Meet Jasper!

[jcarlsen]

Hey All, I'm still fairly new here, and I've mostly been reading these forums for a while. I've been researching panther chameleon care and husbandry for about a year now, and I'm happy to announce I got my first panther from Sunshine Chameleons yesterday!

His name is Jasper, and so far he seems to be doing great. He was understandably skittish when I unboxed him, but I let him climb out right into his enclosure and left him be. After an hour, I ran the mister/raindome I made and offered some crickets which he devoured very quickly

As of now, I don't really have any questions or concerns. I'm just giving the little guy some privacy for the first week or so, and then I'm thinking of starting to offer a few bits of food with my hand to get him used to me.

Below, I've got some pics of him and his juvenile cage. He's just turned 4 months, and I'll be moving him into a 2'x2'x4' enclosure by the end of the summer. Any feedback or suggestions welcome!

Thanks!

 

[Mom]

Jasper looks great! I love the picture of the tounge shot

 

[jannb]

Congrats on Jasper! He's showing some nice color for his age.

 

[DragoLikesReptiles]

Jasper looks great, and I hope he grows up to be a stunning little dude! Are most ambilobes red like that at a young age? My guy shows no red or blue whatsoever and he's all green while at 8 months old. Is this normal? Thanks.

 

[jcarlsen]

Thanks all! I'm definitely surprised at how colorful he is. I had to ask the breeder if the age was closer to 5-6 months, but they said he hatched in the last week of Jan, so just over 4 months!

@Drago, I'm not really sure about the colors. I've seen such a wide variety in the colors of ambilobes that nothing would surprise me at this point. With Jasper, I've noticed his default state is a dark emerald green on most of his body, but when he feeds he brightens up with some reds. He's also got a lot of red on his arms and such when he sleeps.

Also, it's cool to see the little guy thermoregulate by turning dark and going under the basking light, and brightening up once he moves away from it.

 

[jcarlsen]

My girlfriend just texted me to inform me that Jasper has made his first poop! Never thought I'd be so excited to hear that. Says it looks plump with white urate, so it seems he's getting enough hydration

I'll post a few more pics soon!

 

[pulsetkr]

congratulations and welcome to Jasper... looking forward to many more pictures as he gets acclimated... he's a good looker to be certain....

 

[jcarlsen]

Just figured I'd post some new pics from feeding this morning. He seems to be getting less skittish around me each day, but hasn't worked up the nerve to take a cricket from my hand yet... I love his colors as he's enjoying his meal

 

[jcarlsen]

Also, I made some gifs of some Jasper catching some crickets... check them out on imgur here: http://imgur.com/gallery/3e0tl

 

[Treecko]

those are some beautiful colors... Love the tongue shot!

 

[Lathis]

My girlfriend just texted me to inform me that Jasper has made his first poop! Never thought I'd be so excited to hear that. Says it looks plump with white urate, so it seems he's getting enough hydration

I'll post a few more pics soon!

The first poop is always the most exciting poop
He's going to be a looker - congrats!

 

[MsCham]

Those gifs are awesome! Glad to see he's working out well for you!

 

[jcarlsen]

Jasper usually sleeps among the leaves and such, but tonight he was sleeping out in the open, so I took a long exposure

 

[MarieMc44]

He looks beautiful!

 

[jcarlsen]

I let Japser climb out onto a branch and coaxed him onto my hand from there. He's still very wary of the big old hand and especially my giant head, but I think he appreciates the lift to his favorite plant and some real sunlight

 

[jcarlsen]

Just thought I'd add another sleeping shot I took tonight, now with improved long exposure and white balance settings! Look at them PJ's!!

 

[lovelychams]

He is beautiful. Love the shots of him catching the crickets. I always peek at Pickle in his PJs. Don't you just love them?!

 

[jcarlsen]

New milestone today, guys! Jasper ate his first treat from my hand (holding tongs). Decided to not put his usual crickets in this morning, figuring he'd be very hungry when I got home from work. After some patient waiting and a very sore arm, he took it (pictured below).

Of course, right afterwards, he puffed right up when I moved, but I sort of expected as much with him taking a big risk eating from my hand. Can't wait to try it again and build his trust more and more