*HELP* Recently got a baby ambilobe panther chameleon

[Mountain Dragon]

Which uvb bulb would you recommend ? I’ve seen a fair few different ones but unsure which one is correct. Thankyou

Arcadia 6% uvb is the recommendation

 

[Mountain Dragon]

Some of these have aready been added but…

 

[Mountain Dragon]

My advice is in bold

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Ambilobe panther female chameleon. She has been in our care for 3 days.
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? As often as she would like to come out, we put our hands to her and she reaches out to us. You should only handle her for cleaning, and moving to a plant, once’s week or so
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? We are feeding her locust about 7-10 per day & will increase this as she gets older. This is the feed we brought when we brought her home. We feed her in the morning. I’ve been to trying to get help with gut loading so your advice would be very welcome. The feeding decreases when they get older but Rn sinces she a baby 10-12 is good
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? We are dusting them with repti calcium without D3.
• Pick a day of the week. I use Sunday because that's when I do most of the reptile cleaning & maint. chores. On a wall calendar, mark alternate Sundays (or whatever day you choose) with either a V (Vitamins) or D3(Calcium w/ D3). I mark the entire calendar ahead so I don't forget or confuse which supplement to use as the months progress.
  
  On Sundays, dust with what's on the calendar. Every other day, dust with Calcium w/o D3.
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? We have a mister and we use misting twice a day for about 2 minutes each time. Invest in a mistking auto mister and mist 2-4 min before lights turn on and lights turn off
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? Not that I know of she’s been tested for parasites. Her toilet is like brown/black with some being white. Looks squidgy?get her tested for parasites
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. When we bought her she was in a little tiny container and I asked why & the shop told us she had been in there for 7 hours and they hadn’t rehoused her yet to sell her. She came in with a male but he sold and the female was left behind.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? It is a mesh cage tall standing. You need a minimum of 2ft by 2ft by 4ft screen is best if you can afford it Stanton strand is awesome you need a bare bottom or bioactive bioactive has isopods and springtails and al it if other stuff so if you do that read up

• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? 7am - 7pm, we left it on longer last night as she was sitting underneath it. We have the reptibreeze chameleon kit, so that came with the bulb we are currently using, but have been advised to change it so that will be done today. You need one heat bulb a human incandescent heat bulb works great and one linear uvb aracadia 6% is one of the best also you don’t need any heat or light at night at all
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Temp at basking spot is 78 & doesn’t seem to get hotter which is what I am concerned about. But she will sit up there then when she has had enough she comes down, middle is 76 and bottom is 74. Since she’s a baby for basking spot try to aim for low 80s and ambient cage temp should be in the low to mid 70's when she’s older it will change a little I think

Beman said:
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? We have a digital zoo med thermometer that came with the kit we are using to measure temps but it doesn’t have humidity on there, please can you advise which is best to measure humidity I am very happy to go out today to get all the bits I need to keep my panther very happy.so you a humidity gauge and temp gauge bc the one you have is known to be not accurate govee is a very good one

• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Nope you need live plants I sent a plant list
• 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? It is located in my frontroom placed on the back of the wall. I don’t have her off of the ground yet but I will be getting her a stand to go onto. You definitely need a stand the taller the better
• Location - Where are you geographically located? Essex.

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Her colours as I was told when she is relaxed she will be a nice pink colour but only in her house I see her quite dark colours I know this is a sign of depression. When we get her out she changed colours more to a orangey / pink so that has me thinking she isn’t happy with her home. All advice is welcome I will take on board and have a list of what I need to get to keep her very happy. Thankyou
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Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

please read all of chameleon academy’s modules they are very good also on YouTube Neptune the Chameleon is amazing and chameleon academy has podcasts

 

[Lemoncham]

Handling can stress chams out a lot so only handle her if absolutely necessary!

I don’t agree with this because when she is in her house she is dark coloured so I’m thinking the things that need to change are in her house because when we do handle her she changes to a pink colour and is very relaxed.

 

[Mountain Dragon]

I don’t agree with this because when she is in her house she is dark coloured so I’m thinking the things that need to change are in her house because when we do handle her she changes to a pink colour and is very relaxed.

