4 months old male sambava/ ambilobe panther chameleon

[big rob]

Hello,
I am new to this forum and keeping Chameleons. looking for guidance and general discussion.

i was wondering what i should be feeding at this age and how much?
also i have a exo terra waterfall that seems to disturbs my cham. when it is running my cham will stay still and watch it for hours. when i turn it on initially he puffs his throat and opens his mouth. i have stopped using the waterfall but was wondering if i should try and get him used to it or just leave him be till he is older and try again? thanks for your help! much appreciated.

 

[Kostas]

I aint experienced in chams but if you read around, you notice people don't recommend waterfalls, or any water source besides misting dripping inside the cage, cuz its breeding ground for bacteria

 

[kungfugi]

I haven't had a cham for long, but I'm going to try my hand at advice.I also have a 4.5-5 month old Sambava.

First, you shouldn't have a waterfall in the cage. It will breed a lot of bacteria. I'm sure everyone here will say the same thing.

Are you sure yours is 4 months old? Mines only a little older and it looks like mine is big enough to eat yours as a snack :/ But I feed him 6-8 large crickets a day, gut loaded and covered in calcium powder. He just started eating worms too, so I'll be feeding him hornworms and silkworms once in a while.

 

[big rob]

the pic i posted is of him at 3 months. i will post another soon. He eats 5 -6 crickets usually a day dusted wit calcium. i throw in 6 1/2" crickets in the morning and if he finishes them i put acouple more. i've tried silkworm and he didnt want anything to do with them ( maybe they were alittle big for him). i've tried superworms and nothing also. pet store suggested wax worms and he devoured them quickly right out of my hand. i've read that wax worms aren't that great for him but dunno what else to give. as for the waterfall, i'm aware of the bacteria that can form .after seeing him behave like that i drained/ dried it completely and it is now just for decor. my cham drinks straight from a spray bottle that i mist him from.i also have a dripper. he is very active and alert and friendly. might i add that he moves his bowels often sometimes twice a day. i clean the cage every week. is this normal? am i over feeding?

 

[big rob]

i'm glad you mentioned something about his size, the pet store i bought him from told me he was 3 month old when i bought him and that was 4 weeks ago. what do you think?

 

[big rob]

kungfugi, do you have a pic of yours that i can compare mine to? thanks for your help

 

[Sarahcwilson]

Hi big rob! Welcome to the forum!

I am a newish Cham owner as well. Got my guy, first chameleon ever, in November. It's been a journey; they really are special creatures.

The forum recently added this: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/chameleons/

I think it's a must read for new Cham owners!!! Chams require very specialized care and its crucial to know what to provide.

That said, enjoy the journey. Every day I look at my chameleon and think how cool it is that I can have such a cool creature in my life! Enjoy.

 

[Sarahcwilson]

Ps. Chams drink from droplets collected off of leaves or from rainfall, so you'll want to stimulate this with misting (also good for humidity) and a dripper of some sort - see example. http://youtu.be/1DO743c1Mn0

You might already know that but, I thought I'd make sure!

They won't get clean water from a waterfall or drink from a water dish.

Also, do you have good drainage in your tank? You can message me or post it here as to how to do this.

 

[kungfugi]

This is the latest picture I have of him. It's from about 3 weeks ago. so when he was about 4 months. He's a little puffed up, he was in one of his moods that day haha

http://imgur.com/PeuoggY

 

[carol5208]

Hello and welcome to the forums! Don't worry about your chameleons size. Some grow at faster rates than others. My new guy was sure a little squirt at 3 months compared to others. He is 8 1/2 months old and still not as big as some of the chameleons I see on here. As long as he is eating, drinking, wide eyed and active, do not worry. I would suggest offering him some more food though. I would double the amount of crickets and if he eats them, great. If he doesn't, then remove the ones he does not eat. Waxworms should be used in moderation as they are super fatty. Like us eating Big Macs all day long! You were given an excellent care sheet and should answer many or not most of the questions you might have on set up and care. Good luck and keep posting pics!

 

[ChamyLove]

the pic i posted is of him at 3 months. i will post another soon. He eats 5 -6 crickets usually a day dusted wit calcium. i throw in 6 1/2" crickets in the morning and if he finishes them i put acouple more. i've tried silkworm and he didnt want anything to do with them ( maybe they were alittle big for him). i've tried superworms and nothing also. pet store suggested wax worms and he devoured them quickly right out of my hand. i've read that wax worms aren't that great for him but dunno what else to give. as for the waterfall, i'm aware of the bacteria that can form .after seeing him behave like that i drained/ dried it completely and it is now just for decor. my cham drinks straight from a spray bottle that i mist him from.i also have a dripper. he is very active and alert and friendly. might i add that he moves his bowels often sometimes twice a day. i clean the cage every week. is this normal? am i over feeding?

At 4 months, you are probably feeding him just fine. When I bought me chameleon (Kammeflage) they sent an age:meal guide. I fed him 10 1/4" crickets. so you should be just fine. I would reccomend going on their website and finding their care guide, or even some members post care guides on the forums that you could read. I would keep trying the different worms. It took my cham a few tries to get him to eat anything other than his usual crickets. Hope this helps!

i'm glad you mentioned something about his size, the pet store i bought him from told me he was 3 month old when i bought him and that was 4 weeks ago. what do you think?

When my chameleon was 4 months he was just a little larger than that. He is now 7 months, and he has grown alot. Something I do, is every time he sheds, I offer him 1-2 more daily crickets, to keep him growing. He doesn't always eat them all, but as they grow they should have the option to eat as much as they need.

 

[Sarahcwilson]

He looks awesome! I love the red.