Why does my chameleon have these stripes?

woolsiwools

woolsiwools

New Member
Hello!! My first time on the forum!! I was curious, this is his very first time getting these stripes. He’s usually this bright light green while sleeping, but now he has these yellow stripes? Is this something to worry about? This lil guy has me worried.
 

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Welcome to the forum. That is actually a female Veiled chameleon. And the bars show she is mature now. Meaning could be about to lay eggs. They lay eggs even if they have not been bred. She will need a lay bin. This will give you a lot more info https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/veiled-chameleon-laying-101.2488/

If you post some pics of her when her lights are on so we can see what colors she is currently showing that would help as well. They cycle through normal coloring, receptive, and gravid. You see these differences when they are awake. When they sleep they are much more subtle.
 
Hello. This is perfectly natural. Until they are full grown, they will change with each molt. Colors will be added as well as lines and shapes. Do you see the their skin is made up of little dots. I call that pixilated. It’s actually chemicals that cause the color changes. Now it’s your job to understand what the different colors and stripes mean because this is how they communicate to other chameleons. This is their language. When mine is infrared he gets green polka dots. If they go black, boy is he pissed off. Each Cham is a bit different and unique in their coloring. Mine get brownish when he is hunting or trying to warm up under his lights. It’s perfectly natural and you should take photos and mark the age once he is a year or a bit older the changes are set somewhat. Then again when my male veiled turned three his lips, and spikes went yellow which was a first. Best of luck to you
 
Beman said:
Welcome to the forum. That is actually a female Veiled chameleon. And the bars show she is mature now. Meaning could be about to lay eggs. They lay eggs even if they have not been bred. She will need a lay bin. This will give you a lot more info https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/veiled-chameleon-laying-101.2488/

If you post some pics of her when her lights are on so we can see what colors she is currently showing that would help as well. They cycle through normal coloring, receptive, and gravid. You see these differences when they are awake. When they sleep they are much more subtle.
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Oh! She’s a female? No clue!! Thank you about that, I’d provide a laying bin. I’ll provide more pictures when it’s day time! Thank you again. :)
 
MzLaurie said:
Hello. This is perfectly natural. Until they are full grown, they will change with each molt. Colors will be added as well as lines and shapes. Do you see the their skin is made up of little dots. I call that pixilated. It’s actually chemicals that cause the color changes. Now it’s your job to understand what the different colors and stripes mean because this is how they communicate to other chameleons. This is their language. When mine is infrared he gets green polka dots. If they go black, boy is he pissed off. Each Cham is a bit different and unique in their coloring. Mine get brownish when he is hunting or trying to warm up under his lights. It’s perfectly natural and you should take photos and mark the age once he is a year or a bit older the changes are set somewhat. Then again when my male veiled turned three his lips, and spikes went yellow which was a first. Best of luck to you
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Interesting!! I’ve taken this chameleon off my sister’s hands since she couldn’t take care of it properly. I’ve done the research on the webs, but it’s really nice to have some others who have experience as well. I’ll take notes of her patterns/moods LOL! Glad to know this is just a nature process of maturing.
 
woolsiwools said:
Oh! She’s a female? No clue!! Thank you about that, I’d provide a laying bin. I’ll provide more pictures when it’s day time! Thank you again. :)
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By the way, that forum of information was very helpful!! Im also glad that her gender was confirmed, always had trouble.
 
