Baffled by dullness

[Joolii]

Hi all,

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but things have been going mostly well with Booger, but I’m concerned about his coloration and I’m not sure why he appears so dull/dark a majority of the time. As a babe, he was pretty bright with almost candy-striped eyes. Over the last several months he just looks ashy and it’s been a while since his last shed. His husbandry is pretty much the same as it’s been, but we’ve updated the uvb and got him a larger enclosure. Thoughts?

 

[MissSkittles]

This is something that panther chameleons do from time to time. I’m not sure why we don’t mention it more, but it is a normal thing that some males do. All of my panther boys have gone thru these periods of pallor…I call it ‘the blahs’. It has lasted for a few months and then all of sudden, as quickly as it started, it goes away. If memory serves, it’s a way that they conserve energy or something before mating season starts. Here’s some pics of one of my guys (Jack, who’s no longer with me ) who had the most striking change during his blahs and then his normals colors.
This was early February when I first noticed he was pale.

At the peak of pallor in early May. This was him fired up!

One month later in June.

This was his ‘normal’ colors.