Female veiled chameleon acting wierd

[Selfie82]

My female is shedding and she has been at the bottom of her enclosure for the last two days. She is staying a really dark dull green and only gets bright and happy when I’m holding her or she is asleep. Any ideas on what’s wrong with Willow?

 

[Lennoncham]

Can you post some pics of her? Do you have a laying bin? Has she ever laid eggs?

bright colours are actually stress colours. They get dark when relaxed.

can you please fill out the how to ask for help form.

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.





Chameleon Info:

• 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.



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Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[kinyonga]

She could be gravid and heading to egg binding....if she's old enough. We need lots more info and a picture to be able to tell you.

 

[The Wild One]

Pictures help way more than you think

 

[Selfie82]

She has a screen enclosure it’s a 10x10x12, I mist her constantly and her plants so she has water. She has an egg laying bin I put her in it for 3 days but she never tried to lay eggs and just laid in there all sad looking. She is weak and only stays in her plants if I put her up there otherwise she in the floor. Her light is just a normal bulb because my daughter broke her special light and I don’t have any money for a new power me. I don’t have a thermometer or humidity gage. She was bought as a gift for me about 2 months ago from PetSmart but they just said she was a juvenile no age was given. No live plants just plastic she eats meal worms or crickets she seems to eat okay just so lethargic and weak when she goes to move. Her enclosure is in the corner of my room by my window low traffic. I live in Arkansas.

 

[Selfie82]

Her nesting bin

 

[Selfie82]

I hold her once a day I don’t have supplements her enclosure is on a little table so it’s off the floor. She has turned a darker color now but I always thought bright was happy dull was stressed but I only know what I read online. She has shed her skin 2xs since I have had her and after the last time she started acting wierd.

 

[Selfie82]

I’m not sure what gut loading the feeders means but usually she eats about 10 meal worms a day. Her waste usually looks hard with alittle loose with it sometimes u can see pieces of the meal worms but it’s usually brown and white.

 

[Selfie82]

She is a Veiled chameleon female I’ve had her for 2 and a half months

 

[Graves923]

Read this and mimic it exactly to the T. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

Read these for more in depth learning to get started.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/enclosures/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/lighting/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/food/

Right now that enclosure is doing a lot more harm than good...

Bigger cage so she can regulate her body temp. Currently the cage is too small with a huge light that is probably way too hot.

She needs a separate UVB light fixture to help produce natural Vitamin D3 along with being supplemented D3 twice per month. Additional plain calcium is also needed. They need D3 so their bones can adsorb and use the calcium properly.

Gutloading is basically feeding the feeders nutritious food which in turn is giving the chameleon those nutrients. a lot of feeders are not very nutritious when not being gutloaded.

 

[Selfie82]

Wow thank u so much I am so glad I found this site I really needed this help!

 

[AnamCara]

Wow thank u so much I am so glad I found this site I really needed this help!

Welcome to the forums -- Graves gave you excellent advice. If you could please fill out the form that Lennoncham posted on this thread we can give you detailed feedback.

Here is some information on Gutloading and Feeder Variety

Here is some information on Gutloading and Feeder Variety

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi Selfie. You have absolutely come to the right place to learn how to care for your cham. You’ll be needing to make a lot of changes. It may be a lot, so try not to get overwhelmed.
As Graves923 just posted, you need a larger enclosure and proper lighting. Minimum enclosure for a female veiled would be 18x18x36, although larger would be even better.
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Rept...=1572880008&sprefix=Zoo+med+re,aps,193&sr=8-3
I’m attaching about proper lighting and feeders.
Easiest way of supplements is Repashy calcium with Lo D dusted on all feeders.
If you look under the resources tab, you will find basic care information for veiled chameleons.
Welcome to the forum.

 

[Thatwizard420]

Her nesting bin

does she have any way to acces laying bin? Did you try to make tunnels to see if they'll hold? Put some vertical sticks going to the laying bin. Do you just put her in there manually?

 

[Selfie82]

does she have any way to acces laying bin? Did you try to make tunnels to see if they'll hold? Put some vertical sticks going to the laying bin. Do you just put her in there manually?

No access unless I put her in there yes it will hold tunnels and when I had her in it I put her stick and a fake plant with her to make sure she had access to water

 

[The Wild One]

if your feeding from a bowl or cup I'd suspend it in the branches so it's easier for her to get to them. is your enclosure bioactive? if no, take out the substrate. its a breeding ground for bacteria that could harm your cham. Since you need to upgrade your enclosure big time, whatever you do. DO NOT GIVE IN TO THE CHAMELEON KIT. It looks like it comes with everything, it has the wrong dusting powder and everything. many of the keepers on here (Including Myself) has bought that thinking it was a good idea and we were saving money. we were not .

 

[Selfie82]

Can you post some pics of her? Do you have a laying bin? Has she ever laid eggs?

bright colours are actually stress colours. They get dark when relaxed.

can you please fill out the how to ask for help form.

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.





Chameleon Info:

• 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.



--------------


Fill out what form?
Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[Selfie82]

if your feeding from a bowl or cup I'd suspend it in the branches so it's easier for her to get to them. is your enclosure bioactive? if no, take out the substrate. its a breeding ground for bacteria that could harm your cham. Since you need to upgrade your enclosure big time, whatever you do. DO NOT GIVE IN TO THE CHAMELEON KIT. It looks like it comes with everything, it has the wrong dusting powder and everything. many of the keepers on here (Including Myself) has bought that thinking it was a good idea and we were saving money. we were not .

Bio active? I don’t know what that means

 

[JoXie411]

Her nesting bin

Ok so the laying bin should be in the cage at all time. I will share my female set up with you

this storage bin is the best laying bin I’ve set up I can even see where she laid her eggs

 

[Selfie82]

Oh wow!!! That’s amazing. Yeah my enclosure is way too small I see. PetSmart told my husband it would be big enough but it obviously isn’t. He surprised me with her so it wasn’t like I had time to prepare. Now I need to fix this because I don’t want to loose her!