# why is my panther chameleon dark all the time?



## white (May 16, 2009)

i have had an adult male for about a week who is dark coloured all the time?.does he just need time to settle in or am i doing something wrong
his setup
4fthx2x2 viv with mesh top and front
40w spot bulb reaching temp of 85-88f basking spot
10% 18 inch repti sun uv on top of mesh
it has ficus and palm plants
a water dripper
he is drinking but not a lot.he eats like a pig


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## cham25 (Jan 7, 2008)

white said:


> i have had an adult male for about a week who is dark coloured all the time?.does he just need time to settle in or am i doing something wrong
> his setup
> 4fthx2x2 viv with mesh top and front
> 40w spot bulb reaching temp of 85-88f basking spot
> ...


are you sure that your basking temps are up to 85-88????
a 40w is not much heat for a 4ft enclosure.dark coloration is often a sign they are too cold,also what are the night time temps?

can you get any pics up of cham and enclosure it would give me a much better idea.


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## white (May 16, 2009)

the temp directly under the light is 88.i was thinking he was a bit scared as he was kept in a 60 inch exo terra by his previous owner.the night temps never drop below 65.he seems more colourfull when the lights are off


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## cham25 (Jan 7, 2008)

white said:


> the temp directly under the light is 88.i was thinking he was a bit scared as he was kept in a 60 inch exo terra by his previous owner.the night temps never drop below 65.he seems more colourfull when the lights are off


yes they do colour up at night.try and take a temp reading 2 ft from the bulb,i think you may be surprised how low it is.


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## pete-vtr (Sep 16, 2009)

white said:


> i have had an adult male for about a week who is dark coloured all the time?.does he just need time to settle in or am i doing something wrong
> his setup
> 4fthx2x2 viv with mesh top and front
> 40w spot bulb reaching temp of 85-88f basking spot
> ...


your cham is too cold mate, your viv is 4FT high and your using a 40w bulb for heat? there will be NO heat gradient.

try using a 60 or 80w spot with a ceramic to hold temps up


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## johne.ev (Sep 14, 2008)

Mesh top viv? Your losing all your heat & humidity straight out the top.


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## white (May 16, 2009)

won't he get too hot if he basks under it?


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## Chameleoco (Jul 10, 2009)

Your BASKING spot may well be correct, however your AMBIENT air temps may be wrong, meaning that yes, your cham can reach optimal temps under his bulb, but when he tries to move around his enclosure, say, to hunt for food, he suddenly feels too cold and has to return to bask, so yes he may well get too hot under a hotter bulb, but the air temps will be warm enough for him to move around at a comfortable body temperature, so he wont have to sit under the bulb for too long.
You may have to adjust the distance that your light sits away from the enclosure to make sure the basking temps do not get too hot with a higher watt bulb.
Laura xx


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## white (May 16, 2009)

ok,but he spends all his time away from the basking spot.could it be that he is just freaked out by being in a much larger enclosure than he was before?


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## Chameleoco (Jul 10, 2009)

I dont know, not in my experience. 
You say he eats like a pig, you may be feeding him to much? adult males tend to need less food than growing babies and juveniles. It would be really helpful if you could post a pic, because the behaviour could be caused by a number of things, including illness. Which would need vetinary treatment. 
Laura xx


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## tony167 (Dec 18, 2009)

*Panther*

try a 14 watt 2 meter cable heater, low cost to run and they chuck out lots of heat! my 4ft by 3ft by 2ft has a mesh top too. It warms up the branch's perfectly and is easy to conceal with vine plants if you have a pretty tank. But you need to bump up the bulb too! im using a 160 watt exo terra but im dreading the electric bill. try a 60 watt spot bulb too.

and show us some photos!

:2thumb:


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## white (May 16, 2009)

i do not know how to post pics.i will get a bigger bulb and see if that improves things


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## Chameleoco (Jul 10, 2009)

I hope so, remember to take accurate temp readings at the basking spot, in the middle and at the bottom, and areas in between to make sure there are a number of different temperatures for your chameleon to choose from
Laura xx


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## white (May 16, 2009)

just found an exo terra clamp lamp and that has raised the temperature as it has a reflector


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## white (May 16, 2009)

the raise in temperature has so far made no difference


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## Chameleoco (Jul 10, 2009)

What was the raise in temp? can you tell me what the temps are at the points I mentioned?
Laura xx


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## white (May 16, 2009)

temps are 98 basking 80 on top away from basking 70 in the middle 60 on the bottom


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## white (May 16, 2009)

tony167 said:


> try a 14 watt 2 meter cable heater, low cost to run and they chuck out lots of heat! my 4ft by 3ft by 2ft has a mesh top too. It warms up the branch's perfectly and is easy to conceal with vine plants if you have a pretty tank. But you need to bump up the bulb too! im using a 160 watt exo terra but im dreading the electric bill. try a 60 watt spot bulb too.
> 
> and show us some photos!
> 
> :2thumb:


do i need to cut a hole in the mesh and put inside or does it sit on top?also will i need it on a thermostat?


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## harry92 (Jun 10, 2009)

If he's anything like my cham was when he was young, he's dark because he's eating like a pig, when i got mine he stuffed himself whenever he got the opportunity - and basked afterwards in a dark shade to fully digest (enzyme activity etc.). now he's older and eats smaller amounts, he's always a bright green colour between meals, and explores his viv. This may not be the case with ur cham, but it maybe? try not feeding him for a day, see if he's more colourful the next? hope this provides some help


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## white (May 16, 2009)

harry92 said:


> If he's anything like my cham was when he was young, he's dark because he's eating like a pig, when i got mine he stuffed himself whenever he got the opportunity - and basked afterwards in a dark shade to fully digest (enzyme activity etc.). now he's older and eats smaller amounts, he's always a bright green colour between meals, and explores his viv. This may not be the case with ur cham, but it maybe? try not feeding him for a day, see if he's more colourful the next? hope this provides some help


thanks he is 18 months old not a baby


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## white (May 16, 2009)

bump.


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## white (May 16, 2009)

could it not just be a case of needing time to settle in?


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## weeminx (Oct 28, 2006)

any chance you could post a picture of his set up and the cham itself?
my males are all looking a bit washed out at the moment but im putting this down to our horrible winter this year.air pressure is really low and this seems to be effecting my males,maybe its the same for yours.


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## white (May 16, 2009)

i can text a pic


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