Is she okay?

[amateurchameleon]

PLEASE READ!!

this is lenny, shes a 3(ish) year old veiled chameleon and i am a bit concerned. her colour is off, why does she have light patches on her back? she has also been fairly dark in colour (though the dark spots and stripes are more because i put my phone in her home). she has been staying at the top of the cage, mostly not moving except right when she wakes up and right before she goes to sleep, but not moving far. she has 2 LED bar lights, a 50 watt halogen, and another 50 watt bulb. she has a mister that goes off during the night and a sprinkler system that goes off for a minute 3 times a day. here’s her enclosure:

sorry the lights are off; it’s late

she’s a much better colour when she’s asleep, but it wont let me attach the photo. she’s just generally a lot lighter.

for food, she gets 5 crickets every second day dusted in calcium, once a week the crickets are dusted in some kind of multivitamin, and once a month we use calcium with d3. yesterday she was not particularly interested in the crickets so we’re going to rotate mealworms into her feeding, 3 a day by recommendation of pet store worker (not petsmart). i also put in a few little pieces of berries, also recommended by the worker.

if anyone can tell me anything that might help, please do!

 

[VeiledMoodRing]

has she shed recently?

 

[amateurchameleon]

has she shed recently?

yes she did shed recently sorry i forgot to mention, she shed maybe 3 weeks ago but only on her head?

 

[VeiledMoodRing]

yes she did shed recently sorry i forgot to mention, she shed maybe 3 weeks ago but only on her head?

I am kind of new to this hobby as well lol, but sometimes my cham will shed one part of his body at a time, I don't know if it is normal or not. someone will probably have some better advice than me.

 

[amateurchameleon]

I am kind of new to this hobby as well lol, but sometimes my cham will shed one part of his body at a time, I don't know if it is normal or not. someone will probably have some better advice than me.

all good, thanks for the reaponse

 

[LizardLurkin]

Hello, I'm also new to the hobby, but I do know that chameleons do indeed shed in segments or patches.
My first idea is, maybe the temperature is off. Perhaps she is at the top of the cage in her dark colors to better absorb the heat? I believe a veiled female such as her requires an 80 farenheit basking temperature.
My other wonder is, are these perhaps her gravid colors? She can lay eggs despite never being with a mate, so a laying bin is always good to have in the enclosure for a female. This is a very good blog post to read just in case!
Some friendly advice!
-"she has a mister that goes off during the night and a sprinkler system that goes off for a minute 3 times a day."
It's best two mist twice a day, once in the morning, and once in the evening, for at least two minutes. The goal is that, during the day, the wet surfaces have time to dry so as to not encourage bacteria growth.

-"for food, she gets 5 crickets every second day dusted in calcium, once a week the crickets are dusted in some kind of multivitamin, and once a month we use calcium with d3. yesterday she was not particularly interested in the crickets so we’re going to rotate mealworms into her feeding, 3 a day by recommendation of pet store worker (not petsmart). i also put in a few little pieces of berries, also recommended by the worker."

This is a very helpful couple of images for a chameleon's diet.

It's a lot of work, but gutloading is important to make sure our chams get all the nutrition they need. Here's a really fun method to making some long lasting gutload. On top of that, there are dry gutload options such as Repashy's Bug Burger. This can also be prepared and frozen for a long time. You'll also want to use the multivitamin (the calcium with d3) twice a month. Once at the start of the month, and again in the middle of the month.

I'd also recommend a bunch more branches throughout the length of her enclosure below the basking branch; straight across, diagonally, this way it's easier for her to get around. Additional plant coverage is also a good idea,(but be mindful of fake plants. Veileds are known to eat plants, so it's a risk of impaction. if you do have fake plants, it's a clever idea to fasten them to the outside of your cage, this way they aren't wasted, and provide more sense of coverage for your girl! I saw this image here, and I lost track of whose idea it was, but it is such a cool idea:

If you could, it would be helpful to fill out these questions to better get an idea of your chameleon, and lets us here know if there's anything that needs changing that might get your girl more explorative.

• 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.

 

[Gloriawood]

Hello! Nothing crazy jumps out at me, no need to panic. Both @amateurchameleon and @LizardLurkin are correct, adult chams do shed in ‘parts’ so the lighter areas may be where she is about to shed. How long have you had her? The led bars, are they UVB? If so, what kind and strength? Lizardlurkin has given some good advice, and if you fill out the questions they posted them we can help narrow it down for you.