is my new 6 month nosy be okay??? Pics

[Asha]

Hello Everyone, I have come on here looking for abit of advice as i am really worried about my new chameleon ziggy, he was delivered to me wednesday night at half past twelve, & he was fine, until yesterday tea time he went a light brown colour with his normal colours very faintly showing, yesterday he ate 9 crickets and was drinking really well and he even did a poo for me, today the same again he has eaten well and drinking well, but still he is staying this light brown colour and its starting to really worry me as he is my first chameleon and i just don't want him to be unhappy as i have fell head over heels in love with him, his temps in his viv are currently at 85f and i have also been spraying his enclosure every couple of hours!

Please can someone help because it is really making me sick with worry

Thanks
Asha

This is the colour he has been

This was him yesterday dinner showing his beautiful colours

This is his new home

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Male nosy be panther chameleon 6 months old, sex, and age of your chameleon. been in my care 2 days
Handling - Twice to get him out the box and he climbed on me when i opend his viv to feed him
Feeding - Size 4 Silent crickets, 8-10 a day, gut loading with a cereal base and carrot, potatoe etc
Supplements - Nutrobal
Watering - Spraying myself, every couple of hours for about a min,yes i see him drinking?
History - previous owner has said he has always ate, shed and poo and drank fine, no problems

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Wooden with glass doors (see pics above) with plenty of ventilation, approx size is: H 59.5 inches x W 35.5 inches x D 24 inches (cms H 151.5cm W 90.0cm D 61cm)
Lighting - exo terra glo 5.0 (temp) gettin a repti sun tube, 3 20w bulbs? Lights on at 7 off at 7-30
Temperature - 85f basking, mid cage between 72-75f, digital thermometer
Humidity - humidity levels are fine, using a humidity thermometer
Plants - live ficus
Placement - In bedroom, near my window not near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas.


Current Problem - Him staying a light brown colour

 

[Hoj]

first off welcome to the forums....
its best to start by filling in the "how to ask for help" form here-https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

it is alot i know but it will help others see exactly what you are doing and how we can help.
i just copied the form into a word program and then anwsered the quaestions and saved it then you can just copy and paste when needed.

he may just be a little stressed from the move although i dont know why he would wait a day before he started showing it..

jmo
hoj

 

[Asha]

hiya thanks for replying i have now filled out the ask for help

 

[Hoj]

hmm things look ok..
i dont think that you are doing anything that would cause him to go downhill in the last 2 days. the few things i noticed are you will want to gutload your crickets better you can search and find tons of great info "sandrachameleon" has some great blogs...
i dont know much about nutrobal, but i use a calcium without d3 at most feedings and a d3 and multivitamin afew times a month depending on the type..
from the one pic it almost looks as though he could be getting ready to shed, that along with the move could be stressing him out a bit.
if he id eating drinking, poopin, alert and moving around i wouldnt worry too much but would definatly keep a good eye on him for a few days and if it gets any worse, then take more action..
do you have a good reptile vet that is familiar with chams?
have you talked to the peron you got him from and asked if they have any ideas?
this is just my opinion, other plz feel free to jump in...
best wishes
hoj

 

[Olimpia]

He looks fine just sort of angry, perhaps.

Tell us a bit more about your room. Could there be anything there offending him? These guys react strongly to colors, so perhaps there's a red poster on the wall that's scaring him, or another pet in the room that could be spooking him?

 

[Robyrango]

He looks fine, maybe he's turning dark to absorb more heat...

 

[DavidBuchan]

Well, Chameleons make all the best people sick with worry, so you've passed the first test......there seems to be nothing seriously wrong, they often will take time to settle in properly to a new home. If he's eating fine he's almost certainly ok. I think maybe a bit more foliage would be good, just so he thinks he's totally hidden, at least for the first week (just something with a couple of big bright green leaves could perk him up).
Hoj mentioned supplements and gutloads, not urgent, but needs looking into I think so here's a link to sandrachameleons blog - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/65-supplements.html
and some gutloading info too - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/ferretinmyshoes/446-basics-gutloading.html

 

[SpinyFranky]

Hmmm. It could be a variety of things.

