Stress, what to look for

[ZippiesPal]

I haven't got my little guy yet, but the clock is ticking. I read a thread about a cham biting and attacking something in its cage and how the cham mellowed after the stick was removed.

What does a stressed cham look like as compared to the same cham in a relaxed state. That post mentioned that he was 'lighter than ever'. Do they get dark whaen they are stressed and pale when relaxed?

My guy is a Panther that is said to be 6 months old.

 

[hallenhe]

There aren't really hard and fast rules - darker, or lighter, or brighter can all indicate stress, but may indicate other things as well (trying to thermoregulate, displaying...) You've seen him several times at the pet store and you'll be observing him once you get him home; you'll get a feel for what his baseline, unstressed colors and behavior are. Sudden movements (inflating top to bottom, moving or backing away from something, opening the mouth wide in a threat display) are indicative of alarm. Some common sources of stress (these don't seem to bother all chams) are mirrors, some bright colors (particularly red and yellow), other pets. Positioning the cage in a low-traffic area as high as reasonably possible (they like to look down on you from above, not the other way around), and having plenty of plants to hide in should all help to minimize stress.

 

[dakotakleiner]

my whole room is painted red do you think it has an effect on my cham?? sorry to but in

 

[pssh]

It might, it might not. It depends on the Cham, but if it does you need to move him.