Am I on the right path for my baby...please send helping info..TY

[spankychameleon]

Your Chameleon - Panther..not sure how old...had it for 2 to 3 weeks
Handling - 1 a day..if that
Feeding - crickets..he or she eats 1 to 4 a day..i use the orange feed for crickets
Supplements - i dust them with calcium withought the d3..every 3 to 4 days
Watering - He or She does drink..i spray him every 2 hours and i have a fogger for humidity
Fecal Description - half white half dark brown..never been tested
History - no history yet


Cage Info:

Cage Type - its a medium exo terra teranium..glass all around screen on top
Lighting - i use repti glo 5.0 for uvb and a basking light..8am to 8pm
Temperature - floor around 80 top around 90..
Humidity - 50 to 70 percent...fogger
Plants - fake
Placement - its in my bedroom..fan during the night..keep a repti moonlight on him..and he sits about 5 Ft..in the air
Location - orlando FL

i just want to make sure it is healthy and grow healthy..please tell me what im doing right and wrong please...ty for info

 

[CBPanther]

Good start however here are some improvements that need to be made:
1. No light at night (red, blue or anything) just dark.
2. Sounds like your panther is about 4 months old if only eating 4 crickets a day so drop the temp down to about 75 ambient temp and 85 basking spot.
3. MAIN THING, get yourself an all screen cage. This helps keep fresh air in and they can climb on the walls.

Also, can you post pics of the enclosure and the chameleon so we can help you tell the sex of him/her and the age.

 

[mbondy]

Your Chameleon - Panther..not sure how old...had it for 2 to 3 weeks
Handling - 1 a day..if that For the first few weeks, don't handle so your cham can get accustomed to its new home
Feeding - crickets..he or she eats 1 to 4 a day..i use the orange feed for crickets Should be eating anywhere from 15-20 crickets, not sure how big your cham is but probably crickets at 1/4 inch. Gutload needs improvement, feed them fresh fruits and veggies
Supplements - i dust them with calcium withought the d3..every 3 to 4 days Dust with calcium with no D3 and phosphorus EVERY day. You need a calcium with D3 and dust twice a month and a multivitamin which you use 1-2 times a month depending on brand
Watering - He or She does drink..i spray him every 2 hours and i have a fogger for humidity
Fecal Description - half white half dark brown..never been tested
History - no history yet


Cage Info:

Cage Type - its a medium exo terra teranium..glass all around screen on top You can keep a cham in glass but an all screen cage is most preferred, it's easy to overheat in glass
Lighting - i use repti glo 5.0 for uvb and a basking light..8am to 8pm
Temperature - floor around 80 top around 90..Too hot, your basking temp should be at 85 at the highest and have an ambient temp around the 70s
Humidity - 50 to 70 percent...fogger
Plants - fake Try getting some live plants, this is more natural and since your cham can't climb on glass, make sure you've lots of vines
Placement - its in my bedroom..fan during the night..keep a repti moonlight on him..and he sits about 5 Ft..in the air No need for a night time bulb, they appreciate around a 10 degree drop at night
Location - orlando FL

i just want to make sure it is healthy and grow healthy..please tell me what im doing right and wrong please...ty for info

Note what I have above in bulb. You are headed at a good start and WELCOME to the forums!! This a great place to learn about chams and get any help, everyone is willing to help and give advice. Post some pics! If you take a few pics of the base of the tail we can tell you if you have a male or female. Also do you have a veiled? Assuming it's from a pet store it's most likely a veiled. Males have a spur on their tarsal while females do not. Welcome!

 

[spankychameleon]

lol i dont think its 4 months old..i would be alot bigger i think..he is from head to tail about a little bit bigger than a ring finger...ill post pics now..

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."he or she eats 1 to 4 a day..i use the orange feed for crickets"...IMHO it should eat more than that unless you are feeding it larger crickets.

I gutload/feed my crickets, etc. a wide assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.).

You said..."i dust them with calcium withought the d3..every 3 to 4 days"...see my post below about supplementing.

You said..."its a medium exo terra teranium..glass all around screen on top"...this cage is likely fine if you are keeping the chameleon indoors and you have air conditioning.

I usually keep the hottest temperature in the low to mid 80's for young chameleons.

The chameleon doesn't need heat at night unless the temperature drops into the mid 60's or lower F.

Here's some information that will explain supplements, gutloading and a few other things....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

A wide variety of insects that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it. At that size you only need to feed it every two or three days. Feed it enough that it doesn't get fat (and, of course, doesn't get thin either).

Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium). Not sure how to tell you to dust WC insects if that is what you will be doing.

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read too...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.

 

[Jammonlee]

Spanky, can you upload a picture? Owning for two to three weeks could still mean any age for that chameleon. We don't even know if it is young or grown and the two require different living arrangements as far as temperatures and cage size are required

Feeding - You should subsitute the Orange Cricket Food for a more natural fresh vegetable/fruit. Kale, Mustard Greens, Dandelions, Oranges, Potatoes, etc. You get my point. Its healthier - what your crickets ingest end up being what your Chameleon will ingest. You may also vary the feeders for the Chameleon. Dubai Roaches and crickets are a good everyday meal, but there are other roaches and worms out there that are good for snacks (monthly snacks or so).

