Always dark??

[Eliguerr13]

Have you gotten all of your husbandry checked yet? It would be a good idea to fill this out so we can double check every thing.


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.

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Please Note:

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

The pink blanket I added today to try to minimize how much of the outside he sees until I can find a better place where he won’t see so many dogs running around and people

 

[CasqueAbove]

I did not get through the full thread, but my male will turn like that if he is startled angry or feels I have just bushed my boundary way to far.
As for staying brown. I often see this when they are in darker cages and basking is close to the corner. I know this sounds odd and is defiantly not the only reason it can occur. But if all other specs check out try brightening up the cage and move basking a little further from the side. Again this is assuming all other issues have been checked

 

[Eliguerr13]

I did not get through the full thread, but my male will turn like that if he is startled angry or feels I have just bushed my boundary way to far.
As for staying brown. I often see this when they are in darker cages and basking is close to the corner. I know this sounds odd and is defiantly not the only reason it can occur. But if all other specs check out try brightening up the cage and move basking a little further from the side. Again this is assuming all other issues have been checked

I’m gonna give this a shot! Thanks !

 

[Scaled Alchemy]

I agree with @Lpsouth1978 on this one!

I would go away from the short misting cycles and start implementing less frequent longer cycles. Sometimes chameleons take a while to get stimulated to trigger a drinking response. Are his urates bright white or on the yellower side? This is also used as an indicator of hydration along with sunken eyes!

 

[Lpsouth1978]

For the most part your husbandry looks pretty good. It looks like you have some live plants in there., which is great. Continue to try and remove the rest of the fake plants and those mossy vines. They can also be an impaction risk. The homemade cage looks good, but be aware that it is too small for an adult veiled and will need to be upgraded VERY soon. He will need a cage that is 24"x24"x48" MINIMUM as an adult. Even bigger would be better.

Also, What are you gut loading the Dubia's with? Proper gut load can definitely help improve the health and color of a chameleon. Finally, if possible, move him to a lower traffic area. I think that making a few small changes will help make your guy happy, and, a happy cham is a colorful cham (potentially).

 

[Cheezilla]

Chameleons have two sets of color changing in them one is pigments and the other are Crystals...the crystals can stack and change through the light spectrums and prisms and are controlled..the pigments are not controlable..for example when you get the chills your hairs stand up on your arms ..we dont control this it's a reaction...once you have all proper temps and situation going you can judge it's trueness..could be an array of reasons why tho

 

[ERKleRose]

Hi, there! My feedback will be in red, and I've attached helpful links and images at the end!

blue veiled chameleon, I got him in March 2021 when he was about 2 inches long, maybe a month old? They didn’t specify. Male, he’s been in my care for about 3 months.
- only handle him if needed, Max once a month
-I gut load my insects, I feed him Dubia roaches and BSF larvae, about 10 once a day now. I recently started feeding him less, I used to feed him about 6-10 once a day. Occasionally I’ll slip in a wax worm/moth or a hornworm as a treat once in a while. I feed him two hours after he wakes up What do you gutload with?
-I dust everyday with Calcium no D3 (Rep-Cal ultrafine), i take feeding tongs and pinch with the tip and then mix the bugs around so they are lightly dusted. Then every Saturday I dust with calcium with D3 (Reptivite) or a Multivitamin (Rep-Cal Herptivite) If you have Zoo Med Reptivite With D3, you'll use only that as your multivitamin and D3, no Rep-Cal Herptivite. You'll use it once every two weeks, with plain calcium without D3 on all other feedings
-I have an automatic mister, it goes off every two hours for 15 seconds, and then a dripper above one of the plants that is always dripping. I have never seen him drink but I don’t monitor him much to avoid stressing him out. I use water from a gallon, not from tap. You want your misting to be a minimum of 2-5+ minutes long each time, preferably only around lights off and lights on, with maybe a late afternoon session if needed.
- he has healthy poops, brown and white parts, not runny but not dry either. He poops usually once a day or so but he hasn’t been tested for parasites
-I don’t know much of his history. When I got him he was tiny and seemed healthy but he was dehydrated and he seems better but I’m just worried he’s stressed or sick because he’s never any other color aside from brown

-home made screen cage, 20x20x35 inches He'll need a cage size of minimum 2'x2'x4' tall, but preferably 4'x2'x'4' tall or bigger. Bigger is always better!
- T5 HO UVB from Reptisun and 100W EXO TERRA basking bulb placed 7 inches above his basking spot over the screen, his temperature at its warmest point gets to about 87 degrees, his lowest point/coolest reaches about 75 degrees, at night I turn on a ceramic heater (60W from Zoomed) if temperatures are going to drop below 50-60, but I was told he didn’t need a night heater, and my room remains 75 degrees throughout the day usually. I measure his temps with a heat gun, and a hygrometer. His humidity ranges between 70-80 throughout the day. I recently added plexiglass on two sides to try to keep the humidity stable last month What is the strength, age, and distance of the UVB bulb from his basking branch? You want his basking temperature to be between 80-85*F, preferably around 80-83*F. It should be measured with a digital thermometer with a probe, with the probe placed where the top of his back is when he's on his basking branch. If his nighttime temps aren't going into the 40*Fs, there's no need for a ceramic heat emitter at night. Is his hygrometer digital? His humidity needs to be between 30-50% during the day, preferably on the lower end of that. At night, if there is proper airflow and it's at or under 65*F, you can take his humidity all the way up to 100% with a cool-mist fogger (make sure to replace the crinkly tubes with either PVC pipe or vinyl tubing and to thoroughly clean everything at least once a week). would take off the plexiglasss
- I have two live plants, a golden pothos and a spider plant and some fake plants hanging to give him a place to hide as well as vines and branches for climbing He needs veiled-tested live plants only, as fake plants and fake vines with leaves on them are an impaction risk, which can lead to death. Make sure all live plants are properly cleaned beforehand, repotted in organic soil without perlite or chemical fertilizers, and have stones too big for him to eat covering the soil in the pots. Get rid of the moss vines, as well. They're a health hazard.
-his cage is next to the sliding glass door that leads to my yard, I recently read that this may be stressful. I have five dogs that come in and out, I’ve closed the curtain and have him elevated so the middle of his cage is about at the height of my head (I’m 5’2) He needs to be in a low traffic room where the dogs can't get to him and away from any windows, vents, and drafts
-I am in Southern California.

-I’m concerned because my chameleon remains dark brown all day, he never becomes and bright colors, he has some green strips and white spots, a hint of orange on his spine part but he is always brown no matter what He's probably stressed by all of the commotion near his cage


Here's the links:
https://www.chameleons.info/en/
http://www.muchadoaboutchameleons.com/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/external-resources/
https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
https://chameleonacademy.com/veiled-chameleon-care/
https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/
https://chameleonacademy.com/setting-up-a-chameleon-cage/
http://www.muchadoaboutchameleons.com/2012/04/how-to-set-up-proper-chameleon.html

 

[Eliguerr13]

I agree with @Lpsouth1978 on this one!

I would go away from the short misting cycles and start implementing less frequent longer cycles. Sometimes chameleons take a while to get stimulated to trigger a drinking response. Are his urates bright white or on the yellower side? This is also used as an indicator of hydration along with sunken eyes!

His urates are bright white and thankfully his eyes don’t appear sunken. I just moved him to a calmer location and adjusted the mister and I’m hoping that will help, thanks!!