jglefler
New Member
Hi, and welcome. Lowes and Home Depot (or Walmart or Meijers) are probably going to be best for the prices; if you live around the Lansing area, I've often bought plants at Van Atta's - more variety, but pricier. Almost any plant you buy is going to have the risk of pesticides, but the general workaround for that is to wash the plant in the shower (maybe 20 minutes) and repot in fresh soil, covering soil with river rocks (something big that Marty can't accidentally ingest).
Also, if you live around Lansing (or anywhere in mid-Michigan) and if it comes to it, Cedar Creek Veterinary Clinic in Williamston has certified reptile vets with chameleon experience - Dr. Wayne Beasley and Dr. Nolan are both good with chams.
My panther chameleon slowed down a good deal between two and three years old, just from getting older (think a thirty or forty year old vs. a teenager), and he also began slowing down much more dramatically in the winter, which hadn't phased him before. He defecates approximately once a week. I guess I'd be most concerned about hydration and orange urates; some chams can be "trained" to drink from a dripper or an eyedropper, and sometimes people have had luck injecting feeder insects with water immediately before feeding.
I use the Nature Zone Cricket Bites, too; they are a sufficient gutload, but I do offer carrots and other things when I have them around (chopped grape, bee pollen, etc.). And my guy stayed on his "baby" supplementation schedule of calcium with D3 every other day 'til he was about two and the vet told me to cut back.
Good luck with Marty and, again, welcome!
Thanks. You folks are the GREATEST! I live close to Clarkston (about 45 min north of Detroit). Fortunately there is a rep vet in downtown Clarkston. These little critters are a mystery. Once, and only once, Marty put his head under his dripper tube and let the water run down the ridge in his forehead and lapped the water up for a long time. I got a video of it I was so excited. I thought he was all set and would be well hydrated from there on. Amazingly, he never did it again??? These little guys just don't seem to be able to have an awareness of when they are thirsty.