boredom? or something else? :(

[owenyeconiel]

Chameleon Info:
My Chameleon - Male panther chameleon,around 7-9 mths
Handling - almost everyday he loves it
Feeding - crickets,around 4-7 a day,gutload by dogfood and sometimes fruit
Supplements - calcium with d3
Watering - bottle,4-5 times a day
Fecal Description - black and white

Cage Info:
Cage Type - screen,60x40x100
Lighting - direct sunlight
Temperature - 60-80
Humidity - 60-90%
Plants - dunno
Location - Indonesia

Current Problem -
after he finished his shed period he ate not as much as before,now maybe he just eat 4-6 crickets a day. usually he eats 6-8 a day. maybe he bored of crickets or is it a normal thing after sheds?
usually he can ate crickets in my hand,but now he wont do that. i've never seen him eat again now.
once i offer mealworms and he wont eat it.

what should i do?

 

[Dez]

Adult chameleons don't eat at much as younger chams do. I usually notice a cut back in food at around 9 months of age. My adults eat about 5 crickets a day.

Are there other feeders available in your area? You can try offering silkworms or dubia roaches if you can find them... I am not sure whats available in Indonesia

 

[owenyeconiel]

Adult chameleons don't eat at much as younger chams do. I usually notice a cut back in food at around 9 months of age. My adults eat about 5 crickets a day.

Are there other feeders available in your area? You can try offering silkworms or dubia roaches if you can find them... I am not sure whats available in Indonesia

mealworm,superworm,and maybe waxworm,but havent seen the waxworm here.
ooh,and i wonder why he wont eat a cricket on my hand again.i've never seen him eat again lately.

 

[dodolah]

Owen, I would avoid feeding your crickets with dogfood as gutload.
Overtime, the high protein can cause gout (asam urat) to your chameleon.

Gutload your crickets with vegetables and some fruits such as kale, carrots, apples, dandelions, etc etc. Avoid broccoli and spinach.

I don't think Dubia (roaches) is available in Indo. And, the roach that is available freely in most houses in indo is kinda disgusting

Do they sell grasshoppers there? You can still probably catch some, the next time you go hiking or camping in suburbs.

 

[ladizzlee]

you also shouldnt be handling your chameleon everyday, that will stress him out.

 

[ataraxia]

few things i would personally change with your care.

1) no more dog food gut loading. it has animal protiens and other bad ingredients. gut load with veggies and fruits.
2)Watering. he needs sprayed also to help clean his eyes as well as his skin.
3)TEMPS!!!! needs to raise. low 70's ambient temps and 90 basking temp.
4)SUPPLEMENTS!!!!!!! schedule has to change. dust with plain calcium every feeding. calcium with d3 twice a month. multivitamin twice a month.
5)direct sunlight. as in his cage is outside? if it is outside how do you keep temps within range?

please read a care sheet for a panther chameleon and change what needs to be changed. your chameleons life depends upon you! these guys arent naturally made to be in a captive enviroment. in the wild they get everything they need from gods green earth but since we are all selfish little beings...... we have to mimic there standards of life as close we can in captivity.

 

[dodolah]

As the owner of this chameleon is located in a country with tropical climates, we have to somewhat "adjust" our advice. Most of our understanding in general husbandry is not even relevant to be practiced there.

I.e:
The humidity in Indonesia alone is enough for chameleons to survive without constant misting (provided that there is a dripper as the source for the chameleon to drink). Why mist, if the daily humidity already above 60% and sometimes rise above 90%? However, once in a while, you do want to spray your chameleon.

I am not sure how clean the rainwater in Indo nowadays, but every so often you can actually let your cham enjoys the rain (provided that it is not too heavy of a rain that it knocks the cage or flood the base of the cage). When I have my first veiled there, apart from a dripper, I have never see the need to mist my cage, and I have never once see him dehydrated.

I am not sure if you need to raise the temps at all. Jakarta can get quite hot during noon. Plus, they can regulate their body temp quite effectively by darkening their skin to absorb more heat. The night temp in Indo never gets too low for chameleons to be unable to withstand the cold. Knowing that he put his cham outside to enjoy daily sunlight, I wouldn't worry too much about lighting in general. Basking light nor UVB light.

Imho, Indonesia's climate is as ideal and as close as it gets without actually raising the chameleon in Madagascar. A panther can thrive without most of the general husbandry equipments used in US.