Is my chameleon ok he’s been dark colors lately

The Wild One said:
I don't know, I got Coda from PetSmart. (Bad Idea) They told me she was a boy, so for about 3-4 days Coda was Levi.
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I wasnt too sure about Petsmart, Im an aquatic specialist at Petco and we only stock males because of the whole issue with lay bins and the environment not being suitable for a gravid female. Im not sure if that applies to other Petco locations as well but back when I was struggling on r/chameleons to get a gender ID I ended up asking the animal companion leader and he said we only order in males
 
cleothechameleon said:
Above, dude I might be new to the forum, but I do have reptile experience. I have owned cresties and beardies, Cleo is my first chameleon though which is why I decided to join the forum. Also Im not a dude. New to a forum does not mean new to owning reptiles, dude lol...
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I have owned 2 bearded dragons and a leopard gecko
 
cleothechameleon said:
Above, dude I might be new to the forum, but I do have reptile experience. I have owned cresties and beardies, Cleo is my first chameleon though which is why I decided to join the forum. Also Im not a dude. New to a forum does not mean new to owning reptiles, dude lol...
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cleothechameleon said:
I wasnt too sure about Petsmart, Im an aquatic specialist at Petco and we only stock males because of the whole issue with lay bins and the environment not being suitable for a gravid female. Im not sure if that applies to other Petco locations as well but back when I was struggling on r/chameleons to get a gender ID I ended up asking the animal companion leader and he said we only order in males
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What does Levi mean
 
cleothechameleon said:
Above, dude I might be new to the forum, but I do have reptile experience. I have owned cresties and beardies, Cleo is my first chameleon though which is why I decided to join the forum. Also Im not a dude. New to a forum does not mean new to owning reptiles, dude lol...
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This is ten color I’m scared of he’s been this color lately
56930CE6-9448-4C53-B2B2-F7E20595E70F.jpeg
 
PascalTheChamelon123 said:
12
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Okay young teen! Its great seeing younger people interested in reptiles and chameleons in general. From what I read in your replies I think the chameleon is just a little stressed. I don’t think you have a sick chameleon on your hands. If for some reason the dark colors persist and you see anything like sleeping during the day, falling down, wheezing or popping sounds when breathing, gaping, or drool then you should head to a vet. For now I think you are okay.
 
cleothechameleon said:
I don’t mean to come off as rude, but no one can help you until you properly fill out the help questionnaire and are able to take better photos.

Now that you said its from Petsmart I am assuming its male, as the Petco I work at only stocks males because females has more requirements such as laybins and a Petsmart/Petco environment would be too stressful for a gravid female and lead to issues. Again, simply assuming and I cannot confirm gender yet based on the pictures you posted. Additionally, Im taking experience from the Petco I work at and Petsmart is a completely different company. Its gender is up in the air.

It also appears like you didn’t do too much research before hand and that this chameleon was a rather impulsive purchase. I hope that is not the case but asking questions about colors and assuming a dark color automatically means the chameleon is sick implies otherwise to me. As of right now Im 100% sure the chameleon is dark because of stress and basking temps are too low.
As of right now, your chameleon feels extremely threatened by you. You are a predator to it and it has no clue what you are trying to do. It is also in a completely new environment and needs time to settle in.

Imagine if you were suddenly teleported into a completely new home you don’t recognize and some giant outside kept peeking in and messing with you, you would be upset as well.

Leave the chameleon alone for a week aside from misting and feeding, let it settle in. Then once the chameleon is more settled, we can discuss things such as gender when you’re able to get a better picture like the ones I used as an example.

Posting multiple threads is not going to get you an answer any faster and makes it difficult for those of us who are patiently trying to help you actually provide help. Getting bits and pieces over multiple threads is not the way to get any insight. Please correct your husbandry issues that were highlighted by other members, wait a week, then fill out the questionnaire provided with as much detail and accuracy as possible. Then we will be able to assist you futher
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I am a 12 year old I reasarched for 2 weeks I watched people like owlco And more he has been pretty dark colors lately such as dark green and black
 
cleothechameleon said:
Okay young teen! Its great seeing younger people interested in reptiles and chameleons in general. From what I read in your replies I think the chameleon is just a little stressed. I don’t think you have a sick chameleon on your hands. If for some reason the dark colors persist and you see anything like sleeping during the day, falling down, wheezing or popping sounds when breathing, gaping, or drool then you should head to a vet. For now I think you are okay.
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Yeah he’s just been a bit dark that pretty much it, I am going to get a new heat bulb today for him
 
cleothechameleon said:
Okay young teen! Its great seeing younger people interested in reptiles and chameleons in general. From what I read in your replies I think the chameleon is just a little stressed. I don’t think you have a sick chameleon on your hands. If for some reason the dark colors persist and you see anything like sleeping during the day, falling down, wheezing or popping sounds when breathing, gaping, or drool then you should head to a vet. For now I think you are okay.
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Here are some amazing pictures I got
04E502AA-A672-4634-BC45-CF35DD4386A7.png
 
cleothechameleon said:
Okay young teen! Its great seeing younger people interested in reptiles and chameleons in general. From what I read in your replies I think the chameleon is just a little stressed. I don’t think you have a sick chameleon on your hands. If for some reason the dark colors persist and you see anything like sleeping during the day, falling down, wheezing or popping sounds when breathing, gaping, or drool then you should head to a vet. For now I think you are okay.
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this is another good picture that could help you determine the gender, also can you recommend me stuff to get for my baby chameleon
2215B477-AD15-4AF8-AECE-BD1F2139BE04.png
 
cleothechameleon said:
Okay young teen! Its great seeing younger people interested in reptiles and chameleons in general. From what I read in your replies I think the chameleon is just a little stressed. I don’t think you have a sick chameleon on your hands. If for some reason the dark colors persist and you see anything like sleeping during the day, falling down, wheezing or popping sounds when breathing, gaping, or drool then you should head to a vet. For now I think you are okay.
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Another pic to determine gender
77C68006-1C6E-4BCE-B48D-5BDF533FA81F.png
 
Still a bit too blurry. But so far not seeing a spur so I'm still leaning more towards female. Do you see a spur on its back legs? As for stuff for a baby chameleon, make sure any husbandry issues that have been previously mentioned by others are taken care of. Provide a nicely decorated enclosure with spaces to hide and escape the heat if needed, and both verticle and horizontal climbing branches. For feeders, crickets, silkworms, hornworms, dubia roaches, spikes/bb flies, phoenix worms, and super worms are great. Waxworms and butter worms are good for treats (especially useful for taming and handling). Make sure your feeders are not bigger than the width between the chameleon's eyes. Invest in a good dripper and mist system if desired. I have some larger palms, orchids, and various chameleon safe houseplants that I let Cleo free-range in for a few hours every day so maybe some nice larger plants for free-ranging would be good. Just make sure to remove the perlite/fertilizer and cover the soil with a towel or large stones. I learned by surprise that chameleons will go for the soil which is not good for them to eat, and now I cover the soil with a towel whenever he free ranges
 
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