1. Stress from being in a foreign environment.

2. That enclosure has way too little foliage. I see no good hiding spots,and anything that would even give the animal the impression of being concealed. Chameleons do not like being "in the open" if that makes sense. He might be feeling extremely vulnerable.

3. Temps. Are you sure the cage is 85F? Where are you measuring this from?
The way the light falls in the last picture, it looks really like he has no good basking branch directly under the basking light. You need to have a branch about 6 inches directly beneath that light. Then you need to take a digital thermo. and measure the heat right on that branch, because that is the spot that should be 85F.

4. In your first post you mentioned that your using three 20W bulbs. Why?
Depending on your area you should be using just one 50-75 W basking bulb, which should be housed in an 8 1/2 to 10 inch (diameter) fixture.

My overall guess? The animal is brown because its cold (they turn darker in order to absorb more heat from the basking area) and because its feeling exposed in a totally new environment.

Im including links to items I think you should consider (highly advised to get) adding to the cage.

Don't fret though, as from everything else I see in those pictures, I think your off to a really good start. Did you say your a first time keeper?

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/reptile-supplies/light-fixtures/-/10-ceramic-aluminum-fixture/ - Fixture

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...ceramic-bulbs/-/zoo-med-50-watt-basking-bulb/ - Proper wattage basking light. (Though you need to determine if you would need the 50 watt or the 75 watt.)

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...rarium-accents/-/exo-terra-jungle-vine-large/ - Vines. Get a few of these and twist them together to create chameleon highways. Make that highway lead up to a basking spot DIRECTLY under the basking bulb. This will make for a very happy chameleon.

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...nd-terrarium-accents/-/72-inch-tropical-vine/ - Hiding Foliage. Get a few of these as well. Wrap one or two of them around those vines I linked above. Take one two and zip tie them thickly around the cage to create the impression of thick foliage and hiding spots.

Hope this helps.

Julian

 

[Olimpia]

I'd get the bulb and fixture at your nearest Home Depot or Lowe's, actually. You'll save a few bucks on the items as well as shipping.

 

[SpinyFranky]

I'd get the bulb and fixture at your nearest Home Depot or Lowe's, actually. You'll save a few bucks on the items as well as shipping.

This is true as well.

Though ive always preferred to get a reptile-specialized bulb, the Fixtures I do buy at home-depot. They're like $6 instead of $10 there. Only difference ive noticed is the aluminum is a lot more flimsy and prone to denting. Not that it makes a huge difference. Call me a perfectionist.

I linked LLL-reptile mainly for reference. That way the OP can click the links, see an image of what im talking about, as well as a quick description of the product in a manner directed towards the care of reptiles. I do not represent nor do i necessarily endorse this site in any way. Just to be clear about that.



Julian

 

[Asha]

Thanks everyone for your advice and info, i have taken it all on board, Yes i am a first time chemelemum =] loving every minute so far! i am still in the process of adding more stuff to his home so it is not finished yet =] but thats how far i have got, im going to be adding loads more greenary for him im keeping a close eye on him and hopefully once he has settled in he will go back to his usual colours, i have moved him into this viv from his orginal home, as i wasnt happy with the one he came in, he had no greenary in there what so ever! Ill keep you guys posted =] thanks again! Xx

 

[KatCham]

Hello, fellow UK cham keeper!!!

First thing I just want to mention:

I have been told by a very reputable breeder of panthers in the UK that in his past experience Nutrobal has causes swelling of the neck in his panthers.

On his advice I therefore use TRex Chameleon Dust with D3 and mutivitamins twice a week instead of the Nutrobal.

At every feeding, I dust with Komodo Cricket Dust which is 99% calcium with no D3.

I've been advised these are the best brands over here.

