general questions

[THECHAMMAN]

hi! ive had my veiled chameleon quazo for about 2 weeks and he is 50% bright and 50 dark and i know dark means stressed but i wonder why???? i m starting to get stressed myself

 

[THECHAMMAN]

also, i would plzzz sike some general advice on how i should care for him.

 

[Tygerr]

When you say '50% bright and 50 dark' do you mean that the cham is brightly coloured half of the time, and dark the other times?
Or do you mean that half of its body is dark and half of its body is bright?

Dark colours do not ONLY mean they are stressed. This could be something as normal as colour changes in response to temperature (you do realise that they change colour to absorb or reflect more/less heat, and not only to express emotion?).
But it could be something more serious. But we'll need more details to work it out.

Could you please describe the conditions you are keeping your cham in. Use this post as a guideline: https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/
Also, please post photos if you can. That would make it a lot easier to identify any problems with the cham.

 

[Tygerr]

Please read through the following sites to learn more about how to care for your new chameleon:
- Chameleons! Online E-Zine - Introduction to Chameleon Husbandry
- The Chameleon's Dish - Chameleons as Pets
- Successful Keeping of Veiled Chameleons

 

[THECHAMMAN]

sorry i forgot to think of that, but i do know about the temp color change

 

[THECHAMMAN]

the cage is a mesh one with demintions of 24'x24'x48'
there is a medium size pothos plant and i have some large sticks in there. i have no bedding bec. i dont know if i need any. also i will have some pics on in a few days

 

[THECHAMMAN]

he lives in a mesh cage with demintions of 25x24x48in.
he has a medium size pothos plant with some large sitcks to crawl on
no bedding bec. i dont know if he needs any. also i am going to get some rubber liner bec. the bottom is removable. will b done in a few days

 

[THECHAMMAN]

didnt realize i wrote the same thing twice

 

[THECHAMMAN]

also i will be trying to get my parents to buy me some more plants and i will be trying to earn some money to get the cham some more hiding places, and a more intracate interior. also i will buy some small trees

 

[Tygerr]

What sort of lighting do you have set up? What temps. are you keeping him at?

 

[THECHAMMAN]

non basking- 75-85
basking-90-95
lighitng an exo terra infrared 75 or 50w
exoterra 5.0 uva and uvb.
im getting a 10.0 exoterra and a combo hood to put all the other lights and if the 10.0 is 2 much than tell

 

[Dave Weldon]

...lighitng an exo terra infrared 75 or 50w
exoterra 5.0 uva and uvb.
im getting a 10.0 exoterra and a combo hood to put all the other lights and if the 10.0 is 2 much than tell

Howdy Nick,

When you say "infrared" do you mean one of those RED bulbs? If so then go ahead and change it out for a simple 50W-100W white incandescent flood lamp screwed into a typical round aluminum clamp-on reflector. Then either find a way to clip it to the outside on top of the enclosure aiming downward or hang it directly above the top with some other method. Tune the position to set the temperature as usual.

The 5.0 tube (not compact) will work ok. If you happen to have the chance to buy the ZooMed Reptisun 5.0 linear tube then all the more better . Having separate housings for the UVB tube and the basking flood lamp will give you better control over placement for optimizing temperatures and UVB exposure.

 

[THECHAMMAN]

thnkz

i will be buying a linear tube soon. and i already have a normal bulb so ill switch it out. i have a compact and how will that work. i will get a tube if needed though i want one anyway. any other questions plz ask. u guys r going to make me the cham master. thnkz . P.S. im going to get some tall plants now.