Black Colouring on Veiled Chameleon

So the UVB in this kit is a compact bulb and does not push the UVB far enough into the cage or wide enough. These are not recommended for Chams. You want a linear T5HO fixture with a 5.0 or 6% UVB bulb. Nothing stronger then that. Then basking should be 9 inches down. No closer or the UVI levels from the lighting will be too strong. The link I gave you goes into lighting with great depth.

wrong advice

you advoxste for 4feet high enclosure
Ylu recommend placi k the higjest branch 9in from it

it will not receive almost any UV
 
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You gave the incorrect info to the OP... Read what you wrote. You have to be extremely careful in what you type so that people do not get incorrect information that ends up killing their cham.

you ylurself shluld very carwfuľy read ylur ad ice tk others and respect it same way. You fave lots if good comments. it in some, you illadvice clearly too
 
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i protest
Itnjas no ratio ale
Doing a fecal rwst fir a scalto e ju enile is useless stress and taking monežy from tje poclet for nothing
I jave seen VETs caking results and misi teroreti v amd cjri g nin existing sguff

Nonsense, di not do it, do not recommend it umless rhere are any indications of suboptimal health
We get fecals because it is extremely common in the US for them to come with Coccidia or another parasite. Especially when they come from a chain pet store. Taking in a fecal does nothing to the cham.
 
please no offense, bur ai disagree

the recommendation of feeding in tje mirning jas NO esginale and is misleading. Rhere is NO evidence that would support it shluld bw done like rhat. Xhamelekns in tje wild eat whole dažy and actually the majority of feeders rhey by definktion eat during afternokn hours.

limiting number if feeders is a total mess avain. You do jit talm about siue, kind, nutritional value but limit nimber if feeders? This is a solutely comfusing and wrong. There is ni ragionale again for limitingneither the number nor the volume if food for jubeniles. Theťy are eating machines and est as much as they xan. With no ill effects.
I never said to limit the number of feeders as a juvenile. I said to make sure he is getting 10-12 because the OP was only giving a total of 6-10.
 
We get fecals because it is extremely common in the US for them to come with Coccidia or another parasite. Especially when they come from a chain pet store. Taking in a fecal does nothing to the cham.

nonsense
This is a parotted Irstiomal nonsense protred without any real base

vic idians are very soecific parasites that jabe complex cycles and are
Soecifixally parasitong om chameleons in tje wild only

all what is diagnosed in captivity are Pseudoparasites
And
Wrongly identified Parasires
And
cryptosporidians, which are harmless for chameleons
 
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nonsense
This is a parotted Irstiomal nonsense protred without any real base

vic idians are very soecific parasites that jabe complex cycles and are
Soecifixally parasitong om chameleons in tje wild only

all what is diagnosed in captivity are Pseudoparasites
And
Wrongly identified Parasires
And
cryptosporidians, which are harmless for chameleons
And I disagree... I respect you a great deal and follow many of your recommendations. I do not wish to go back and forth with you. This is why I normally back off any thread you go in on because you have done this once before to me.

Thank you for your feedback. I will be leaving this thread now.
 
And I disagree... I respect you a great deal and follow many of your recommendations. I do not wish to go back and forth with you. This is why I normally back off any thread you go in on because you have done this once before to me.

Thank you for your feedback. I will be leaving this thread now.

I am not here to bash you
if you have concrete arguments which coccidians you find in decals please elucidate it
I have done lots of research to back up my statements

i am open to learn but not from plank statements and from ill advice provided to novices...
 
I am not here to bash you
if you have concrete arguments which coccidians you find in decals please elucidate it
I have done lots of research to back up my statements

i am open to learn but not from plank statements and from ill advice provided to novices...
I personally have dealt with coccidia in a 1 year old Panther I got from a breeder. I got the fecal done 11 days after getting him because he was barely eating and his stools were filled with mucous and then results back at 14 days carrying 30-40 oocysts in one sample. He passed away within weeks and never made it through treatment.

With petco and petsmart here in the US and the baby Veileds they sell it is extremely common for them to have parasite issues. While not all are harmful some do cause health issues. Lower weight and reduced to no appetite.

So since not all of our breeders/ stores are reputable here in the US we tend to recommend a fecal if it is a new cham. And most vets here will run a fecal without seeing the cham. If it comes back positive for something then they have to see the cham for treatment.
 
We get fecals because it is extremely common in the US for them to come with Coccidia or another parasite. Especially when they come from a chain pet store. Taking in a fecal does nothing to the cham.
In this case he was never been in the US always Canada. And came from a local pet store instead of a chain one. Would you still recommend him getting a fecal?
 
@loc There is much for you to learn but this is a wonderful link to learn tons of accurate info https://chameleonacademy.com/ Read through each section. It will tell you everything from how to set up a cage to their proper husbandry.

With the supplements as already said you received incorrect feedback. You want calcium with D3 two times a month and a multivitamin two times a month. If they are separate supplements then you would rotate these two week to week say on a Saturday. Then at all other feedings you want to use calcium without D3.
If you buy something like Reptivite with D3 then this would be a multivitamin and calcium with D3 combined. With this supplement you would only use it for a total of two times a month. So every other week at one feeding. Then all other feedings you would use calcium without D3.

