veiled chameleon coloring

yoshi9

New Member
I have heard a rumor recently that veiled chameleons change brown or dark when they are mad or upset and green when they are happy? is this true?
 
It seems a lot of the time he is in his cage he seems brown or dark, the cage is pretty large, he has plants, food, the cage is watered regularly, the tempature is good and the humidty is also so I'm not quite sure why he is staying the dark colors. He is green normally when he is out of the cage or when he is climbing his cage. Just worried he may be stressed
 
Brown can mean a lot of things which aren't all the same for each individual chameleon. Yes, brown can mean he is stressed or he could be cold., He may just be upset in his cage. They are sometimes just darker inside the cage as compared to when out. In the winter my guy seems to be a tad darker than the summer but he always gets fired up or dark around me, so...

Bright colors do not always mean the animal is content either. Bright colors can mean stress as well.
 
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he likes to climb the cage wall and he will turn green with black dots and stripes. it seems he will kinda randomly change colors.
 
vields get dark to soak up the sun as dark colors attract heat/light better. could be lots of things but my guy will be dark on one side(the light side) normal brights on the other side
 
It looks like you dont have very many "big" vertical plants in there. I would say you need A lot more things for him to climb on and go higher up in your cage since its such a big cage! Do you have a basking lamp and UVB? I do not see any. Maybe try posting everything you have with your set-up and people can help you from there!
 
same prob.

I have a female and she sseems to do the same thing the only time she is a vibrant green is when she is sleeping or in green vegitation. She does not like to be handled at all.
 
Yeah, it looks like he is probably stressed from the lack of vertical foliage. Fill that cage up! Get a big ficus or dwarf umbrella tree and I bet he will turn green. Where is his basking spot?
 
Yeah, it looks like he is probably stressed from the lack of vertical foliage. Fill that cage up! Get a big ficus or dwarf umbrella tree and I bet he will turn green. Where is his basking spot?
before i was using a 60 wat bulb it seemed to be really hot i know have a blue 40 wat bulb should i change? Ive heard alot about another basking light on the forum its like 5.0 or something like that, its like a long round bulb? im getting a ficus just havent had time :( thinking about putting it near his light?
 

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by the way he is always very green when i take him out he just hangs out with me when im on the computer.
 
Okay, yes you need a UVB light (reptisun or reptiglo 5.0) or he will not be able to produce proper amounts of d3. D3 helps to absorb calcium into the bones and is therefor very important for his health. You will also need to make sure you lightly dust his feeders with a calcium without d3 at most feedings. Use a multi vitamin twice a month, and use a calcium with d3 a few times a month. We give a little extra d3 just to be safe.

Supplementing isn't any good without gutloading well. You need to feed his feeders high calcium greens like kale, mustard greens, collards, dandelion, endive, etc. Use other veggies and fruits as well like carrots, sweet peppers, sweet potato, papaya, berries, apple, oranges, etc.

He needs to be able to bask 6 inches under the UVB light, and at one end of the tube the heat lamp should be very close to the UVB light so he can be warm and get UVB at the same time. For now, I would go to a craft store or a 99 cent type store and get some fake foliage. This will at least keep him less stressed.

He is probably green when he is out because he is scared and on the alert, or because it's better than being in the cage to him.
 
Okay, yes you need a UVB light (reptisun or reptiglo 5.0) or he will not be able to produce proper amounts of d3. D3 helps to absorb calcium into the bones and is therefor very important for his health. You will also need to make sure you lightly dust his feeders with a calcium without d3 at most feedings. Use a multi vitamin twice a month, and use a calcium with d3 a few times a month. We give a little extra d3 just to be safe.

Supplementing isn't any good without gutloading well. You need to feed his feeders high calcium greens like kale, mustard greens, collards, dandelion, endive, etc. Use other veggies and fruits as well like carrots, sweet peppers, sweet potato, papaya, berries, apple, oranges, etc.

He needs to be able to bask 6 inches under the UVB light, and at one end of the tube the heat lamp should be very close to the UVB light so he can be warm and get UVB at the same time. For now, I would go to a craft store or a 99 cent type store and get some fake foliage. This will at least keep him less stressed.

He is probably green when he is out because he is scared and on the alert, or because it's better than being in the cage to him.

ok i have calcium and d3 already ordered and have been gutloading with mixed veggies for about 3 to 4 hours every day. can you purchase the reptisun or reptiglo and pets mart? Do you mind posting some pictures of how you have your cage set set up specificly your lighting?
 
Naps are not good. Can you post some nice clear pictures of him?

You can buy those lights at petsmart, but they are about $40 where online they are $14 plus a little shipping.
 
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