New Baby Panther Chameleon

CraigH91

New Member
I recently got a baby panther chameleon and was looking for some general advice.

I haven't noticed any problems as far as I can tell but I'd feel happier if someone could just clear a few things up for me.

The day temperature for my enclosure is usually 72-80 with the basking spot at around 87. I keep the light on from 9:00 until 22:00 every day and then switch to a red night time bulb during the rest of the time. The night time temp is about 68 degrees.

I mist the enclosure manually 3 or 4 times a day (sometimes more if needed) and the RH never drops below 70%. I try to keep it between 75% and 90% where possible.

I haven't seen the chameleon eat yet but whenever I put food into the enclosure it disappears. I've checked the enclosure and none of the mealworms or crickets are in there so I presume they've been eaten.

When he's sleeping, the chameleon is dark in colour. Is this normal? I read that they usually go dark when they are stressed or thirsty. Is it normal for them to be dark when sleeping too? During the day he always seems quite brightly coloured with visible stripes.

Any advice or tips would be appreciated!
 

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Couple tips-

Night temp can drop pretty far below 68 and still be safe. My hatchlings in spring and fall go all the way down to about 50 and are fine. So probably there is no need for night heat of any kind in your home. Red bulb- not really a big fan of. Could be the reason for the dark coloration.

To figure out if your chameleon is feeding when you aren't observing- what goes in must come out- look for droppings. If they are appearing regularly, your chameleon must be eating.
 
Hello and Welcome to the forums. You will get a lot of good info here.

Lets see what we can do of you in regards to your parameters.

I like to keep my ambient room temperature between 70-72. The closer to 70 you keep it the better you will be. 80 is definitely too toasty.

A 12/12 light cycle is recommended. Most of my chams go to bed a little early anyway. I do 7am to 7pm and my chams are usually in their sleeping places around 6pm.

They do not need light at night. They need complete darkness, so the red light is not needed. if your house stays at 68 at night, your cham will be fine. I would even recommend having a temperature drop at night down to low 60's. chams like it about 10 degrees cooler at night.

Does your enclosure dry out between mistings? Your humidy stays pretty high which is good but you want the cage to dry out between mistings.

Everything else sounds normal. He may be a little stressed, thats why he is dark at night and secretive about eating. Usually they are bright at night but I dont think thats much to worry about now. Good luck!
 
Thank you all for the replies and tips!

My concern was that it would be too cold for him without a light at night. The night time temp with a red bulb is 68, would it be safe to just leave that light off then?

I just read that red light can actually cause stress in panthers, is this true?
 
Thank you all for the replies and tips!



My concern was that it would be too cold for him without a light at night. The night time temp with a red bulb is 68, would it be safe to just leave that light off then?



I just read that red light can actually cause stress in panthers, is this true?


Yes it can and NEVER use any lights during the night, nothing that emits any type of visible light, even if it claims the chameleons can't see it.. It will disturb their sleep cycle. If you are worried about the temp dropping too low get a ceramic heater bulb. The temps are fine at night in the low 60's
 
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