Lethargic Panther Cham

[Nicholashubbs410]

Hello guys, my 11 month old tamatave has been acting off. Lately he has been consistently dark in coloration and moving exceptionally slow. Whenever he’s on a branch or my forearm he’s sluggish and not attentive. Unfortunately he will only eat super worms. He hasn’t wanted out of his cage which is odd. I did get a veiled chameleon, and his cage is right next to my Panthers. There are two shower liners keeping them from seeing one another, is that sufficient? They both get multivitamins every other week and calcium with every meal. My panther only eats every few days but still gets fat, he has a very slow metabolism. I have also adjusted his lighting to be 9 inches away. His spine keeps getting burned, and at this distance the heat is barely touching him, I’m confused. Does anyone know why he might be so lethargic, Or what his spikes keeps deteriorating? He has a misting system that comes on every couple hours.

 

[Nicholashubbs410]

This is Arthur the Tamatave

 

[snitz427]

are you sure the spikes falling off arent' from the first burn, and just falling off at different times? Do you have a thermostat on his basking branch to see what the temps are (assume the temps are a few degrees hotter where it actually touches him, since his back is probably 4 inches higher than the branch when basking).

 

[MissSkittles]

Is he getting any D3?

 

[Nicholashubbs410]

His basking temp is around 85 degrees. I’m afraid to get him closer to the light on account of previous burns. He gets a multi vitamin and calcium with D-3 every other weekend. This is the set up, will you please tell me if im doing anything wrong. The first picture is my overall set up, and the second is my Panther chameleons cage.

 

[kinyonga]

Please answer the questions in he how to ask for help thread near the top of the health forum so we can see how you're keeping your chameleons.
You didn't quarantine the veiled when you got it?

 

[Nicholashubbs410]

I did quarantine the veiled. He was shellshocked at first but is doing fine now. He has always had his own cage. I cannot find the health forum mentioned. Do you guys know if there is a way to permanently input your chameleons data onto these forums? It seems that whenever he has a health issue I need to refill out the help forms all over again. As much as I appreciate them, they are very extensive. I was wondering if anyone has had experience with the lethargic chameleon and what the cause might be. He has a stable diet of super worms, he won’t eat anything else he gets all his necessary vitamins, he hasn’t fallen in a very long time.

 

[Kaizen]

Hello guys, my 11 month old tamatave has been acting off. Lately he has been consistently dark in coloration and moving exceptionally slow. Whenever he’s on a branch or my forearm he’s sluggish and not attentive. Unfortunately he will only eat super worms. He hasn’t wanted out of his cage which is odd. I did get a veiled chameleon, and his cage is right next to my Panthers. There are two shower liners keeping them from seeing one another, is that sufficient? They both get multivitamins every other week and calcium with every meal. My panther only eats every few days but still gets fat, he has a very slow metabolism. I have also adjusted his lighting to be 9 inches away. His spine keeps getting burned, and at this distance the heat is barely touching him, I’m confused. Does anyone know why he might be so lethargic, Or what his spikes keeps deteriorating? He has a misting system that comes on every couple hours.

Better pics of his spikes would be helpful. You might want to reconsider the super worm thing. I’m not a scientist, but I have my doubts that any animal will starve themselves to death unless they get super worms. Tough love. Also, you might consider a more natural hydration method. If you’re spraying him every couple hours, he’s going to be cold and mad.

 

[Nicholashubbs410]

This is his back

 

[Kaizen]

Yeah, I can’t actually diagnose that. It could be a burn, but honestly, it’s a great thing to find an exotics vet, and start a relationship. Given your obvious care for this guy—as evident by your posts—you’re going to have a decade with your new boy. Having a vet to help you in this journey—probably only once a year after you get through this settling in period—is a great idea.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Your temps are off somewhere, check them. I see most of the lights appear to be resting directly on the screen, correct?

 

[Nicholashubbs410]

Yes, they are resting on the screen. Is that bad? Could it be causing the burn? What I don’t understand is that the temps in his basking spot are low. My room is very dry, but he has a Mister come on every two hours for 1 min intervals . It’s very difficult to maintain a consistent humidity in the room. I have some Silvadene that I will apply but I feel bad that he’s getting burned.

 

[Kaizen]

Yes, they are resting on the screen. Is that bad? Could it be causing the burn? What I don’t understand is that the temps in his basking spot are low. My room is very dry, but he has a Mister come on every two hours for 1 min intervals . It’s very difficult to maintain a consistent humidity in the room. I have some Silvadene that I will apply but I feel bad that he’s getting burned.

Remember that your Cham is not a pancake: if you’re taking temp readings of the basking branch, remember your Cham will be two inches closer to the bulb if he’s sitting on it.

 

[Nicholashubbs410]

I will try tough love with his food. It’s just hard to do, I don’t want him to have to go without. However I have heard of Chameleons surviving over 3 weeks without food

 

[Kaizen]

I will try tough love with his food. It’s just hard to do, I don’t want him to have to go without. However I have heard of Chameleons surviving over 3 weeks without food

Yeah, healthy chameleons don’t typically starve themselves to death. Crickets, roaches, BSFL, silkies, horns and occasionally supers. There’s a ton more, but start with these.

 

[Nicholashubbs410]

Could it be that his back is really sensitive from being burned months ago? His spine is about 7 inches under his basking light.

 

[Nicholashubbs410]

I have silks currently, go morifeeders!! Dubai roaches as well. My veiled loves them, he’s an easy eater. Arthur my panther will only eat super worms .

 

[Kaizen]

I have silks currently, go morifeeders!! Dubai roaches as well. My veiled loves them, he’s an easy eater. Arthur my panther will only eat super worms .

Tough love! Just offer him roaches and crickets for a week. Also bsfl are a superbug for chams.

 

[Nicholashubbs410]

I’ve tried rough love with my panther, I had a 1 week strike and he got scary skinny and wouldn’t eat. I eventually caved and gave him a super worm

 

[Nicholashubbs410]

I’ll have to give them a try. Once in a blue moon he will eat Hornworms. It’s not worth buying them though because he’ll only eat every few days. Those that he doesn’t eat get to big. I’ll try to hold out for another hunger strike. I just wish that I new what to do about his back. I’ll try elevating his lighting.