Supplements - Dusting with calcium (no D3) 3-4 should be any everyday process when feeding. Don't cake the crickets in the dust, but sprinkle it on them. Also, Calcium with D3 and Multi-Vitimans are an important part of the supplementation. These should be given 2x a month. It is best to Dust with calcium without D3 every weekday, and calcium with D3 every Saturday, and Multi-Vitamin every Sunday. or the other way around on the Multi-Vitamins and Calcium with D3.

Watering - The fecal description shows your Chameleon is eating and drinking well, While a fogger looks great, a mister is highly recommended as the droplets will stay on leaves/foliage better for drinking. Also, a dripper is highly recommended for a continuous supply of drinking water as well.

Cage Type - I'm not familiar with the cage type, I just know its good to have adequate amount or fresh airflow through the cage. Somebody else may chime in on the glass cage with screen top

Temperature - Heres an area where Chameleon age comes in handy. basking area temperature for younger Chameleons should be in that 80-85 degree range. AT THE BASKING AREA, not the entire upper half of the cage. The ambient temperature of the cage should rest in the Mid 70's. This allows the Chameleon to choose the temperature he'd like to be at. At night, the cage should drop into the 60's. The moonlight, while not harmful, should be far away enough to not give an excessive amount heat in the cage.
For an older Chameleon, the basking temperature climbs, 85-90 degrees I believe.

Plants - While fake plants are fine, real plants provide a lot. They help keep humidity up and are also a meal for some Chameleons (Make sure any real plant you use is on the safe plants for Chameleons list, washed and rinsed thoroughly, and re-potted with organic soil)
Also, do you have any branches, vines, climbing areas other then fake plants? If not, it would be good to get some.

Placement - A/C vents directed towards a cage are bad, ceiling fans...?? Somebody with more expertise - this is yours also.

EDIT* Sounds like you've got yourself a baby if no bigger than ring finger size. If so, make changed to the temperatures immediately, and start your healthy gutload for the crickets.

 

[spankychameleon]

here is a pic..i have two more

 

[mbondy]

If I think your chameleon is what I think it is, then she/he is very young. Also you need lots of plants and somewhere to hide. Your cham probably feels very exposed and uncomfortable. Get a real plant in there ASAP.

Check out this link to get an idea how your enclosure should look.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/official-enclosure-picture-thread-49688/

 

[kinyonga]

IMHO you should have a few more branches that reach up to the top and some foliage up there too.

 

[allencg101]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/2-new-set-ups-62400/ there you go here is a link to a good set up for your cham when he gets a little bigger have a looksie!!!

 

[Jammonlee]

IMHO you should have a few more branches that reach up to the top and some foliage up there too.

-Not until you drop those temperatures though. If the top of your enclosure is in the 90's (who knows what the basking spot is, you want to drop those temps quick and hope he spends less time up there until you do. Arrange your basking light by raising it, or angling it to shoot for 80-85 degrees at the nearest point to the basking light (6" away from the light is best). Once that is set, your ambient temperatures would usually be at recommended degrees.

If I think your chameleon is what I think it is, then she/he is very young. Also you need lots of plants and somewhere to hide. Your cham probably feels very exposed and uncomfortable. Get a real plant in there ASAP.

Definitely some more hiding, my Waldo has random bunches of foliage in different areas of the enclosure he hides at, he switches them every day. They want it to be difficult for you to see them, so dont make it easy for you...make it easy for them

 

[spankychameleon]

that was an old photo it has alot more foilage in there..just showing my tank...its sleep during the day too...doesnt eat much either

 

[spankychameleon]

another question...im gonna get him a habiscus plant in a planter with organic soil..with a screen cage...my question now is how would i feed him crickets if there on the grown by the pot..he doesnt eat from my hand nor a cup..i tried both..it runs away from them instead.

 

[mbondy]

Your cham should not be sleeping during the day....start a new thread in the health forum for more help.

 

[CBPanther]

Need more branches at the top, get a pothos plant or something for the bottom. Also, is that a substrate at the bottom?! If so, get rid of it and replace it with paper towels or, if it is plastic, nothing.

 

[CBPanther]

Ok good idea to get a screen cage! You will need to put large river rocks or something of that nature on the top of the soil so your lil guy/girl cant eat it... even if it is organic.

 

[laurie]

Hello and welcome to the forum. It looks like you have put a lot of work into your chameleon. The first things I would address are get him into a screen cage, get some live plants in with him put small (1/4 or so) crickets in whit him and let him chase then in his cage. Hunting for their food it another way to get them to move around. Let us know how things go.

LLLreptile, a sponsor has very cheaply priced screen cages.