I would say u should really only handle her once a week she’s probably dark because you haven’t left alone enough to settle in

 

[Millz&Jukka]

I don’t agree with this because when she is in her house she is dark coloured so I’m thinking the things that need to change are in her house because when we do handle her she changes to a pink colour and is very relaxed.

Although we would like to think it, handling chams is actually stressful for them. If she wants to come out its most likely for free range but seriously, holding them does stress them out even if her colours change. It should still be kept to a minimum just for checking health and moving her for cleaning or free range if you have that sort of thing set up

 

[Lemoncham]

My advice is in bold







please read all of chameleon academy’s modules they are very good also on YouTube Neptune the Chameleon is amazing and chameleon academy has podcasts

Thankyou so much your advice is really appreciated I am going to get the bulb in the next hour, what confuses me is her being dark coloured in her house so to me that is a clear sign that something isn’t right with her house. So there’s a few things I need to add/change. But I know you and others say not to handle her too much but when we do handle her she changes to a pinky colour which I was advised will be her colour once settled and happy and looks very relaxed ?

 

[Snuits]

Have u seen me type

Lol

 

[Millz&Jukka]

Thankyou so much your advice is really appreciated I am going to get the bulb in the next hour, what confuses me is her being dark coloured in her house so to me that is a clear sign that something isn’t right with her house. So there’s a few things I need to add/change. But I know you and others say not to handle her too much but when we do handle her she changes to a pinky colour which I was advised will be her colour once settled and happy and looks very relaxed ?

Sometimes their colour can get brighter when they feel threatened, certainly the case for males, so it's possible and likely that those colours are because she feels threatened and fearful, not relaxed and happy.

 

[Lemoncham]

Although we would like to think it, handling chams is actually stressful for them. If she wants to come out its most likely for free range but seriously, holding them does stress them out even if her colours change. It should still be kept to a minimum just for checking health and moving her for cleaning or free range if you have that sort of thing set up

Sometimes their colour can get brighter when they feel threatened, certainly the case for males, so it's possible and likely that those colours are because she feels threatened and fearful, not relaxed and happy.

Its all very confusing & a lot to take in but with all your help she will have the best. Hopefully in no time I’ll have enough knowledge

 

[Millz&Jukka]

Its all very confusing & a lot to take in but with all your help she will have the best. Hopefully in no time I’ll have enough knowledge

I totally get it, it can be overwhelming to begin with especially when there's so much misinformation and so many pet shops will say how easy they are to look after! Don't worry, as long as you make the recommended changes I'm sure you'll do fine and if youre ever in Kent let me know

 

[Beman]

