chameleon problems

[cam98]

I have a vield chameleon 3 years old the problem is that he sucks in his body all the time but at night he lets it out and looks healthy but only when hes sleeping and he is brown alot of the time exept sleeping time feedback would be very much appreciated

 

[chrisandpugs]

Hi!
Has he always sucked in his body during the day? Is his tail curled and relaxed during the day?
How long ago did you acquire him? For your Veil to be now 3 years old, you must be doing something right if you raised him from a juvenile!

Christine

 

[Jordan]

Chameleons are designed to be laterally compressed. This gives them more surface area to try to regulate their body temperature. Since they live in trees they usually have to attempt to catch the sun at different angles then say a reptile that lives on the ground. Something like a croc or a horny toad has the opposite body design so they can take advantage of being on the ground.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Good point Jordan.
Maybe he's cold. At night they like it cooler, but in the day veileds like some heat.
What is your daytime temp in the enclosure?
Is there a basking light?

-Brad

 

[Scrappy]

Sounds like it could also possibly be too hot.

 

[cam98]

just answering questions

the temp is 70F, there is a basking light with a 100watt bulb, yes he sucks in his body all day, um june 1st 2003 is the date i got him

 

[ChameleonsTree]

Pictures people...pictures. They tell the whole story

 

[cam98]

hope this helps

i dont know if this will help but i have on top of my cage a 15 inch hooded light with a reptisun 5.0 floresant and two ZooMed Daylight Blue Bulbs and my heat light is a 100watt ZooMed Repti Basking Spot Lamp the dementions of my cage is 18 inches square and 30 inches tall

 

[kinyonga]

Your ambient temperature (70F) is too low, IMHO.

What is the basking area temperature?

Does he breath through his mouth when he's sucking his body in? Does he raise his head in the air?

 

[cam98]

he doesnt open his mouth when he sucks in he doesn't raise his head when he does and the basking temp is 90F and what light bulb should i replace?

 

[curly]

My little Veiled Chameleon did that when i first got him but he stopped now. (he only did it for 20 minutes)

 

[cam98]

is there any light suggestions that would fit him better?

 

[DrewNYC]

how many bulbs do you have?
reptisun 5.0
2 zoomed blue daylight bulbs- incandescent or flourescent?
100 watt zoomed basking bulb?
4 bulbs seem like alot, am i missing something?
my veiled seems to do the opposite, he seems thin as a rail when he sleeps at night.
drew

 

[cam98]

i know its so odd the 2 blue daylight indacastant bulbs are 60watt the reptisun is 15 inch the basking bulb is 100watt

 

[cam98]

my avatar is set on a picture of my chameleons skin

 

[Brad]

I agree with kinyonga, your temps are too low. An ambient temp of 70F and a basking temp of 90F is too low for a three year old veiled. Can't say if this has anything to do with the behavior you describe though. Pictures and more details might help.

 

[cam98]

ok thanks is there any sugestions of lights i should get that will help and what wattage

 

[cam98]

And what should be the right temp for his basking light and his overall cage temp

 

[cam98]

I just loaded up my gallary with pic's of Bob so you can view them

 

[Brad]

I never recommend a specific wattage, because it is only one factor in the final temperature produced. If you keep your house at 60F then you might need a higher wattage compared to someone who keeps their home at 75F. This might require some experimentation and frequent monitoring.

A basic lighting setup that is commonly used consists of a fresh reptisun 5.0 and an incandescent basking light. This is what I use. For a three year old veiled you probably want a basking temp closer to 100F and a gradient leading up to that. The base of your temperature gradient will depend somewhat on your house temperature.

You are probably already familiar with gradients, but for future readers that may not know I have included a link below:

Gradients: Give your Chameleons a Choice By Bill Strand