Ill??????

[Nosyparker]

Over the past few days I've noticed my 7 month old male nosy faly panther to be quite dark in colour
I've just come upstairs now and he's lying/sitting on his branch very strangely and I'm quite worried?
He's the first reptile I've ever owned so I don't really know what to do.
I've noticed a few times today that he's been lying on that vine rather than standing?
The only things that have changed are I've swapped from a d3+ desert lamp to the forest 6% and added a few more live creeping plants and the vine that he's on in that photo which he seems to like
Help please...

He's just eaten hopper number 8 today which I guess is a good sign?!

Your Chameleon - Nosy Faly, male, 6-8 months (I'm thinking closer to 6 months) He's been in my care since Sunday the 22nd June.
Handling - I have handled him very few times for, mainly been letting him walk on to my hand if he wants
Feeding - Black crickets, hoppers, the odd waxworm. He rarely eats more than 10 bugs a day. Lights on at 10am Mist: 10:30/11am, fed around the same time and mist and feed again at 3pm, mist again at 7pm, Lights top 10pm. Feeders are gutloaded on prorep bug grub (I have the feeling this isn't a very high quality gutload so I'm going to use what's remaining and upgrade) with watercress and bug gel for hydration
Supplements - Vetark calcium dust, Vetark nutrobal, repashy SuperCal LoD
Calcium- every day
Nurtobal- every 2 weeks
Repashy SuperCal LoD- every 2 weeks
Watering - Currently only misting (usually when the Viv looks as if it has dried) For maybe a minute or so 3-4 times a day. Dripper in there too.
Fecal Description - Urate white, poops seem to be pretty good with no undigested food
History - Bought from Doncaster Show from a German dude (Christoph Fritz I'm thinking?)

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Komodo easy assemble chameleon terrarium, glass sliding doors with mesh sides and roof. 76x46x91cm
Lighting - Exo terra 75w basking lamp, one arcadia forest T5 6% 22" D3+ with the capacity for another to be fitted if need be. Lights on at 10am, off at 10pm
Temperature - Not sure about cage floor but the ambient thermometer is situated halfway up the cage at around 74. Basking spot is 90 Fahrenheit. Lowest overnight temp- 69. Using thermo-hygrometer deluxe pro. Using a microclimate ministat 100 and the probe is wrapped in the plant at the back left.
Humidity - Drops to 50%, up 78% after misting. Currently only using a hand mister. Using thermo-hygrometer deluxe pro to measure temps and humidty.
Plants - Live plants; I'm not sure of the type of plants, both were bought at Doncaster show. I think one could be a Dracaena and the other maybe Pachira but I will post a photo. There are artificial plants around basking spot for more privacy
Placement - Cage is located behind my bedroom door, away from fans, air vents and windows. Top of the cage measures 5'7" from the floor, the bottom is 2'9"
Location - UK, midlands


I've added a few more plants since this photo was taken

 

[RonWhitmill]

I am sorry your guy isn't doing well. He doesn't look very good. From the info you provided I can't give you a very good opinion of what's wrong with him. He does not appear to be very happy. Hopefully someone out here with more experience than I have will chime in soon. Just wanted to send my thoughts your way. Good luck to you and your guy and I will be watching to see how he is doing.

 

[Nosyparker]

I am sorry your guy isn't doing well. He doesn't look very good. From the info you provided I can't give you a very good opinion of what's wrong with him. He does not appear to be very happy. Hopefully someone out here with more experience than I have will chime in soon. Just wanted to send my thoughts your way. Good luck to you and your guy and I will be watching to see how he is doing.

Thank you He's up and moving around now and he's had yet another hopper but I just have no idea because from what I can gather his set up is okay? Maybe lacking in greenery a bit :/

 

[Nosyparker]

Do you think he could be due to shed? He's been stretching his face a lot, do anyone else's chams go dark before sheddng? He's eaten 11 hoppers now! Definitely not off his food, who knew being a chameleon keeper would make me so paranoid

 

[junglefries]

Chams do get darker before shedding. They also can quickly change their behavior upon unwanted lighting changes. Sometimes too much UVB can cause the eyes to swell shut. I am not familiar with either the desert d3 or the forest 6%. I use the T5 HO Zoomed Reptisun 5.0 bulbs. You may want to take your bulbs to a pet store that will measure your UVB output. I would also recommend switching out to a mesh enclosure. It can be easy to overheat or grow mold and bacteria in a glass enclosure. Panthers need open air. It is something hard to grasp, but you will notice a difference in his overall appearance and health upon doing so. You could also cut back on the wax worms to maybe one or two every week or two. They are high in unwanted protein fat. Good alternatives to crickets are: silkworms, hornedworms, locusts, superworms, roaches, mantids, butterflies, katydids, bumblebees. Actually, Nick Barta just did a price reduction on some feeders at 10:40am. So you may be able to get some really cheap variety. Good luck.

