HELP veiled chameleon freaking out

[somerandomband]

We put Carmen and Loretta to bed like normal at 9 pm. My girlfriend came in to check on them and Loretta is dark and angry. She tried to hold her, she jumped out of her hands onto the bed, just a few inches away, so she picked her up and she bit her hand several times. Loretta is always very docile and sweet but is currently running around her cage and climbing to the top and slipping a bunch its aweful to watch. I'm thinking a cricket May have bit her and she's pissed off. My girlfriend thinks she is going to suddenly die but I think something happened and its making her angry. Could it possibly be a hormone issue? Weve had them a month tomorrow and theyre a few months old. Pleeeease help.

 

[somerandomband]

My girlfriend is crying and upset please help I don't know what to tell her

 

[Wildwilson]

Are they in the same cage together..??

 

[Wildwilson]

If they are in the same cage... well you obviously need to remove them as chams are extremely territorial. Also, why check on them? Let them sleep. They need complete darkness for around 12 hours. I know i dont like it if i woke up and someone was standing over me with the light on

 

[somerandomband]

Absolutely not! They have had their own separate cages since day one. The chams are in our room and she came in to get something and noticed Loretta was running about the cage and dark after going to bed at 9 completely fine

 

[Wildwilson]

Ok well thats good. Hmmm it could possibly be a cricket or something that bit. I would suggest making sure all the feeders are out of the cage before the lights go off. And if you are letting them free range try to keep track of where they are and how many are there. I would just leave them alone for the night and see what happens tomorrow. I doubt they will die. Sorry about your girlfriend by the way.

 

[somerandomband]

We've never seen Loretta like this, it's weird usually she's eaten all the crickets up by this time but there's like 2 in there. We're taking them out. I really hope she'll be okay..

 

[chameleonneeds]

Is it possible she has eaten something she shouldn't have or been exposed to a chemical? I have a had a veiled freak out when she ate a random red bug outdoors. She violently shook her head. The bug obviously expelled something toxic when bitten as a defense mechanism. Also maybe you've put new plants in the cage that have some pesticides on?

 

[Remkon]

Maybe she just got spooked by something and trying to handle her wasn't the best choice at the time...
If she's normal in the morning i'd try not to worry to much.

 

[Crashbandit05]

This is just a thought and since I don't have a female I don't even know if this would affect them.. do you have a lay bin in the enclosure? Maybe she's restless because she's gravid? Again, I have no experience with females so I wouldn't know for sure.

 

[somerandomband]

So after watching her movements and actions my conclusions are, 1. She may have been bit by a cricket. 2. She was clawing for her lights so I turned on one of them and she went and angrily say beneath it. I believe since she looked very chubby that she may have had a bad tummy ache and not able to digest something very well.
She is completely light green this morning and happily eating and drinking.

 

[somerandomband]

Maybe she just got spooked by something and trying to handle her wasn't the best choice at the time...
If she's normal in the morning i'd try not to worry to much.

I told my girlfriend to leave her alone and let her run her energy out but she was freaked and grabbed her to calm her, making it worse. I'm going to talk to her today how that was the worst choice.

 

[somerandomband]

This is just a thought and since I don't have a female I don't even know if this would affect them.. do you have a lay bin in the enclosure? Maybe she's restless because she's gravid? Again, I have no experience with females so I wouldn't know for sure.

This was another thought I had as well. I am getting my paycheck today and am going to set both of our girls a laying bin up after work.