Concerned about chameleons color & lack of activity

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CharlieRae said:
So, after 2 months of better gutloading, buying crickets form cricket breeders instead of local petco, & feeding more silkworms, this is still an issue. I put in a different basking bulb & brough his basking temp down to 85. He also is still not moving as much. The last couple days he has not moved from his sleeping spot unless forced to move. His color is also more bland.

I'm becoming very concerned. I took him to the vet & she could find nothing wrong. We do not have a legit reptile/chameleon vet within 3 hrs of me that I know of. So I dont have a lot of options anymore. I need somebody to help me because I really think he is dying.
Here's a photo from a couple days ago. His color is fading more than it was 2 months ago when I originally posted.
Click to expand...
Hey there did you change the UVB bulb as well to a 6% or 5.0 and ensure that the distance was 8-9 inches away from the closest branch?


Time to fill this out with as much detail as possible. Copy paste it into your reply to fill it out. Also please post more pics of him.

Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 
Checking back in. I would really love to be able to dive deeper into your husbandry and see if we can identify the issue. Please fill out the form above so we can give you thorough feedback on your exact husbandry.
 
Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - Panther, male, 1 year 7 months. Has been in my care since he was 9 weeks old?
  • Handling - Almost never. He is friendly, but we don't handle him unless taking him to his outdoor cage. But with the high heat this year he rarely goes out. ?
  • Feeding - He eats crickets, silk worms & fly larvae primarily. He also get the occasional super worm. He will not eat roaches. I give him 5 or 6 a couple 3 or 4 times a week. 5 or 6 last him a couple days. Since I stopped purchasing from a local chain petstore the feeders eat carrots, blueberries, spring greens mix, dandelion leaves, alfalfa, oranges, zuccini banana.
  • Supplements - the types are pictured in the original post. repti calcium WITHOUT D3 every feeding. He gets repashy calcium plus LoD 2x a month.
  • Watering - I have a dripper & he also gets misted 2x a day I mist long enough to soak everything in the cage. I do see him drinking?
  • Fecal Description - white urates with a tinge of yellow where it joins the feces. His poops have been very very large lately. But he is also going less often. Has not been tested for parasites.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - His enclosure is screen & glass. 5ft x 2ft. front and top screen, sides are glass. All of his plants are live.
  • Lighting - Arcadia T5HO 6%. I changed it as soon as I was advised to do so in this thread. Lights on at 6:30AM lights off at 6:30pm?
  • Temperature - temp range 68 on the floor up to 85-87 in the basking spot. Mid cage its typically around 70. We keep our house at 67. I have a temp gun & also a thermometer in the cage.
  • Humidity - I started using a fogger, only at night, a few days ago. Humidity was staying at 20-25%. With the fogger it has gone up to around 35%
  • Plants - All live plants. China doll, Schefflera, money tree, Pothos, some bromeliads, burgundy ficus
  • Placement - Cage is loacted in the living room. it is not near any windows or vents. We do not have any fans in that room. The tope of the cage is at least 6.5 feet off the floor.
  • Location - Northern Wyoming?

Current Problem - Severe lack of activity & loss of color. He is not lethargic, exactly. He just doesn't move around much.

I will get more current photos when I get home this evening.
 
Beman said:
Checking back in. I would really love to be able to dive deeper into your husbandry and see if we can identify the issue. Please fill out the form above so we can give you thorough feedback on your exact husbandry.
Click to expand...
Sorry, for some reason I didnt get the notification that I had replies.
I did change the bulb & it is the appropriate distance from the highest branch.
I was advised to change the sprayer I use for misting. (I hand mist) Somebody mentioned possible plastic toxins from the sprayer. So as of last week he has a new sprayer. The sprayer I was using is not reptile specific & cheap off amazon.
I switched to this sprayer 3 or 4 weeks before he started acting 'off'.
 
CharlieRae said:
Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - Panther, male, 1 year 7 months. Has been in my care since he was 9 weeks old?
  • Handling - Almost never. He is friendly, but we don't handle him unless taking him to his outdoor cage. But with the high heat this year he rarely goes out. ?
  • Feeding - He eats crickets, silk worms & fly larvae primarily. He also get the occasional super worm. He will not eat roaches. I give him 5 or 6 a couple 3 or 4 times a week. 5 or 6 last him a couple days. Since I stopped purchasing from a local chain petstore the feeders eat carrots, blueberries, spring greens mix, dandelion leaves, alfalfa, oranges, zuccini banana.
  • Supplements - the types are pictured in the original post. repti calcium WITHOUT D3 every feeding. He gets repashy calcium plus LoD 2x a month.
  • Watering - I have a dripper & he also gets misted 2x a day I mist long enough to soak everything in the cage. I do see him drinking?
  • Fecal Description - white urates with a tinge of yellow where it joins the feces. His poops have been very very large lately. But he is also going less often. Has not been tested for parasites.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - His enclosure is screen & glass. 5ft x 2ft. front and top screen, sides are glass. All of his plants are live.
  • Lighting - Arcadia T5HO 6%. I changed it as soon as I was advised to do so in this thread. Lights on at 6:30AM lights off at 6:30pm?
  • Temperature - temp range 68 on the floor up to 85-87 in the basking spot. Mid cage its typically around 70. We keep our house at 67. I have a temp gun & also a thermometer in the cage.
  • Humidity - I started using a fogger, only at night, a few days ago. Humidity was staying at 20-25%. With the fogger it has gone up to around 35%
  • Plants - All live plants. China doll, Schefflera, money tree, Pothos, some bromeliads, burgundy ficus
  • Placement - Cage is loacted in the living room. it is not near any windows or vents. We do not have any fans in that room. The tope of the cage is at least 6.5 feet off the floor.
  • Location - Northern Wyoming?

