Dark baby veiled chameleon

[cswan19]

So I just received my package from lllreptile about an hour ago, I unboxed my beautiful bright green baby male veiled chameleon and he looked healthy and good. He crawled along my arm for a little bit displaying his bright vibrant green colors. I followed directions that I received with my package as to not use any heat lamps for the first few hours. I went to put the chameleon into his new room temperature home but as soon as I put him in the screen enclosure he immediately turned very very dark! He has remained super dark for the last half hour. Why is he so dark? I am worried. Thanks to anyone who can help.
-Christie

 

[camimom]

Um im not sure why you were told dont use a heat lamp, but turn it on!

the darkness is two thing, stress from a new environment, and hes cold!

 

[Kate]

So I just received my package from lllreptile about an hour ago, I unboxed my beautiful bright green baby male veiled chameleon and he looked healthy and good. He crawled along my arm for a little bit displaying his bright vibrant green colors. I followed directions that I received with my package as to not use any heat lamps for the first few hours. I went to put the chameleon into his new room temperature home but as soon as I put him in the screen enclosure he immediately turned very very dark! He has remained super dark for the last half hour. Why is he so dark? I am worried. Thanks to anyone who can help.
-Christie

Hi there . Congrats on your baby. He was probably pleased to get out of his box. Now he needs to get used to you and his new environment. Chams turn dark for various reasons. They do. it to absorb heat, and when stressed. Do you have plenty leaves, plants for him to hide in. They like to hide. Is he eating and drinking? I would give him a nice warm spray, some food and then let him settle . He will probably turn bright green when lights out and bedtime. Have you pics and what is his name?

 

[ReptileLove18]

welcome to the forum christie
i agree that hes cold and stressed from the new enviroment, he needs the heat lamp turned on! somethings you should know about the first week or so about your guy, hes gonna be shy! he may not eat for a week or a little more because he has to have time to get used to his new enviroment. its not recommended to handle at this time because they have to get settled in. make sure you give him lots of opportunities to drink tho and try to feed him, but dont be discouraged if he doesnt. chams take a LOT of patience
this blog is about veiled chams and is really packed with info, definitely worth a look at
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html
this has ideas for feeders for him https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/74-feeders.html
and this is all about gutloading your feeders https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html

 

[cswan19]

Thanks for such quick replies, I turned the heat lamp on and the temp is currently 80 F and slowly climbing. I sprayed some warm water in the enclosre and a little on him as well. Give me a second and I will post some pictures of him and the cage. He still doesnt have a name yet but I want to name him something surf, ocean or beach related because I surf and they remind me of surfers with their chill and laid back movements haha. So any ideas you would like to share please post I would love to hear suggestions.
- Christie

 

[camimom]

Name Suggestions:
Amp
Barrel
Bombora
Leggy

 

[ReptileLove18]

i personally like the name sebastian because it reminds me of the crab from the little mermaid lol..
we would love to see pics! how old is he? his age determines basically what his temp should be around, one of the neat things i learned from the caresheet blog i gave you a link to

 

[LLLReptile]

Um im not sure why you were told dont use a heat lamp, but turn it on!

the darkness is two thing, stress from a new environment, and hes cold!

The reason we tell people not to put them directly under heat (ANY reptile), especially this time of year, as we don't want them to go from the cold box (even with heat packs, they will be cooler than normal) to 85 to 90 degrees in a matter of minutes. It can shock them, and is stressful. Leaving them at room temp for a few hours is always safest in our many years of experience shipping

Glad you got your new pet safe and sound! Any questions - please call or email us anytime.

Scott
LLLReptile & Supply

 

[cswan19]

Alright I got some pics for you guys!

Before I took him out:

He's finally out of the little box lol and looks beautiful:
(Its fascinating how they can turn their eyes to look at you behind them, i love it haha)

Green!:

Here is his setup:

heres the temp:

And here he is displaying his really dark colors (He almost looks purple) :

I'm not sure how old he is. I do know he is about 3 to 4 inches though.
Also thanks for the name suggestions!!

- Christie

 

[cswan19]

Also temperature is up to 82.8 now and humidity is up to about 60, still trying to get that up by spraying warm water.

