My Veiled Hunter is always Brown

[Nikkih08]

Hey guys… our veiled Hunter is always brown during the day… filling out the husbandry form just in case anything stands out. He is beautiful colors in his PJ’s … I unfortunately can’t get many up close photos during the day because he hides as we approach.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Veiled 5 months old, male. Been in our care 2 months
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? Only twice since we have had him.
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? 15 medium crickets a day. Occasionally silk worms, Dubia and hornworms
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Zoomed Repti Calcium no D3 every feeding other than 1st/15th he gets Repashy calcium plus LoD
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? Hand mist about 2 hours after lights out, fogger at night and Mist by hand 30min before lights on. Installing Monsoon Multi this weekend
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? Not tested. I will attach a photo of recent dropping in his feeder cup.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. None

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? XL Retibreeze just moved in last weekend. The back is covered with Window shrink wrap and the left side is covered with Black Coroplast so he can’t see our Panther.
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? Arcadia 12% and Jungle Dawn, 75w basking light white
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Basking Branco is 82°, top cage ranges 75°-78°. Lower right side is 74°, night time is lowest is 67°-69°
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Day time is 48, night time ranges from 52-75. Night time I mist before I go to bed, fogger runs in every 30 min between midnight and 5am
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Umbrella tree and pothos
• 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? My office. I work from home. It is in front of a window so they can see out. I thought the window was bothering him when we first got him so I covered the back. But no change.
• Location - Where are you geographically located Southern California but it gets really hot north of 110° during the peak of summer

 

[Nikkih08]

Gutloading insects: Repashy bug burger, kale, carrots, apple and water crystals. Feeding is in the morning and if feeder is empty a few more in the early afternoon

Solo cup is also installed with a pin hole and filled with ice around 2pm

 

[Nikkih08]

Also he rarely hides while I’m working on the other side of the room. He is very active. Typically hangs out on the middle higher branches in the open

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. Give me a bit of time to go thru your husbandry and I’ll have a full review for you.

 

[Nikkih08]

This is a photo of the day he arrived. I do see the slight green bands today which is an improvement from when he was in the smaller cage.

 

[Nikkih08]

We also have everything set up with Govee monitors and smart plugs. Heat gun is used to measure basking branch temps

 

[MzLaurie]

Mine stays brown when he is hunting. Maybe yours does too. I dont think its an issue but a husbandry check is always good. Also he may outgrow it as he gets bigger and more confident.

 

[Nikkih08]

Mine stays brown when he is hunting. Maybe yours does too. I dont think its an issue but a husbandry check is always good. Also he may outgrow it as he gets bigger and more confident.

I’m hoping so. I just want him to be happy and healthy. I was hoping the upgrade from the 16x16x30 was going to show an improvement. He is still very active. Way more active then our almost 4 month old panther

 

[MzLaurie]

Hiw old is he?

 

[MissSkittles]

I’ll be putting my feedback in bold and be splitting this into two parts.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Veiled 5 months old, male. Been in our care 2 months
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? Only twice since we have had him. You really need to start working on building some trust with him. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/ Being a veiled, he may never willingly walk onto your hand or even not either gape and hiss or run away, but it’s still important. I’ve had my girl Stella for almost 5 years and she is still so quick to bite me, but once I do manage to hold her, she’s calm and knows she has nothing to fear from me.
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? 15 medium crickets a day. Occasionally silk worms, Dubia and hornworms Yes, variety is best. The amount is good for a growing boy. You could also add some bsfl, which are fun enrichment for your chameleon once they pupate into flies. Additional treats of waxworms and superworms are nice additions and a staple which many have been giving is grasshoppers. One source for them is https://feedmychameleon.com/ and the other is Kai Phan on Facebook.
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Zoomed Repti Calcium no D3 every feeding other than 1st/15th he gets Repashy calcium plus LoD Perfect
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? Hand mist about 2 hours after lights out, I prefer misting for a couple of minutes about 30 minutes or so before lights out, so that they are awake to drink if they choose. fogger at night and Mist by hand 30min before lights on. Installing Monsoon Multi this weekend
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? Not tested. I will attach a photo of recent dropping in his feeder cup. If he’s regularly pooping in his food cup, try getting a feeding station like the shooting gallery https://tkchameleons.com/products/shooting-gallery?variant=30018608595032 or full throttle style. https://www.fullthrottlefeeders.com/
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. None