Beman said:
Welcome to the forum. That is actually a female Veiled chameleon. And the bars show she is mature now. Meaning could be about to lay eggs. They lay eggs even if they have not been bred. She will need a lay bin. This will give you a lot more info https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/veiled-chameleon-laying-101.2488/

If you post some pics of her when her lights are on so we can see what colors she is currently showing that would help as well. They cycle through normal coloring, receptive, and gravid. You see these differences when they are awake. When they sleep they are much more subtle.
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Good morning!! This is her awake.
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woolsiwools said:
Good morning!! This is her awake. View attachment 361918
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woolsiwools said:
Yes!! I love her channel!! I’ll look through this care as well, I want her to live a happy life :)
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Beautiful girl. I am awful at determining phases for a female. I know when one is a female and then way too much other husbandry info. So @MissSkittles is an amazing person here that jumps in on all female threads. Because as I said I know all the basics for a girl but have no idea which of their colors mean what lol. She however has the hands on experience with females and laying that you will need. :)

I will say I think I am seeing a little bulge there towards her back leg on her abdomen. so my bet is she is holding eggs. But please see my prior note about my limited hands on experience with female chams. :hilarious:

Anything else you might need pertaining to husbandry and I got you covered. :)
 
Beman said:
Beautiful girl. I am awful at determining phases for a female. I know when one is a female and then way too much other husbandry info. So @MissSkittles is an amazing person here that jumps in on all female threads. Because as I said I know all the basics for a girl but have no idea which of their colors mean what lol. She however has the hands on experience with females and laying that you will need. :)

I will say I think I am seeing a little bulge there towards her back leg on her abdomen. so my bet is she is holding eggs. But please see my prior note about my limited hands on experience with female chams. :hilarious:

Anything else you might need pertaining to husbandry and I got you covered. :)
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Oh!! Thank you, I’d message them and provide a laying bin for the lil lady. Im terrible at identifying sex with Chameleons! 😭 I’d love to do a husbandry check with you though, what form do I follow for that? :)! Thank you again!!
 
Hi again! She is a beauty! 🥰 Has she been very active for you? Maybe seeming to always be in the move going up, down and all around her enclosure? She has her big girl colors and patterns, but she lacks the darkness that they get when gravid. In my blog that @Beman linked above, you can see both of my girls and how differently they changed when gravid. One had her patterns darken to the point that they almost mixed into each other and the other was very subtle and just her dots seemed to darken. The very best thing to do is to always keep a lay bin in her enclosure. It’s much easier and better for her and for you. Provided your husbandry is correct, the chances of her having problems laying her eggs is greatly decreased. Having your husbandry reviewed is definitely an excellent idea and either @Beman or myself (or another member) will be more 5an happy to do so for you. Copy and paste the following with your answers. :)


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:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 
MissSkittles said:
Hi again! She is a beauty! 🥰 Has she been very active for you? Maybe seeming to always be in the move going up, down and all around her enclosure? She has her big girl colors and patterns, but she lacks the darkness that they get when gravid. In my blog that @Beman linked above, you can see both of my girls and how differently they changed when gravid. One had her patterns darken to the point that they almost mixed into each other and the other was very subtle and just her dots seemed to darken. The very best thing to do is to always keep a lay bin in her enclosure. It’s much easier and better for her and for you. Provided your husbandry is correct, the chances of her having problems laying her eggs is greatly decreased. Having your husbandry reviewed is definitely an excellent idea and either @Beman or myself (or another member) will be more 5an happy to do so for you. Copy and paste the following with your answers. :)


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:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
Click to expand...
 
Awe thank you! She’s very pretty!! I appreciate the help as well, thank you again for that. She has been moving a lot around her enclosure!! More than recently she’s been hanging around sometimes in the bottom section. Here’s my husbandry!

Your Chameleon: Veiled chameleon, female, I would say she's around 7-8 months? My sister had gotten her at petsmart, I'd assume she was around 3 months old when we've recieved her. She's been with me since september of last year.

Handling: I've only handled her four times. Once a month.

Feeding: Everyday I've been feeding her 8-10 dubia roaches/crickets, with one day of fasting. With two medium hornworms as a treat bug daily when I do get hornworms, and 1 superworm a week. With my dubias/crickets I gutload them with carrots and letucce a day before the feeding, but I sometimes don't gutload them.

Supplements: For around a month or two I've been using the Repashy Calcium Plus for every feedng, but I didn't realize it wasn't the LoD version. So, now I've been using the Repashy LoD for every feeding.