 

[Nosyparker]

Chams do get darker before shedding. They also can quickly change their behavior upon unwanted lighting changes. Sometimes too much UVB can cause the eyes to swell shut. I am not familiar with either the desert d3 or the forest 6%. I use the T5 HO Zoomed Reptisun 5.0 bulbs. You may want to take your bulbs to a pet store that will measure your UVB output. I would also recommend switching out to a mesh enclosure. It can be easy to overheat or grow mold and bacteria in a glass enclosure. Panthers need open air. It is something hard to grasp, but you will notice a difference in his overall appearance and health upon doing so. You could also cut back on the wax worms to maybe one or two every week or two. They are high in unwanted protein fat. Good alternatives to crickets are: silkworms, hornedworms, locusts, superworms, roaches, mantids, butterflies, katydids, bumblebees. Actually, Nick Barta just did a price reduction on some feeders at 10:40am. So you may be able to get some really cheap variety. Good luck.

He's a lot brighter now, and more active around his viv. The lamps I bought are Arcadia, I actually work in a pet shop so I might find out if we have something to measure the UVB output or if I can get one discounted.
He's in a mesh viv The doors are glass but the sides and top are all mesh, although one side is against the wall and another against my wardrobe so I might pull it out for more air circulation around the back.
I can't seem to find anywhere that sells silk/super/hornedworms in the UK?! Does Nick Barta have a website or? I've never heard of him before.
He doesn't seem to like his crickets much, he'll eat the odd few in the morning when he's hungry but after 2/3 he holds out for his locusts.
Thank you, you've definitely put my mind at ease and I'll have a good search around for a more varied diet for him . Am I right in thinking to stay away from morioworms as well as mealworms? As their exoskeleton causes impaction?
Thanks again

 

[RonWhitmill]

I actually feed mine a lot of silkworms. They are my personal favorite. I've never actually known anyone who's had their panther get impacted from mealworms, but you hear of it a lot. And overheating is an issue in glass sided terrariums. But as long as it has proper ventilation, some people swear by them. Below is a link with a very experienced forum member discusses this. I use screen myself, but I think there is more than one way to do things. And I try to be open minded and learn from others experiences. It was a very interesting read.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/everyone-who-knows-you-cant-keep-chams-glass-31937/

 

[Kath44]

I got some silkworms from http://www.silkwormstore.co.uk/silkworms.html
My Cham prefers locust over crickets too.
Has your Cham got mbd? Might be angle of pic but front leg looks a little bowed.
Kath.

 

[Nosyparker]

Ahhh my cham should be fine in his mesh viv then, I'll give that a good read thank you!

Thanks for the link Kath44, I'm going to order some straight away! I'm not aware that he does have MBD, i'll upload more photos to see what you think. I'm supplementing everyday with calcium, every 2 weeks with nutrobal and repashy calcium LoD, with a 6% arcadia forest lamp so if there's anything else you could suggest i'd be happy to alter my set-up etc

 

[RonWhitmill]

He looks much better in his more recent pictures. Hopefully he's starting to do better. I think he will really like the silkworms if you can get them.

 

[Kath44]

I'd say from those pics he hasn't got mbd. Must of been angle he was at in first pic.
He's very handsome. Kath.

 

[waynek]

I would also put him outside in the sun whenever you can .

 

[Nosyparker]

He looks much better in his more recent pictures. Hopefully he's starting to do better. I think he will really like the silkworms if you can get them.

Those photos were a few days old for Kath to see if she thought he had MDB, I'm going to post come photos of him today.
I've read a few times that vine hugging and gaping can mean he's too hot so I've lifted the basking lamp higher so the basking spot is around 85 degrees F instead of 90.
What temps do you keep your chams at?

 

[Nosyparker]

I'd say from those pics he hasn't got mbd. Must of been angle he was at in first pic.
He's very handsome. Kath.

Thank God, thank you .
He is very adorable, I just handled him for the second time and he was quite calm. Also purchased him a HUGE plant so he can have a shower and bask in the sun!

 

[Nosyparker]

I would also put him outside in the sun whenever you can .

My fingers are crossed for sun here tomorrow

 

[RonWhitmill]

The highest basking spots in my cages can get up to the mid 90's if the ambient temp in the room is warm on hot days. But my cages are 48", so they have at least a 15 degree drop in temp towards the bottom. They tend to spend most of the day going up and down and basking after the minsters come on.