New Ambanja staying brown?

[Peachypink]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?Ambanja Panther, Male, 4 1/2 months. I have had him for one month today.
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? Not at all yet. I have hand fed him wax worms a few times to gain his trust.
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? 2 days on crickets until my nymph dubia were delivered. Since then he started with 20 dubia a day and has leveled out to 11-14 dubia a day consistently with the occasional wax worm thrown in. I gut load with dry roach chow made by my supplier as well as kale and collard greens and carrots.
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Repashy calcium plus dusted for every feeding.
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? Mistking set to go off 5 times a day......9am/4min. 11:30/4min. 2pm/4 min. 4:30/2min 30sec. 6pm/2min 30sec. I do see him drink daily.
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? Normal brownish black with white urate. Have not had him tested yet.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. He is a Krammer baby. Son of Tar Aldarion.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? I have a large bird cage turned cham cage. Lined with screen sewn in the top and sides and a drip try. Not sure the exact demotions but it's at least 36" by 20" by 20"
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? 18" Reptisun 10.0 t8 tube(the tube was 2 months old when I got him), 75 watt house bulb for basking spot. Lights on at 8am off at 8pm on an automatic timer.
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? I have a probe thermometer that I check temps with. Basking spot 82, ambient temp- mid cage 75, low cage 69.
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? 55-68% throughout the day with spikes up to 99% when sprayed. Levels out to 48% at night.
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Yes, I have a pathos in his cage.
• 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? The cage is in the front office. Low traffic in the corner. There is a fan but it's never on and the vent is about 15 feet up on the opposite side of the room. The cage top is about 5 1/2 feet off the floor.
• Location - Where are you geographically located? Texas

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about. Not really a huge problem but I have noticed that he spends a lot of his time brown when he's just hanging out. He will brighten up when I come close for a bit and he moves around. Sometimes his whole right side is bright blue and green and white but the other side will be brown. I'm trying to figure out if its something in his cage that he doesn't like or something else. My other thought was that it might be the UVB light. I didn't get a 5.0 when I got him because my 10.0 was a couple months old and I figured its strength was diminished enough. Any thoughts on this?


Here are a few pictures.....
This was from the day I got him. I'll post a few more from my phone. They didn't transfer to my computer yet.

 

[Peachypink]

Pics from today......

 

[KapitalJ]

He looks great to me!!

For the different colour sides that you mention, they will often darken the side of their body that is closest to the light, this attracting more light / heat.

 

[BKO Overdrive]

Im no expert by any means, but in the last pic it looks like if almost hes trying to warm his side up, i know they will go a darker color to absorb more heat and i see hes under his basking lamp. I dont see anything wrong

 

[brownie64]

They will darken up under the lights too absorb more heat. I think he is fine.

 

[Peachypink]

I know they darken for heating up but he does it even when he's in the middle of the cage, it's like every time I peek at him he's brown. I'm hoping I'm just being paranoid.

 

[Chamifornia]

I wouldn't really consider that brown. All of a sudden you will start noticing more colors in him he's still young. I have a new 5 month ambanja and just out of nowhere his bars are blue.

Has he fired up for you?

 

[Peachypink]

That is not the all brown he gets, that was only partly brown. I can't really catch it in a picture because when I come close he climbs higher and brightens up.

Yes, he hates the camera so he has fired up for me.......

 

[Peachypink]

Like I said, I'm hoping I'm just being paranoid. I don't remember my Ambilobe doing this when he was this age.

 

[PJK]

Sounds like new parent paranoia to me.

 

[Peachypink]

This is still not as dark as he stays most of the time but it's closer. Normally it's so brown you can't see any bars at all.

Paranoia it is then..lol. It's always good though to have someone critique your husbandry just to be safe. Thanks all!

 

[Spyro]

Everything looks good to me. My first panther was brown and grey for like the first 3 months I had him. Then after he shed during his 6 or 7 month bday, he was green and red and orange and yellow. Basically overnight.

 

[Crashbandit05]

I've noticed my KK baby stays "darker" in the morning, especially under the basking light. When he's exploring the cage or hunting crickets, he turns pretty light with hints of green and blue. He also lightens up when he sees me but turns dark and puffs up when my wife mists him during the time I'm gone at work lol.

 

[Craigwyatt]

Ambilobis color up very very differently than ambanjas. Most ambilobis have bright colors. Much easier to see them colored up more vividly at your ambanjas age.
I think your Ambanja looks great. Give him time he got a long ways to go with his color. If your looking for something more brightly colored I suggest you get your second panther and get an ambilobi.
You can never have enough chameleons!!
Reptiles are like drugs 1 is to much and a 100 is not enough!!

 

[Peachypink]

Ambilobis color up very very differently than ambanjas. Most ambilobis have bright colors. Much easier to see them colored up more vividly at your ambanjas age.
I think your Ambanja looks great. Give him time he got a long ways to go with his color. If your looking for something more brightly colored I suggest you get your second panther and get an ambilobi.
You can never have enough chameleons!!
Reptiles are like drugs 1 is to much and a 100 is not enough!!

I wondered if it was different with an Ambanja. I had an Abilobe(the one in my profile pic) for 2 years and he just passed away recently which prompted me to try an Ambanja this time around. I wish I would have had him for longer he was gorgeous! He colored up pretty fast. Unfortunately, one is all I'm allowed for now....I already have 2 dogs, 2 cats and a bearded dragon. My husband only tolerates so much. Haha. He is NOT an animal person.

No worries, I can't wait to see how Ambaja's color up! It's so much fun watching them grow. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't something I was doing.