hopefully is he male???

[Bladesnbrushes]

I bought a blurple ambanja panther chameleon from a reputable reptile store, NOT a pet supermarket! I tried doing my research and listen to the people at the store and this is what I have. I know my husbandry is off, I've already been corrected and steered in the right direction.
Can you please help sex?

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Blurple ambanja panther, supposedly male, 4 1/2 months old, 1 1/2 months in my care.
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Today was the first day 2/25 I handled with intent to settle my cham to regular care schedule.
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • I feed crickets mainly, ive tried small dubias, small supers, and small horns as treats. I tend to leave food in the run 4 in the morning 4 in the evening, as much as the cham wants. gut loading feeders with fresh veggies, looking into gut load ice integrating my juicer.
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Repticalcium without d3 6 days a week, Repticalcium with d3 and reptivite without d3 1 day a week alternating between calcium and vitamin.
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • I use a dripper during the day, and mist twice a day. I mist until every branch and leaf has droplets, usually 2-3 minutes. I also use a humidifier at night. I see my cham drinking every day usually at least 2-3 times.
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • Dark brown with white tip, not super soft but not hard. Sorry for my lack of terminology.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
  • Bought from a reptile only shop outsourced from Vital Chameleons. Bought as a male. The orange dot on the tail is to identify my chosen pick out of a few at the shop.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Temporarily zoomed screen 16x16x30 for a 3 month old. Ive also got a shower curtain cut to catch most water and hold humidity as my apartment is normally 20-30%
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temporarily zoomed powersun 80w mv (Im changing to a t5 system ASAP). Turning on at 8am, off at 8pm
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Floor- 70 degrees. basking- 80-85. lowest temp yet at 68 on a sub 20 degree night. 2 wired thermometers, one temp gun.
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • During the night I run a humidifier with a curtain in front to get 80-95%. Day humidity is around 40-65 depending the area. I use a dripper on the plant with misting twice a day (Im not home to mist anymore until MISTKING!!!) I use a corded hygrometer.
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • I use a variegated umbrella plant, they were highly recommended online.
• 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?
  • My enclosure is located in the corner of my room away from fans or vents. It is somewhat a high traffic area when i get home, until i move any other options have been exhausted. The enclosure is equal from the ground to the ceiling.
• Location - Where are you geographically located?
  • I live close to Atlanta, GA.

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Considering the lack of proper knowledge Ive received i am wondering if my male is a female. All the others in the shop from the same clutch are twice as big as mine now and some are gaining colors. My cham only eats 3-6 crickets a day, i feed as much as it eats... Hasn't grown much in the 1 1/2 months in my care, WILL NOT eat anything but crickets. My setup is not so dissimilar from the shop i bought it from except i added a plant. Did i spend $600 on a female?

 

[Bladesnbrushes]

He/ she got pissy with me when I picked him/ her up.

 

[Multivitamins]

You'll need better photos in clear light and also try to get a shot of the tail and back feet if you can.

 

[kinyonga]

Tail base photos....feet won't tell you anything about the sex in a panther.

 

[ERKleRose]

Here’s a great article on sexing panthers, as well:
http://www.muchadoaboutchameleons.com/2013/04/male-or-female-how-to-sex-baby-panther.html

 

[ERKleRose]

Hello, again! My responses will be in red, and I’ll be referring to your cham as a he to make the info less confusing, even though I have no idea on the sex right now. I’ve attached helpful charts below (The Chameleon Academy link was already put in your other thread, so make sure read through the entire site, along with listening to as of their many podcasts as you can, too!):

I bought a blurple ambanja panther chameleon from a reputable reptile store, NOT a pet supermarket! I tried doing my research and listen to the people at the store and this is what I have. I know my husbandry is off, I've already been corrected and steered in the right direction.
Can you please help sex?

