My cham rarely seems completely happy?

[gracie88]

Hey guys! I have recently noticed that my male veiled chameleon (around 2 months old) Cosmo rarely seems completely happy? He has a 2x2x4 enclosure with plenty of hiding places, he eat once a day in the mornings a diet of BSFL, crickets, and superworms (mainly BSFL, I also cup feed), his automatic mister goes off once every two hours (this may seem like a lot but it evaporates really quickly under his lights which are the T5HO 5.0 and a normal ecosmart housebulb for heat), and I haven't handled him at all yet (I will start hand feeding in a week or two, I got him on May 1.) Is there anything I am doing wrong? I mean, he is a nice vibrant green when he is in some of his favorite spots, but even when I am just sitting on my bed and he is even a bit out in the open, he looks a more pale green and sometimes he even becomes spotted and puffs up his chest. Is it because he is just adjusting and nervous? Am I doing anything to stress him out? I may just be a bit paranoid but I just want to make sure he is living the best life I can because I truly love him more than anything.

 

[Serbianchameleon]

Can you post some photos of your enclosure? From text here I don’t see any problems..

 

[Beman]

How do you define happiness for a chameleon? I agree post pics of the entire enclosure lighting down.

 

[gracie88]

Hey guys! I have recently noticed that my male veiled chameleon (around 2 months old) Cosmo rarely seems completely happy? He has a 2x2x4 enclosure with plenty of hiding places, he eat once a day in the mornings a diet of BSFL, crickets, and superworms (mainly BSFL, I also cup feed), his automatic mister goes off once every two hours (this may seem like a lot but it evaporates really quickly under his lights which are the T5HO 5.0 and a normal ecosmart housebulb for heat), and I haven't handled him at all yet (I will start hand feeding in a week or two, I got him on May 1.) Is there anything I am doing wrong? I mean, he is a nice vibrant green when he is in some of his favorite spots, but even when I am just sitting on my bed and he is even a bit out in the open, he looks a more pale green and sometimes he even becomes spotted and puffs up his chest. Is it because he is just adjusting and nervous? Am I doing anything to stress him out? I may just be a bit paranoid but I just want to make sure he is living the best life I can because I truly love him more than anything.

Here are some photos of his enclosure/lighting (this were from a day before we got him, he is not included in the photo nor is his cup for cup feeding)

 

[gracie88]

How do you define happiness for a chameleon? I agree post pics of the entire enclosure lighting down.

To me, happiness for a chameleon is him being green with (extremely little to) no signs of stress or fear like spotting, puffed chest, having an open mouth/ visibly threatened. I am glad to hear that nothing seems wrong and like I mentioned before I might just be a bit paranoid but I would always rather be safe than sorry because I love him so much! Thank you for your help!

 

[MissSkittles]

I hope someone will correct me if I’m wrong, but the LED light bulbs don’t provide enough heat. You need an old fashioned incandescent bulb.

 

[Beman]

I hope someone will correct me if I’m wrong, but the LED light bulbs don’t provide enough heat. You need an old fashioned incandescent bulb.

You are absolutely correct. You can not get the heat level needed at basking with those led bulbs.

 

[Ares05]

ohhhh I might've been the one who said those bulbs were fine. I didn't see they were LED. ooopsies

 

[Beman]

To me, happiness for a chameleon is him being green with (extremely little to) no signs of stress or fear like spotting, puffed chest, having an open mouth/ visibly threatened. I am glad to hear that nothing seems wrong and like I mentioned before I might just be a bit paranoid but I would always rather be safe than sorry because I love him so much! Thank you for your help!

They will still puff even if not threatened... They will change their color based on their need for heat absorption as well not just stress. If the cage is still on the floor and you are sitting above him this will freak him out. Cage needs to be up on a table. It takes months to learn their body language.

 

[gracie88]

You are absolutely correct. You can not get the heat level needed at basking with those led bulbs.

I talked to Gingero and she said a normal 100 watt house bulb is good for heating and so did my local reptile store workers, is there something wrong with the specific one I have?

 

[Jwjersey]

They look like led lights and most likely would not put off enough heat at the basking spot. Seems most people use ether incandescent of flood lights.

 

[Marcoa1988]

I hope someone will correct me if I’m wrong, but the LED light bulbs don’t provide enough heat. You need an old fashioned incandescent bulb.

Someone told me that they were ok but i tested one in a spare lamp that i have and put a thermometer there and produces very little heat

 

[Gingero]

Only way to know if those bulbs are putting off enough heat is to measure the basking temp. @gracie88 -- What are the basking temps in your enclosure?

 

[Beman]

If you can take an up close picture of the packaging on the bulbs it should state that it is an LED.

I would not use a 100 watt on a 2 month old baby. I would use 60 at most. Temps should only be about 80ish at basking for one that little.

 

[cyberlocc]

You can see in the pics provided pretty plainly, they state LED, the shape and design of the bulb is also that of LED.

They are 100w equivalent 15w bulbs.

LEDs even if they are hot enough to provide warmth, do not Provide UVA or Infared (unless they are UV or Infared LEDs).

The UVA from baskjng is a nice to have, and Infared is what heats the body from the sun. When your standing in the sun, and you feel that beam of heat hitting your skin, thats infarred. The leds do not produce that, the reptile needs that.

Halogen or Incandescent bulbs is what you need OP. As has been said "Basic household Bulbs" when that was the saying started there was few LED bulbs. Now 95% of the bulbs at the store are LED, so the Incandescent that we mean when we say normal house bulbs, are not really normal house bulbs anymore.

Its really a change in launage the community needs to undertake. Especially with like EU banning Ican and halogen lights. No long are incan or halogen a normal house bulb, with some EU keepers having to seek actual heat bulbs, as that is the only legal way to buy incan or halogens.

 

[gracie88]

Only way to know if those bulbs are putting off enough heat is to measure the basking temp. @gracie88 -- What are the basking temps in your enclosure?

Sorry for the late replies! His basking temperature is about 80 degrees.

 

[Gingero]

Thanks for checking. It should be closer to 85F at his age.

VEILED CHAMELEON
Ambient Temperature
Baby/Juvenile: 72-80F / 22-26C
Adult Male: 75-80F / 23-26C
Adult Female: 75-80F / 23-26C

Basking Temperature
Baby/Juvenile: 85F / 29C
Adult Male: 90-95F / 32-35C
Adult Female: 85F / 29C

 

[gracie88]

Thanks for checking. It should be closer to 85F at his age.

VEILED CHAMELEON
Ambient Temperature
Baby/Juvenile: 72-80F / 22-26C
Adult Male: 75-80F / 23-26C
Adult Female: 75-80F / 23-26C

Basking Temperature
Baby/Juvenile: 85F / 29C
Adult Male: 90-95F / 32-35C
Adult Female: 85F / 29C

Thank you for the help! Should I purchase a different more specific light for him?

 

[cyberlocc]

Thank you for the help! Should I purchase a different more specific light for him?

Get a basic light bulb. An Incan or a Halogen, not an LED.

 

[gracie88]

Get a basic light bulb. An Incan or a Halogen, not an LED.

How many watts?