5 Month old Ambilobe Always Dark never showing colors

bigant25

Member
Hello I have a 5 month old, Ambilobe Panther Chameleon , he seems to be of normal size and appetite, however he is always dark colors and always wearing his basking colors, never shows his bright colors unless i take him out of the cage ( and i suppose he begins to get a little stressed from the handling) or unless he is sleeping at night.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - 5 Month Old Male Ambilobe Panther Chameleon, been in my care for 2+ months.
Handling - 2 -3 times a week for 2-4 mins just to get used to human handling from time to time. or cage clean which i tend to do weekly.
Feeding - 4-6 large crickets & 2-3 superwoms each day
OR 4-6 large crickets and one juicy fat hornworm per day. I am gutloading cricks with carrots, apples, sweet potatoes and flukers orange cube cricket food. guloading superworms with carrots, gutloading hornworms with hornworm chow.
Supplements - REP CAL - Multivitamin 2 -3 times a month - REP CAL - Calcuim with D3 2-3 times per month. REGULAR CALCIUM DUSTING AT 90% of feedings.
Watering - BIG DRIPPER - Drips down onto plant leaves at slow pace for 15-18 hours per day.. hand misting (for 1-2 mins) 3-4 times per day. I dont see him drinking very often but his poop and urates seem 100% healthy always white urates.
Fecal Description - Nice Healthy hydrated poop pellets, he poops every day
History - Got him from one of the site sponsors and

Cage Info: 18x18x36 Inch ZOO MED ALL SCREEN CAGE
Cage Type -
Lighting - 60 Watt light bulb with dome Lamp on top of cage and 10.0 UVB zoo med light /standard recommendation
Temperature - ambient temp of 72-80 - 80-84 basking temp
Humidity - I am generally able to keep it between 60-80 throughout the day never let it get below 60 , run a small humidifier/mister at night and in evening to keep levels up as well as misting 3-4 times a day. I have the zoo med dual guage temp and humidity themomoter
Plants - 2 live money tree plants / 2 fake vines / 2 large exo terra vines / 2 small exo terra vines
Placement - cage in in corner of studio apt away from windows, not near ny fans etc. the top of the cage is just above the top of my head, i am 5foot 8 inches tall.
Location - NYC, NY Midtown East

Current Problem - he seems in great health but is NEVER EVER showing his colors except when being handled or sleeping, he is always wearing dark basking colors and im hoping he colors eventually develop and show to be as beautiful as his SIRE's, his sire is from one of our site sponsors and gorgeous specimen. IS this normal? am i doing something in correct that does not allow for his colors to shine through. aside from the 60 watt and the UVB light on is his cage does he need to be in a BRIGHTLY ILLUMINATED ROOM IN GENERAL TO WANT TO SHOW HIS COLORS OR IS HE STAYING DARK BECAUSE OUTSIDE OF HIS CAGE IT IS NOT VERY BRIGHT DURING THE DAY WHEN IM NOT HOME???

THE FIRST 2 PICS ARE OF HIM BEING DARK WHICH IS 95% OF THE TIME.

THE THIRD PIC IS HOW BRIGHT HE CAN BE WHEN HE WANTS WHICH IS NEVER EXCEPT BEING HANDLED OR AT BEDTIME, pleASE LET ME KNOW IF ANYONE HAS ANY SIMILIAR EXPERIENCE? DID HE GROW UP TO SHOW BRIGHT COLORS? IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HELP EXCEPT LEAVE ALL THE LIGHTS ON IN MY APT ALL DAY WHEN IM NOT HOME?? HIS UVB AND HIS 60 WATT LIGHT COME ON EVERY MORNING AT 9:00AM AND SHUT OFF EVERY NIGHT AT 10:00PM FYI THANKS
 

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I dont see anything wrong but you could up your basking temp a little bit. He looks good but may not feel secure enough. Can you post a pic of the whole cage so I can see what you have for cover? You might need to provide a little more leafy green stuff either real or fake to let him feel more hidden.

If thats not the case, it might just be that he is relaxed and stays in his drab colors most of the time. Bright colors all the time usually means stress so staying drab most of the time is not always a bad thing. At 5 months he is not even 1/3 the way toward his full color potential (typically 18 months)
 
reptoman,ok that answer was very assuring actually thanks, I will send pic of whole cage, he has two potted plants that connect (branches intertwine) and two fake leave hanging vines. he also has alot of exto terran vines and get too and from. i will attach a pic this evening when i get home.
 
As promised here is picture of he cage

As promised here is picture of he cage
 

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I'm no expert but your care looks pretty good. I have a 7 month old ambilobe/mitsio and he used to just be in "drab" colours as well. Since his most recent shed a couple of weeks ago however I have noticed that when he moves around in his enclosure he is a nice light blue/green/yellow, and he is only his darker colours when basking. Perhaps as your little guy grows up you will get to see his colours more often as they come in.
 
finally showing some colors today, for a half a min
 

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this is a bit off topic but i was wondering what size cage that is and how long can i keep him in there for, right now i have the 16x16x30 and hes only about 2 months
 
Mine looks just like yours, but more bright blue-ish-- they are brown and dull when they are young / semi-teenager

you can get this mix it's like Viagra to intensify their colours.

Ingredients: Spirulina platensis, Bee Pollen, Hemp Seed, Turmeric, Rosehips ( Rosa canina), Dandelion ( Taraxacum officinale), Brewer's Yeast, Wheat Germ

DinoFuel <--- get this one.
Moisture 10.54%
Protein (crude) 25.7%
Fat (crude) 3.97%
Fiber (crude) 4.05%
 
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