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Blurple ambanja panther, supposedly male, 4 1/2 months old, 1 1/2 months in my care.
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Today was the first day 2/25 I handled with intent to settle my cham to regular care schedule. What do you mean by schedule? How did you handle him, did you let him come to you on a branch or something or did you grab him from his cage?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • I feed crickets mainly, ive tried small dubias, small supers, and small horns as treats. I tend to leave food in the run 4 in the morning 4 in the evening, as much as the cham wants. gut loading feeders with fresh veggies, looking into gut load ice integrating my juicer. At his age, feed him as much as he’ll eat (if you meant you’re giving him 4 bugs in the morning and 4 bugs in the evening)! Start giving him food around 30 minutes after his lights come on, not at 4am and 4 pm, if that’s what you meant instead! What veggies do you gutload with? The feeder and gutload charts I added below are great! Variety is key for both (just make sure to use the correct ratios for the gutload ingredients)!
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Repticalcium without d3 6 days a week, Repticalcium with d3 and reptivite without d3 1 day a week alternating between calcium and vitamin.
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • I use a dripper during the day, and mist twice a day. I mist until every branch and leaf has droplets, usually 2-3 minutes. I also use a humidifier at night. I see my cham drinking every day usually at least 2-3 times. What type of humidifier do you use (cool-mist or warm air, cage humidifier or a whole-room one), and what times during the night do you use it? How often do you clean it and any tubes or other accessories used? What are your overnight temps? Humidifiers can only be used if the temps are lower than 68*F during the night.
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • Dark brown with white tip, not super soft but not hard. Sorry for my lack of terminology. Since he’s not growing, definitely take him to an experienced chameleon vet to check for parasites, so bring a fresh fecal with you. Since you‘ve been using a mercury vapor bulb, see if the vet feels it‘s right to do an x-ray as well. Also make sure to drop off at least 2 more fresh fecal samples afterwards to make sure no parasites were missed. If he does have any parasites, the shop you got him from might pay for the vet visit(s) and any treatments needed if you ask them and/or if there were any health guarentees when you purchased him (if they aren’t expired).
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
  • Bought from a reptile only shop outsourced from Vital Chameleons. Bought as a male. The orange dot on the tail is to identify my chosen pick out of a few at the shop.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Temporarily zoomed screen 16x16x30 for a 3 month old. Ive also got a shower curtain cut to catch most water and hold humidity as my apartment is normally 20-30% He’ll need a minimum cage size of either 2’ x 2’ x 4’ tall (if male or female) or 36” x 18” x 36” tall (if female only), but preferably 4’ x 2’ x 4’ tall or bigger soon. Bigger is always better! Also, if he is a she, she’ll need a lay bin, lower temps, and limited feedings as she gets older, too. I’ve attached a great lay bin chart just in case!
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temporarily zoomed powersun 80w mv (Im changing to a t5 system ASAP). Turning on at 8am, off at 8pm What length and brand of fixture are you getting, as well as strength and brand of UVB? Have you gotten a plain white light basking bulb (plain white light household incandescent bulbs from the hardware store work great for this!) to use along side the T5 HO UVB once the T5 HO system comes in (are you ordering it or buying it from a local pet store?)?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Floor- 70 degrees. basking- 80-85. lowest temp yet at 68 on a sub 20 degree night. 2 wired thermometers, one temp gun. That’s too hot of a basking for a baby! 80*F max! With mercury vapor bulbs, the problem is they either give you too much UVB and not enough heat or too much heat and not enough UVB. How fast will his T5 fixture and light be here and get installed? Once it does, if you don’t get a Solarmeter 6.5 to measure yourself (otherwise place the branch where your cham will get a UVI level of 3), the bulb needs to be 6” from the top of his back when he’s on his basking branch (or 8-9” from the bulb to his basking branch) for a proper UVI level of 3, but only if it is a Zoo Med 5.0 or Arcadia 6% though! Different strengths change the distances. Depending on the brand changes how often you need to replace the bulb, as well (if you don’t get a Solarmeter 6.5- if you do, change out the bulbs when the readings are cut in half). You can get his nighttime temps lower than that, even to 65*F or lower, especially since you use a fogger. Foggers can only be used if it’s lower than 68*F and only in the coldest parts of the night. Is one of the wired thermometer’s probes placed where his casque/top of his back is when he’s on his basking branch? That needs to be there if not to measure his basking temps accurately.

 

[ERKleRose]

Sorry, I had to break this up into two posts!

• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • During the night I run a humidifier with a curtain in front to get 80-95%. Day humidity is around 40-65 depending the area. I use a dripper on the plant with misting twice a day (Im not home to mist anymore until MISTKING!!!) I use a corded hygrometer. What do you mean by a curtain in front for fogging, and does it block airflow to the cage? Try to keep his daytime levels between 50-60%. Where is your hygrometer placed in his cage? Once he goes to a bigger cage, you’ll want at least three preferably (and if they’re digital thermometer-hygrometer combos to check ambient temps as well, even better!), one up top near his basking area, one in the middle of the cage, and one near the bottom.
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • I use a variegated umbrella plant, they were highly recommended online. When his cage gets upgraded, be sure to use tons of plants (preferably all live), vines (preferably all live, but if you have to use fake ones, no moss or Exo Terra vines, Fluker’s are good), and branches of multiple species and diameters (just no branches from toxic or sap-producing trees or dowels covered in moss, if you use bamboo branches, make sure they are rough enough for your cham to grip). The Chameleon Academy has a great module on setting up a cage and a great module on chameleon-safe plants, too! I’ve also attached two plant charts, as well!
• 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?
  • My enclosure is located in the corner of my room away from fans or vents. It is somewhat a high traffic area when i get home, until i move any other options have been exhausted. The enclosure is equal from the ground to the ceiling. How high up is the bottom of his enclosure from the floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?
  • I live close to Atlanta, GA.

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Considering the lack of proper knowledge Ive received i am wondering if my male is a female. All the others in the shop from the same clutch are twice as big as mine now and some are gaining colors. My cham only eats 3-6 crickets a day, i feed as much as it eats... Hasn't grown much in the 1 1/2 months in my care, WILL NOT eat anything but crickets. My setup is not so dissimilar from the shop i bought it from except i added a plant. Did i spend $600 on a female? He needs to grow, so if he only wants to eat crickets, let him and try a few different types of feeders every once in a while to see if he likes them, don’t make him go on a hunger strike to stop eating the crickets and try something else. He definitely needs to go to an experienced chameleon vet to get tested for parasites, too. He also needs a correct UVB fixture and bulb ASAP, as well.

 

[Bladesnbrushes]

Here’s a great article on sexing panthers, as well:
http://www.muchadoaboutchameleons.com/2013/04/male-or-female-how-to-sex-baby-panther.html

This is the article that started my questioning as I just found this article a few days ago
I now assume its female because of the gradual sloping tail with no penal bump

 

[salty dog]

females have circles in the bars males do not

 

[Bladesnbrushes]

Hello, again! My responses will be in red, and I’ll be referring to your cham as a he to make the info less confusing, even though I have no idea on the sex right now. I’ve attached helpful charts below (The Chameleon Academy link was already put in your other thread, so make sure read through the entire site, along with listening to as of their many podcasts as you can, too!):

I will answer back italicized!

I bought a blurple ambanja panther chameleon from a reputable reptile store, NOT a pet supermarket! I tried doing my research and listen to the people at the store and this is what I have. I know my husbandry is off, I've already been corrected and steered in the right direction.
Can you please help sex?

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Blurple ambanja panther, supposedly male, 4 1/2 months old, 1 1/2 months in my care.
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Today was the first day 2/25 I handled with intent to settle my cham to regular care schedule. What do you mean by schedule? How did you handle him, did you let him come to you on a branch or something or did you grab him from his cage?

Flying from cali to a pet store then a drive to my house I know was stressful. I just wanted him to get used to us feeding, cleaning, and just seeing my fiance and I.

• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • I feed crickets mainly, ive tried small dubias, small supers, and small horns as treats. I tend to leave food in the run 4 in the morning 4 in the evening, as much as the cham wants. gut loading feeders with fresh veggies, looking into gut load ice integrating my juicer. At his age, feed him as much as he’ll eat (if you meant you’re giving him 4 bugs in the morning and 4 bugs in the evening)! Start giving him food around 30 minutes after his lights come on, not at 4am and 4 pm, if that’s what you meant instead! What veggies do you gutload with? The feeder and gutload charts I added below are great! Variety is key for both (just make sure to use the correct ratios for the gutload ingredients)!

