Chameleon Dark in tank, green when I take her out

[gbind002]

Hi! I have a female veiled chameleon. Vet said she isn’t more than 6 months old. I put her in a new tank about two weeks ago, 24x18x36, with live plants, vines, all the works. Humidity stays at a good range, between 40-70. Basking temp is 80-85 throughout the day with good ambient. I have a mister set up to go off every three hours. She hasn’t eaten much, but she drinks plenty of water. I’m sure she’s in good health, I had a vet check her out.

I’m having this issue, however, where I noticed the last few days, she has been SO dark when she’s in the tank. She’s been fine the first week in there, but the last few days she turns so brown almost black. And as soon as she’s out of the tank and she crawls everywhere she turns right back to green. If she’s left there she just keeps turning black and I can’t figure out why. I’m thinking maybe she’s just a people person and misses the company?? But I know that sounds silly. Please help!!

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum!

Photos please!

 

[Snuits]

Hello,so that is the same with most chameleons & it's pretty common. They are soaking up the hear & uvb usually.
That's normally why they are darker. But yes please do post pics.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. Yes, we need pics please…of not just your chameleon but entire enclosure too.
Chams will turn dark to better absorb heat and uvb. Your temps are ok, but what kind of uvb are you using and how far is it from basking area? How big is your enclosure?
Turning light green doesn’t really indicate being happy. It could and most likely indicates being stressed in this situation. Pics will really help.

 

[gbind002]

So I have a dual light fixture and then a single light fixture. The one on the right is a reprisun 5.0 UVB. in the dual, there’s another reptisun 10.0 on the left and a heat lamp that I believe is 60 watts on the right. The heat bulb is in the middle, and the two UVB are on each side to spread the UVB throughout the entire width of the enclosure. It’s a hybrid glass and screen terrarium, the sides and top are screen. I have a Pothos plant and an umbrella tree in there. A dripper and a mister that goes off every three hours for 60 seconds. As I said she’s been eating and drinking plenty. And her first week she’s seemed to really enjoy the terrarium but the last few days she’s just super dark while she’s in there and turns green when I take her out.

I know how people say chameleons rarely like to be handled, I know she is an odd case but she really does like to be handled, she loves to come out and crawl all over people. She sits at the top of my head and holds on to my bun and she seems very relaxed and happy.

 

[gbind002]

So right now, she’s been in there for a bit and she turns so dark like this. And as soon as I take her out she lightens up so much. Ive gone in there to inspect anything that might be stressing her out but everything seems to be in order!

 

[Mrjamwin]

Welcome to the forums.

 

[MissSkittles]

So I have a dual light fixture and then a single light fixture. The one on the right is a reprisun 5.0 UVB. in the dual, there’s another reptisun 10.0 on the left and a heat lamp that I believe is 60 watts on the right. The heat bulb is in the middle, and the two UVB are on each side to spread the UVB throughout the entire width of the enclosure. It’s a hybrid glass and screen terrarium, the sides and top are screen. I have a Pothos plant and an umbrella tree in there. A dripper and a mister that goes off every three hours for 60 seconds. As I said she’s been eating and drinking plenty. And her first week she’s seemed to really enjoy the terrarium but the last few days she’s just super dark while she’s in there and turns green when I take her out.

I know how people say chameleons rarely like to be handled, I know she is an odd case but she really does like to be handled, she loves to come out and crawl all over people. She sits at the top of my head and holds on to my bun and she seems very relaxed and happy.View attachment 320708

So, I hate to tell you this but your UVB isn't correct. You have it half right, in that a ReptiSun 5.0 is the right strength. However, the screw in bulbs aren't able to provide the UVB levels needed at any distance farther than 2-3" away. The standard is to use a linear T5HO fixture with either a 5.0 or Arcadia 6% UVB bulb. Then your basking area should be about 8-9" down from the lights. This will provide not only the correct UVB level but also gradients so that your chameleon can choose different levels. So my best guess would be your girl has been dark as she's trying to absorb as much UVB as she can.
Your enclosure looks pretty good. I know it's hard to attach vines and branches, but you've done quite well. I'm not sure about the size of your enclosure. Generally the standard size for adults is a 2x2x4' or equivalent. You will be needing to have space for a lay bin as she reaches around 5-6 months old. For our ladies we need to have all aspects of our husbandry as perfect as possible to prevent any problems with egg production and laying. A great source of current and correct info is https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-basics/

 

[MzLaurie11]

Also your girl is getting used to her new crib. I love the set up but you might want to add some thinner vines that her little hands and feet can fully clasp. Gives them more security while they are moving around. Dont have females but at what age do they start getting gravid? That maybe why the black colors are appearing also you should check what age she will require a lay bin. My male much of the time stays brown green in cage when hunting and hes always hunting but gets green when i take him out. So this is normal. Start giving her some greens too. Different kinds at first to see what she likes. Collard greens have the highest vitamin content. Some veileds love greens, some dont. But its a meal they dont have to hunt while giving them natural vitamins. also agree that you need a linear uvb. 24" with at least 22" bulb. Also HO means high output. Good luck with your beautiful girl.