Resting colors

tony97

Member
So does my chameleon resting colors represent his true colors? During the day his colors are always darker compared to when he sleeps.
 
Their sleeping colors are usually their brightest colors. Their basking colors are usually their darkest. When they are mad at something (or if you show them a mirror) they will become very bright also (different usually from their sleeping colors).

The "Just sitting around on a branch and resting" colors are usually their normal colors. It's hard to say what the normal colors are for panthers, but usually for veileds it's green or blue body with yellow stripes most of the time. Jacksons it's usually green body with reddish or brownish splotches when they're angry.
 
So does my chameleon resting colors represent his true colors? During the day his colors are always darker compared to when he sleeps.

Many species turn a unique lighter color when asleep. Their markings tend to be brighter too, I suspect because more contrasty coloration breaks up their silhouette and makes them look less like a vulnerable animal and more like a patch of vegetation. Its easier for predators to pick out prey if it is one single solid-colored object.

I don't know if any cham has one "true" coloration. All their colors are true to them. Maybe the closest would be the shade they show during a calm state during the day when nothing is going on. They've warmed up, eaten, roamed their territory, are not searching for water, and have settled down in their favorite perch to watch the world go by for a while. The longer you have one the more you'll notice this particular coloration.
 
The thing with my chameleon is that his bars are usually kind of dark but when he's asleep his bars are a very light yellow and his body is green.
 
That's absolutely normal. My veiled turns bright green with vibrant yellow stripes when he's sleeping. My panther, who is normally green with dark blue stripes, is yellow, orange, and red when sleeping. We call them their pajamas here on the forum! :D
 
I love my Veilds colors. True they don't have the same vibrant reds and blues as panthers, but very nice indeed.

This was about 5-6 minutes after I woke him up today. He still has is pajamas on and is fairly bright:
full

He is pretty well color cordinated with his suroundings no?

At night, he's about the same as this just brighter..a more 'neon' type green and some very light blues.

I've also seen him be brown and once almost a yellow color when my daughter went to touch him when we first got him. At times he will have really neat black spots all over and other times, really dark marks, bot dots or spots but more like lines. Sometimes he poutlines his crest and eye ridges black.
 
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Lol. I just want mine to have nice colors and when I seen him at night with bright yellow bars and some turquoise it kinda excited me but who knows. He's still a sub adult so he has time to grow and develop colors.
 
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