Hi, I'm new, Panther Chameleon

[bluegoldfish]

Hi there, Im new to the chameleon forums.

Although i have been reading these threads for the last month or so before just joining the other day. I live in the UK. I have lots to learn on chameleons, i'm a beginner, so would appriciate any help

I have a male ambilobe panther chameleon, he is about 3 months old.
I have been re-reading some of the old threads trying to get some good information, this seems to be the best site i've found recently by far.

I have an Exo-Terra Glass Vivarium 30x30x45 with a mesh lid, because he is still a baby at the moment and will be upgrading when he is bigger.
I have a Repti-Glo 5.0 flourescent tube, and then a Zoo Med clamp lamp above the vivarium, slightly to one side with a 60w Basking bulb.
There is a heat mat in the tank, which is on all the time.

The Flourescent tube i have set on a timer to come on at 7am and turn off at 8:45pm, so he gets more than the recommended 12hours of light a day, is that corect?
The vivarium has branches and the exo-terra plants for him to climb on, and bark substrate at the bottom. He has a water bowl (and a tiny water bottle, the one with the reflective silver ball at the bottom) to drink from.

The vivarium has a thermometer and a hygrometer.
Thermometer temp usually between 80-90f in daytime?
And Hygrometer between moderate-humid.

I spray his tank generously with a sprayer reguarly during the day to make sure it stays like that, and so he has water to drink off the leaves.
I have also managed to get him to drink water droplets from a 1.0ml plastic syringe (without the needle! needless to say) to make sure he gets enough fluids. (Coz don't want him getting de-hydrated - cause of lots of chameleon deaths?!?)

I feed him on small crickets and locusts, which i dust with nutrobal once a week. And i have bought some 2.0 Calcium/No Phosphorus to put on daily, but to be honest i am having trouble getting to get his food dusted with this compared to the nutrobal. I'm worried that he won't be getting enough calcium, especially worried about him getting MBD.
I gut-load my crickets with t-rex calcium-plus food for crickets, but can't find anything that the locusts will eat? i thought they are meant to eat anything and everything?!? lol

I'm trying to do best for this little guy, he still dont have a name yet, as i only got him last week. I'm sure i've left some bits out of this, but i'm sure u guys can remind me

Also one more thing, i'm wondering how much he should weigh at this age???, as i'm gona weigh him weekly to keep track.

Thanks for your help in advance,
Bluegoldfish x

 

[Dean Pulcini]

The one thing that glares out at me is the substrate get rid of that, I use nothing for the adults and paper towels for babies to keep the humidity up. Your going to need a screened cage soon, I don't recommend glass for juvenile or adult panther chameleons. If he drinks from the water bottle congratulations is in order, if not start a drip system. Supplementation is tricky if you ask ten people you'll get ten different answers. For babies calcium 3x a week and vitamins 1x a week, If kept outdoors (which you should) calcium 3x a week and vitamins 1x every 2 weeks.

 

[Kent67]

And something stuck out for me too. Locusts? Are they commercially available over there? I sure wish there was still someone producing them in the states. Anyway, the grasshopper species that I catch around here and the ones I used to get from a biological supply house would all eat oranges, but little else.

 

[Will Hayward]

Hairfarim, (shesh its odd to call people by their usrnams sometimes...)

Locusts are commercially available in Europe, and they are fairly commonly bred too! They keep them in screen cages like Americans do their chameleons. Put in a plant, have it devoured, put in another one. They climb all over the sides, the poop falls down and is swept out. While I've never done it myself- it sure sounds pretty cool.

The same can be done for grasshoppers in North America- however locusts are restricted to be bred, sold, shipped, etc in the US without a governement approved permit. Not that it stops people with roaches mind you...

 

[bluegoldfish]

Hmmm, thanx for the advice. I was using the substrate to keep the hummidity up, and also to stop my cham from looking at his reflection in the glass floor.
Can't keep my cham outside at the moment especially with the downpours and flooding we keep getting at the moment, although im hoping to get him an outside cage, so he can go outside in the nicer weather

I know that glass isn't recommended, and he should preferably have a mesh cage, but will change when he's a bit bigger and older. Will also try some oranges as food for the locusts.

Anybody tried that calcium spray on supplement, like the powder, but you spray it on directly to the food e.g. crickets, thinking that might be easier?

My cham has just shed all his skin today, thats good right? found all the pieces all over the bottom of his vivarium eurgh lol, u can even see the little spikes in it. I think he's also showing a slight bit of colour now.

 

[chrisandpugs]

Use big sponges as the bottem substrate.

Hi!
My advice as a way to increase the humidity is to use big sponges on the cage floor. Spray or soak the sponges with water. Learned this from an exotic Vet. I also have absorbent cloth towels underneath the sponges so that it absorbs all the additional water so my cage floor platform stays dry.

Other advantage using sponges on the floor of cage: Provides a cushion(shock absorber) if your Chameleon somehow accidently falls from his branch. Also, sponges are easily cleaned if there is urate or poop on it and definitely Chameleons ingestion safe!(Cannot be swallowed)!

Christine