HELP! I'M PRAYING MY PANTHER IS GOING TO BE OK!

[brilowe1991]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Panther Chameleon, 1 1/2 years old
• Handling - I haven't handled him much yet.
• Feeding - Feeding him an assortment of superworms, meal worms, crickets, etc.
• Supplements - D3 vitamin
• Watering - hand spray 6 times a day in minute intervals of 3.
• Fecal Description - brown solid normal poops
• History - Previous owner couldn't care for him any longer. Don't think he was misted enough everyday, he was on gut fed cricket based diet only when I got him. I switched it up to assortments. He's never mated.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Screen terrarium, not exact sure on measurements but roughly around 3ftX4ft
• Lighting - 12 on 12 off, linear uvb light, basking 60w
• Temperature - 85-88 top hot spot
• Humidity - humidity I try to stay around 55%
• Plants - Yes I have 3 live plants that I JUST took out - will explain in my problems below
• Placement - Cage is located on top of my dresser, no air vents are hitting the cage.
• Location - Located in orange county.

OKAY! After filling all that out now, I'll get with my problem. My panther chameleon Blue, was doing great, happy etc. But JUST TWO days ago I bought 3 new plants and I 'FORGOT' to wash them before putting them in his cage. I KNOW, I KNOW... I'm a horrible mom and believe me I feel 100% at fault and down right just HORRIBLE. I know he probably got some pesticides in his system from drinking water maybe off the plants. I know, again, I feel horrible. My question is I just realized this this morning and immediately took out the plants, cleaned up his cage, and the substrate. Remisted everything. Left the 3 plants out washed them vigorously, they're in my bathtub waiting to dry up and then i'm going to wash again.

-Problem is I noticed my cham's eyes are 'darker'. They're 'not' sunken in at all.. like I've seen REALLY sick chams before but I'm just hoping he's not going to get to that point. He seems to be fine with movement etc. the normal sloth-ish way. He's not eating this second but it's only been 15 hours since he hasn't eaten.

-Cham probably ingested pesticides from the plants, is he going to be okay? Is there anything I can do?
Please help me out. I'll attach some photos. Look at his eyes, tell me if you think he's healthy... anything please!!

Those are all this morning.
This next picture is of him yesterday, but please note that there was better lighting and the cage was open during the pic.

 

[JacksJill]

I'm not seeing anything terrible in your photos. Not every plant is drenched in deadly amounts of pesticide. Cleaning the plants is a sensible precaution. If his appetite resumes and he continues to eat and drink I wouldn't panic.
Just adding new plants or branches to the cage can affect behavior temporarily as they react to the changes.
Keep an close eye on him but I suspect he will be ok.

 

[brilowe1991]

I'm not seeing anything terrible in your photos. Not every plant is drenched in deadly amounts of pesticide. Cleaning the plants is a sensible precaution. If his appetite resumes and he continues to eat and drink I wouldn't panic.
Just adding new plants or branches to the cage can affect behavior temporarily as they react to the changes.
Keep an close eye on him but I suspect he will be ok.

Omg thank you for replying, it's SOO much appreciated!!!! Okay cool, I just needed an expertise opinion in my pictures.
I know, I am definitely a worry fanatic. I never want to hurt my babies. I'll update anything if something changes.

 

[Fireborn]

You only give him D3 as supplements?

 

[brilowe1991]

You only give him D3 as supplements?

Keep in mind I added Blue to my house about a month ago now. Previously his owner had him on a diet of "just" gut fed crickets. No d3 and no calcium. He was saying he got enough from his "UVB light".

When I adopted blue, I kept up the gut fed crickets, and added meal worms, silk works, super worms, dubia's etc. Dusted his food with- calcium with D3
Should I do something different?

 

[K_Wolf]

I think he'll be just fine. He probably did ingest some chemicals, but considering he was around the plants very long odds are he didn't consume much. As long as he's moving fine and doesnt appear to be in too much distress, there should be no need for medical attention. If, however, he continues not to eat or appears worse, take him in.

 

[walzy444]

Only dust with D3 1-2 times a month. All other days dust w Calcium with out D3, i also dust with Rapashy muliti vitamin 2 times a month. To much D3 is bad/toxic. I heard that meal worms are bad and hard to digest so i completely cut them out of their diets. but superworms are ok here and there. I feed mainly dubias, crickets then a few supers and wax worms.

 

[brilowe1991]

I think he'll be just fine. He probably did ingest some chemicals, but considering he was around the plants very long odds are he didn't consume much. As long as he's moving fine and doesnt appear to be in too much distress, there should be no need for medical attention. If, however, he continues not to eat or appears worse, take him in.

