!!help is my graceful sick!!!

[greengo171]

]ive had him for about a year and a half i saved him from this guy at a flea market. He told me to put him in a glass cage and set him by the window to get light from the sun. So i bought him thinking it was going to be easy until. I walked into petsmart and walked out with a hole in my wallet. But was well worth it after i knew how he was being treated.ive been on chameleon forum for a little over a year.and i have learned alot!!! But not so much info on graceful chameleons so he has been fine till about 2 weeks ago he has been this really dark color displaying realy black patterns and he is usally a really nice green the weather has gotten cold but i adjusted his temp right now the high is 80 and the low is 73 the humidity ranges fro 40% to 65% i spray him twice with warm water everyday and i feed him about 6 dusted crickets a day i have a 24inch reptisun5.0 and a 100watt basking bulb.i keep a dripper on most of the day he eats well and drinks but just seems a little down and i need him happy his cage is 3by3by4 ive tried to list everything let me know if i missed something

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."He told me to put him in a glass cage and set him by the window to get light from the sun"...is it by the window?

 

[greengo171]

no hes not he is in the corner of my extra bedroom

 

[Elizadolots]

I know nothing about gracefuls, but how sure are you that it's a "he"?

 

[dreamforthedead]

I know nothing about gracefuls, but how sure are you that it's a "he"?

Im thinking the same, you 100% sure its a male?

 

[Dperez87]

Looks more like a gravid female to me

 

[brooklynelizabeth]

Looks more like a gravid female to me

I would have to agree that the graceful is showing the signs of being gravid, until further evaluation, i would suggest a laying bin of some sort be introduced to the enclosure, as it is always better to be safe...then sorry. Update us and try to look at the abdomen of your graceful, and unusual bloating or thickness could be a sign that there are eggs forming, if not formed already. To prevent any chance of becoming eggbound, proceed with the laying bin as a precaution.

sometimes a change in patterns, such as lighting, enclosure, even your daily routine (walking by more often, spending more time in the room, more activity around the cage) can provoke a chameleon to become upset, if it is a male, perhaps just allowing him to get used to the adjustments you have made could be the best thing, ---but i still see a gravid female

 

[greengo171]

well whenever he gets mad he flares up under his chin and its really yellow i did some reading and was leaning more towards a male is there any other way to sex this male or female?

 

[brooklynelizabeth]

Check for spurs on the back feet, little nubs, also look for a hemipenal bulge at the base of his tale

 

[greengo171]

i just looked and he has spurs

 

[Elizadolots]

I thought the "spurs on males" thing was only a Veiled thing?

If it were me, I'd put a laying bin in there just in case.

I've been looking around for a description that includes the "spurs" to no avail, but have found that the females are larger than the males and that those colors can be considered indicators of pregnancy.

 

[Trace]

There are several species of chameleons that have the tarsal spurs - the Gracefuls and some sub-species of Flapnecks to name a few. The Gracefuls have large spurs as a matter of fact.

The colours and patterns are odd for a Graceful. Could you post some clearer pictures so we could tell you for sure it's sex and perhaps even proper identity.

 

[chamelisa]

How long has he been acting differently? When I notice something change, a fecal test is a good start to determining what is/isn't wrong. These guys can get a little muddy looking when they aren't feeling so good.

 

[Elizadolots]

There are several species of chameleons that have the tarsal spurs - the Gracefuls and some sub-species of Flapnecks to name a few. The Gracefuls have large spurs as a matter of fact.

Thank you! I'm always trying to learn.

 

[greengo171]

i will try to post some clear pics

 

[Elizadolots]

If you can't get him out of the cage easily (believe me, I sympathize with that situation) try opening the door and seeing if you can get pictures that way. The lack of a screen or mesh in front of the animal makes a big difference in our ability to see the animal.