Possible problem?... not really sure

[comocham]

The problem is his casque is beginning to deform a little, and he never shows green coloration unless he is asleep or out of his enclosure.

here ya go.


Cage Info:
• Cage Type – 20” x 18” x 24” black screen enclosure with a plastic bottom with holes drilled in it.
• Lighting – I use a zoo med 50w basking lamp and a reptisun 5.0 uvb bulb
• Temperature – Basking spot 84- 91 degrees; ambient temp 75-80 degrees I have a flukers digital temp/hum. Gauge and a acurite digital gauge.
• Humidity – Low- 40% High- 80% he has a live plant and is misted multiple times a day to keep the humidity up. I have a flukers digital temp/hum. Gauge.
• Plants – He has a live schefflera and a couple fake pothos looking things and some biovines.
• Location – The cage is located in the corner of my bedroom by the closet door. There isn’t much traffic in this area and if there is I open the door in front of the cage so he can’t see it. The bottom of the cage is 3 ½ feet off the ground.

Chameleon Info:
• Your Chameleon – 3 month old male veiled, 1 month in my care, about 8 inches in length nose to tail, weight -20 g
• Handling – when cleaning his cage, I try not to handle him as much as possible
• Feeding – He eats 10-15 ½ inch crickets a day, he is fed around 8 in the morning I use ssimsswiss’s gutload and flukers calcium enriched gel.
• Supplements – I lightly dust 2 crickets a day with repcal calcium 0% d3, then 1 time a month with repcal herptivite and t-rex 2:0 calcium with d3
• Watering – I hand mist him with micro-waved jugged spring water 3 times a day for around 4 minutes at a time I usually see him drink around 2 times a day
• Fecal Description – it is blackish brown that looks well digested (no cricket parts) the urate is usually white to creamy or yellow. He hasn’t been tested for parasites.
• History – He was shipped from florida at 2 months old and he was in perfect condition when recieved
• Current Problem – his casque is beginning to deform it looks like, he only shows green when asleep or outside of his enclosure and he has had a bad attitude lately


Here are a few pics as well. The one of him shedding pretty much represents his color all the time and the other one is a bit blurry... he does'nt like the camera.

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

His legs look good and straight. Your stats all look good, except that a basking temp of 84 is low for a veiled. 84 to 91 is a wide range. As veileds mature they can handle 95 degrees in a basking spot. Even higher for young adults, if the cage is tall enough to allow for midrange temps in the 80s and low-cage temps in the 70s-80s.

The dip in his casque may be normal for him, hard to tell in the photos. You would know if he had been burned. Plus the area would be very dark. Also, by the time his casque would deteriorate from MBD you would also be seeing all the signs in the rest of his body, grip, etc.

Many, if not all, juvenile veileds can go through a brown stage. Sort of their ugly duckling stage, wherein they will seldom turn green. But, since he's getting older, it may be time for some warmer temps. I would try raising that basking temp a bit, to get it to at least 90 on a steady basis. Dark coloration can mean the cham is cold.

 

[Julirs]

He is actually coloring up nicely! I see some good striping coming in. A few of his brothers and sisters are showing that same casque dip-it is not a deformity but is looking a little hereditary-but all of their casques are different-just like noses and ears! I have not raised temps up yet on the remaining ones, and if he is eating well and poopng it sounds like you are doing everything right!

From 4-6 months you will really start to see them coloring up-and they will change every month and every shed!
Oh-and a few people have done fecals on his brothers and sisters and all is clean!

Let me know if you need anything-or if you want to switch him out. You could handle him a bit if he lets you, or try to hand feed him some treats, then he might not show his timid colors around you so much!

 

[SSimsswiSS]

Does he blend into his surroundings inside cage? Hide when he sees you. Males tend (males tend to hide/blend in more than females) to do the try to hide behind to skinny branch thing. He looks plump, like he getting lots to eat. Are crickets the only insect being used a food source? Variety = good. Pull the fake pothos out and replace with a small live one. If he's looking for plant matter, you should see some pie slice marks taken out of leaves. Does he bask under the heat alot, or darken up on his heated side? If he's not spreading out to one side or other, temp might be to low and the top of his head is only thing getting heat, which in turn can warp his head fin. Other hand would be mouth open under heat to cool off from too much heat.
Here's a picture of a female at around 4 months. Is her appearance similar to your males?

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

CHECK IT OUT- I just noticed that on the home page, bottom right corner, where the new calendar is advertised- the photo of the veiled cham there has that same casque dip. Take a look. And he's GORGEOUS.