I do this! I don't feed immediately when I turn the lights on. I feed 4 bugs in the morning 4 at night. I gutload my feeders very close to the ratios you provided. Granted I don't weigh my fresh produce, I stick closely to the 70% leafy 15% other veggies 10% fruit. Honestly I have not fed the other 5% of specialty ingredients. Im VERY interested in making gutload ice cubes with my juicer considering it extracts most all nutrients and phytonutrients.

• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Repticalcium without d3 6 days a week, Repticalcium with d3 and reptivite without d3 1 day a week alternating between calcium and vitamin.
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • I use a dripper during the day, and mist twice a day. I mist until every branch and leaf has droplets, usually 2-3 minutes. I also use a humidifier at night. I see my cham drinking every day usually at least 2-3 times. What type of humidifier do you use (cool-mist or warm air, cage humidifier or a whole-room one), and what times during the night do you use it? How often do you clean it and any tubes or other accessories used? What are your overnight temps? Humidifiers can only be used if the temps are lower than 68*F during the night.

I use a cool mist humidifier. It gets cleaned about every week or two. Nothing else used with it. I usually run it 30 minutes after lights turn off when temps normally hit 70 and below. I turn it off 30 minutes before lights on and haven't had trouble reaching my 80-90% at night. My hygrometer is placed on the outside of the canopy about 10 inches down from the top.

• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • Dark brown with white tip, not super soft but not hard. Sorry for my lack of terminology. Since he’s not growing, definitely take him to an experienced chameleon vet to check for parasites, so bring a fresh fecal with you. Since you‘ve been using a mercury vapor bulb, see if the vet feels it‘s right to do an x-ray as well. Also make sure to drop off at least 2 more fresh fecal samples afterwards to make sure no parasites were missed. If he does have any parasites, the shop you got him from might pay for the vet visit(s) and any treatments needed if you ask them and/or if there were any health guarentees when you purchased him (if they aren’t expired).

Ok! The place i bought him from used mercury vapor bulbs so I will definitely be taking him to a vet asap. As far as guarantees, they ran out of food and I was forced to use feeders from somewhere else.

• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
  • Bought from a reptile only shop outsourced from Vital Chameleons. Bought as a male. The orange dot on the tail is to identify my chosen pick out of a few at the shop.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Temporarily zoomed screen 16x16x30 for a 3 month old. Ive also got a shower curtain cut to catch most water and hold humidity as my apartment is normally 20-30% He’ll need a minimum cage size of either 2’ x 2’ x 4’ tall (if male or female) or 36” x 18” x 36” tall (if female only), but preferably 4’ x 2’ x 4’ tall or bigger soon. Bigger is always better! Also, if he is a she, she’ll need a lay bin, lower temps, and limited feedings as she gets older, too. I’ve attached a great lay bin chart just in case!

I completely agree! Just got the small for health reasons you mentioned. If he is a she, ill buy her, then that store will give me a male unless they want a bad reputation and I will keep both. I honestly didn't want to deal with a gravid female, but if they are THIS wrong I WILL NOT be giving her back! I actually care for the welfare of this animal! She will be better off in my hands, even though it makes me cringe when I think of the others they have still for sale!

 

[Bladesnbrushes]

• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temporarily zoomed powersun 80w mv (Im changing to a t5 system ASAP). Turning on at 8am, off at 8pm What length and brand of fixture are you getting, as well as strength and brand of UVB? Have you gotten a plain white light basking bulb (plain white light household incandescent bulbs from the hardware store work great for this!) to use along side the T5 HO UVB once the T5 HO system comes in (are you ordering it or buying it from a local pet store?)?

Its funny because this is the route I was headed until my store told me to use MV bulbs. Im used to breeding wild caught tanganyikan cichlids and they weren't just petsmart fish, they were decently hard to keep. I was directed by Beman to get the right HO T5 with the correct uvb. Shipping is a pain at my location, but i think i must try, ive depleted all stores close to me. None of them have the fixture and bulb.

• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Floor- 70 degrees. basking- 80-85. lowest temp yet at 68 on a sub 20 degree night. 2 wired thermometers, one temp gun. That’s too hot of a basking for a baby! 80*F max! With mercury vapor bulbs, the problem is they either give you too much UVB and not enough heat or too much heat and not enough UVB. How fast will his T5 fixture and light be here and get installed? Once it does, if you don’t get a Solarmeter 6.5 to measure yourself (otherwise place the branch where your cham will get a UVI level of 3), the bulb needs to be 6” from the top of his back when he’s on his basking branch (or 8-9” from the bulb to his basking branch) for a proper UVI level of 3, but only if it is a Zoo Med 5.0 or Arcadia 6% though! Different strengths change the distances. Depending on the brand changes how often you need to replace the bulb, as well (if you don’t get a Solarmeter 6.5- if you do, change out the bulbs when the readings are cut in half). You can get his nighttime temps lower than that, even to 65*F or lower, especially since you use a fogger. Foggers can only be used if it’s lower than 68*F and only in the coldest parts of the night. Is one of the wired thermometer’s probes placed where his casque/top of his back is when he’s on his basking branch? That needs to be there if not to measure his basking temps accurately.

So the highest temp reads 85 at THE TOP, meaning an inch from the top screen. I spiraling a vine to maximize a perfect basking spot. I keep a corded probe exactly where the basking spot is and normally reads 80 with not much fluctuations.

 

[Bladesnbrushes]

Sorry, I had to break this up into two posts!

• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • During the night I run a humidifier with a curtain in front to get 80-95%. Day humidity is around 40-65 depending the area. I use a dripper on the plant with misting twice a day (Im not home to mist anymore until MISTKING!!!) I use a corded hygrometer. What do you mean by a curtain in front for fogging, and does it block airflow to the cage? Try to keep his daytime levels between 50-60%. Where is your hygrometer placed in his cage? Once he goes to a bigger cage, you’ll want at least three preferably (and if they’re digital thermometer-hygrometer combos to check ambient temps as well, even better!), one up top near his basking area, one in the middle of the cage, and one near the bottom.

The curtain is just big enough to cover the front screen so that i create a flow of air in one side and out the other, humidifier helps this. I don't have ANY stagnant air. Hygrometer is just outside the canopy a few inches away from the temp probe.

• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • I use a variegated umbrella plant, they were highly recommended online. When his cage gets upgraded, be sure to use tons of plants (preferably all live), vines (preferably all live, but if you have to use fake ones, no moss or Exo Terra vines, Fluker’s are good), and branches of multiple species and diameters (just no branches from toxic or sap-producing trees or dowels covered in moss, if you use bamboo branches, make sure they are rough enough for your cham to grip). The Chameleon Academy has a great module on setting up a cage and a great module on chameleon-safe plants, too! I’ve also attached two plant charts, as well!

I did try to get this part as closely related to neptune the chameleon and follow baby keeping advice, even though it was not recommended to me to use live plants at my store. That shop suggested dowels and fake vines which i didn't listen to. I use one flukers vine because it has no moss, its easy for him to grab and it won't decay.

• 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?
  • My enclosure is located in the corner of my room away from fans or vents. It is somewhat a high traffic area when i get home, until i move any other options have been exhausted. The enclosure is equal from the ground to the ceiling. How high up is the bottom of his enclosure from the floor?

My enclosure is 2.5 feet off the floor. I found early on before i brought him home the closer to the ground or cieling the enclosure would flutuate more with less accurate temps. I did test trials BEFORE i brought him home and found the most stable spot in my apartment.

• Location - Where are you geographically located?
  • I live close to Atlanta, GA.

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Considering the lack of proper knowledge Ive received i am wondering if my male is a female. All the others in the shop from the same clutch are twice as big as mine now and some are gaining colors. My cham only eats 3-6 crickets a day, i feed as much as it eats... Hasn't grown much in the 1 1/2 months in my care, WILL NOT eat anything but crickets. My setup is not so dissimilar from the shop i bought it from except i added a plant. Did i spend $600 on a female? He needs to grow, so if he only wants to eat crickets, let him and try a few different types of feeders every once in a while to see if he likes them, don’t make him go on a hunger strike to stop eating the crickets and try something else. He definitely needs to go to an experienced chameleon vet to get tested for parasites, too. He also needs a correct UVB fixture and bulb ASAP, as well.

I will listen, read and learn from all knowledge provided. Thank you so much for correcting my sub-par keeping practices.
Im looking for a cham friendly vet near me.
I will post better pictures to help sex and when i get my enclosure complete.