Chameleon stays dark

AshTheEquestrian

New Member
  • image.jpeg
    Your Chameleon
    - veiled chameleon, male. 2-3months
  • Handling - i handle him twice a day if he lets me.
  • Feeding - he gets crickets, some mealworms and he gets spinach for a snack. He eats about 5 crickets a day
  • Supplements - He is on a calcium supplement ( I would need to check the brand)
  • Watering - he has a waterfall waterer in his tank. I mist 3+times a day. I have not seen him drink.
  • Fecal Description - I haven't seen any
  • History - bought from pet store

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - 18 X 12 X 20 (will upgrade when he is bigger) screen cage
  • Temperature - 86-90 during the day. 70 at night
  • Humidity - 60%
  • Plants - plastic leaves wrapped around mossy vines
  • Placement - in dining room on table.
  • Location - Tennessee

Current Problem - My chameleon always has dark grey spots and stripes on him and he never lightens up. He doesn't move around in his cage at all he just stays by the lights and I'm afraid he isn't drinking. His appetite is good. I try to handle him but his color gets even darker if I handle him and I'm afraid I may stress him out to much. Any suggestions? I have only owned him for 2 days and this is my first chameleon. He was also dark at the pet store as well.
 
Congrats on the new cham!! If you just got him..let him have time to adjust and get use to the new cage. I had a panther chameleon awhile ago that didn't show much color. I left him outside during the right season and within a couple days his colors were to bright and back to normal. The natural sunlight will help a ton with his colors.
 
Ditch the waterfall. Your Cham will probably poop in it at some point. The waterfall then becomes a breeding ground for harmful bacteria. Your much better off misting one to two times a day and providing a dripper. Also, be sure to let the cage dry out between mistings.
 
Also, chams at this young of an age are generally darker in color than in their adult stages. I would give him at least two weeks to adjust to his new surroundings, minimalizing the handling.
 
Spinach contains a substance called oxalate, which binds to calcium and makes it unavailable for absorption. Avoid feeding it to him, even as snacks. Better greens are mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion leaves, collard greens, escarole lettuce, papaya, watercress and alfalfa.

Do you have a UV light?

Aside from that he looks good. He will develop better colours as he grows older. We certainly don’t mind to answer questions here but in case you haven’t seen it, we have a great resources section for new and experienced hobbyists alike:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/
 
For his size I estimate a good amount would be 15 small crix or 7 large a day. Dont forget to gutload with carrots and orange cubes and also to dust with calcium everyday, calcium D3 twice a month, and reptivite twice a month. Good luck with chameleon keeping, if done right its very rewarding!
 
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