@Lemoncham See my feedback and questions in bold.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Ambilobe panther female chameleon. She has been in our care for 3 days. Yes, she does look to be about 4 months old.
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? As often as she would like to come out, we put our hands to her and she reaches out to us. So while this seems like she is excited to see you this behavior is linked to her unhappiness with the cage. It is not set up properly for her. I think once you have the cage set up as it should be she will settle in to being more content in her cage rather than being out with you. Which is what we want to see with chams.
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? We are feeding her locust about 7-10 per day & will increase this as she gets older. This is the feed we brought when we brought her home. We feed her in the morning. I’ve been to trying to get help with gut loading so your advice would be very welcome. Ok with a female you will need to really watch food intake as she matures. This is because food intake and basking temp directly impact clutch size. She will lay infertile eggs like chickens do. We want them to lay small clutches because this is much easier on their bodies. Size of feeders matters. As she matures you will have to start cutting back her food. By about 6 months she should be getting about 5-8 small feeders each day. At about 7 months you want to slowly reduce by cutting down feeder amounts so that she is on a feeding schedule of 3 days a week with 3 feeders. You want them to be on this schedule by the time they are 9-10 months old.
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? We are dusting them with repti calcium without D3. This is fine for most of the feedings you will do but you will need a multivitamin and a calcium with D3. I would look into getting repashy Calcium Plus LoD version. This would be given 2 times a month on say the 1st and the 15th then all other feedings you would use the calcium without D3.
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? We have a mister and we use misting twice a day for about 2 minutes each time. So mist in the morning and at night. 2 minutes may not be enough. You would be misting all the plants never directly spraying her. If she walks into it that is different. You will also need to add a dripper during the day. This can be done with a solo plastic cup and tiny pin holes in the bottom of it. Add ice cubes for a slow drip. Place this on the screen top and above plants.
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? Not that I know of she’s been tested for parasites. Her toilet is like brown/black with some being white. Looks squidgy? So poop is important with chams. It tells us alot. You want to see well formed fecals. And the urate is the white part. This should always be at least 50% white. If it is all yellow or orange she is showing signs of dehydration.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. When we bought her she was in a little tiny container and I asked why & the shop told us she had been in there for 7 hours and they hadn’t rehoused her yet to sell her. She came in with a male but he sold and the female was left behind. That is fine... You just want to get your cage right fast. No chance of her mating she is too young.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? It is a mesh cage tall standing. Looks like this is a 16x16x30 reptibreeze. You will need a larger cage for her as she starts to mature. By the time she hits 5-6 months you need a 2x2x4 ft enclosure with a permanent lay bin kept in it.
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? 7am - 7pm, we left it on longer last night as she was sitting underneath it. We have the reptibreeze chameleon kit, so that came with the bulb we are currently using, but have been advised to change it so that will be done today. So this is important the Compact uvb light will not work. You need a T5ho fixture with a 5.0 or 6% bulb strength. Arcadia brands should be easier for you to get there. These are long linear fixtures. You want the 24 inch fixture so it can be used on the next cage. This fixture type and bulb strength would then be placed on the top screen and you want the closest branch below it to be 8-9 inches away for the right UVI level. This is very important.
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Temp at basking spot is 78 & doesn’t seem to get hotter which is what I am concerned about. But she will sit up there then when she has had enough she comes down, middle is 76 and bottom is 74. You will never want basking to be more then 78-80 max for her. Temps combined with food intake limit egg production. Keep in mind her branch should be 8-10 inches away from the heat fixture to limit thermal burns from the bulb.
• Humidity- What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? We have a digital zoo med thermometer that came with the kit we are using to measure temps but it doesn’t have humidity on there, please can you advise which is best to measure humidity I am very happy to go out today to get all the bits I need to keep my panther very happy. Your looking for a daytime range of 50-60%. I love the govee devices. They hook up on an app on your phone. As long as they do not get sprayed directly they are wonderful and work well. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R586J37/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Nope You want live plants... Lots of them. Centerpiece plants from this link will help fill out the cage https://chameleonacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Chameleon-Plants-061321.pdf
  • 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? It is located in my frontroom placed on the back of the wall. I don’t have her off of the ground yet but I will be getting her a stand to go onto. Must be on a stand. Think tree dwelling reptile. Floors mean danger for them.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? Essex.
• 
  Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
  Her colours as I was told when she is relaxed she will be a nice pink colour but only in her house I see her quite dark colours I know this is a sign of depression. When we get her out she changed colours more to a orangey / pink so that has me thinking she isn’t happy with her home. All advice is welcome I will take on board and have a list of what I need to get to keep her very happy. Thankyou
  So this is a stress response. with chams you have to think tree dwelling when you look at their cages. So lots of real branches. If you have to use fake vines only buy the flukers brand. The others cause issues. You need live plants so she feels safe. Again your thinking tree when you look at the cage. You will also need something for water run off. Look into 2x2 ft washing machine drain pans. Typically they are plastic. Raise the cage up and put the pan below drilling holes into the bottom of the cage PVC piece that sits in the bottom for the water to drip through. You can do a gravity drain or wet vac the pan.

Start reading everything in this husbandry program it will jumpstart your understanding of her needs https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/

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[KatotheChameleon]

Thankyou so much. I will be getting a UVB today then. This was the bulbs that came with the kit and I was assured it was the right thing but obviously not, so that will be getting changed today. Which one do you recommend ? & I will also look for a stand today to put her house onto. Thankyou for your advice greatly appreciated.

Personally, I use Zoomed Reptisun 5.0 UVB long light fixture. I have also heard Arcadia is a good brand to use as well! here is the brand information, and you can find it elsewhere to compare prices if you Google it!


https://www.petmountain.com/product...5jYbVitd9lny9sOj21oYkKAgqBT6nWwxoCv7kQAvD_BwE