Health Issue Please Help

TrueSeminole

New Member
Chameleon Info: Name:Ezio
• Your Chameleon Newton Veilied..Male. Hatch Date June 9th 2011 got him on Aug 4th 2011
• Handling – I have not yet started handling him, I have attempted to give him time to adjust to his surroundings.
• Feeding – I feed him 2-3 crickets around 3-4 times a day. The crickets are gut loaded with Fluker’s orange cubes, calcium food, and water gel.
• Supplements – I have calcium with D3 that I plan on using twice a month, and herptivite twice a month.
• Watering – I use a mister every hour for about two minutes.
• Fecal Description – His poop has been Brown with varying between white and yellowish ends.
• History – His appetite tends to be a little unstable, some days he will eat 9-12 crickets a day and others I will be lucky if he eats 4. I normally feed him in a dish, but I noticed the days he normally doesn’t eat a lot if I let crickets lose he will chase and eat them.

Cage Info:
• Cage Type – Exo-Terra Glass 18x18x24
• Lighting –Repti glo 5.0 (26W) and a sun glow (25W) I keep my lights on from 8:30am-8:30pm
• Temperature – The top of the cages in the basking spot is normally around 85 and at the bottom its around 70. The temperatures do not drop but maybe 5 degrees at night. I have thermometers at the top (above basking spot) and bottom.
• Humidity – The humidity stays around 65-80 I have a hydrometer in the middle of the tank.
• Plants – I have attempted to feed him mustard greens but he hasn’t ate them yet.
• Placement – It is in the living room under a vent (high ceilings though) and it has been closed and there is a fan in the general area.
• Location – Tallahassee, Florida

Current Problem – Today he yellowed, He was fine this morning, but then around 2 he started changing colors. I don’t know if this matters but there was an electrical storm that hit around the same time. During this time he has remained very active, but has not ate but 3 crickets. What can cause him to turn yellow like this? What can I do to help him? Any help would be much appreciated. Thankyou


I have attached two pictures the first one is from about two weeks ago and the second one is from today.
 

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most chams turn lighter colors when they are warmer as it expells heat faster and are darker when basking. other than color changing is there any other problems?
 
most chams turn lighter colors when they are warmer as it expells heat faster and are darker when basking. other than color changing is there any other problems?

I haven't noticed any other problems, this is just the first time he has turned this colors. It might be possible that he is too hot because during the storm the power did go off and the apartment heated up. What can I do to cool him down?
 
IMHO you should be using phos.-free calcium at most feedings.

Is there any cold air coming out of the vent at all?

Here's some information I hope will help you with things like supplements, gutloading, etc....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

A wide variety of insects that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it.

Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Please note that various supplements have various amounts of D3 and vitamin A and so some can be given more often than others. The idea still is not to overdo the fat soluble vitamins like D3 and prEformed vitamin A.

Here are some good sites for you to read too...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.
 
as long as hes not opening his mouth to expell the heat he should be fine because ur basking temps look good (if thats truely what they are). other than that he should be fine, chameleons change colors btw!!! :) how long have you had him?
 
Those are the temps and there is no air coming out of the vent.I have had him for 18 days.No he is not keeping or opening and closing his mouth Thank you.
 
if you have only had him for 18 days hes still getting used to you and ur getting used to him. this may be his 'happy" colors, my 6 month veiled is usualy dark blue and brown when in his cage but when i take him out and free range him het gets teal/ seafoam green and yellow.
 
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