My Chameleon is Black and circling her cage

[Slickster9211]

I just got my new baby (female) veiled Chameleon. When I first got her she was a bright green, now since she's all in her cage she turned black and is now circling her cage. I have no idea why she is doing this. Can someone tell me if its "Stress" or trying to get more "Heat" or something. (I only have a basking bulb right now due to the UVB bulb breaking. But I can pick one up soon.)

 

[Carlton]

Please give us more information so we can help you sooner. Answer the questions in the link below with as much specific info as you can. How long have you had her? If its just a few days she's very stressed by the move to her new home or her cage isn't appropriate for her.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

 

[Slickster9211]

• Your Chameleon - Veiled, Female, less then 12 hours.
• Handling - Held it once to put her into her cage.
• Feeding - Only threw in a few Meal worms to see if she will eat the. But I am going to be switching to crickets. But when I first put her in she was chewing on a fake plant.
• Supplements - None yet just got her today.
• Watering - Misted her cage down once.
• Fecal Description - No, and she was green at first then changed to black and shes been black and climbing at the top of the cage for about 1 hour.
• History - Ordered her off of LLLreptile.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Circle screen. About 3' Tall and 2' wide
• Lighting - Zoo med Basking bulb dont have UVB atm.
• Temperature - Basking is about 90-95.
• Humidity - Havent measured that yet.
• Plants - i have a live plant at the bottom dont know the name but guys at LLLreptile said it was safe.
• Placement - Its in the corner of my room (its in the basement and about 3 ft of the ground. Location - Wisconsin

 

[jajeanpierre]

• Your Chameleon - Veiled, Female, less then 12 hours.
• Handling - Held it once to put her into her cage.
• Feeding - Only threw in a few Meal worms to see if she will eat the. But I am going to be switching to crickets. But when I first put her in she was chewing on a fake plant.
• Supplements - None yet just got her today.
• Watering - Misted her cage down once.
• Fecal Description - No, and she was green at first then changed to black and shes been black and climbing at the top of the cage for about 1 hour.
• History - Ordered her off of LLLreptile.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Circle screen. About 3' Tall and 2' wide
• Lighting - Zoo med Basking bulb dont have UVB atm.
• Temperature - Basking is about 90-95.
• Humidity - Havent measured that yet.
• Plants - i have a live plant at the bottom dont know the name but guys at LLLreptile said it was safe.
• Placement - Its in the corner of my room (its in the basement and about 3 ft of the ground. Location - Wisconsin

Right off the bat I would say her temps are too high. She might be heat stressed.

If she is chewing on a fake plant she is likely very hungry. If she is hungry, that means she might not have had the best care before she was shipped so she will also be very thirsty. Assume she hasn't had the best care and treat her accordingly which means lots and lots and lots of water. Mist mist mist. Keep the cage wet until you are sure she is hydrated. It is never wrong to over hydrate. Most pet chameleons are in a chronic state of dehydration.

Can you send pictures of your set up and your chameleon?

Read the care sheets under the resource section.

 

[Slickster9211]

Right off the bat I would say her temps are too high. She might be heat stressed.

If she is chewing on a fake plant she is likely very hungry. If she is hungry, that means she might not have had the best care before she was shipped so she will also be very thirsty. Assume she hasn't had the best care and treat her accordingly which means lots and lots and lots of water. Mist mist mist. Keep the cage wet until you are sure she is hydrated. It is never wrong to over hydrate. Most pet chameleons are in a chronic state of dehydration.

I turned off the basking lamp and have been misting water every 15-20 mins. And I have placed a few Meal Worms in her cage aswell.

 

[Slickster9211]

That's the Chameleon

 

[Andee]

Can you post a picture of your set up too?

 

[KapitalJ]

She needs a lot of places to hide and feel secure. This is a huge change for her, and it has only been hours since you got her.

 

[jajeanpierre]

That's the Chameleon

Your set up is very stressful for your chameleon. When you set up an enclosure for a young veiled, you want to have it heavily planted from top to bottom so that when you look in you can't find your chameleon even if you are looking right at it.

The picture you posted above is just a bare enclosure. I won't put a chameleon in such a bare environment at all, even when I am just removing them from the cage to do some maintenance on it. I give them something in a temporary tote that they can hide in or put them in a small box in complete darkness.

Use clean natural (non toxic) branches. Furnish the branch frame with plants. In a pinch you can go buy a big sword fern from a big box hardware store, wash it in dish soap and water and then stick branches in the pot so the branches are hidden by the fern fronds.

I'm going to let others help you because you are going to need a lot of guidance to get it right. Please get it "reasonably" right today because stress will set your chameleon up to become ill (it suppresses the immune system). Most sick chameleons die in the hands of novices, and probably in the hands of experienced keepers as well.

 

[KapitalJ]

Your set up is very stressful for your chameleon. When you set up an enclosure for a young veiled, you want to have it heavily planted from top to bottom so that when you look in you can't find your chameleon even if you are looking right at it.

lol... I still cant find mine sometimes. He is about 6 months old and about 6" nose to vent. Its hard to believe sometimes how well they can hide, even when they are right infront of you!!

 

[MeruJack]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

This care sheet has lots of info about caring for veiled chameleons and includes info about temps and food for babies as well. Check it out!

 

[Slickster9211]

That is the top corner of the cage the rest besides the bottom corner have vines,live plants, and walking vines all around the cage

 

[jajeanpierre]

That is the top corner of the cage the rest besides the bottom corner have vines,live plants, and walking vines all around the cage

Maybe I wasn't clear enough. Your chameleon looks very stressed and the caging might have a lot to do with it. I guess you missed the part where I wrote that you should have trouble finding her in the cage.

 

[Slickster9211]

Maybe I wasn't clear enough. Your chameleon looks very stressed and the caging might have a lot to do with it. I guess you missed the part where I wrote that you should have trouble finding her in the cage.

Yeah I just went down to the store and got a live photo plant and a lot of fake vines and she's doing perfect right now! I think she was just stressed like you said.

 

[Chachi]

You are new here. I immediately noticed You have the people who know the most on this thread. Keep doing what jajean said. I noticed the same things she did. Your little girl doesntlike it dry and hot. Try to pay attention to if she is eating what you give her and take a look at her poop. That will help you establish if you have a continuing problem or if it is stress. And read read read and listen listen listen.

 

[jcarlsen]

Do you have any branches or anything in the enclosure? Can we see a pic of the whole thing?

 

[Slickster9211]

Ok going down to the store today to get a bigger one but here it is

 

[Andee]

That looks great now in my opinion. She can hide and distress just like she needs to.

 

[Slickster9211]

Yeah I'm going down to the store right now to get a repti breeze cage. Also when I turn the light on she will crawl as close as she can to it and turn black, but if she's stressed from the heat why don't she move away from it? Thanks

 

[Carlton]

Chams turn a darker color while basking because this helps them absorb heat faster. This darkening is normal...and you may notice that she bends one side toward the warmth and THAT side is darker than her other side. The dark coloration and pacing around here cage was due to stress.

Ironically, chams don't have a lot of temp sensors in the upper part of the body, so they can overheat themselves. She will usually bask until her internal organs reach the optimum temp for digestion, she may start gaping, but then she should move away from the heat. Make sure she has a range of perches closer and farther from the heat. Check that the basking area temp isn't too hot by using a thermometer. The best way to measure temps is to use a non-contact temp gun.