Worried about dark color change & big Poop

devydo

New Member
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled, approx 8 mo (per reptile store person) chameleon. How long has it been in your care? 2 weeks.
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? only when we clean terrarium ( lifting her gently to another tree while we clean her terrarium)
Feeding - 4-5 crickets daily med/lrg, gut loaded with fruits, strawberries, potato, just bought the "orange cube" by fluckers.
Supplements - rep cal - dusting every other day.
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use?2-3 times daily, a hand pump that we pressurize and then mist her terrarium and the plants in it.Do you see your chameleon drinking? SOMETIMES, i have seen her come up and drink the drops that collect on the screen, the rest of the time we mist and she comes to the top and we usually then leave her alone, assuming she doesn't want to be stared at.
Fecal Description - huge black/dark poop, with large white urate and yellowish piece connected to white piece.
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? don't think so.
History - Bought her at a reptile store when she was gravid, she laid 46 eggs within 2 days of being home and in our terrarium ( 6/1/2013).

Cage Info:
Cage Type - exoterra screen top glass sides 18x18x24
Lighting - have both the 60w heat source bulb and the UVB bulb12 hours on and 12 off at night.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)?;70-95 Lowest overnight temp?75 We have a digital thermometer as well as hygrometer
Humidity - 40-70 most of the time, we mist 2 times a day in the am and the afternoon.
Plants - Live pothos,and umbrella tree, no substrate.
Placement - Kitchen table ( bar height), however its in a corner of the room and we do not eat at the table. we also have an extra house plant we keep to rotate into terrarium next to her terrarium to give her more privacy. At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? 6.5 ft
Location - Fresno CA

Current Problem -Was unable to find a poop from her for several days, she has a voracious appetite and so I assumed that I was just not looking closely enough in her plants to see the poop. Yesterday she took on a darker color, not her usual bright self, and today also she has had that same hue, then around noon after she ate 4 medium crickets this am, I see a humongous poop in the terrarium, I see the typical white and black but what I am confused about is the middle. the black part is more solid. The urate is clearly white semi soft looking then connected to a yellowish piece of poop. I have heard that yellow is a sign of dehydration, ive seen pictures of yellowish or orangish poop and this doesn't look like those. THe color change also has me worried as she has not been like this the rest of the time we've had her. She seems to be under her basking spot more since the dark color change. I don't want anything to happen to her so I want to fix whatever it is we are doing if we are in error!
 
The only thing I see is maybe the basking spot is high, especially for a female. I would maybe drop that about 10 degrees. That is great that she laid the eggs without issue. It is thought that overfeeding and higher temps lead to egg production so I think lowering the basking temp would be beneficial. As far as the poop, I don't think there is anything to worry about. Even if there is a little orange attached to the bigger white part, it is ok. Also, I think I would use oranges instead of the flukers. It is just a more natural alternative. I am not sure what is in them, but remember you are what you eat!!
 
thanks!do you think perhaps i am panicking over the change in her coloration? Now that I reread what I posted, I want to make sure that I state that there was the yellow in her huge poop AND that "chamilia Rainbow" as my kiddos named her has changed her coloration. so it can be ok that chameleons dont poop every other day or so? I have read several threads several places where different opinions on the poop schedule were stated. I just don't wanna miss something! Perhaps it is becoming obvious I am a little type A!? A million thanks to wonderful forums like this that novice owners can come to and read so many helpful posts that are in turn benefiting our little green friend :)
 
They do not have to poop everyday. Sometimes mine don't go for two or three days. Nothing to worry about! And as far as the coloring...they are chameleons don't forget! lol They can go through phases. Dark can be associated with being cold but that is not always the case. Glad to help out!
 
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