Panther's mid-life crisis color change?

[ferretinmyshoes]

It's just so weird! I was expecting the change to be permanent too...totally surprised me to see reds coming back earlier this week!

 

[Ace]

You're not alone!!!! My guy is getting his orange/reds back!!!!

I have heard from Bruce that males color up near spring timr due to mating season at Madagascar possibly but i cant confirm this. Might explain during winter they are a bit drabby.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Cool Ace!! YAY Zulu! He's such a cool looking cham when he's all decked out in red! I'll be very interested to see what happens next winter...

 

[Olimpia]

You're not alone!!!! My guy is getting his orange/reds back!!!!

I have heard from Bruce that males color up near spring timr due to mating season at Madagascar possibly but i cant confirm this. Might explain during winter they are a bit drabby.

That is actually really interesting if it's true. I have never observed a difference in any of mine color-wise later in life, BUT, it seems like they made their most dramatic color changes around this time, whether they were born in July of the previous year, or in December, by about March-April is when their colors experienced the mot dramatic change. It could have to do with age, but now that I think about it, all of mine colored up significantly around now. I wonder if it has anything to do?

Daedalus was colorful from the get-go, but he was stuck looking like a nosy be for a long time, and I thought this was where he was going to stop, until he shed in about April and all the red and orange he has now popped up.

Could be just coincidence, but it would be neat to see if seasons play a bigger part in when their colors do what than we though.

 

[bendecki]

interesting theory you got going on there, I wonder if any of the breeders have noticed this with a large number of chameleons

however glad to see he is getting back to his original coloring!!

 

[DekuScrub]

just went through the whole thread.

my initial impression is that its due to a hormonal change. ive seen a few adult males permanently change colors after being mated. but ive never seen a dramatic change like that for apparently no reason.

his body may have been utilizing essential nutrients, that would otherwise be used in the chromataphores or hormone production, elsewhere. especially with the edema.

or as was mention later could just be a seasonal change, mine have always seemed most vibrant when moved outdoors. then again i sort of just chalked that up to the natural lighting and them being happy to be outside. not a response to warmer weather and potential mating season.

i actually have no idea tho, just a guess

 

[Jose Velazquez]

I'm probably a bit late on all of this but my cham has been o n a role since the day I got him at 2months in March. At around the beginning of Novemeber he went the complete opposite way. He had went from a complete red head, read arms, and a bit of red sprinkled in his blue bars to all green with pghure blue bars. It is currently January and spring is in about 2months where he will be 14 months. I'm praying for his red to come back just like yours. I will always love my little dude but I'm just hoping he's not unhealthy and just a seasonal change because I have been caring for him even better than when he looked his finest.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Oscar returned to completely normal colors after that happened last year. This year he did not do it again, but then again he had a female that he saw every so often to make him flash his fancy colors, so I wonder if that had a part in it.

 

[tenchijin]

I seem to recall my tamatave wc adult male arrived with a mostly green rest coloration. He stayed that way for months, and then one day his rest coloration changed to red/orange. I have no idea why but after that I never saw him change to green again.
Aric