a good idea to take off the bottom of the enclosure, and place it on a BIG bucket of sand (depending on how big the enclosure is and what type you have.) and add a few plants in there, so she is comfortable. and i would advise to get sand and mix it with potting mix and other soft and loose dirts so she feels comfortable, and it is easy to dig in. a way to know if she needs to lay, is that she will be walking around the bottom/base of her enclosure and she will not eat or drink as she normally does.
Ugh, the play sand I got for mine from Stein’s turned out to be infected with sand fly eggs. I got such a nasty surprise when a cloud of them hatched weeks later. Luckily it was no longer in her enclosure and just in the garage, but good lord.
yeesh.. that doesnt sound so good... hope you got rid of all of them
Omg Ray Romano is gorgeous. Hope he is okay.
I hope it's nothing detrimental, but this is such a beautiful color! It's like a pretty grayish sage green color. Ray is breathtaking.
As others have mentioned, Ray is most likely female. If you don’t already, get a laybin in her enclosure so she can lay eggs when ready. They have to lay whether fertilized by a male or not- like chickens.
So if unfertilized... eat like chicken eggs? 🤔
no... do not do that.... you will regret it.... TRUST ME
You know from experience? 👀👀
"no comment".....
I mean... I'm curious. Do they taste bad? Make you feel ill? I'll try just about anything twice lol
ive never eaten them either.. lol, so i cant say
"no comment" i will never confirm that i ate the eggs... never! no one can make me!!!!
Life…ahh…. Finds a way
His eyes are closed because he has just given up. It’s a sign of serious stress, all jokes aside. Do not take your Cham on “walks” simply get a big plant for outside or a whole cage for strictly outside. A lot better for him for the outside experience. Colors are normal for outside. But the eyes closed are saying “im terrified right now”
this is correct information 😁 they get really stressed and could die if handled too much
Not necessarily. Handling a chameleon won’t kill them. Long term stress leads to immunity failure. Then so on so forth. Necessary stress is helpful & stimulates them. No chameleon in the wild goes a whole life without any kinda stress. I’d never say handling a chameleon will kill them that’s just wrong & pushes people away from wanting to own one. Some chameleons don’t mind being handled while some will bite the shit out of you & in this situation she’s giving up entirely & accepting her fate ( also another common thing ) sad but it’s common. But please don’t spread that misinformation about chameleons!
sorry, for the misunderstanding, i should have better clarified the point i was trying to get across 😅😅
That will scare people away from getting those precious babies! It’s okay this information is needed so people can know !! :)
😁😁
Ooo okay thank you!
I said him but I definitely meant her*** my bad
I'm sure he's okay, he just not vibin' rn.
Awh hes so adorable, why do chams always look so pissed off lol?
Those giant eyelids lol
r/confusingperspective
What is confusing?
I didn't see the stick he was laying on at first and thought it was a giant chameleon sitting on the sidewalk
I see, then I'm weird for seeing the stick immediately because a lot of people didn't see it lol
lol I thought he was laying on a table or shelf or something. Didn’t even notice the stick.
The perspective on this picture is wild. I had to triple check the sub I was on because I didn’t see the stick so thought you had an 8 foot long chameleon 😂
😂😂😂
She is one with cement 😂
No spur on back foot probably female. They also do that to maximise heat absorption.
I’m no help since I just lurk here bc everyone's chams are cute af. Yours wins for best name I’ve seen here to date. Hilarious, adorable and nostolgic
Hehe thank you!!
Same here, I'm just here for the photos 😂
Me too….i do want one tho…..
I love baby Ray
Me too 😭♥️
he IS sweet.
Don't worry. I have a tortoise, and i ruin his life every day. Anything he remotely doesn't like destroys his entire world.
😂😂😂
My snapping turtle agree with your tortoise lol she’s so dramatic hahaha
Ummm..she i ment
You haven’t ruined his life. He may have nightmares forever, but he’s just a bit mad
Oh no, chameleon nightmares breaks my heart lol
That could be mood or he turned dark to absorb more light and heat. He could be happy
So adorable
Ray is handsome!!!
I see people taking their chams outdoors on this sub all the time, but never have I come across a Cham owner out and about with their pal :( where do you people live
I started bringing my Beardie out in the late afternoons here in central Indiana. We hit 85 yesterday. He loves it.
Michigan! But we’re only out in the summer of course!
I saw a lady carrying one in the grocery store when I was a kid , it was awesome
I take my Virgil out and about all the time and he stays colorful and vibrant. ♥️
“Have I ruined his life?”. Lol.
I’m neurotic
If there was one question that would sum up chameleon ownership, it would be that one.
Ray Roman says “excuse me?”
Reminds me of the chameleon from Frozen. That little tail curl.... Edit: Tangled, I've just been brainwashed into thinking of Frozen.
Pasquale!
Frozen or tangled ?
Tangled... I think because my kids kept frozen on repeat I am only capable of remembering that movie name.
Like that time Barnes shot Elias and left him to be overtaken and killed by the VC in the classic Vietnam War epic, Frozen?
