What do you think about the color?

[Ryan Jarosek]

Hi Alex. I disagree with everyone (as usual lol).

So over time, you will notice a difference in the intensity of the color. This is a trick the reptile community has adopted from fish keeping, and is relatively unknown still, I think it will become as common as using calcium in several years.

The antioxidant value alone is a great reason to use this dust every day or every other day. I use it with every dusting and I notice that it works really well with my frogs and geckos, but my chams haven't been on it long enough yet to see a difference.

It is a pigment enhancer, so it takes time. If you are consistent, it will improve the colors.

One thing to keep in mind, is that starting the animal on this at a young age (from hatching) has the absolute best results.

edit: paprika also affects yellows, but the SuperPig will be more noticeable. If you DO get paprika, make sure it isn't the hot kind!

edit: Found this as an example for you. This post is frogs supplemented with the color enhancers I mentioned, and go a few posts down by the same user, and you'll see the colors of the frogs 'normally' in captivity: http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/general-discussion/26836-color-enhancers-2.html#post243541

The dart froggers were the first in the herp community to start using color enhancers, so they have the most advice about it if you want to look around that website for more info.

All very interesting information, thanks for that. Also the antioxidant properties are awesome! You are always full of information and I enjoy reading your posts. Even if I do not agree they are well thought out. I can't say I disagree with anything you wrote in this thread except for the enhancement as it relates to a female chameleon.

Brock, I do have one question for you? How do you enhance color that is not there. I think the key word is enhance...

Will you get more vivid browns and grays , or a brighter pink receptive color?

Either way I think the health benefit is good enough for me, I just don't agree a females color can be enhanced.

I assuming you are not talking about taking a brown crested and making it red when it does not have that pigment in it. Same would go for a chameleon correct?

 

[QuioteCham]

Hi Alex. I disagree with everyone (as usual lol).
You can use a supplement commercially called Naturose (scientific name is Astaxanthin) which is a dried red algae from around Hawaii.

I completely disagree (sorry Broke, I mean no offense). When I got my first cham, a long long time ago, I was also curious about color enhancers. I was told about Astaxanthin and learned its very bad for chams. It's meant for exotic birds mostly, like macas. After asking around, I actually found two cham breeders that told me Astaxanthin basically screws with how calcium is absorbed and stored in the bones. It takes a while to show effects of this problem, but when it does, its pretty much a permanent problem. Effects look very similiar to those of MBD.

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

Also as for that colorful female pic...

I remember when it was originally posted. Two guys from France , first ands second posts of theirs.. Both claimed to know about the female but didn't really know each other.

Something like that

I can't say real or fake. I really have no idea. IMO , it has yet to be proved real and its existence is questionable at best.

I have not really seen the two post since.

 

[QuioteCham]

"Female" pic: Does anyone actually know who owns/breed that animal? If no one actually does, then logically it seems as tho it would be a pic of a male some one is trying to pass off then.

 

[Red Island]

That picture has to be a fluke, if i had a female like that i would have more than one picture and i would be taking deposits on eggs when they hatch.

 

[jojackson]

LOl. Its always been my thinking that we do too much 'meddling' with natures perfect models already, typical of human vanity and arrogance. There are so many morphs of virtually everything, that newcomers dont know what normal wild specimans look like.
Next will it pumping reptiles full of growth hormones to make them larger? getting surgical (think cropping dogs ears, tails)? (venomoids are an abomination already.)
If you only appreciate an animal for what you or others can make it, then you dont really appreciate it IMO.

 

[Zen Reptiles]

Well astaxanthin IS a carotenoid, so it could have some affects like vitamin A. It's like the orange in carrots, does that make more sense?

So yes, in high enough quantities, it would interfere with calcium. But like I always say, moderation, moderation, moderation. You overdo anything and you will run into problems.

I use it at every feeding and use about 1/16th of a teaspoon. Just enough to make any calcium or vitamin powder a little pink, and don't dust all the feeders.

 

[Zen Reptiles]

Oh and about 'enhancing a color that isn't there'

Most female panthers I have seen are pink, with oranges and purples and reds and dark browns.

Those all have red as a primary color in the mix, no? I haven't experimented with this enough myself to say, as I already mentioned, so when I get some conclusive evidence, I guess we'll know.

 

[Bradkc]

Here's a link to the post of the female in question. It shows the females evolution from a baby to adulthood.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/little-quizz-31104/

 

[Leilaskeeper]

Sounds about the equivalent as the tanning pill that people take to enhance the pigment in their skin ... interesting lol

 

[thealissa]

WC? CB? WTF? lol

LMAO. That was brilliant.

 

[Soapie78]

I touch up photos as a weekend job, the pic IMHO is photoshoped if you look at the line between the leaf and the cham under her chin, there is a distortion line.
Just my view.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Is there anything to improve her color?

She looks fairly young. As she matures, she will become more colourful. Female panthers are not dull coloured as some seem to be implying. Rather, they are often bright oranges and pinks, with black and brown and tan - nothing dull about that.

examples of a normal panther female

 

[Lizardlover]

That picture of the colorful female is legit. You can see in this thread she has documented her color growth, and the female has even been mated. Definite female, and as for the picture being edited and the distortion line, you can see how the leaf is curved which makes the gular area look akward.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/little-quizz-31104/