Just got my chameleon today. Need some tips!

[SamG6]

just got my chameleon today its 3 month old, tiny little thing and before i went out it was green and i turned all my lights off including the heat lamp, and left the heat mat on and i came back and it was still green so i turned lights back on and tried to get him out and he went a dark colour like purple kind of. and he wont let me pick him up. is this normal?

much appreciated if anyone gives me some tips for first timers like me.

 

[carol5208]

Welcome to the forums SamG and congrats on your cham!. In order for everyone here to give you the best advice it would be very beneficial to you and your chameleon to fill out this form https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/ Also, where are you located?

 

[SamG6]

Thanks, ill do it now and im from manchester in england. can anyone give me advice on my chameleons colour change?

 

[Texas Panther Man]

You are aware that chams need light and heat for 12 hrs a day. And a heat mat isnt used in cham enclosures as they are arboreal not terrestrial. So a heat mat isnt going to help them stay warm like it would for a snake or other ground dweller. You need a uvb fixture and a repti glo 5.0 uvb fluorescent bulb of the approp length for your cage along with a dome light fixture and a 60 watt incandescent bulb for the chams heat needs. You will want his basking area to be around 82 degrees fahreinheit. Sorry I dont know celcius conversions. And fill out the help link. It would also help if you posted pics of the cham along with the enclosure so we can help fix any areas that are lacking. Good luck