Veiled has gotten VERY dark

[jesse57]

my chameleon has gotten very dark and I have not seen her drink yet. and I have had her for 2 days. also i have a ubv and a heat lamp. I also spray every hour.

 

[carol5208]

She might just be freaked out being in a new place. What are your cage temps and basking temp? She could be cold or stressed. Also, not necessary to spray the cage every hour. What is your humidity?

 

[fbiband]

along with that what state do u live in? some require more misting to keep humidity

 

[jesse57]

my humidity is sbout 69 and the very bottom of the tank is 80 F

 

[jesse57]

also she its eating normal, she ate a mealworm about 15 minutes ago, she got a bit darker then too.

 

[carol5208]

The bottom is usually cooler than the top. If you bottom temp is 80 then your top and basking gotta be higher than that. More than likely too high. how old is your cham? You humidity is good but really you don't need to mist that much and you need to give the cage a chance to dry out especially at night. You know that there is no misitings at night and no lights on. Make sure your cage is completely dry or close to it before the lights go out.

 

[jesse57]

yeah I know I stop misting about 5 and the lights go off at 9 and also she is about 3 months and she like to walk on the bottom alot.

 

[carol5208]

you need to know what your upper cage temps are including your basking. She may be too hot and that is why she is staying toward the bottom of the cage. They normally like to be high up in the cage. Females usually only go toward the bottom if they are getting ready to lay eggs and she is too young for that! You cage temp should be in the low to mid 70's and your bottom temp cooler than that. You need to do some adjusting. What are you using for lighting both UVB and basking?

 

[jesse57]

50w for basking and 5.0 UVB

 

[Miss Lily]

She probably walks on the bottom a lot as it's the coolest place. The hottest temp for a baby veiled is around 80 at the warmest (usually at the top of the viv). Babies are not able to thermoregulate like adults can, so should be kept with a hottest temp of 80 until approx 6 months of age, and females should be kept between 80 - 83 as adults.

 

[carol5208]

How big is your cage, or are you using a glass tank?. That just seems to be a kinda of high temp for the bottom of the cage.

 

[jesse57]

I have a zoo-med terrarium. its has a screen on the top and class all around and a air vent and door at the front.

 

[carol5208]

I would remove the basking light altogether. She will not need a basking light if your cage temp is that hot but it is most likely being caused by the 50 watt you are using which is too high. As Miss Lilly said a baby should be kept no hotter than 80. Take out the basking or cut it back to a 20 watt and check your temps again. what is the cage size?

 

[jesse57]

my uvb bulb is only 13 w too