Always stressed ? Dark colors all the time.

[Nausicah]

Calcifer seems to always be dark and angry looking, i got him in December and thought it was maybe due to the new environment. He has no issues eating, in face he eats quite a bit (im not sure if over feeding is possible, i looked into it countless times and cant find a conclusion) i do feel he needs more plants and coverage in his cage because he seems to like his privacy, along with hes in my room so when im home there's me in the room with him. I plan on getting him a custom cage so he has more room, i just dont want him to be stressed all the time other than sleeping. I would feel terrible if something happened to the little guy and it was because i didnt do something properly.

 

[Nausicah]

 

[Mchartier]

What's the temp of his basking spot?

 

[Nausicah]

What's the temp of his basking spot?

80 most of the time but i did notice it drops sometimes to 75. Im in ohio so the weather is bipolar and kinda messes with it. I did move his basking spot up closer to the lamp along with turn my heat on a little to help keep the temp. I think he needs a bigger cage and more leaves to hide because he keep trying to "escape " if that makes sense

 

[Big Gulp]

80 most of the time but i did notice it drops sometimes to 75. Im in ohio so the weather is bipolar and kinda messes with it. I did move his basking spot up closer to the lamp along with turn my heat on a little to help keep the temp. I think he needs a bigger cage and more leaves to hide because he keep trying to "escape " if that makes sense

You need a basking temp around 90. Or 85-95....see which it likes. That may be the problem.

Maybe get a higher wattage light?

 

[Nausicah]

You need a basking temp around 90. Or 85-95....see which it likes. That may be the problem.

Maybe get a higher wattage light?

Ill pick on up tomorrow for sure. Im using 60w now. Any recommendations on the watage? (PIC of what bulbs im using, just switched out uv one to a new one)

 

[Big Gulp]

Ill pick on up tomorrow for sure. Im using 60w now. Any recommendations on the watage? (PIC of what bulbs im using, just switched out uv one to a new one)

You don't want the blue light. That's a no-no.

You need a regular white/clear household bulb. Like GE or Sylvania. Much cheaper too! I think I use a 72 watt, and then adjust the branch accordingly.

 

[JaguarShark]

He looks pretty good, but yes - increase his basking temp and give him a bit more foliage.

As long as his supplements are ok I think that will probably sort everything out.
It's difficult to over feed a male Veiled, he will naturally cut his own food intake when he feels the need (probably soon by the look of him). It's easy to get worried with your first guy when that happens because they are so voracious as babies.

 

[Nausicah]

He looks pretty good, but yes - increase his basking temp and give him a bit more foliage.

As long as his supplements are ok I think that will probably sort everything out.
It's difficult to over feed a male Veiled, he will naturally cut his own food intake when he feels the need (probably soon by the look of him). It's easy to get worried with your first guy when that happens because they are so voracious as babies.

i try not to be a crazy mom but i love his fussy self too much. Ill definitely make it warmer for him and add more plants. I traveling to Florida and going to a reptile show down there this week so hopefully i can get him some new things. Im gonna try out the house bulbs and monitor what ones best before i go so hes warmer.

 

[Big Gulp]

So I looked into that blue bulb you are using. I thought it gave off blue light, but that's not the case. So, those can work, but since you're not getting enough heat with yours, you'd still need a higher wattage. And I think the next step up in that bulb would be too hot. Not to mention, regular household bulbs are cheaper.

 

[Nausicah]

So I looked into that blue bulb you are using. I thought it gave off blue light, but that's not the case. So, those can work, but since you're not getting enough heat with yours, you'd still need a higher wattage. And I think the next step up in that bulb would be too hot. Not to mention, regular household bulbs are cheaper.

i have to head to walmart tomorrow morning so im going to pick up a couple and test them out. I got that blue one with the set up and just went with it. it does give off heat its just not enough so I will definitely look into house ones. I have no clue that was even a possibility.

 

[Nausicah]

So I looked into that blue bulb you are using. I thought it gave off blue light, but that's not the case. So, those can work, but since you're not getting enough heat with yours, you'd still need a higher wattage. And I think the next step up in that bulb would be too hot. Not to mention, regular household bulbs are cheaper.

I got these two. Im not sure if the led is ok but they arnt seeming to heat up. I could just be impatient

 

[Big Gulp]

I got these two. Im not sure if the led is ok but they arnt seeming to heat up. I could just be impatient

Oh, no, LED does not put out much heat, if any.

You need something like this.

