Color Changes

[CHELLE30]

Hello everyone! I have a 10 month old female & a new male Veiled Chameleon.

I got the male about 6 days ago based on the advise from my vet who said it might help my female. For the last four months the female has had swollen ovaries, but hasn't progressed past that point. The vet said a male might help her go through her cycle. He is in a cage right next to hers so they can see each other. He looks up at her and she looks down at him and they seem copasetic.

My question for you all is this. For the last three days the female has been very active (back and forth in her incloser) and has also been more colorful (turq., greens, light beige)then I have ever seen her. I also noticed the male seems to get more colorful (he's juvi so just greens)when she comes over. Both get very distinctive lines in their craniums. This is a good thing - yes?

I've read so many different things about Veiled's that it all blurs together.

 

[blackened]

Hi there ,

are you looking to mate your chameleons? So far as I know that would be the only reason a female would need to see a male. Otherwise her seeing him could quite possibly be stressing her out. Is she showing black spots? I believe that most people who keep both sexes tend to keep them out of sight of one another.

I am a noob in the chameleon world, but have done a lot of reading on these forums. I'd wait for a senior members input before acting.

In the meantime, it may be helpful for us if you fill out this form:

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.

 

[AngieL]

I agree with blackened.

You should only let them see eachother if you I tend to breed them. Although, I see your male is a juvinile you say so breeding is not possible.

Please fill out the form ( maybe in the health clinic ) and the members on here can possibly help you with the problems you're having with your female.

I would also like to direct you to this info

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html

https://www.chameleonforums.com/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video-77225/

You would do your female good by reading these

Edit: the blue/orange patterns on your female are a sign of age and possibly readiness of egg production. Male veiled get yellow and black patterns when they mature and females get those. If you look at my avatar, that's my girl with her big girl colours

 

[CHELLE30]

Thank you for the help!

Chameleon: 1 10 month Female Veiled & 1 new juvi Male Veiled Both where bought from local petstore (not sure of there actual ages), though not the same.
Handling: Female gets held about once every three days for 15-20 minutes and then she goes and hangs in one of my house plants for a few hours. Male- Twice since I got him last Wednesday
Fedding: Female - 6am gets a combo of 5-6 lg meal & wax worms 7pm 5-6 crickets dusted with Fluker's calcium and vitamin powder. Male - 6am gets 6 sm. meal worms and7pm gets 8 dinky crickets dusted with the same powder. crickets are in a 10 gallon tank with dirt and get Fluker's High Calcium/Vitamin Gut-Loader, Calcium Quencher and Orange Cubes (I know this has nothing to do with this thread, but I have tons of baby crickets and I wasn't even trying to bread them)
Watering: Female has a water fall/fountain (three down spouts) that she has been seen sitting in and flicking her tounge at, a fogger that stays on low during the day and drips down on to plants ontop the fountain & then the twice a day tank misting. Male - just twice a day tank/plant misting he has been seen flicking his tounge at water droplets no matter where they land.
Fecal: Female- about every other day, dark brown and then the white stuff too, if she eats her normal amount, then it is roughly 1 in long, fat and wet, if she has been a big and eaten more then normal, then they run about 11/2 inches long, fat and wet. Male - roughly every day and they are the same color as the females just much smaller amounts
Past History: About 5 months ago the female stopped eating and got real lathargic. I took her to the vet and she was a little dehydrated and low on calcium & vitamins so she was given fluids and what not. The vet said that her ovaries where a little swollen and that she was going into her cycle and it was just sucking the nutrients out her little body. So she sent me home with liquid calcium to give the female twice a day. The dose is based on her weight. She is on .15ccs twice a day currently.

Cage's
Female Cage: 18dx30wx25h Glass with a wire mesh top - new wire mesh 18dX30wX30h gets here in about a week. Male Cage: 5.5 gal glass tank with wire mesh lid
Lighting: Female-5.0 UV Florecent bulb-runs during the day across the topback part of her cage. 1 75 UV coil heat bulb that runs during the day & 1 80 watt infared heat light that runs during the dat and at night. Male 1 75 watt UV coil bulb and 1 75 watt black light heat light at night. Both get taken outside regularly for outside time.
Temp: Female tank has 1 temp & hum gauge on each side. I have two other ones that I put in differnt spots for 30 min to check the other points of her tank. Heat side- 95-100 temp & 40% hum. Cool side- 78-85 temp with 80% hum Male tanks has one gauge of each and comes in around 98 for heat 78 for cool temps and 75 hum. I maintain his humidity by putting a plastic dish with tiny holes in it on top filled with water and ht just slowly drips out here and there.
Plants: Nothing live yet - but the female loves crawling around in my hanging house plants.
Placement: The cage is in my bedroom so low traffice area. there is a room fan that circulates air and the air flow does get into her tank when its on rotate. Her cage is on a stand and the top is roughly 5.5ft from the ground. The male cage is in the same area with the top about 4.5 ft from the ground.
Location: Rancho Cordova, California currently 103 outside

Current Problem: Female has not progressed in her cycle. No eggs to lay or reabsorb which ever her case. Was told a male might help send her into her natural cycle. Thought "Ok", when I was also told by a local breeder that if introduced slowly after the male was not so small in size (Female is the size of my hand and the Male is the size of my finger) that they could co exist in the same cage - beginning to learn that that is BS.

 

[camimom]

Ok several things.

females may not always cycle eggs.

I think you need to find another vet.. Never heard of swollen ovaries.

1- stop feeding so many mealworms, they arent very nutritous, and they have hard exoskeletons, which can cause problems in digestion.
look into getting more types of bugs.

2- gutloading- please find blogs by sandrachameleon on what to feed your bugs, as that store bought crap isnt very good.

3- supplementing- you need a calicum without d3 for every feeding, calcium with d3 for twice a month, and a multivitamin for twice a month.

4 remove that waterfall!! They breed bacteria. you need to be misting several times a day. ntm, chams can drown in standing water. they dont drink standing or running water, only water droplets.

5- chams need screen cages. its easier to regulate temps this way. males need 2x2x4 cages, and females similar. they need ventilation.

6- you need to keep your female basking temp at no more than 83, as this will help reduce her egg production. your male should be around the same temp, but as he gets older, can take temps up to 88. your current temps are WAY to hot.

7- if you keep them in the same cage when they get older... thye will breed, then you have tons of babies to feed. and it shortens her life, and they wil get stressed, and fight for food, water, warmth, and intimate time.

 

[CHELLE30]

Thanks for all the info - I have no idea how anyone keeps anything alive with all the contradictions out there.

 

[CHELLE30]

Hey all.

I took the waterfall out of Crystal's cage as suggested and adjusted her temps so the hot side is now 80-83 depending on the area.

I'm still working on the other suggestions.

 

[camimom]

Good job.


Keep going.


I do hope you will take to heart all my suggestions.


any other questions, feel free to post.

 

[blackened]

On feeders, some suggestions are hornworms, silkworms, cockroaches, grasshoppers, crickets, butterworms (less often), morio/super worms (less often). It's a good idea to have variety and a balance of hard bodied/soft bodied feeders.

Feeding slightly less to a female is another way of reducing egg production. The advice we (Angie and I) received regarding this was that the approximate body mass of 1-3 adult crickets every day would be sufficient.

Here is a link to sandrachameleon's blog that camimom mentioned: link

 

[CHELLE30]

Thanks again everyone for the help and trust me, I'm listening whole heartedly.