black chameleon

[Jakedn]

i did everything you guys asked for but still no results... my guy is still darker than ever. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with being trapped in the cage. the reason why i think this is because when i take him out his colours change almost immediately to the bright colours they have when relaxed. maybe he prefers no cage like those people who set up a free roaming areas......

90 degrees is not too hot for a veiled and is fine.

He appears to be a full grown adult.

Dehydration wouldn't cause him to be constantly dark, and you say his urates are white so that isn't the problem.

What size is his enclosure? Whether or not this guy is over a year old, he should be treated as if he is as he very obviously shows full colorations, a large casque, shows territorial and defensive behaviours (assuming from the picture of him fired up, my veiled never showed behaviours like that until he reached maturity), and is the size of some full grown male veileds. If he is in an enclosure smaller than 24x24x48 I would suspect that is the cause for his dark colorations.

And if you can, get him some sunlight, maybe he just wants to get some fresh air .

 

[Chamster]

i got him the biggest enclosure i could find from the beginning. 2X2X4 feet. couldn't find anything bigger unless i built it myself. i try to take him outside when i can but its been a little cold recently...i live in canada and very difficult to enjoy a bright sunny day.

i took him out almost everyday for at least 30 mins in the summer.. this was for a span of 2 months almost. its like you turned on a switch that made him go dark...one day he was perfectly fine but the next day he was black....


he looks healthy and gets pissed very quickly at the moment.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

yes. veileds like temps lower than 85. I keep my guy at 76 and he does just fine.

76 degrees for a veiled? Thats wayyy too cool. The ambient cage temps can be 76 at the bottom of the cage. But the basking temps for a veiled should be the high 80's up to 90 degrees.

To the Op why do you have three light fixtures on his cage? I see a flourecent fixture which Im guessing your using for uvb. And I see two different basking fixtures. You really only need one basking light in a cage that size.

 

[suzi]

Isn't mid to high 90's too high for a veiled? Everything I have read says the basking temp should be around 82.

82 is meant for babies in there first few months because they can easily over heat, as Jake and Texas stated older veileds need temps in the high 80's to 90

 

[ShortStack]

OP, no use for ceramic heat emitters.

 

[jessica]

You should fill out this form https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/


May be you need some minor tweaking in your husbandry to insure your little guy is the happiest he can be?

 

[Chamster]

the light that i have is not a heat emitter... its purely just light... the 2 ceramic heaters on the other hand are for heat... thats about it.... i can turn either of them off whenever i choose to...

 

[Ozzie2011]

I have to disagree. Ozzie is 7months and he is living in a 24x24x48 screen enclosure and I keep his habitat at 85 degrees but I also think that you have to combine humidity in there also. If your Veil is black most of the time it is because he longs for outside sunlight. When Ozzie gets this way I take him outside and he lights up like a christmas tree......He loves natural sunlight just like we do. How is your guys appetite?

 

[Hoj]

did you add anything new to the cage or the room within view that might be pissing him off... my veiled will go dark black if he sees any sing of another cham, bird, or snake
just an idea.
also i say high 80 to low 90's in the basking site is just fine with a nice drop in temp closer to the bottom of the cage..
also how old are your uvb bulbs?

 

[Chamster]

my uvb light has never been changed and I've had that thing for a year and a half...this might be the reason why he's not eating... uvb doesn't emit the proper sun rays for his digestion...leading to reduced eating appetite. that could be why he is always black.....hes black because he wants to go outside.. and you are right....i took him outside and he LIT Up LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE INDEED. i kept him outside for about 45 mins and took him back in.

 

[Chamster]

im gonna get a new uvb light right now.

 

[Chamster]

i got the light....nothing has changed. maybe i should give it a couple of days for the light to take its effect.

 

[seanUTD]

So first Im going to say that depending on the AGE and how high into the 90's were talking, that there isn't a problem having the basking temp for a veiled around 90... Also if it were anything to do with heat, going dark is for the most part either signs of stress or that they are absorbing more heat... I think the problem is going to have something to do with a stress factor... If it was heat you would more than likely be seeing "venting" or more commonly yawning like behavior... JMHO

 

[camimom]

76 degrees for a veiled? Thats wayyy too cool. The ambient cage temps can be 76 at the bottom of the cage. But the basking temps for a veiled should be the high 80's up to 90 degrees.

.

I found that when I kept my guy above 80 degrees, he tended to spend his time lower in his cage and turned darker. ntm a few times he was gaping, even with 5 2min mistings a day. when I lowered the temps to 76, he perked up, went up to bask and lightened his colors.

 

[Chamster]

ok....my only shot is lowering the temperature.. he doesn't bask a lot maybe because of the higher temperature of 90's....im gonna try to lower the temp like camimom did.. maybe colours will lighten up.

 

[Jakedn]

Colorations get brighter in times of true heat stress, not darker.

 

[camimom]

ok....my only shot is lowering the temperature.. he doesn't bask a lot maybe because of the higher temperature of 90's....im gonna try to lower the temp like camimom did.. maybe colours will lighten up.

Dont lower them to much at first. do a few degrees at a time, and see what he does.

 

[Chamster]

maybe he needs more heat since he's dark... he's dark because he trying to take in more heat than when he is lighter colours....???might that be the reason?

 

[Bernie]

He doesn't look black to me.

My veiled looks dark at times when in his viv. I take him out and he looks brighter coloured. With me it's just the lighting in the viv that makes him look darker than he is. When he is under his basking light he is fully lit up and looks normal coloured.

Not sure if this is the same for you but if this sounds like your Cham I wouldn't worry.

He is a good looking lad anyway!

 

[Chamster]

the only thing that concerns me is he is eating a lot less than before. used to eat 3 hornworms daily....not just 1 every other day.... urates are white thought.... very active..