Is He Stressed??

[Chamelio]

I have a picture of my chameleon of what he looks like during most of the day

But at night he is a different color when he sleeps.

Im wondering is he stressed when he is the brown color? I mist 2 times a day, basking spot is 90-95*, other side of the cage stay around 82-85, and the middle lower part stays 78-82 degrees. I feed 4 crickets and 2 meal worms a day. And calcuim dust every 2 days. Is there anything im missing?

 

[Diezel]

I know what you are talking about. My chameleon is the same exact way. Id like to know the same thing. he doesnt seem to be cause when i open the screen door he will come towards me and not get all puffed up.

 

[FaunaBgirl]

That's the color mine is when he stresses on these things. The camera, bothering him too early in the morning. Temperature is too hot or too cold. Or I mess with his cage too much. That makes him that color for a few days. I try to keep my trafficking around him down to near nothing. I try to let him know when I'm coming or going before I do. He seems to like the communication thing and stays a better color when I warn him. Especially before I start misting him. But soon he's going to be automated by a ProMist System and hopefully even that will reduce any stress he may be feeling. Hope my experience sheds a little light on something for your cham. :}

 

[Cherron]

When chameleons are sleeping, nothing is affecting their coloration so they appear very pale. When they are awake they change their coloration because of mood, temperature regulation.. any number of factors.

The darker coloration during the day could indeed mean stress, but that isn't the only factor that it could be. Chameleons will become darker when their temperatures aren't high enough, when they are ill, etc. Try filling out the husbandry sticky at the top of the health forum. Then everyone can get an idea of his enviroment and give you suggestions about anything that may be off. It may just be that he is a darker colored veiled

 

[Will Hayward]

You need to take that duct tape out. That is a really big danger. Use are zip tie.

 

[royden]

I'm having a hard time believing that coloration is purely mood. Like it's been said there are a lot of factors. I'm brand new to this hobby, I have almost the same temperatures as you, but I feed more crickets and less worms, and my cham is often the color of yours.

Funny thing was, the other day I took him out of the cage, which I do very rarely, he hates me. So he was clearly stressed and hissing and rotating around me wrist so I couldn't see him, but I took him outside to see how he responds to the sun and the breeze, and he continued his stressful behaviour - but he turned bright, bright green. Like nothing I'd seen before.

 

[turrgon]

they also change colour to absorb different light wavelengths.

 

[FaunaBgirl]

Royden says: I'm having a hard time believing that coloration is purely mood.

But Royden, Didn't you know that's what they make mood rings out of? Ha ha ha
Seriously though.... Mood/reactions play a very big part in the darkenings, as well as health and environmental sources. I'm surprised that you did not get bit when he was that stressed on your wrist. Must be under 4 months old, yeah? I love the leafy evasive moves they make.

 

[koabich]

Looking at the picture I can see he is just finishing a shed. According to all the breaders I talked with shedding is a sign of a healthy Cham. If he was very stressed or stressed to the point of death, he would NOT have gone through the shed. Now he might be stressed in the picture or stressed at certain points during the day but his overall health would seem fine due to the shed.