Also, like others have said, could be a number of reasons why he's dark. Like he's cold or he's stressed from the move.

I'd just leave him alone to get used to his new surroundngs for a little while. More foliage wouldn't hurt, they like to feel secure.

And don't worry, in time you will realise that although you worry like crazy to start with....WHICH EVERYONE DOES!!! you become accustomed to the norm with your cham and, especially from being on this forum, with all of these fabulous people just waiting to drench you with facts and experience, you will learn so much and eventually start giving advice yourself.

It's all just about experience.

Good luck with your boy and keep us updated.

My lil man Simba, who is my first cham, was 9 months old on 4th September. Had him since Feb.

Crazy how much he's changed!!!

From this:

To this:

And I'm still learning all the time!!! He's got some funny eating schedule at the mo!!!

Never a dull moment with this lot!!!!

 

[brandonrx7]

I am having the same problem with my veiled. I called lllreptile.com where I got him. They said that I need to get a 75 watt household light and make his basking spot 90 to 95 f. And he could be stressed out. Look for my post questions about my veiled under the gen discussion forum. I have three pics of mine there. He looks about the same. The best tale tale sign if they are sick is that they won't eat. I was told this by lllreptile.com flchams.com and a few more breeders I know. My temps are from 80 to 85 in the day and 75 at night. But I am going to bump it up to 90 to 95 in the day. And they also told me to put his cage outside for a couple of hours with part of the cage in the shade, as long as it is not a glass cage. Just do that maybe once a week from what I have been told. Good luck with it.

 

[KatCham]

I have put my temps up after recent advice to a 90F basking spot.

Obviously real UV from the sun is best for them but over here in not so sunny England , we rarely get the chance as its too cold. Fingers crossed for a sunny Summer next year!!!

If he's eating, drinking and pooping but just dark in colour I'd put it down to stress from the move or he's cold so is darkening to absorb more light/heat.

Check your temps and leave him to settle in and calm down for a week or so. You should see a difference in him when he feels safe. (Constantly adding things to his enclosure will stress him out too, so put in plenty of foliage then just leave him to explore )

Again, good luck with lil Ziggy x

 

[Bernie]

My panther, Ernie, sometimes goes that colour when basking. It's just for heat absorption in his case.

 

[KatCham]

My panther, Ernie, sometimes goes that colour when basking. It's just for heat absorption in his case.

Simba sometimes changes part of his body to be darker and the other half is his pretty blue. Looks freaky sometimes!!!

 

[KatCham]

Keep thinking of things that might be useful to you Asha.... did you get your UV bulb. U really do need one and most people on here (including I) use the Reptisun 5.0 tubes.

As for bulbs, holders, fake foliage and anything else you might need, I got all of Simba's stuff from www.livefood.co.uk

They do enclosures, decor and everything you'll probably need.

The bulb holders they do are quite robust and come with a clamp so you can fix to a shelf so that the holder doesn't come into contact with your cham's enclosure or your cham (Learn't that the hard way )

For feeders, I use locusts as a staple which I get from a local petstore, but for alternative feeders to add variety (silkworms, butterwoms, roaches, calciworms, morios etc...) I order these online from Tom at

http://www.silkwormstore.co.uk

delivers anywhere in the UK and I've never had any probs!

Hope that helps

 

[Asha]

Hey thanks for ur replies! Yeah i have sorted out a new uvb bulb and basking bulb for him and he seems much happier, im still needing to add more greenary but gta wait until pay day next week! Ziggy is still eating and drinking really well and is very rarely that he is the light brown colour he was when i first got him, he does sometimes still go a light brown when basking but it is no where near as dark as the pics i posted, and he has a real cheeky and mischevious personality! He will claw at the glass to come out and soon as the door is open he is out like a shot, I have heard that nutrobal isnt the best aswell so im going to invest in some other suppliments when i get paid, i'll get some more pictures when i find my charger for my camera lol