k8shm8
Member
Chameleon Info:
- Male 1yr Nosey Be Panther Chameleon.
- I have had him for about 6 months or so now.
- Very little, maybe once every few weeks. I have a crazy busy work schedule so when I have time I will take him out and put him on some indoor plants by the window but not often.
- He is fed about 15 crickets (w/o D3) every other day.
- His favorite snack is horned worms
- He is fed in the mornings before I head off to work.
- The crickets are gut loaded with any leftover produce I have but primarily leafy greens.
- Zoomed Repti Calcium without D3.
- Dusted every time I feed him
Water:
- I hand mist twice daily for about 2 minutes each time until the humidity reaches about 99%.
- I have a dripper I fill with spring water gallons every other day.
- He does drink, usually from the dripper but sometimes off of the leaves when I mist.
- WNL, was treated with dewormer for parasites a few months ago but I have not followed up with another fecal yet.
- Zoo Med X-Large ReptiBreeze 24”L x 24”W x 48”H
- UV: T5HO ZooMed Light Strip paired with a ZooMed T5 10.0 light (only 3 months old)
- Heat: Heat bulb 60 W (I think)
- Plant bulb: Philips Agro Plant Growth Bulb
- The basking temp at the top is about 90 degrees
- The middle ranges from 70-80 degrees depending on the location.
- The bottom is closer to 60 degrees.
- Usually around 60-70% throughout the day, 99% after mistings
- Schefflera
- Croton
- In the a quiet room with low activity.
- I live in Pennsylvania, it is fairly cold here. To keep him warm during the night, I use a NO light heat emitter.
- So Diego is fairly camera shy, he really hates when I take pictures of him (so I rarely do). He has never once tried to strike at me and the most he has ever done is lightly hiss if I try to pick him up, which if thats the case I leave him alone. A week ago I went to feed him with tongs one of the horned worms when he hissed and looked almost spooked when I moved the worm in front of his face. He normally does not do that and I thought I just scared him? The other day somebody came over and was in the room with him and my sister. I told my sister to leave him alone but her friend took pictures of Diego. I went to take him out later (maybe 30 mins later) and he was so angry. I have never seen him so angry he was striking at me and trying to bite. Just wondering if the picture my sisters friend took set him off or my lack of handling lately has made him become very fearful of people. Obviously I know that panther chameleons do not enjoy being handled but I want him to be okay enough for me to hold him if I need to take him out to clean his cage, bring him to the vet, etc... Any insight on the situation would be helpful. Again, I know he probably won't be the type of chameleon who is eager to climb out and explore but I want him to be comfortable with me.
- Diego was originally cup fed and then he stopped eating the crickets from the cup. I began to tong feed him but it eventually got too time consuming as I work almost every morning, and so I began to free feed him to spark those natural instincts. As noted, he gets about 15 crickets every other day. Diego is an adult being 1 years old now so I have been trying to slow down on feed him as much. Lately I've been noticing he hasn't been eating all his crickets. The other morning when I went to turn on the lights, I saw all the crickets on the very very top of the screen in the cage in the corner. There must have been about 8 of them. I was wondering if this should be a concern of mine? I skipped feeding him 1 time and he finished all the crickets so im not sure if I am giving him too much at a time or if there is an underlying issue. Any advice would be appreciated!
- Vets... So I have brought Diego to the vet 2x now, the first was a more urgent visit as he looked very stress and sick. The second was a wellness. Overall he is a healthy guy but I always worry with things (especially since I work at a vet). Was wondering how you guys find vets qualified in your area to treat chameleons and what questions I should ask when looking around. Seems like many vets in my area are not too familiar with treating chameleons.
- Any advice on anything I would love honestly. If you notice something I could do better in regards to my care please let me know! I am an open book to suggestions because I really love Diego & truly want to give him the best life.