 

[lancaster0861]

Good looking guy you got there! i would try and put some more foliage in there along with some more vines and sticks he can run around on. My guy did the same thing for a little while when i first got him. My set-up may have been fine and he just needed to get used to it, or maybe it wasn't, but i had a live pothos and scheflara plant along with fake vines and shrubs in there. I went ahead and strung leaves and fake foliage all down the sides just to give him some more security and comfort and within a day he was nice bright lime and strong green. I think with plenty of foliage and cover along with some time in his new home he should probably settle. Good luck!

 

[James45]

Your gonna want to remove the soil from the bottom of the cage and just replace it with paper towels. The soil may cause impaction if he happens to ingest it.

 

[cswan19]

Thanks!! and yeah i have live pathos and scheflara as well that i have repotted with natural soil to avoid pesticides and chemicals getting in contact with him, i will get some fake vines and put them along the side as you suggested, I just want this guy to feel safe and secure! lol

Is moss safe to use in the cage?
also could I use a terrarium liner instead of paper towels, you know like the green ones from zilla?

also is it a good idea to put this in there? I like the look of it but will effect my cham by putting it in there?

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752523&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No

Also as far as names go I'm thinking maybe Hurley ? Let me know what you think. Not sure if that is what is will end up going with but still let me know your opinions

-Christie

 

[Sinfulintent]

That background won't hurt anything, just make stuff look cool, i can't tell is it just a sheet you stick on or is it actually a textured back ground? either way won't matter just curious. His colors may be cuz he's scared/nervous with his new enclosure, small box to handling to large enclosure, he may take some time ^_^

 

[Kate]

Thanks!! and yeah i have live pathos and scheflara as well that i have repotted with natural soil to avoid pesticides and chemicals getting in contact with him, i will get some fake vines and put them along the side as you suggested, I just want this guy to feel safe and secure! lol

Is moss safe to use in the cage?
also could I use a terrarium liner instead of paper towels, you know like the green ones from zilla?

also is it a good idea to put this in there? I like the look of it but will effect my cham by putting it in there?

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752523&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No

Also as far as names go I'm thinking maybe Hurley ? Let me know what you think. Not sure if that is what is will end up going with but still let me know your opinions

-Christie

I would avoid substrate including moss for the reasons given. Everyone on here has their opinions on floor covering. Most use paper towel. Personally I use reptile carpet. It suits my viv. I don't have drainage issues as I have a wooden viv. It dries out between misting and I Hoover it out regularly. If yours is going to be wet it won't be a good idea as it could harbour bacteria and mould.

 

[cswan19]

Thanks for all the tips guys!!!!!!
When should I try and feed him? and should I try and feed him small mealworms or extra small crickets? Should I get a little dripper?
-Christie

 

[Kate]

Thanks for all the tips guys!!!!!!
When should I try and feed him? and should I try and feed him small mealworms or extra small crickets? Should I get a little dripper?
-Christie

Are you going to try and hand / cup feed him? If so you could put some calcium dusted crickets, no bigger then the space between his eyes, into a deli cup. You may be able to hand feed him some meal worms. If he has been in transit for a day he will be hungry. If he eats give him as much as he wants. Stop feeding about 4 hrs before lights out. He will need to be warm to digest food. As has been said he may be stressed and may not eat for a day or two. Let us know how you get on.

Some chams will use a dripper, some wont. It is a good way to give extra fluids. If you don't have drainage problems you would be better with a big dripper. You can make one by putting I pin hole into a plastic bottle.

 

[reefercheefer]

Id take the substrate out from the bottom of the cage. leave it bare and put down paper towels. I use dog training pads.

 

[cswan19]

Tried feeding him some small crickets or small mealworms, he wouldnt' take either /: I'll try again tomorrow though I saw his bright colors for a while but they quickly went dark again when I tried feeding him.

 

[LLLReptile]

I would ask you a few things. First - do NOT feed it mealworms please. We do not recommend it for babies. Way too young for mealworms, and there is just no need right now. It can cause more harm than good. They can be a bigger issue than keeping them on soil... JUST crickets for the time being until it doubles its size again. Just let about 10 - 12 small crickets go in the cage. We don't cup feed babies here. It will eat tomorrow if you let some free roam the cage and leave it alone We also spray our babies several times a day - so I recommend spraying as well as a dripper so the entire cage gets wet and it can choose where and when to drink.

Please do us a favor - any questions on the care or any concerns - call us if you have ANY other questions. 888-54-Reptile. Thanks again!