Watering: I mist her enclosure at 7am when her lights come on and mist again at 9pm for around 1 minute. I also have a dripper that I recently stopped using since she runs away from it and goes to the bottom of her enclosure. Throughout 12am-7am I have a fogger that comes on as well.

Fecal Description: I'm not completely sure how much she does go, but i'll say once every 4-2 days? Her urate is white and sometimes runny due to the hornworms, v juicy lol.

Cage Details

Cage Type: It's a combo cage that's glass and has screens on the side and the top as well. It's a 24''x18''x36''

Lighting: It's a T5 HO 5.0 Zoo med UVB lightbud/fixture that's on for 7am-7pm and I have a arcadia 75w basking bulb that's on 7am-7pm.

Temperature: At the basking brance it's 81 and at the bottom of the cage it's 71. Lowest I believed was 64 at night.

Humity: It's usually kept 20-26 during the day and at night it's 34-38 usually.

Plants: I have two golden pothos, 2 hibiscus flowers, 1 fern, and 1 atsia japonica

Placement: The enclosure is in the corner of the room, it's high traffic with my dog and cat who usually come in when I'm home. She's on a 4' 2'' drawer with her 36'' tall enclosure.

Location: I'm in SoCal :)

Something that I've been concerned about was her grip, sometimes she's not fully wrapping her feets on the branch. She has all of her nails as well.
 

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My feedback will be in bold and I’ll probably split this into two parts.
Awe thank you! She’s very pretty!! I appreciate the help as well, thank you again for that. She has been moving a lot around her enclosure!! She is probably receptive - all dressed up and looking for a boy. More than recently she’s been hanging around sometimes in the bottom section. This is probably related to being receptive, but the sooner she has a lay bin, the better and less is left to guessing.Here’s my husbandry!

Your Chameleon: Veiled chameleon, female, I would say she's around 7-8 months? My sister had gotten her at petsmart, I'd assume she was around 3 months old when we've recieved her. She's been with me since september of last year. Age is probably correct or close enough.

Handling: I've only handled her four times. Once a month. Even though our veiled friends may never stop being sassy, it is still always good to work on building and maintaining trust with her. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/ It’s also good to become comfortable with handling her. It can be hard to do at first, especially if she’s extra sassy or bitey.

Feeding: Everyday I've been feeding her 8-10 dubia roaches/crickets, with one day of fasting. With two medium hornworms as a treat bug daily when I do get hornworms, and 1 superworm a week. With my dubias/crickets I gutload them with carrots and letucce a day before the feeding, but I sometimes don't gutload them. This is a lot to feed her and the chances of her producing a large clutch of eggs is high. However, I’m not so sure about cutting her food back so drastically at this point in her reproductive cycle. I would say to at least reduce her to about 5-6 feeders at one time, including treats in that number. Unless @kinyonga advises differently…she knows so very much more than I. After she has successfully laid her eggs, you’ll then feed her well for a couple of days and then start her on a reduced feeding regimen of 3-4 feeders, 3 days a week plus treats. Basically, the more they eat the more eggs they’ll produce.
You can improve what you’re feeding your bugs. We want them to be well fed and healthy, so that they will be more nutritious. I don’t gut load in the true sense, but I do keep my bugs with healthy food at all times. You could also add a bit more variety of feeders. Crickets and roaches are great staples, but you could also add in some silkworms (those are great for hand feeding) and bsfl. Both of those, if you let them pupate add further variety. Adding some graphics below to guide you. *avoid spinach and kale

Supplements: For around a month or two I've been using the Repashy Calcium Plus for every feedng, but I didn't realize it wasn't the LoD version. So, now I've been using the Repashy LoD for every feeding. Eesh! 😬 You need to stop using that immediately! I’m surprised she doesn’t have any edema or any issues. Repashy supplements are great, but they contain the fat soluble type of Vitamin A (preformed) and of course, vitamin D3, which is also fat soluble. Fat soluble vitamins are not so quickly metabolized and excreted by the body, so they can build up to toxic levels if overdone. We use those very carefully…just for one feeding every other week (or twice a month if you prefer) is when to use the LoD. For all other feedings, you need to be using a phosphorus-free calcium without D3, like Repashy Supercal NoD. I’m going to say to not use the LoD for at least a good 2-3 weeks to let her eliminate some out of her system.

