Dark colors all the time?

[Veronica_hc]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - veiled , female, a little over a year and she been with me for a little over a year as well.
• Handling - rarely
• Feeding - every other day of crickets and just started the occasional treat if wax worms. crix 12-15 at a time wax worms five or six. Gut load is collard greens, carrots, berries, apples, lettuce.
• Supplements - repti-calcium without d3 every feeding and reptivite with d3 twice a month.
• Watering - little dripper running on branch and leaves and misting twice a day for two minutes. I usually do see her drinking.
• Fecal Description - the most recent droppings I saw were dark brown and white solid consistency but I haven't been able to see any this week.
• History -

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - 16wx16lx30h screen getting a larger one next week actually.
• Lighting - not sure on brand anymore think reptisun, 10.0 uvb and a br30 for the basking and 12 hours on 12 hours off for schedule.
• Temperature - cage floor is 73 basking spot is 92 Fahrenheit. 60s at night. Measure with a temp gun.
• Humidity - hygrometer and 37% and goes up to 79% with misting. Live plants and misting/dripper.
• Plants -Red Margined Dracaena, 4 African violets
• Placement - corner of my room, low traffic, no vents, cage top is about 83" off the ground.
• Location - SLC Utah.

Current Problem - She is currently a dark color all the time. She escaped her enclosure for at least a few hours that I know of and I just barely took her to the vet and he said she's fine but didn't check her for parasites or anything. So I was just curious if you guys had any experience with a chameleon just turning a dark color and staying that way all the time other than sleeping or being super pissed off. Also he said her weight is only 59g which I thought she looked small for her age but not that small so now I'm really worried with how much I've fed her over her life I'm not sure what's going on. Sorry even when she was a baby I posted about her growth sorry to double up just a worried Cham mom.

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Please Note:

 

[Graves923]

You sure SHE isnt a HE? A photo of the back of the rear feet can determine sex. The coloration and pattern is different than many females I've seen.

Has this chameleon ever laid eggs while in your care over the past year?

 

[Veronica_hc]

Ok so I just tried to get some pics of her? I'm pretty sure it's a her back feet but she's an angry monster to me especially my phone. Not sure of you'll be able to tell or not but she runs from my phone when o get too close and this is the only time I've seen color on her other than the vet man handling her and they're angry colors as you know lol.

 

[Beman]

Looks female to me... pretty smooth for her back feet to be a tarsal spur. She does have some interesting patterns. Your heat is too hot for a female. It should be no more then 85 at basking. When was the last time you replaced her UVB bulb? Also you are over feeding her. Did the vet do a fecal to make sure she does not have parasites? 59 grams seems small for her age but I could be wrong. Here is a link to more info https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
And some helpful images.

 

[Veronica_hc]

See I'm glad I came here even though I went to the vet I forget things ya know. And how much should I be feeding her? I will lower the basking temp today once I'm home. I just replaced her ivb bulb about a month ago but I'm getting an Arcadia 12% setup next week. And yes I agree 59g is small to me but this is my first chameleon and he did not do a fecal he said she seems great and to just wait a few more weeks and see if things improve if not we'll do xrays cuz she seemed a little bloated ( now I know she's overfed) and a fecal which I wish he would've just done the fecal.

 

[Graves923]

spur says Male to me. If you have had this chameleon over a year it should have laid eggs by now....

Either way, dark coloration is normally because they are cold and trying to absorb heat.

 

[Graves923]

Are you absolutely sure on this chameleons age?? The coloration matches my male Veiled coloration when he was 6 months old. Veiled will go through a stage where their coloration is very muddy and dark.

 

[Beman]

Like Graves asked has she laid eggs yet? They lay eggs without being mated. Look at that link I gave you for feeders and amounts. You should add more variety in to her feeding as well.
And are you measuring the heat at the level she is basking or up higher. Because they do tend to stay darker when they are cold but if you have it at over 90 at basking then she should be more then ok for heat since females should be kept at 85 for basking.

 

[44gsus]

According to my vet, she said that some females will re-absorb egg folicles if not introduced to a male cham. My female, even sexed by my vet, is almost a year old too and has not laid eggs. Always something to be concerned about when raising female chams though.

 

[Chameleon Mike]

According to my vet, she said that some females will re-absorb egg folicles if not introduced to a male cham. My female, even sexed by my vet, is almost a year old too and has not laid eggs. Always something to be concerned about when raising female chams though.

I never heard that. Even if that's true, I don't think it is, it wouldn't hurt putting a lay bin in the cage. If you don't and she needs to lay she can get egg bound.

 

[Veronica_hc]

Are you absolutely sure on this chameleons age?? The coloration matches my male Veiled coloration when he was 6 months old. Veiled will go through a stage where their coloration is very muddy and dark.

My year anniversary with her was October last year which is why I'm concerned.

 

[Veronica_hc]

I never heard that. Even if that's true, I don't think it is, it wouldn't hurt putting a lay bin in the cage. If you don't and she needs to lay she can get egg bound.

I have a lay bin in the cage with play sand but no she hasn't laid eggs yet either me and I've had her since she was smaller than my finger snout to vent and in regards for feeders what are your suggestions to getting her to eat other things. I've tried bsf larvae, hornworms and superworms and she wouldn't take any of those the first time she took something other than a cricket was last week and it was a wax worm.