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai...ahUKEwiCh8TywNjSAhXm0FQKHe4hCO8QzTkIMg&adurl=

 

[JGspecial]

those blue bulbs are junk, they die bi weekly, if not sooner. stay away from them. you need the basking bulb in the green box, i forget what brand it is. ive never used the household bulb so i cant say if id use them or not. ideally if you can go onto lightyourreptiles.com they have the longest lasting basking bulbs, they are also very willing to help you out and answer any questions you may have.

 

[jajeanpierre]

You don't want the blue light. That's a no-no.

You need a regular white/clear household bulb. Like GE or Sylvania. Much cheaper too! I think I use a 72 watt, and then adjust the branch accordingly.

@Big Gulp Really? What is wrong with that bulb?

 

[jajeanpierre]

I got these two. Im not sure if the led is ok but they arnt seeming to heat up. I could just be impatient

Those LED bulbs do not throw much heat. Look at the actual wattage of the bulb, not the "replaces" a certain wattage. All that "replaces" means is that it throws the same amount of light (lumens) that a 60w incandescent bulb does, but at less wattage. Wattage is your indicator of the amount of heat produced.

Your chameleon can be dark for a variety of reasons and being cold is one reason. Also, he might be an age when his colors are pretty mucky. Juvenile and young adult veileds tend to be a pretty mucky color. Or, his genetics are such that his colors are really mucky no matter what you do. I understand that the wild caught veileds from Florida are a pretty mucky color.

The pictures of your cage showed a very stark and barren cage from your chameleon's perspective. While it looks green to you, there is nowhere for your chameleon to actually easily travel in and out of cover. You seem to have blobs of impenetrable masses of plastic plants around the edges.

I hope I'm not stepping on @jpowell86 's toes by posting this picture without asking first, but Joel posted it on FaceBook, so I think he'll forgive me for not asking first. This picture really shows the way you want to furnish a cage for most chameleons. This is a free range set up for mellers in a greenhouse.

The first thing to notice is that the area is filled totally, not just around the edges. many people don't see a chameleon cage in three dimensions, looking at it as a two-dimensional picture and not filling in the middle.

There is an open area for the animal to bask with a variety of different sized natural branches at different heights. Notice that many if not most of the branches are small enough for the chameleons to get their feet completely around. Most people give their chameleons branches that are too big so they never exercise their feet and end up with foot problems and pressure sores.

There is a lot of cover from natural plants. Natural plants are important because they breathe, so they actually add humidity into the enclosure. Lack of humidity adds to chronic dehydration that most chameleons live with. Chronic dehydration ends with kidney failure.... Notice that the cover is made from small potted plants hanging on the framework of branches. you don't need a great big tall tree for your cage--you can make your own tree using pots of ferns on a framework of natural branches (which I don't even clean other than taking them from clean trees, i.e. not from the ground and not anywhere that birds roost. I like sword ferns. I buy a big pot and then chop it up into about 10 pieces and put each chunk of fern into a 4 or 6 inch pot and then zip tie them around the cages. I see there are a couple of Tillandsia (ball moss) that probably came from my trees. They really has no purpose other than to hold humidity and give a bit of cover. I use them as feeding stations in my cages. They are great for putting silk worms on. Notice also that there is a lot of misting going on in this cage.

I think that picture shows you what adequate cover looks like for a veiled or a panther (or one of my quads/graciliors).

 

[Angelwolf]

Ill pick on up tomorrow for sure. Im using 60w now. Any recommendations on the watage? (PIC of what bulbs im using, just switched out uv one to a new one)

I live in PA. We r right up here in the pond, and i use a 75w spot lamp. If the ambient temp goes down, I will sometimes turn on a space heater about 4ft. from the cage, and point it indirectly towards the cage. VERY IMPORTANT: DO NOT POINT IT STRAIGHT AT THE CAGE! You don't want to cook your cham, and will end up with humidity and dehydration issues.

 

[Alexander1]

I agree with @jejeanpierre, veileds get that color when they are "teenagers" mine gets like that when he goes to the lower levels of his cage, then brightens back up. I use a halogen bulb, it directs heat down so not much is wasted giving you a basking temp at a lower wattage. Your cham may just be a going through his brown stage in my opinion.

 

[Big Gulp]

@Big Gulp Really? What is wrong with that bulb?

I had replied earlier saying I was wrong on that. I thought it was one of those moonlight bulbs that give off blue light. But that isn't the case with this particular bulb.

 

[XxSepiorxX]

Just... don't get a blue bulb. They are pretty bad. I've had one before, not a good experience. House bulbs are better. They provide heat for the cage. The temp during the day should be 80-90 something degrees (NOT 95+). At night go down to the 70's. Also could you post a picture of your enclosure? I just wanted to check because that could be the cause. Most likely not though.