color changes

AwpsAhoy

New Member
Hello, I got my first chameleon yesterday and was quite curious as to the color changes. I have noticed that most times he is a solid light green with some brownish stripped features, but have also seen him with recognizable patterns on his sides. Any info would be appreciated :)
 
Depending on the age, sex, and type of chameleon, as well as temperature, environmental factors, etc. your cham will show certain colors. Usually they are brighter when older, and males will generally have brighter colors. Dark colors could show that the animal is stressed, or needs to warm up, or could be a sign of sickness. It all depends. What type of chameleon are we talking about?
 
Woops! Forgot to mention the little guy is a Veiled. Trying to take a picture, as he is currently enjoying the water dripper :). He has just discovered the branches underneath the heat light, but seems to prefer to sit at the top of the cage on the vines. Is there a good distance from the heat that i should keep his basking spots? The thermometer is at level with the basking area and stays about 80-85 degrees, but it seems like he wants more heat.
 
Ah, O.K., that's one I can relate to! When a couple of months old you will often start seeing some stripes of color. Totally normal. If you are seeing dark, almost black spots this is usually showing that they are stressed by something. Brown or tan is also common, and can sometimes be shown when trying to warm up in the morning. Soon, you will see more and more bursts of teal, yellow, copper, greens, etc. All depends on your individual cham. If it was a female, the colors are a bit less vivid sometimes. :cool:
 
Its quite common for them to spend some time basking, just make sure he cannot burn himself by touching the fixture or screen (if it gets too hot) and offer some shade nearby for him to escape into when needed.
 
He enjoys climbing on the screen of the cage...even at the top where the light i feel is too hot for him to walk by. Whats a good way to avoid him getting too close to it? Should i add more foliage?
 
That will usually help. More vines and horizontal pathways and definitely more foliage. Some will still climb, so just make sure the light fixture does not touch the screen.
 
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