Chameleon dreams

galad · 03-22-05, 09:12 PM

I was flipping through channels awhile ago when I came across a show about dreams, what causes them and how they effect us and so on.
Anyways if you dont know you can tell when someone is dreaming because they have rapid eye movement, while they are sleeping.

So tonight I thought I would study my chams while they slept, it took awhile but I finally witnessed some rapid eye movement in my male. His eyes were moving around pretty fast, and he even jerked backwards acouple times as if he was scared of something.
I think this was more like a nightmare. Although I didnt notice any colour changes.

I wonder what a chameleon dream, or nightmare would be like.

lol

Solomon · 03-23-05, 12:41 AM

If I were a cham - I'd dream of silkworms - hehehe - wierd/neat observation!

galad · 03-23-05, 12:56 PM

lol yea I could imagine a good dream would be something like a forest full of silkworms lol. I wonder what a nighmare would be like for a cham.
But I'm wondering if a cham would even dream that it is in a forest. Considering they have never seen one. lol

Weird observation I know. Some of the things I think of........ lol

peace

roocat71 · 03-23-05, 04:18 PM

I was thinking more of a forest full of receptive females. The nightmare would just be all males.

-roo

dank7oo · 03-23-05, 07:10 PM

I was thinking the rapid eye movement were most likely not a dream considering chameleons are not people

Anyways, if it were a "dream" it would probably be of a tree.

Jason

CarlC · 03-23-05, 07:18 PM

I would doubt it was a dream. Most likely it is something in the nervous system caused by a imbalance in the diet.

Twitching movements would lead to a high predation rate in the wild. Chameleons are able to go undetected by predators at night because they are so still and have a body temp that is close if not even to air temperature.

Just my thoughts.

Carl

kinyonga · 03-23-05, 09:23 PM

Here's a site about REM in chameleons....look at the date in the article.
Interesting!

kinyonga · 03-24-05, 01:04 AM

Oops!
Forgot the link....
http://www.psyc.bbk.ac.uk/people/aca...ht/at-ch6.html

labomb · 03-24-05, 06:41 AM

that's pretty deep. I know for a fact that dogs dream.

galad · 03-24-05, 01:17 PM

Jason have you not seen a dog or cat dream?
If I am correct they are not people.
Carl I don't know what would be causing a diet imbalance, he eats like a king. And his food gets dusted as it should. There is nothing wrong with his food. The crix and meal worms are kept just a clean as the chameleons themselves.
That does not explain the REM.
And its not like he was twitching so much as to fall off a branch or give himself away. I was right next to him watching closely to see it. One or even ten of these twitches would not give him away in the wild. IF a predator was close enough to see it it would have already been to late.

I really don't know why people have to come on here and tell people that what they have witnessed with their own eyes, is wrong. I sat there and watched him for a half hour. I know what I saw. Maybe you guys should watch your chams at night also, and see what you think.

The question is do they dream all the time?

peace

ws

CarlC · 03-24-05, 09:52 PM

How do we know that the suppliments we give our animals are really what they need? Only a few studies have been done on the nutritional content of wild insects from a couple of locales. To my knowledge no studies have been done in Yemen. I really don't have any idea of what is in todays vitamin suppliments. I haven't used them in years. The only vitamin I use is D3 once a week.

It wouldn't take much movement to catch the attention of a hungry owl or any of the other predators that lurk in the forests.

Like I said just my thoughts.

Carl

galad · 03-25-05, 05:07 AM

Well I didnt mean to offend your view, but why be so negative?

To my knowledge most crix gut loads contain most of the vitamins needed. I also seldom use the Herptive I have from Rep-cal.
And as far as whats in it. It has the ingredients right on the side.

And sure some movement would attract a hungrey predator, but thats nature my freind. Owls have to eat too.

peace

kinyonga · 03-26-05, 03:23 PM

Carl...how do you balance the calcium and phosporous intake in your chameleons then?

dank7oo · 03-27-05, 02:27 PM

A proper gutload along with bug variety contains most if not all of the nutrients that a chameleon needs, except, as Carl mentioned, D3 for chameleons that are kept indoors.

Jason

roocat71 · 03-28-05, 01:06 PM

Jerky movements during sleep doesn’t really jive with a chameleons characteristics, so I tend to lean towards what Carl is getting at. Not to say that the chameleon couldn’t actually be dreaming though I also can’t help to notice that Carl is pretty good about pointing out alternate views on things – which can point to something negative. I have never thought that was the intention though. I know I would be kind of tweaked if someone told me I was caring for my chams wrong, but at the same time I would be appreciative to any thoughts or views on the matter. As for food/nutrients, there is absolutely now way that we can offer an equivalent to what the chameleons gets in the wild. Even with a plethora of feeders, vitamins, calcium, premium gut loads, or whatever.

-roo