Current Problem - Severe lack of activity & loss of color. He is not lethargic, exactly. He just doesn't move around much.

I will get more current photos when I get home this evening.
Click to expand...

CharlieRae said:
Sorry, for some reason I didnt get the notification that I had replies.
I did change the bulb & it is the appropriate distance from the highest branch.
I was advised to change the sprayer I use for misting. (I hand mist) Somebody mentioned possible plastic toxins from the sprayer. So as of last week he has a new sprayer. The sprayer I was using is not reptile specific & cheap off amazon.
I switched to this sprayer 3 or 4 weeks before he started acting 'off'.
Click to expand...

Could very well be the sprayer. Those that are not made for reptiles are not made for water that an animal would drink. More for misting plants and for pesticides. Who knows what plastic they use for them.

Only thing in your husbandry is the feeding... Please explain this more. I give him 5 or 6 a couple 3 or 4 times a week. 5 or 6 last him a couple days.
In the pic he looks overweight. The casque is very full. Which is a sign of being overweight. The casque should have more of a concave shape to it on the top not rounded.
 
Beman said:
Could very well be the sprayer. Those that are not made for reptiles are not made for water that an animal would drink. More for misting plants and for pesticides. Who knows what plastic they use for them.

Only thing in your husbandry is the feeding... Please explain this more. I give him 5 or 6 a couple 3 or 4 times a week. 5 or 6 last him a couple days.
In the pic he looks overweight. The casque is very full. Which is a sign of being overweight. The casque should have more of a concave shape to it on the top not rounded.
Click to expand...

What would be a better feeding schedule? Less bugs? Or feed less often?
Basically if I feed him bugs on a Monday, he eats some, then finishes them off the next day. Then I will feed him on Wednesday.
Or, if he does eat them all on Monday, he gets fed again on Wednesday.
I throw bugs in his feeder roughly every other day.
 
Still chasing after food and excited to eat? That would be a good test for lethargy. Can you put a cricket or somewhere he can see and let him hunt it? He should be interested.
 
DeShawni Green said:
Still chasing after food and excited to eat? That would be a good test for lethargy. Can you put a cricket or somewhere he can see and let him hunt it? He should be interested.
Click to expand...
I feed his worms on the branches, he hunts those. I've never just tossed crickets in, but I can. He doesnt really hurry to the feeder. But, I dont think hes ever actually been legit hungry. It kind of sounds like im over feeding him.
 
Here are a couple pictures from tonight. I got home after his bedtime.
 

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I’m new to having a panther, but my guy worried the heck out of me a few months ago when his colors faded to pastels, he was keeping his ‘bad’ eye closed more often and he’s never been terribly active. I got him in October from someone who had poor husbandry, so my sweetheart hasn’t had the best of health. His vet assured me to just give him time, but I was skeptical. I searched the forum and did find that some panthers do seem to go thru a phase where they lose colors for a time. My vet was right and my guy’s colors are vibrant again and his activity level is more active than ever.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/panthers-mid-life-crisis-color-change.76455/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/panther-chameleon-color-loss.120142/#post-1063559
 
CharlieRae said:
What would be a better feeding schedule? Less bugs? Or feed less often?
Basically if I feed him bugs on a Monday, he eats some, then finishes them off the next day. Then I will feed him on Wednesday.
Or, if he does eat them all on Monday, he gets fed again on Wednesday.
I throw bugs in his feeder roughly every other day.
Click to expand...
So right now basically he is able to eat every day... Two fold issue. One he is eating every day and two the bugs that are sitting in there no longer have the supplements on them.

I would move him to 3 days a week. Max 3 feeders. If your feeders are large then your cutting back further max 2 each feeding.

Looking at the other images his limbs are less muscular as well. So he is definitely holding excess weight.

Do you have any pics of him standing on a branch? I am trying to see if there is any swelling to the area between his front legs. With him down the way he is it almost looks like there is.
 
Beman said:
So right now basically he is able to eat every day... Two fold issue. One he is eating every day and two the bugs that are sitting in there no longer have the supplements on them.

I would move him to 3 days a week. Max 3 feeders. If your feeders are large then your cutting back further max 2 each feeding.

Looking at the other images his limbs are less muscular as well. So he is definitely holding excess weight.

Do you have any pics of him standing on a branch? I am trying to see if there is any swelling to the area between his front legs. With him down the way he is it almost looks like there is.
Click to expand...

No recent pictures. I will get some tonight. I will be home much earlier this evening.
I will cut back his feeding. Thank you!
 
CharlieRae said:
No recent pictures. I will get some tonight. I will be home much earlier this evening.
I will cut back his feeding. Thank you!
Click to expand...
Your Welcome hun. Yeah I just would love to see pics with him up off the branch. I just want to make sure there is no sign of edema there. :)
 
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