Hey so I have a 4 month old veiled chameleon male and all of a sudden the last few weeks he has turned a darker color. He is clearly stressed but I don’t know what it is from. His temps are 72 ambient, 84°F basking; humidity is 45% day and 55% night(plan on getting mister to increase night), he is in a 2x2x3.5 home made cage, heat bulb and T5 5.0 HO linear uvb 22”. His appetite is great and he’ll eat even when I hold the cup. He also still basks fine. He also gets extremely stressed when I walk in the room which is normal but even after hours of me being gone he is still showing those dull colors. Asking for help!!
Stressed chameleon
- Thread starter Cosmo06
- Start date
Lift the cage up off the floor.... They like being high. it makes them feel safer.
How are you taking the temp at basking?
Yup I agree I plan on building one soon. I have a digital thermometer that I check with.
Okay and is that pretty much it to just add more plants? I’m still new at this I’m open to as much criticism as possible if I’m doing anything else wrong, thanks.
I would have your entire husbandry reviewed in case you haven't already. So many knowledgeable people here to help you out. Here's the info for how to ask for help. 
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
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?
Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
--------------
Please Note:
The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
Photos can be very helpful.
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
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?
Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
--------------
Please Note:
The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
Photos can be very helpful.
Thank u! And yes I’ve had it reviewed. All seemed good they just said more plants and possibly raise humidity at night.I would have your entire husbandry reviewed in case you haven't already. So many knowledgeable people here to help you out. Here's the info for how to ask for help.
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
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?
Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
--------------
Please Note:
The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
Photos can be very helpful.
How long have you had him??
I got him in November 2020.
Hmmm. Is he darker while he's in his basking spot? How close are your uvb and basking light ?
Yeah he stays this darker tanish green color. My heat bulb is abt 8 inches and my uvb is abt 10 inches because I added a tank screen under my uvb along with the top screen of the cage bc my cage isn’t as deep as a 4 foot enclosure.
What do you mean about added another screen? This could be the issue as each layer of screen reduces the UVB level they get. regular screen already reduces it about 40%... So with regular screen and a T5HO fixture and a 5.0 or 6% bulb the distance to the basking branch below the uvb should be 8-9 inches. By adding anything additional in between you risk lowering that UVB level much too far.
I added a 20 gallon top screen to raise my uvb light bc the person who reviewed mine said that I should raise my fixture since there isn’t a lot of depth in my cage (3.5 ft tall). I thought it was a little far fetched so maybe I will just remove it. Also I only did that about a two weeks ago... could that have stressed him out that quick?
Ok thank u I’ll let u k ow if anything changes.
I agree, it sounds like he's not getting enough uvb. The reason he's black is probably his attempt to absorb more and not so much he's stressed put from you.
Yes, it very well can cause the issue. UVB is everything to them. Gives them energy, appetite, allows for D3 conversion process, and lack of UVB can cause stress/illness in the body.
You would want it directly on the screen top with basking branch 8-9 inches below... Or raised up like @ERKleRose said. But your distance to basking would still have to be 8-9 inches to get the right UVI level of approximately a 3 with a single bulb T5HO fixture and a 5.0 uvb bulb.
