Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys, I have a few qustion about my cham. I haven't been on for awhile, but if anyone remembers me I have a sunburst veiled cham that is about 8 months old.

1. During the day, my cham is gray or dark colored. When I mist him, sometimes parts of him turns a really cool looking green. However, at night when he is sleeping, every single night, he is bright as can be with bright neon yellow bars and bright green, etc. Is there a reason for this and is that normal? I'm thinking maybe he woudl be bright w/ higher humidity..but why would he turn so bright only at night? I'm thinking maybe its natural to blend in more and look like a leaf..any input?

2. For Christmas I want to feed my cham a pinky mouse! I have fed him worms lately (wax worms, mealworms, superworms), and also have given him crickets consistantly in the past (everyday until he was about 6mo old) and on occasion moths, spiders, and beetles.

I was wondering if it would be okay for him to eat a pinky mouse? The ones I'm thiking of are about an inch big and in the freezer (my gf works at petco). Would he even go for it since its frozen and not live ? Dex is about 13" long, 6-7" nose to vent and his head is about 1" long.

If I can't feed him a mouse what special treat could I give him that I haven't before?

I'm going to put up pictures of his day/night colors soon! I think he is turning out pretty dang bright!
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1.0 Baby Sunburst Veiled Chameleon -- Dexter

Many Many chameleons are much brighter at night. My Maroantsetra Females turn HOT HOT PINK with white Polka dots that seems to glow! My male turns bright red, and from night to night he has varying coloured stripes.Last night, he had golden yellow stripes, but the night before that they were completely ghost white. The Melleri has his normal green and yellow but its brighter, without any of his "Angry Polka Dots".

I would assume that your chameleons bright colours at night are his happy, calm and resting colours.

As for the mouse, make sure he is in top health, strong and pooing regularly before you let him have it. I bet its quite the ordeal to digest a pinky mouse. I have never tried it but I think you need to have a live pinky most likely. Buy the smallest youngest (but make sure its a lively one) one they have avaliable. Pinky mice actually loose their 'baby' nutrients soon after birth.

If you are feeding wax worms regularly, cut back. They are like mini mice, quite fatty. They work great for getting you little herps weight up though.

Some other treats you can offer are Tomato Worms, they are green with a red blob on their back. I think I heard someone mention they are the same as Hronworms(?) but I'm not sure. Also, if you can find them, and afford them, try butterworms. They smell great and are really nitritious. Adam from Ankinc told me they have up to twice as Calcium as any other feeder on the market. Which... is incredible. Feed enough of those and you would never have to suppliment again.

I suggest silkworms, most chameleons love them. I use them every few days, along with mealworms. With crickets as a main staple food.

Lets see those Photos.

Below is a old photo of a Maroantsetra female.

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1.1 Bearded Dragons
1.2 Maroantsetra Panther Chameleons
2.0 Long Tailed Grass Lizards
0.0.1 Giant Mellers Chameleon
0.0.2 Kenyan Pigmy Chameleons
500 Escaped Crickets

In my experience its quite normal veiled, panther and quite a few other species of chameleons to lighten in color or be a different color/pattern at night when they are sleeping.

Concerning feeding pinky mice to chameleons...there seem to be quite a few people who do feed pinkies to their chameleons. There are also people who don't agree with it. Do they have what is necessary (enzymes, bacteria) in their gut to digest one? Too much protein in the chameleon's diet can lead to problems.

Concerning feeding a FROZEN mouse to your chameleon....I doubt that that is a good idea. What people who have snakes do is thaw the mouse out (in a glass or warm water, for instance) so that the mouse is not cold or frozen. As for him going for a dead mouse...I can't tell you if he would go for it or not.

You asked..."If I can't feed him a mouse what special treat could I give him that I haven't before?"...you don't mention having given him any fruits or greens or veggies. Veileds will eat plant leaves, flowers, fruits, veggies and greens once they are 6 or 8 months old. (One reason to make sure that any plants you use in their cages are not toxic...and well washed before you put them in the cage.)

Hope this helps!

... a nice big, fat, juicy roach?
You could try a discoid, death's head, or orange head nymph....
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Victor Gomez
gomezvi@yahoo.com

Even when a veiled is going through a brownish phase they can be this bright color when asleep. He's fine. If you think about it, if a cham turns a very bright pattern or color when its asleep it looks even less like an animal than it does when awake. Nocturnal predators are less likely to recognize a sleeping vulnerable cham as food. Actually, savvy humans have learned that its often easiest to find chams in the rainforest by spotlighting them from the roadside at night. I remember walking down roads in Madagascar with a spotlight and seeing the little nasuta dangling from the ends of twigs like water drops.

That can frustrate you. My little male is doing this right now. I
come in at night, an dI see his potential - perfect yellow bars, nice
green background (though he looks to have a little more brown
than his father - bah!), and when he wake sup, he's th emost
hideous brown color on earth... Which doesnt' worry me,
because his father was the same way. Spectacular at night, but
ugly as sin during the day - for 1.5 years!

What's weird, is that the other bloodlines I've had never did this -
they were always showing their best colors, 24/7. They vary quite
a bit. Some go through a brown phase, some don't.