Gutloading insects: Repashy bug burger, kale, carrots, apple and water crystals. I would skip the kale and instead try a green which is lower in oxalates which can bind to calcium. Dandelion, turnip, mustard, collard greens, arugula, watercress are all better choices. Also, maybe add a bit more veggies to your insect’s diet. I find different varieties of squash are great, bell pepper, sweet potato, berries, etc are also all good. I basically feed my bugs the same things that I make my bearded dragons salads out of and then give just a little bit of bug burger to round things out. Feeding is in the morning and if feeder is empty a few more in the early afternoon It’s best to just feed once in the morning so he has time to bask and fully digest his food.
More to come….

 

[Nikkih08]

We have the sunset chams feeder runs for the crickets. Never thought to put worms in there. I guess I could try.

we do try and work with him. I often stand and talk to him lol. Was more concerned about overly stressing him out.

So nothing stands out that needs to be corrects that you can see?

Once the mister is installed I will set it for right before lights out. Was more concerned as the temps haven’t dropped into the “safe” zone for misting and fogging..

 

[Nikkih08]

Hiw old is he?

5 months

 

[MissSkittles]

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? XL Retibreeze just moved in last weekend. The back is covered with Window shrink wrap and the left side is covered with Black Coroplast so he can’t see our Panther. Do be careful with any sunlight coming in thru the window and overheating him. Even though the one side has the coroplast, he is very exposed. By chance had you bought any artificial plants that you can hang on the outside of his enclosure now to give some cover? If not, try to find a couple of bushy pothos plants to put in there, preferably at mid or higher level and one on each side or one in the back. Give him a generous leafy area to hide in and behind. It will make him feel safer and happier.
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? Arcadia 12% Why so strong? What is the distance between the uvb light and basking area? and Jungle Dawn, 75w basking light white
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Basking Branco is 82°, top cage ranges 75°-78°. Lower right side is 74°, night time is lowest is 67°-69° Excellent
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Day time is 48, Do keep a close eye on this as it’s close to the max ideal of 50%. night time ranges from 52-75. Night time I mist before I go to bed, fogger runs in every 30 min between midnight and 5am
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Umbrella tree and pothos see above about adding more plant cover. Once everything grows in, he should be fine.
• 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? My office. I work from home. It is in front of a window so they can see out. I thought the window was bothering him when we first got him so I covered the back. But no change. Usually they do enjoy having a view and watching the neighbors. lol I’m assuming that’s a table that he’s on and you don’t hang your art only a few feet off the floor.
• Location - Where are you geographically located Southern California but it gets really hot north of 110° during the peak of summer You’ll definitely need to make sure he doesn’t get overheated by sunlight coming in thru the window.

There’s a few different reasons that I can think he could be brown/drab. Chameleons will darken in order to better absorb heat and uvb. Double and triple check your temps. If you by chance happen to have a solarmeter 6.5, you can check your uv levels. If not, you’ll need to ensure your uvb light is the correct distance from basking area (8-9” for 5.0 or 6% strength and about 11” for 10.0 or 12& strength). If distance is correct, you could try another uvb bulb just to make sure. My girl Stella was a muddy color when I first got her because she hated the temporary small enclosure she was in. Once she got her big girl enclosure she brightened. She had also come from Petco, so I’m sure she was getting over being miserable and unhealthy. Your husbandry is great and he’s been with you long enough to have overcome if he did have any misery or health issues from his previous home. You haven’t had him checked for parasites though, so I do recommend that. Even though you have already moved him to larger, it does go back to being so very exposed. Get more cover for him and see if he brightens. Then, we usually only share pics of our male veileds when they are all bright and handsome, when the reality is that most of the time when they are relaxed and content, they are rather drab and grayish. Here’s some pics which show the range that one of mine had. From totally relaxed and blending in, to putting on a show for his lady love.

 

[Nikkih08]

The 12% is on 6” risers and the branch is 8” below the screen top.

I watch the temps all day lol. In the late afternoon when this window gets the full sun I close the blinds.

