Bagheeras mom
New Member
- Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
- Male Ambilobe Panther. He’s supposed to be 5 mo. But I’ve been told he looks older. I’ve had him for a month now.
- Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
- Right now, once daily for meds.
- Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
- Feeding crickets mostly, Dubias and hornworms. I gut load with Repashy Superload, Total Bites and Dubia Chow. He gets approx 10 crickets a day, seems to eat most. Dubias and hornworms as treats once or twice a day if he’ll take them. Seems to be eating ok, good tongue action. I buy my feeders from lllreptiles. Weight at vet on Sept 28 was 93.00
- Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
- Dusting with Sticky Tongue outdoor daily, Sticky Tongue indoor once a week. That was recommended by the breeder I bought him from.
- Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
- I live in Southern California in a dry area so I’m really concerned with hydration. I have a monsoon mister, 2 nozzles, one on each side of cage. Timer is set for 20 sec every 2 hours during the day. I use a dripper all day. Also a fogger on all day. I haven’t seen him drink but urates look white. I use purified bottled water for all.
- Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
- Poo is moist, dark, with white rates. He has not been tested for parasites.
- History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
- I previously had a similar Cham for 3 years. Lost him approx 6 months ago. Was taking to reputable reptile vet for treatment. After he passed vet did necropsy but couldn’t find anything but slightly enlarged kidney.
Cage Info:
- Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
- Cage is 24x24x36, screened. I have holes in the bottom for drainage into a container underneath. Bottom of cage and drainage container get cleaned daily.
- Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
- Using 65 watt bulb for basking, added a red (don’t remember wattage) for extra heat but not more brightness. 22” Arcadia T5 24w 12% D3+ uvb tube. I use a timer set to have lights and mister come on at 7:30 am and off at 8:00 pm.
- Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
- I have a digital probe at basking spot, usually 87-90ish. Front of cage is around 80ish by analog thermometer dial gauge. Overnight temps are approx 70ish.
- Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
- Via analog hydrometer dial gauge, humidity is between 30%-70%. Mostly around 50%. I create the humidity with mister and fogger.
- Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
- I have mostly plastic and silk plants (reptile approved, bought from lllreptile) I also have a live ficus Benjamina that sets under the dripper.
- 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?
- Cage is in corner of living room where we can watch him. He is close to a closed air vent. It’s just my husband and myself so not much traffic. Top of cage is 6.5 ft off floor.
- Location - Where are you geographically located?
- I’m in Southern California, USA
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
I took Tana to vet for a check up since I had recently aquired him. He was diagnosed with mouth rot. Vet gave him a vitamin and antibiotic injections. I’ve been giving Batril daily. I have another appt next Friday for follow up. It’s difficult to get him to open his mouth for the meds. I’ve tried holding him on his back and different directions. He’s gotten smart to that, he won’t open his mouth anymore for me. He did open for a second yesterday, mouth looked to have stringy saliva on one side. Hadn’t noticed that before. What can I do to get his mouth open for meds? What changes do I need to make to better care for him?
Avitar is my previous Cham.
