Help On Keeping Chameleon Happy?

[koomer]

I have an around 9 month old, female veiled chameleon. I suspect she might be stressed, as she has some black spots on her and hasnt been climbing around as much as she usually does. Her colors have also not been as vibrant as usual. I try not to handle her much, except on occasion so family can see her and when I'm cleaning her cage. She doesn't seem to mind being out, as she usually explores and climbs on me. Her enclosure is a tall mesh terrarium with lots of vines and leaves to climb on. She also has a small peperomia plant that she occasionally takes bites out of. I mostly feed her crickets and sometimes fruit (banana, cantaloupe, apple). I try not to mist down her terrarium too much because she doesn't like it and will often try to get away when I do. She has a basking spot that she frequents, and I have a UVB bulb for her, along with a heat one. Anything I can do to make her happier?

 

[NickTide]

A varied diet might help. Most people recommend at least 4 types of insects...some say more. chams seem to love flying insects. I feed a lot of black soldier flies.
I like to overload the cage with plants. I prefer pothos... the humidity stays several percent points higher than with an umbrella tree.
If you have the cfl type uvb bulb, they are almost useless. Get her some sunshine... Not filtered through glass. That's all I can think of.

 

[blue_cham]

Filling out the health form will help people pin point what may be causing her stress. Dark colors can also be her trying to get warm. Is it an overall dark color or just spots? Any pics?

 

[Mr. J hahaha]

Do you have a laying bin for her. She may be full of eggs and needs to lay them

 

[VerucaSalt]

I believe from other threads and established veiled Cham keepers that while maturity can widely vary in timing for each individual cgam, the age of your veiled wouldn't be uncommon she is needing to lay eggs. @jannb is very experienced, to the point of raising happy healthy generations of offspring and can offer much more individual ideas than I ever could attempt.

Fill out the user info form asap as wwll so others can attempt their best stab at helping you--ill find and attach for you to copy paste as well.

 

[VerucaSalt]

Chameleon Info: the more pics the better

• 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 yourfeeders 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.


**the more specific the better in terms of the more you provide specific amseers, the easier it maybe to identify an easy fix, husbandry adjustment(s), suggest care/vet, etc.
.