Stress colorations

[MissSkittles]

I haven’t really been able to figure out the stress colorations of Yemen chameleons. Perhaps @PetNcs can help clarify this. Sometimes when stressed, they darken to a muddy color. Other times when stressed they become very bright green. Is there any rhyme or reason to this? Does one color signify chronic stress and the other is acute stress?

 

[PetNcs]

The problem is that we play around with the word stress without understanding what is the definition of it in Animas
this is why we come to absolutely wrong conclusions and most of the colorations that are described as stress colorations are just normal colors used for their intraspecific communication

we do not see stress colors, the colors That we believe are stress reactions but in fact they are not, they just show notmal behavioral patterns, no stress at all.

the definition of stress is:

Stress in Animals
Stress occurs when animals have to make extreme and/or prolonged physiological and behavioural adjustments in order to cope with their environment.

S Situations
T That
R Release
E Emergency
S Signals for
S Survival

Animals can experience three types of stress:

* Physical – due to fatigue or injury.
* Physiological – due to hunger, thirst or temperature control.
* Behavioural – due to the environment, unfamiliar people or surroundings.
The factors which can cause stress are called stressors, e.g. noise, unfamiliar pen-mates or dogs. Although many animals might be able to tolerate a single stressor for a short period of time, multiple stressors over a long period of time may lead to distress and suffering.

The ability of animals to cope with stress will also depend on:

* the genetic background of the species;
* the animal’s past experiences.
Some degree of stress is inevitable during transport, the aim must be to keep it to a minimum.

 

[MissSkittles]

Perhaps I should have been clearer in posing my question.
My juvenile female Yemen chameleon was quite green when at the pet store housed in a small glass tank along with another chameleon.
When I brought her home, I only had a small enclosure for her for a couple of weeks and she stayed a muddy brownish color.
When I took her to the veterinarian for a wellness check, she became bright, almost neon green until she returned to her enclosure.
Once she was given a much larger and appropriate enclosure, she turned a beautiful green and that has remained her coloration for the past year. When I handle her, her patterns become more pronounced, which I assume means she is not happy being held.

I assume the poor conditions at the pet store were a stressor to her. Although her environment improved greatly when I brought her home, they were not ideal. Being removed and taken to an unnatural and alien place where she was examined and handled was obviously stressful. If each of these things were a cause of a level of stress or discontent, why were her colors so variant?

 

[PetNcs]

Perhaps I should have been clearer in posing my question.
My juvenile female Yemen chameleon was quite green when at the pet store housed in a small glass tank along with another chameleon.
When I brought her home, I only had a small enclosure for her for a couple of weeks and she stayed a muddy brownish color.
When I took her to the veterinarian for a wellness check, she became bright, almost neon green until she returned to her enclosure.
Once she was given a much larger and appropriate enclosure, she turned a beautiful green and that has remained her coloration for the past year. When I handle her, her patterns become more pronounced, which I assume means she is not happy being held.

I assume the poor conditions at the pet store were a stressor to her. Although her environment improved greatly when I brought her home, they were not ideal. Being removed and taken to an unnatural and alien place where she was examined and handled was obviously stressful. If each of these things were a cause of a level of stress or discontent, why were her colors so variant?



Because they are chameleons
They foul us ongoingly
Plus
Their reactions are not always specific so they can have many meanings.

Specific is e.g. Gravid coloration in. lack with the orange dots: it says:
i am gravid, do not come closer (nonstress,
Just communicationalmoattern)

Unspcofic: green
While notmal sitting around
At high temperatures
While sleeping
While retreating
While on hunt
While in bright light after dark enclosure (stress)

So,
Stress xauses a coloration that is met in many otjer occassions also.

This is why it is so hard to interprete