I did order fake plants to hang on the outside but the plastic smell was so overwhelming I couldn’t bare to hang them on the outside. I’ll make a trip to Micheal’s and pick some up…

I do have a dehumidifier set up. The Govee is currently reading 48.2% for the top where he hangs out.

 

[Nikkih08]

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? XL Retibreeze just moved in last weekend. The back is covered with Window shrink wrap and the left side is covered with Black Coroplast so he can’t see our Panther. Do be careful with any sunlight coming in thru the window and overheating him. Even though the one side has the coroplast, he is very exposed. By chance had you bought any artificial plants that you can hang on the outside of his enclosure now to give some cover? If not, try to find a couple of bushy pothos plants to put in there, preferably at mid or higher level and one on each side or one in the back. Give him a generous leafy area to hide in and behind. It will make him feel safer and happier.
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? Arcadia 12% Why so strong? What is the distance between the uvb light and basking area? and Jungle Dawn, 75w basking light white
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Basking Branco is 82°, top cage ranges 75°-78°. Lower right side is 74°, night time is lowest is 67°-69° Excellent
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Day time is 48, Do keep a close eye on this as it’s close to the max ideal of 50%. night time ranges from 52-75. Night time I mist before I go to bed, fogger runs in every 30 min between midnight and 5am
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Umbrella tree and pothos see above about adding more plant cover. Once everything grows in, he should be fine.
• 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? My office. I work from home. It is in front of a window so they can see out. I thought the window was bothering him when we first got him so I covered the back. But no change. Usually they do enjoy having a view and watching the neighbors. lol I’m assuming that’s a table that he’s on and you don’t hang your art only a few feet off the floor.
• Location - Where are you geographically located Southern California but it gets really hot north of 110° during the peak of summer You’ll definitely need to make sure he doesn’t get overheated by sunlight coming in thru the window.

There’s a few different reasons that I can think he could be brown/drab. Chameleons will darken in order to better absorb heat and uvb. Double and triple check your temps. If you by chance happen to have a solarmeter 6.5, you can check your uv levels. If not, you’ll need to ensure your uvb light is the correct distance from basking area (8-9” for 5.0 or 6% strength and about 11” for 10.0 or 12& strength). If distance is correct, you could try another uvb bulb just to make sure. My girl Stella was a muddy color when I first got her because she hated the temporary small enclosure she was in. Once she got her big girl enclosure she brightened. She had also come from Petco, so I’m sure she was getting over being miserable and unhealthy. Your husbandry is great and he’s been with you long enough to have overcome if he did have any misery or health issues from his previous home. You haven’t had him checked for parasites though, so I do recommend that. Even though you have already moved him to larger, it does go back to being so very exposed. Get more cover for him and see if he brightens. Then, we usually only share pics of our male veileds when they are all bright and handsome, when the reality is that most of the time when they are relaxed and content, they are rather drab and grayish. Here’s some pics which show the range that one of mine had. From totally relaxed and blending in, to putting on a show for his lady love. View attachment 356395View attachment 356397

His relaxed are still lighter than Hunters but not by too much. Thank you for showing that photo. I think he still needs to relax a bit more but seeing this makes me feel a bit better

 

[Nikkih08]

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? XL Retibreeze just moved in last weekend. The back is covered with Window shrink wrap and the left side is covered with Black Coroplast so he can’t see our Panther. Do be careful with any sunlight coming in thru the window and overheating him. Even though the one side has the coroplast, he is very exposed. By chance had you bought any artificial plants that you can hang on the outside of his enclosure now to give some cover? If not, try to find a couple of bushy pothos plants to put in there, preferably at mid or higher level and one on each side or one in the back. Give him a generous leafy area to hide in and behind. It will make him feel safer and happier.
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? Arcadia 12% Why so strong? What is the distance between the uvb light and basking area? and Jungle Dawn, 75w basking light white
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Basking Branco is 82°, top cage ranges 75°-78°. Lower right side is 74°, night time is lowest is 67°-69° Excellent
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Day time is 48, Do keep a close eye on this as it’s close to the max ideal of 50%. night time ranges from 52-75. Night time I mist before I go to bed, fogger runs in every 30 min between midnight and 5am
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Umbrella tree and pothos see above about adding more plant cover. Once everything grows in, he should be fine.
• 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? My office. I work from home. It is in front of a window so they can see out. I thought the window was bothering him when we first got him so I covered the back. But no change. Usually they do enjoy having a view and watching the neighbors. lol I’m assuming that’s a table that he’s on and you don’t hang your art only a few feet off the floor.
• Location - Where are you geographically located Southern California but it gets really hot north of 110° during the peak of summer You’ll definitely need to make sure he doesn’t get overheated by sunlight coming in thru the window.