I have gone through your help form. Please see my feedback in red bold and let us know if you have additional questions.

Chameleon info:
-Veiled chameleon, Male, about 2 months, has been in my care for about 1 month. Not 2 months old. Looks more like 4-5 months old IMO. But their genetics play into their size so really without a hatch date there is no way to be certain and everyone would just be guessing at his age.

-Handled about once a week. (while cleaning enclosure, sometimes for feeding.)

-His diet mainly consists of crickets. He is fed once in the morning, once during the evening. Usually he consumes about 3-5 of them during each feeding. They are gut loaded by having a piece of apple or carrot placed in with them. You will want to feed him in the morning so he has the day to digest. At this approximate age make sure he is getting about 10-12 feeders a day. This will change as he matures and you will want to continue to learn about this so he does not become obese as an adult. Gutload should be expanded on. I will add an image for this. Also adding ground bee pollen to the gutload is very healthy for the cham. Expanding the type of feeders is also good for them as it provides variety and different nutritional components.

-Zoo med's repti calcium (without D3), along with zoo med's reptivite vitamins are given to him daily. While exoterra's calcium with D3 is given to him about once a week. See feedback above... If you are using the pack of reptivite that came with the kit this does not disclose if it is with or without D3.

-For watering, I use a mister that comes on for 30 seconds every 2 hours. I spray the leaves in between the time the mister goes off occasionally as well. I do not see him drinking very often. Right now he is in a very bare cage. There are not live plants that hold the water on the leaves. Additionally they are shy drinkers.

-His feces are dark brown and have a soft consistency. He has never been tested for parasites. I recommend getting a fecal test done.

-He was purchased from a breeder as a baby so there is minimal history.


Cage info:
-The cage is completely screen. it is 16" x 16" x 30". Will eventually be upgrading to one much larger than this. will need a minimum of a 2x2x4ft enclosure.

-For lighting, the brand used is zoo med. It is a kit with tropical UVB and heat lighting. I use a 60 watt daylight blue reptile bulb, along with a fluorescent 13 watt bulb. I keep these on in the day for about 10-12 hours. So the UVB in this kit is a compact bulb and does not push the UVB far enough into the cage or wide enough. These are not recommended for Chams. You want a linear T5HO fixture with a 5.0 or 6% UVB bulb. Nothing stronger then that. Then basking should be 9 inches down. No closer or the UVI levels from the lighting will be too strong. The link I gave you goes into lighting with great depth.

-I measure the temps with digital thermometers. I have one where his basking spot is and one near the bottom. The bottom temp lies around 80 degrees while the top lies around 90-95 degrees. The lowest overnight temp is 75-80. This is extremely hot. Basking should be no hotter then 80 for him. If your digital reader has a probe and you are pulling hotter then that then the basking should be dropped farther away and or the fixture should be lifted up off the top. Also with 90-95 degree readings it means he is at a higher risk for a thermal burn... Do you keep your house that warm at night? Typically your going to get a drop in temp. I am wondering if your digital reader is giving you accurate temps. Ambient temps should be low to mid 70's during the day. then at night they need a temp drop.

-Humidity levels lie around 50 percent. I have attached a shower curtain to the left and back side of his cage to trap in humidity. i believe the mister adds some as well. It is measured with a hygrometer. 50 percent is on the high end... Veileds should be in the 30-50% max. You will want to remove the shower curtain off the side panel to allow for more airflow. Make sure the Hygrometer is not getting wet or it will give you false measurements.

-The plants used are plastic. These need to be changed over to live plants. Veileds will eat their plants. This is an impaction risk when they have plastic ones that they pull pieces off of.

-The cage is located in a room that is quiet and undisturbed. It is not near any fans or vents or traffic. Although there is a dehumidifier outside of the room. but the door always remains shut. As of now the cage is on the floor so the height is only 30" from the top to the floor. I suggest opening the door to get airflow... if your temps and humidity readings are accurate it is getting too hot and too humid from keeping it all shut.

-Located in Canada and tends to have cooler temperatures and climate.

Current problem:
-His colouring has suddenly went from a solid light green to a dark green, brown and black. Coloring is totally normal.

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Okay thank you very much! I will read up and all of this and make all of those changes right away. Was very worried about his colour as it was something i hadn’t seen before. All of this is very much appreciated. Glad to have so many knowledgeable people.
 
@loc it is a good idea to get a fecal done for peace of mind if your vet will allow you take in the fecal samples without seeing the chameleon.

Also, it appears to me that your little boy has puffy eyes.
Okay thanks I will look into that! And could that be a sign of dehydration? Here are a couple of pictures of him to maybe get a better look! Thanks
 

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In this case he was never been in the US always Canada. And came from a local pet store instead of a chain one. Would you still recommend him getting a fecal?
If you see a reduction in appetite or abnormal stool then I would. For that age... They should have no issue taking down feeders.
 
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Okay thank you very much! I will read up and all of this and make all of those changes right away. Was very worried about his colour as it was something i hadn’t seen before. All of this is very much appreciated. Glad to have so many knowledgeable people.
Your fine with color. Totally normal you will see many different displays as he matures. :)
 
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