why is my veiled chamy brown and gray :(

[LilMister]

Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - Veiled chameleon, male, 5 1/2 months old. I got him at the reptile expo Sept 11.
* Handling - 2 times, once while placing in cage, once to rearrange the cage-drip system and lighting.
* Feeding - i am feeding him crickets about 6-8 every morning after i turn his basking light on and mist. if they are all gone by the time i get home in the afternoon i will give him a couple more. i gut load the crickets with cricket food lettuce brocolli spinach, just yesterday i bought water crystals.
* Supplements - i have a herptivite that i have used once and repashy superfoods chameleon calcium plus that i use at every other feeding
* Watering - I mist 3 times a day for a minute and i have drip system. i dont see him drink often but he usually runs away while i mist but if i come back after ive seen him licking the leaves.
* Fecal Description - he has brown droppings with white and a small bit of orange.

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - my cage is all screen enclosure about 16x14x25
* Lighting - i have a reptisun 5.0 uvb light and a uva bulb for basking as well at a blue heat light for night time.
* Temperature - the temp is around 90 degrees near the basking light the bottom of the cage is about 75 degrees. the night light keeps the temp to 80 degrees. i have a thermometer and a humiduity meter.
* Humidity - the humidity is at 60% from misting and the drip system and i have a live ficus plant as well. i use a humidity meter.
* Plants - a ficus plant that came with the cage and set up when i purchased it at the expo.
* Placement - the cage is in a corner of my bedroom on a table 2 feet above the ground. my tv is also in the room as well as a few other plants... maybe these are stressing him out? sometime i ry and place a towel over his cage at night while hes sleeping so the tv doesn't bother or wake him. the other plants as close to him but he doesnt try to grab then or climb of the cage walls. the top of the cage is 4 feet relative to your room floor.
* Location - i live on venice beach

Current Problem - Lil mister has been brown for the past week. when i first got him he was a bright turquoise color, but he hasn't been that bright since the first week i brought him home. other than being brown most of the time he turns a whitish gray. concerned...please help!

 

[Dez and Delilah]

Spinach is not a good gut load for crickets because it binds calcium and isn't good for the cham. Instead you should use something like kale or collards. Dandilion greens, sweet/regular potato and carrots are good as well. If you do a search for 'gutload' on here you'll find some really good ideas.

For a suppliment you should be using calcium without d3 at most feedings and alternating a d3 suppliment as well as a multivitamin every week. I prefer zoomed suppliments.

The blue night light is not necessary. I'd get rid of it all together.

If possible, try to put the cage a bit higher.

For the time being, you should try to find a vet in your area that is experienced with chameleons and get him looked at. The colouring doesn't sound very good to me. However, I don't personally have veiled chameleons. Maybe a veiled owner can shed some more light on that.

If you can post pictures of your chameleon and set-up it would be beneficial.

 

[Miss Lily]

The temps are a bit high for a youngster - try turning the temp down so that it's in the low to mid 80's. As already mentioned, photos of the set up and chameleon will help us to help you. Is the UV light a compact (spiral) or linear (tube) style? He may also like mroe plants to hide in so he can thermoregulate better too. No light or heat is needed at night - they need a drop in temps and darkness to sleep. Ceramic heating is best if temps get very cold at night.

 

[JDH]

How long does your dripper last during the day and how fast are the drips? Also, do you have any other pets like a dog or cat? Is there a ceiling fan in the room?

While I'm new to the Cham experience myself I would agree with the other recommendation. I have a five month female veiled and I started her with lower temperatures during the day and allowed the night time temperature to get in the mid 60s.