Is your chameleon slow, sleepy, lethargic? Relax, it is autumn.
During this time of the year (at onset of autumn), we often encounter changes of behavior of chameleons which make their owners panicking. If you observe any of the following symptoms, please don't panic and try to analyse the situation first and understand:
Sleeping at daytime,
Occupying to the sleeping branch and start sleeping while the lights are still on,
Lowered appetite,
Reduction of food intake,
Pickiness in food selection,
Prolonged periods between defecation,
Dull colors (darker or lighter),
No sexual appetite.
All these non-specific patterns can be a result of various root-causes such as:
wrong husbandry parameters,
disease,
parasite infection,
high age,
etc…
If all these causes are excluded, the most probable and frequent remains:
change in the life cycle.
In September namely, the days become significantly shorter on the northern hemisphere (where the majority of chameleon keepers live).
Shortening of the photoperiod signals to their built-in evolutionary experiential engine: wintertime is coming. Shorter days, lower temperatures usually slow the chameleons down and trigger their resting behavior, in some cases even sort of overwintering - during the s.c. brummation. All the mentioned symptoms fit to this state. The slowed down metabolism is an evolutionary collected experience with the wintertime, which is typical by low temperature and low food availability. They need rest to renew energy, rest and produce gametes (ova and spermatozoids) for the new breeding season to produce proper offspring (spermatogenesis requires lower temperatures).
To compare the length of daylight on the northern hemisphere (eg. in New York City) on September 16 and August 16, we can look at the sunrise and sunset times for those dates:
August 16, 2023:
Sunrise: Around 5:53 AM,
Sunset: Around 8:10 PM
Length of Daylight: 14 hours and 17 minutes
September 16, 2023:
Sunrise: Around 6:11 AM
Sunset: Around 7:13 PM
Length of Daylight: 13 hours and 2 minutes
Difference in Daylight Length:
In New York: Approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes shorter on September 16 compared to August 16.,
In Paris, the difference is even greater - 1 hour and 52 minutes (as it is further from Equator),
In Berlin even greater - 2 hours and 7 minutes.
This shift in daylight is typical as days gradually shorten as summer transitions into fall. The speed of change is greatest around Equinox, which we approach in the coming days (the autumn equinox comes at September 22).
So, if your chameleon shows some of the above mentioned symptoms, do not panic. It is Autumn.
- Allow lower temps,
- allow less food,
- allow relax and restoration of energy,
- allow restoration of sexual powers and gametogenesis.
Important note: Beware that in Madagascar, which is for the most keeper situated on an opposite hemisphere, the seasons are running opposite way (6 months difference). Therefore, the imported wild caught animals have to first adjust to the seasons in the northern hemisphere and only then live according to the natural cycles of the new inhabited area. As chameleons are as a rule relatively short-living creatures, it can be also the game-stopper for adjusting the wild caught species to the captivity.