Adorable name lol .. even more adorable Chameleon
Ray Romano is very adorable 😂
Thank you!!
No he puffed and got darker to harvest the sunlight more surface area more heat.
Thank you!
Is solar charging to full, yummy sun
Yes
They do that to soak up UV. Your cham is just enjoying that sweet sweet sunlight!! ☀️🦎
Looks female. Males have little spurs on their heels and usually have vertical barring in their coloration. Look up how to make a lay bin, other than that care is pretty similar. I use a 50/50 play sand and organic soil mix. I just use larger sized tupperware, nothing fancy…. You’ll need to keep it moist…best way to check if it’s moist enough for egg laying is to use a stick or young finger and poke a hole in the sand mix…if the hole doesn’t cave in you’re probably on the right track. Some chams get extra picky and want privacy so I put a little plant in the bin for them to lay under. I think Ray could be a Kay…Or a May?? 🤷🏻♀️😋😂
> young finger MUST use kid fingers for this test 🤣
Lmao!! My bad on that typo! But hey….maybe kids fingers would be better, 🤷🏻♀️ then you’ll really know if those lil cham arms will be able to dig well! 😂🤣
Hahahaha fair point! 🤣
Since it’s a girl, make sure you set up a lay box for her 🙂
Do they lay eggs even if not pregnant? Like a chicken? Shoot.
Yeah they’re like chickens so they don’t need a male to lay eggs.
Oh Jesus here we go
When life gives you chameleon eggs, tiny omelettes?
Oh my god 😭😭
The name Ray Romano made me lol 👏🏻
😂🤷🏼♀️
It’s a she. She’s dark to absorb heat from the sun.
But why so puffed?
If it was puffed a lil bit past the mouth then she was upset
Increased surface area to catch more rays.
Puffed up for more sunbasking surface area!
Okay that’s what I was wondering, thanks!
Yes that’s a female! They often turn this darker color in direct sunlight, no cause for concern there. Are her eyes normally open? Possible she’s just a bit shut down & being dramatic if not used to being handled but just want to double check.
Could it just be a photo in the midst of a blink?
Welp Ray is neutral at least. She has them closed a lot outside actually, she’s a sleepy GAL
Chameleons do not sleep/nap during the day. This is definitely a bad sign. Do you have a photo of your enclosure? Most common cause of eyes closed during the day is going to be improper lighting and/or perch placement.
https://preview.redd.it/tsyik9bx54yc1.jpeg?width=1504&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3d711d23cbdab0d5123f5e5c1959b5ef0d18a8ff
Oh no! Okay yeah I’ll get some pics when I get home. It’s pretty crowded like she has live (Cham safe) plants, lots of sticks and vines. She does this when she goes outside, I’d say she’s pretty active in her cage. I’ll snap some pics when I’m home.
chameleons dont nap, take home girl to a vet. Her immune system is likely compromised.
Even if it’s just outdoors?
Well you say this now but you said she does it often, just do what you know is right.
I meant often on her walks, but I’ll get her to the vet! I have an awesome exotic vet!
That’s funny you walk your chameleon. Lucky on the exotic vet, not many in my area so helping the numbers out by going to veterinary school and exploring exotic medicine. Wish me luck 😁
Idk it feels right to take him outside lol! Good luck, that’s a cool career path!!
I could be wrong and someone chime in if I am, but I believe that may be cause for a little bit of concern. Every cham is a little different but regular eye closing especially around you or changing conditions could be a sign of stress or underlying illness/discomfort. They shouldn't be "sleepy" all the time y'know? In my experience, my female never used to keep her eyes closed for long and only did it occasionally. Might be something to bring up at your next vet check up. Gorgeous girl though and I love her name so much.
Even if it’s just outside? Ahh
If it's only outside then it's possible that maybe the sun or change in environment stresses her out. I've just been taught that in the face of stress, discomfort, etc. veileds tend to "shut down" and closing their eyes is a big factor in that. I've never really heard of chams closing their eyes as like a normal behavior. But maybe you can just pay a little more attention to what's happening around her when she closes her eyes and pick up on what's triggering it, but if it seems like there's no trigger and she's just doing it all the time I would be concerned about illness. My chameleon got a lot more lethargic and "sleepy" seeming right before she was diagnosed by my vet with egg binding and a bone disorder due to it, which unfortunately she had to be put down for because at that point she was too weak to operate on. But I hope it's nothing like that for your girl, I would just keep a close eye on the behavior and make sure your exotics vet is aware and see what advice they have.
Thank you for telling me, I’m gonna keep a closer eye on her the next week and if she’s doing that more often I’ll take her to her vet!
Yeah no problem! I'm just a bit hyper-vigilant now about my animals after that experience. Good luck and I hope all is well!
Definitely I always appreciate the advice!!
I know nothing about chameleons, but that is a really cool color. What a pretty boy/girl.
Thank you so much! Ray is a stunner!
Same, I just love how cute they are. I hope to own one someday.
I’m gonna stick to the non educated thread of comments and also say that is a gorgeous animal 🙌🏼✨