There’s a few different reasons that I can think he could be brown/drab. Chameleons will darken in order to better absorb heat and uvb. Double and triple check your temps. If you by chance happen to have a solarmeter 6.5, you can check your uv levels. If not, you’ll need to ensure your uvb light is the correct distance from basking area (8-9” for 5.0 or 6% strength and about 11” for 10.0 or 12& strength). If distance is correct, you could try another uvb bulb just to make sure. My girl Stella was a muddy color when I first got her because she hated the temporary small enclosure she was in. Once she got her big girl enclosure she brightened. She had also come from Petco, so I’m sure she was getting over being miserable and unhealthy. Your husbandry is great and he’s been with you long enough to have overcome if he did have any misery or health issues from his previous home. You haven’t had him checked for parasites though, so I do recommend that. Even though you have already moved him to larger, it does go back to being so very exposed. Get more cover for him and see if he brightens. Then, we usually only share pics of our male veileds when they are all bright and handsome, when the reality is that most of the time when they are relaxed and content, they are rather drab and grayish. Here’s some pics which show the range that one of mine had. From totally relaxed and blending in, to putting on a show for his lady love. View attachment 356395View attachment 356397

And yes they are on a 3’ high table lol

 

[MissSkittles]

The 12% is on 6” risers and the branch is 8” below the screen top.

I watch the temps all day lol. In the late afternoon when this window gets the full sun I close the blinds.

I did order fake plants to hang on the outside but the plastic smell was so overwhelming I couldn’t bare to hang them on the outside. I’ll make a trip to Micheal’s and pick some up…

I do have a dehumidifier set up. The Govee is currently reading 48.2% for the top where he hangs out.

Ok, so your uvb is too far away for him to be getting enough. You need to either lower the light by about 3” or raise your basking branch by that much. This could definitely be a reason for him to stay darker…he’s trying to absorb enough uvb. Depending on where and what type of fake plants you get, some you can let air out outside for a day or so and see if that helps.

 

[Nikkih08]

Ok, so your uvb is too far away for him to be getting enough. You need to either lower the light by about 3” or raise your basking branch by that much. This could definitely be a reason for him to stay darker…he’s trying to absorb enough uvb. Depending on where and what type of fake plants you get, some you can let air out outside for a day or so and see if that helps.

I have another set of risers that’s 3” so I’ll put those on. No risk of eye damage correct? That is my biggest fear

 

[MissSkittles]

I have another set of risers that’s 3” so I’ll put those on. No risk of eye damage correct? That is my biggest fear

No, there shouldn’t be. When it’s time to replace your uvb bulb, I’d suggest getting the 6% and then no risers needed. You can set the uvb on top of the screen and have basking area @ 8-9” below.

 

[MzLaurie]

Hello you say he is five months old right. Well all of his colors havent come in yet. They start off green then at about four to five months the colors start with each shed. Like I said when mine hunts, he gets brown also gets bland when trying to lie flattened out on his side to get more baskimg heat. I like to have dimmer switches on my basking bulb so I can dim them if temps get too high in summer. Its so much easier then moving the branch. Also if you live in so cal, i have a great vet Dr Stein at Studio City Animal Clinic. They have two reptile vets there and he doesnt jack up his prices due to exotic. I just adore him. I usually pay 105.00 per visit. So so reasonable. Access charged me 850.00 and didnt even drain an abcess! that was for meds and blood work, ugh. Write it down, its worth the drive. Great set up. Your boy will start patroling every morn once he is a bit older. Make sure everything is safe in the cage cause once he starts looking for a female, he will be all.over it. If you have cut off ends of zip ties, melt them. Nothing sharp.