Female Panther chameleon, Advise needed

[jasonc488]

Hi,

I have a Female Panther Chameleon and I'm not sure if she is ill or not. She is very hand tamed and loves being with me. She is only 4-5 months old. She is housed in an Exo-Terra 24"w x 24"h x 18"d. Temp being 25c on the cool end and 30c at the other end. She eats very well, and is also shedding well. When I came home today, her colour had become dark. Not that is doesn't from time to time. But when I went to lend her my hand, she didn't move. Normally, she would at least retract a bit and climb onto my hand. And most of the time she would sit on my head and then wander down when she feels like exploring. I was really shock when she didn't move, even when I gave a little nudge. I gave her some misting, normally she doesn't like it and would shake her head vigourously and run for cover. But this time, she didn't move. Just closed her eyes until the misting was done. I then decided to move her out of the cage, she wouldn't budge. Can anyone please help me... I have included 2 photos of her. 1 where she is her normal bright colour. And the other being the dark colour. When I found her today, her colours were more darker than the actual picture shown, it was more like brown/black. She is very beautiful and I love her to bits. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy Jason,

We'll need more info to help formulate some ideas. Take a peek at: "Sticky: How to ask for help " at the top of this column and post as much as you can. Also post lots of photos of your critter's setup. Sometimes it's the little details that set things in motion for ill health.

Where in the world are you located?

 

[jasonc488]

I am based in the UK.

 

[jasonc488]

Hi,

I have a (Sambava) Female Panther Chameleon and I'm not sure if she is ill or not. She is very hand tamed and loves being with me. She is only 4-5 months old. She is housed in an Exo-Terra 24"w x 24"h x 18"d. Temp being 25c on the cool end and 30c at the other end. She eats very well, and is also shedding well. When I came home today, her colour had become dark. Not that is doesn't from time to time. But when I went to lend her my hand, she didn't move. Normally, she would at least retract a bit and climb onto my hand. And most of the time she would sit on my head and then wander down when she feels like exploring. I was really shock when she didn't move, even when I gave a little nudge. I gave her some misting, normally she doesn't like it and would shake her head vigourously and run for cover. But this time, she didn't move. Just closed her eyes until the misting was done. I then decided to move her out of the cage, she wouldn't budge. Can anyone please help me... I have included 2 photos of her. 1 where she is her normal bright colour. And the other being the dark colour. When I found her today, her colours were more darker than the actual picture shown, it was more like brown/black. She is very beautiful and I love her to bits. Any help would be much appreciated.

Lighting - 100w spot light and a exo-terra 5.0 florescent tube. 12-13hrs a day. Now stimulating summer.
Night temp about 23c.
Humidity - around 60-65%
Plants - Live Ficus Benjamina
Location - In my bedroom, middle wall. Away from window and doors.

Chameleon Info:
Feeding - Crickets, Locusts Silkworms once a week, Butterworms occasionally.
Gutloading with carrots, oat and greens.
Supplements - Rep cal
Watering - I spray my chameleons 4 + times a day Totally drenching the plant and cage. Chameleon drinking well.
Fecal Description - Same as always, small white drop and capsule shaped brown/black droppings.
History - Recovered froma previous chest infection. Wasn't serious, just needed to cough out mucus from inside. No side affects from treatment.

 

[ChromaChameleons]

She is a beauty.. I love the females chams.. they do have the nicest personalities.

Have you had her long? IS she WC or CB? What supplements are you using and how often?

Its hard to guess , but it could be parasites? Take a stool into your vet.. its cheap and may tell you a lot.

Also, is she foaming at the mouth or weasing when she breathes? It could be a URI.

Also, shes big for 4-5 months. She has either been power fed, or is older than 4- 5 months or just naturally big, but if she is older, she may be gravid.

 

[jasonc488]

Thanks Char man, I really do love this chameleon.

She is CB and I have had her since 4-5 weeks old. My friend's friend breeds them. I use Rep Cal Phosphorous free Calcium with vit d3. This was recommended to me by alot of breeders. I use on juveniles everyday and on grown-ons 2-3 times a week.

Actually, now that you mention it. She doesn't actually wheeze. But I held her close to my ear and every now and then I would here like a pop sound. Like when a childs nose is bunged up and they make a pop sound when they breath sometimes. But definitely no foaming.

I didn't know she was big for her age. My female velied is younger, but is now slightly bigger than my panther.

My female panther has also rejected my male panther a week or so back. Not wanting any courtship with him. So, I'm assuming she isn't ready for mating as of yet.

 

[ChromaChameleons]

is your female visually isolated from the male or can she see him?

 

[jasonc488]

No, the female can't see the male when inside her enclosure. I've just seen her change to another colour now, Is she ovulating? The photo doesn't show the colours too much. But shes starting to get some lateral picky, fadey white bars. And also showing more orange colour than usual.

 

[jonthefb]

How Old is your UVB bulb? If it is older than 6 months or so i would change it out, unless you have a UVB meter to test it with. Also did you take her into the vet with the chest problems, or let them resolve on their own. IMO it would be advisable to take her in for a vet visit. Also at 4-5 months she is too young to try breeding IMO. I would wait at least a year plus before trying to breed her!
cheers~!
jon

 

[jasonc488]

Hi, My UVB Tube is only 1 month old. As the old one was under warranty and stopped working, so I has it replaced. The vet cleared the infection problem forme, took x-rays and gave injections. I didn't want my chameleon to suffer or be in pain.

 

[paczkica]

at 4-5 months old you shouldnt even be trying to introduce her to a male, if she did get pregnant that would be bad at such a young age, I would wait till she is at least a year old.

 

[evilalive]

You didn't mention anything about ventilation with you cage. To my own experience, I notice my panther display better colour while switch on PC fan to enhance overall ventilation. Hope this help.

 

[jasonc488]

Thanks for all your replies. I wasn't going to breed her, I know it's way to young at 4-5 months. It's just the first time I've seen her this colour and needed some guidance for future reference. My cage isn't ventilated with any fans. I was told by panther breeders that everytime I open the cage, the air is completely renewed. But a computer fan sounds like a good idea. How did you connect a fan so that it works outside a pc.

 

[jleahl]

In the US, anyway, you can buy PC fans separate from the computers. Try any electronics store, or online. Many people use them for saltwater fish tanks, and for keeping various reptiles and amphibians. You could just set it on top of the screen top to your cage (but not right over his basking spot), and have it go on and off at regular intervals. When I'm using one for my reef tank, I actually orient it to draw air out of the enclosure; that way there isn't a direct draft, but new air comes in to replace the air sucked out.