I need help!

[AlliePaddock]

Hi everybody,
I'm currently housing a fischers chameleon....
Got him (maybe female?) i would say 6-8 months ago while he was 1 year maybe 1 1/2 years.
I've been noticing more that he's a green/beige color when i go in to check on him.
He was in a spot by two windows, I live in Upstate NY.... getting pretty cold.
I just moved him away from the windows,
am wondering if there's anything i should be watching for in case he's sick.

I'm actually housing him in a 4ftx13in glass enclosure with real plants (will be getting a screen enclosure soon, this is temporary for his old cage broke).... jade, umbrella trees, hoya vine, parsley and lavender. He gets watered 3 times a day 30 secs at a time... wondering if that's too little? Everything i've read says minutes at a time but i'm worried about flooding the cage and the plants. I feed him about every other day 6-8 crickets... lately he's been leaving a couple - a few in the cage for a couple days.

He gets his lights on about 7am-8 or 9pm (separate uvb and heat lamp)
He was taking a 60 watt bulb but his temp was not getting above 60-65, and now I've updated to a 75 watt bulb... that was doing the trick getting the temp up to 73-77.... now it's dropped down to 70, will update you on the average temp now that he's away from the window.

I can't really find much about the beige color that has been able to help me, so if anybody could enlighten me what to watch for... maybe some ideas. I'm trying the best I can to keep him happy and healthy. I'm just scared that he's getting sick.... Will keep you updated on the temperature, and hopefully this color.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

Pictures please. Where did you get him?

 

[AlliePaddock]

Pictures please. Where did you get him?

He definitely has more green color now than during days when i go and check on him.... Usually happens like that, when he's ready for bed hes light green but during the day when hes grooving around he has beige and light green colors.... Don't know if that's only when I go in the room?? Not sure what beige color means, if it could be from nervousness or stress?
I got him from a friend who I believe got him through Petco
Temp is 75

 

[CJ's Exotics]

Beige could indicate stress, but I don't know much about Fischer's. Do you know his species? I did not know Petco carried Fischer's.

 

[AlliePaddock]

Kinyongia multituberculata

He looks most like this sub-species..... I believe Petco and PetSmart are the only places who carry chameleons in my location....

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."I can't really find much about the beige color that has been able to help me"...his color is fine IMHO.
What's the basking temperature? If he's not able to warm up enough he won't want to eat and it's not good for him.

 

[AlliePaddock]

During daytime its been 70, moved the cage away from windows... will keep u posted if the temp changes. Would u suggest a larger watt bulb if it doesn't get up to temp right now cage is 72, dropped from earlier

 

[CJ's Exotics]

Cool, Happy Chameleon Keeping! Kinyongia multituberculata is pretty cool, I also like boehmei.

 

[kinyonga]

Seventy isn't warm enough for the basking area...it needs to be in the mid to low 80's F.
I've kept them a few times over the last 30 years....and they are an awesome chameleon once acclimated. They either do very well when imported WC or crash ...often because they can't handle the stress of captivity, parasite load or treatment of the parasite load.
This might help you...
http://www.chameleonnews.com/05DecKroo.html

 

[AlliePaddock]

Seventy isn't warm enough for the basking area...it needs to be in the mid to low 80's F.
I've kept them a few times over the last 30 years....and they are an awesome chameleon once acclimated. They either do very well when imported WC or crash ...often because they can't handle the stress of captivity, parasite load or treatment of the parasite load.
This might help you...
http://www.chameleonnews.com/05DecKroo.html

Would u suggest getting a higher wattage in bulb? Or going about it a different way? Didn't know if the higher wattage could hurt him...

 

[kinyonga]

I'd use a higher watt bulb...but place your hand inside the cage at the closest spot that the chameleon could get to the light and see if you can hold your hand there. If not raise the light and place the branch to chameleon will sit on higher if need be so that where it sits is the right temp but you can't burn your hand at the highest spot it can get too. Hope that's clear...hard to explain!

 

[CJ's Exotics]

Can yo post more pics of him? I'm not very familiar with this genus, so I am curious, and he looks like a very interesting chameleon.