A lot of darkness!!

[Levi's]

Hey I've asked this question before on here but I'm deciding to ask again. But my veiled chameleon is always displaying dark colors and the only time he is bright is when he is sleeping. He eats 8-10 large super worms a day along with some dandelion greens. I've checked his temps and the ambient is usually around 75 and his basking like 85-90. I've done some upgrades to his enclosure and I beleive it should be suitable but I'm just not sure and I'm a little worried.

Also I coat his food in a multivitamin twice a week and I'm unsure if I should be doing more of that or what. Please help

 

[Beman]

I just looked through all your passed threads. You have never gotten a help form to fill out. So this would be your next step. I do see things that are off in what you posted above. So please fill this out with detail and add pics of your entire enclosure lights down. This will allow us to give you complete feedback on your husbandry.

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[jamest0o0]

Along with what beman said, right off the bat I can say 8-10 superworms a day is wayyy too many fat calories. Might be dark trying to digest all of that(absorbing heat). Most of us feed supers at max 1-2x a week. They're addicting, don't hold much in the gut, and have high calories(think 1 gram of protein is 4 calories, 1 gram of fat is 9... roaches/crickets are higher in protein so they're lower in calories). My point is, all those superworms are a fast track to obesity for a captive animal.

 

[PabloTheCham]

Along with what beman said, right off the bat I can say 8-10 superworms a day is wayyy too many fat calories. Might be dark trying to digest all of that(absorbing heat). Most of us feed supers at max 1-2x a week. They're addicting, don't hold much in the gut, and have high calories(think 1 gram of protein is 4 calories, 1 gram of fat is 9... roaches/crickets are higher in protein so they're lower in calories). My point is, all those superworms are a fast track to obesity for a captive animal.

I cringe thinking about all of the time and effort it will take to wean him off them... Hopefully withdrawal isn't too bad

 

[new.cham.mom]

Hey although I'm no expert I was just recently having similar problems and for me she seemed to be stressed by her lack of foliage I didn't have enough places for her to hide. At first she had a large tangerine tree branch from my garden which she absolutely loved, always green. But now I added some artificial vines and flowers which seemed to please as well as arranging more climbing areas. I have a basking area of exactly 96 at her highest point and for her and that seems to do the trick no dark spots unless I approach the cage to mist her. Some Chameleons will have a harder time adjusting to people too so for me since I keep her in my room I try to get her used to me little by little when I feed her. Which I just learned about the super worms too I had thought they were healthy but mine only eats around 3- 4 a day definitely pausing now and going back to crickets. Hope this helps!

 

[Beman]

Hey although I'm no expert I was just recently having similar problems and for me she seemed to be stressed by her lack of foliage I didn't have enough places for her to hide. At first she had a large tangerine tree branch from my garden which she absolutely loved, always green. But now I added some artificial vines and flowers which seemed to please as well as arranging more climbing areas. I have a basking area of exactly 96 at her highest point and for her and that seems to do the trick no dark spots unless I approach the cage to mist her. Some Chameleons will have a harder time adjusting to people too so for me since I keep her in my room I try to get her used to me little by little when I feed her. Which I just learned about the super worms too I had thought they were healthy but mine only eats around 3- 4 a day definitely pausing now and going back to crickets. Hope this helps!

Hi there welcome to the forum. You might consider starting a thread and getting a husbandry review done. basking at 96 is very high for a mature male panther or Veiled much less a female. Depending on species artificial vines and flowers can be dangerous. We would be happy to make sure that the information you have received is correct for your cham.

 

[Levi's]

Along with what beman said, right off the bat I can say 8-10 superworms a day is wayyy too many fat calories. Might be dark trying to digest all of that(absorbing heat). Most of us feed supers at max 1-2x a week. They're addicting, don't hold much in the gut, and have high calories(think 1 gram of protein is 4 calories, 1 gram of fat is 9... roaches/crickets are higher in protein so they're lower in calories). My point is, all those superworms are a fast track to obesity for a captive animal.

Are roaches or crickets better then I wasnt aware of super worms being so high in fat.

 

[Rango&Diego]

Along with what beman said, right off the bat I can say 8-10 superworms a day is wayyy too many fat calories. Might be dark trying to digest all of that(absorbing heat). Most of us feed supers at max 1-2x a week. They're addicting, don't hold much in the gut, and have high calories(think 1 gram of protein is 4 calories, 1 gram of fat is 9... roaches/crickets are higher in protein so they're lower in calories). My point is, all those superworms are a fast track to obesity for a captive animal.

What does an obese cham look like?

 

[PabloTheCham]

What does an obese cham look like?

a blue tongue skink

 

[CrisBruns]

 

[PabloTheCham]

View attachment 271865

What happened to her??

 

[CrisBruns]

I grabbed a photo from another thread. No idea what happened to the Cham as member left.