Thank you so much definitely will take him in if it gets worse.. I've always washed my plants before so I wasn't sure how serious this could get.

 

[brilowe1991]

Only dust with D3 1-2 times a month. All other days dust w Calcium with out D3, i also dust with Rapashy muliti vitamin 2 times a month. To much D3 is bad/toxic. I heard that meal worms are bad and hard to digest so i completely cut them out of their diets. but superworms are ok here and there. I feed mainly dubias, crickets then a few supers and wax worms.

dubia's are so hard to get my local pet store doesn't really get them in so I have to order them. But yeah I mainly do a cricket/super/wax worm. he loves those mealworms tho...ill probably only use it as a treat. I'm going to stop today and pick up just a calcium powder. mine other supplement has d3 in it. And while I'm there ill just pick up a multivitamin as well lol. Thank you I love feedback and to see what's working for other people.

 

[walzy444]

you can read some topics in the feeding section about dubias. If you order adults and start a breeding bin.. they are pretty clean, dont smell, dont jump, no noise,no bite or fly and easy maintenance and u can have free food once they start producing They eat a ton of veggies and get fat, so great gut loaders too and I dont think I have ever found a dead dubia.. unlike the nasty, stinky, jumping, chriping crickets...

I would deff cut the D3 for a bit, they can get too much and get really sick if too much. only one or 2 times a month dusting with it.

 

[brilowe1991]

you can read some topics in the feeding section about dubias. If you order adults and start a breeding bin.. they are pretty clean, dont smell, dont jump, no noise,no bite or fly and easy maintenance and u can have free food once they start producing They eat a ton of veggies and get fat, so great gut loaders too and I dont think I have ever found a dead dubia.. unlike the nasty, stinky, jumping, chriping crickets...

I would deff cut the D3 for a bit, they can get too much and get really sick if too much. only one or 2 times a month dusting with it.

Thank you, I appreciate all advise and help! I know crickets can be a pain that's what his original owner had him on only. Just went to my local pet store and alllll there calcium has D3 in it. I have some on order and its being shipped but do you know how long can chameleons go without calcium dusting?

 

[JacksJill]

This is directly form the Panther care sheet and is what walzy444 is describing.
"Supplementation:
Calcium and other vitamins are very important to your chameleon's health. Feeder insects should be lightly dusted with powdered supplement before being fed to your chameleon. Many keepers successfully use calcium (without D3 or phosphorus) at nearly every feeding, multivitamin once every 2 weeks, and calcium with D3 once every 2 weeks."

That said other keepers and one major breeder recommends a low D3 calcium multivitamin supplement daily if that is what you have and you don't over dust you can do that.
Hope that isn't too confusing.

 

[kelly_girl199]

This is directly form the Panther care sheet and is what walzy444 is describing.
"Supplementation:
Calcium and other vitamins are very important to your chameleon's health. Feeder insects should be lightly dusted with powdered supplement before being fed to your chameleon. Many keepers successfully use calcium (without D3 or phosphorus) at nearly every feeding, multivitamin once every 2 weeks, and calcium with D3 once every 2 weeks."

That said other keepers and one major breeder recommends a low D3 calcium multivitamin supplement daily if that is what you have and you don't over dust you can do that.
Hope that isn't too confusing.

I use Repashy Calcium plus LoD for my chameleon a few times a week and that's all I use. And I say a few times a week bc he doesn't eat everyday. It has low enough traces of vitamins to use daily. However the LoD carries a slightly higher load of Vit A than the plain Calcium plus. But my guy also gets out in the sun almost everyday now for a few hours. So I have to use LoD. The calcium plus has a slightly higher amount of D3. I use that for my Beardie bc she doesn't get outside nearly as much. Maybe once a week. She will be out more once I get an outdoor set up for her.

 

[Tkkaplan]

This may sound horrible, but I've never even thought to wash plants.... but my veiled chameleon has been on the same plants for about 1.5 months and he's been perfectly fine. I'm sure my constant misting has washed any pesticides off of the plants. But I doubt your plants have been drenched in pesticides if they're normal house plants. And your cham looks very healthy in my opinion. I wouldn't worry unless he doesn't eat or starts acting strange. Hope this helped.

 

[Kashacheck]

This brings up a good point as I plan and prepare for my own. How do you wash your live plants? Also, what are the best live/ indoor plants? I'm seeing mostly umbrella plant and pathos , but I don't get how the pathos works since it is floppy and just leaves .

 

[JacksJill]

I rinse the above ground portion of the plant with a long spray of water and then replace the top 2 inches of dirt with organic soil. I then put down window screen to keep the bugs out of the soil and top that with rocks larger than my chameleons head. Some people replace all the soil.