Watering: I mist her enclosure at 7am when her lights come on and mist again at 9pm for around 1 minute. Ok…maybe increase the duration to 2 minutes to give time for her drinking response to be triggered. I also have a dripper that I recently stopped using since she runs away from it and goes to the bottom of her enclosure. Misting twice a day is generally enough, but if her urates are dark, you could use a dripper for 15-20 minutes per afternoon. Throughout 12am-7am I have a fogger that comes on as well. Are your night temps consistently and reliably always below at least 68?

Fecal Description: I'm not completely sure how much she does go, but i'll say once every 4-2 days? Her urate is white and sometimes runny due to the hornworms, v juicy lol. It’s always a good idea to have a fecal parasite check. You’ll need a vet visit in order to do that though.
IMG_0025.jpeg
IMG_0005.jpeg
 
MissSkittles said:
My feedback will be in bold and I’ll probably split this into two parts.
Awe thank you! She’s very pretty!! I appreciate the help as well, thank you again for that. She has been moving a lot around her enclosure!! She is probably receptive - all dressed up and looking for a boy. More than recently she’s been hanging around sometimes in the bottom section. This is probably related to being receptive, but the sooner she has a lay bin, the better and less is left to guessing.Here’s my husbandry!

Your Chameleon: Veiled chameleon, female, I would say she's around 7-8 months? My sister had gotten her at petsmart, I'd assume she was around 3 months old when we've recieved her. She's been with me since september of last year. Age is probably correct or close enough.

Handling: I've only handled her four times. Once a month. Even though our veiled friends may never stop being sassy, it is still always good to work on building and maintaining trust with her. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/ It’s also good to become comfortable with handling her. It can be hard to do at first, especially if she’s extra sassy or bitey.

Feeding: Everyday I've been feeding her 8-10 dubia roaches/crickets, with one day of fasting. With two medium hornworms as a treat bug daily when I do get hornworms, and 1 superworm a week. With my dubias/crickets I gutload them with carrots and letucce a day before the feeding, but I sometimes don't gutload them. This is a lot to feed her and the chances of her producing a large clutch of eggs is high. However, I’m not so sure about cutting her food back so drastically at this point in her reproductive cycle. I would say to at least reduce her to about 5-6 feeders at one time, including treats in that number. Unless @kinyonga advises differently…she knows so very much more than I. After she has successfully laid her eggs, you’ll then feed her well for a couple of days and then start her on a reduced feeding regimen of 3-4 feeders, 3 days a week plus treats. Basically, the more they eat the more eggs they’ll produce.
You can improve what you’re feeding your bugs. We want them to be well fed and healthy, so that they will be more nutritious. I don’t gut load in the true sense, but I do keep my bugs with healthy food at all times. You could also add a bit more variety of feeders. Crickets and roaches are great staples, but you could also add in some silkworms (those are great for hand feeding) and bsfl. Both of those, if you let them pupate add further variety. Adding some graphics below to guide you. *avoid spinach and kale

Supplements: For around a month or two I've been using the Repashy Calcium Plus for every feedng, but I didn't realize it wasn't the LoD version. So, now I've been using the Repashy LoD for every feeding. Eesh! 😬 You need to stop using that immediately! I’m surprised she doesn’t have any edema or any issues. Repashy supplements are great, but they contain the fat soluble type of Vitamin A (preformed) and of course, vitamin D3, which is also fat soluble. Fat soluble vitamins are not so quickly metabolized and excreted by the body, so they can build up to toxic levels if overdone. We use those very carefully…just for one feeding every other week (or twice a month if you prefer) is when to use the LoD. For all other feedings, you need to be using a phosphorus-free calcium without D3, like Repashy Supercal NoD. I’m going to say to not use the LoD for at least a good 2-3 weeks to let her eliminate some out of her system.

