New Arrival! Advice appreciated

[RPCV]

The cham I've been preparing for finally arrived! Named Allastor "Mad Eye" Moody (when you have a 9 year old all pets get named after Harry Potter characters). Thanks to all the experienced cham keepers who post on this - you've been a great help.

He's between 2.5 and 3 months and I currently have him in a 29 gallon glass aquarium with a 30x20x48 all screen set up on standby till he gets a bit bigger. Since I've never owned a cham before some of his behavior strikes me as unusual although it may be perfectly normal. I have not seen him drinking but have a dripper going and he's been misted 3x/day. Also rubs his eye and licks a dry stick. I'm guessing this a hydration issue but don't know what else I can do besides the misting and dripper? Perhaps a useful thread (please point it out if it exists) would be discuss things chams do that is normal but a new owner may find odd.
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Male panther, 2.5-3 months in my care for 3 days
Handling - Not since day of arrival
Feeding - eating about 6 crickets/day, free range in tank in morning out at night. Gut loaded with flukers orange cubes, carrots and various greens
Supplements - Mineral-O (calcium) 5x/week, Rep Cal w/D3 1x/week, Herbtivite 1x/week
Watering - Mist 3x.day for 3 to five minutes & little dripper
Do you see your chameleon drinking? NO
Fecal Description - white and black semi-solid
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? No
History - Had him for 3 days, purchased on line from a reputable breeder.

Cage Info:
Cage Type- 29 gallon glass (photo below) when he grows big enough I have a 30x20x48 all screen enclosure (photo below)
Lighting - 24" Repti-sun 5.0 & 40W soft white basking
What is your daily lighting schedule? On at 7:00 AM off 8:00 PM
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? 71 - 85 degrees
Lowest overnight temp? 68 degrees
How do you measure these temps? All kinds O' toys; infrared thermal imaging camera, TSI Q-Trak, HOBO data loggers and many more
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? 40 - 55%
How are you creating and maintaining these levels? Misting and dripper in glass enclosure w/plant
What do you use to measure humidity? My toys borrowed from work
Plants - One pothos for now till upgrade to larger enclosure
Placement - In office, moderate traffic area
At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? 3 feet
Location - Chicago area

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about. Rubbing eye on a stick (has done this since the minute of his arrival). Puffs out then sucks in his eye (looks normal otherwise). Have not seen him drink. Licks dry sticks. All this and we've been misting frequently and have a dripper going. Just want to make sure everything is set up the way it should be.

Mad Eye

Current set up

Future digs (pothos will sit in the middle of the twig plant holder)

 

[pssh]

Repcal with d3 should only be given twice a month. 85 is a little high for a baby, maybe 83 but prefereable 80 for a few more months.

He looks good. Cover that dirt! Some panthers make a habit of munching on dirt.

 

[RPCV]

Thanks - I'll get that dirt covered (already saw him get a mouth full on a cricket miss).

The breeder recommended 90 degrees for a baby and the D3 and vitamins 2x per week. I have confidence in her recommendations but have reduced levels to split the difference between her suggestion and posts on this site.

 

[pssh]

You can use d3 that often if you change brands. Repcal has so much d3 in it compared to other brands it would be a bad idea to use it that often. If you get the minerall indoor formula you can use the d3 2-6 times a months just fine (6 would be approx the equivalent of repcal 2 times a month.) The vitamins also depend on brand, but I dont quite understand that part yet So I say 1 or 2 times a month is plenty, just in case.

 

[Rocky]

Inside a glass tank I would definitely lower the temps. The basking spot should be in the mid 80's not the entire tank. He will need a place to cool off, and since it's a glass tank there wont be much ventilation so it will be more of a solid temp as opposed to the screened in enclosures that have alot of ventilation and a lower overall temp with a higher basking spot.

For the dirt, I would suggest either putting river rocks (the rocks that go in the bottom of fish tanks) or sphagnum moss (can be found at most nursery's) I use sphagnum moss and it works really well.

Since you first got him he could be a little dehydrated so I would suggest (if you have one) to put the pothos in the sink and let him crawl on it and then spray it with warm water from a sink sprayer. He's a little young to put in a shower so I don't know if I would do that but the sink sprayer should help boost his hydration because you can monitor where the water is and you should see him drink and just keep doing it until he stops drinking.

On a side note, that plant holder in his future cage is awesome. Where did you get it?

 

[RPCV]

Lava rocks are a great idea - and look good too.

I found the plant holder in a local nursery and had to get it. I hope to set the pothos in the middle and have the plant climb up and hang down. Not sure where to buy them but found this site from the manufacture's tag (it was cheaper than an exo-terra vine :

http://www.everbloomingcompany.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1000

I have the temps at about 85 in basking and low to mid-70's in shade at the bottom. Only a 40W soft bulb. The higher temps were recommended by the breeder but I'm keeping things lower for now due to dehydration concerns.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Looks like your doing thins pretty well. If he continues rubing the eye you can try saline solution to rinse away any possible irritants. He may have irritated it somehow in transit. saline is safe to use.