Watering: I mist her enclosure at 7am when her lights come on and mist again at 9pm for around 1 minute. Ok…maybe increase the duration to 2 minutes to give time for her drinking response to be triggered. I also have a dripper that I recently stopped using since she runs away from it and goes to the bottom of her enclosure. Misting twice a day is generally enough, but if her urates are dark, you could use a dripper for 15-20 minutes per afternoon. Throughout 12am-7am I have a fogger that comes on as well. Are your night temps consistently and reliably always below at least 68?

Fecal Description: I'm not completely sure how much she does go, but i'll say once every 4-2 days? Her urate is white and sometimes runny due to the hornworms, v juicy lol. It’s always a good idea to have a fecal parasite check. You’ll need a vet visit in order to do that though.
View attachment 361941View attachment 361942
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Okay the supplements are great to know! I'll get that ASAP! Was fed the wrong information at a local reptile shop and thank you on correcting on the feeding amounts as well. I think her clucth amount will be high, and it's great to understand I can lower that stress on her body.
So, just to be corrected-- Repashy Supercal NoD for every feeding or what you said once a week? Or was that for the Repashy LoD?
 
Cage Type: It's a combo cage that's glass and has screens on the side and the top as well. It's a 24''x18''x36'' That’s just a tad smaller than the standard 2x2x4’ minimum. I was going to suggest setting up a free range area for her, but then read you have a dog and cat. I do have to suggest getting her a bigger home. I keep all of mine in double sized enclosures and it’s both amazing and wonderful to see how they use all of the space.

Lighting: It's a T5 HO 5.0 Zoo med UVB lightbud/fixture that's on for 7am-7pm and I have a arcadia 75w basking bulb that's on 7am-7pm. What is the distance between your uvb light and her basking branch? One branch looks kind of high, but not directly under the light For optimal uvb levels, you want a basking branch to be about 8-9” below the light.

Temperature: At the basking brance it's 81 Ok, just make sure that it doesn’t get any hotter than this. Cooler temps go along with the reduced feeding regimen of reducing egg production and at the bottom of the cage it's 71. Lowest I believed was 64 at night.

Humity: It's usually kept 20-26 during the day and at night it's 34-38 usually. Wow! That seems low for the amount of live plants you have and having a glass hybrid enclosure. What are you using to measure?

Plants: I have two golden pothos, 2 hibiscus flowers, 1 fern, and 1 atsia japonica To keep everything but the pothos alive you’ll need to get a plant light. An Arcadia Jungle Dawn is a good choice. I use Sansi, but see they no longer make the kind I have or anything close enough to it.

Placement: The enclosure is in the corner of the room, it's high traffic with my dog and cat who usually come in when I'm home. She's on a 4' 2'' drawer with her 36'' tall enclosure. Ok, as long as the cat and dog don’t bother her.

Location: I'm in SoCal :)

Something that I've been concerned about was her grip, sometimes she's not fully wrapping her feets on the branch. That could possibly be from the excess of Vitamin D3. The symptoms of overdose are very similar to those of metabolic bone disease, but without the fractures. She has all of her nails as well.
woolsiwools said:
Okay the supplements are great to know! I'll get that ASAP! Was fed the wrong information at a local reptile shop and thank you on correcting on the feeding amounts as well. I think her clucth amount will be high, and it's great to understand I can lower that stress on her body.
So, just to be corrected-- Repashy Supercal NoD for every feeding or what you said once a week? Or was that for the Repashy LoD?
Click to expand...
Yes, the Supercal NoD is used for every feeding. The LoD is used for one feeding every other week or some prefer to use for twice per month.
 
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