New Baby Panther Not Eating - Please Advise!!!

[Pancam]

I received my baby Nosy Be panther chameleon yesterday morning (4/10) and I'm having difficulty getting in touch with the breeder. I'm concerned because I haven't seen him eat or drink yet. I've offered him crickets, fruit flies, and meal worms by hand and free range. How long can he survive without nourishment?

Also, is it normal for them to spend all their time on the screen instead of the branches or vines? He spent the majority of the day on the top screen upside down yesterday, and then on the side behind some ficus leaves last night as well as today. He was black this morning and has remained that color all day except when I got him out for about 2 minutes. He turned blue then and for the little time he spent on the branch I placed him on when putting him back.

Here are some more details:
Male Nosy Be hatched 1/17/12-2/4/12 (I guess that means he's 2-3 months old)
Been in my care for around 28 hours now
I have cleaned out some droppings in the cage which were white & brown (formed)
Cage is screened - 18"x18"x24"
Dual top hood with 5.0 tube, 2.0 tube, and 35 watt halogen bulb (on for 12 hours, off for 12 hours)
Monsoon mister set for 20 seconds every 2 hours (off at night)
Average temp/humidity is 72 degrees/40%
Crickets and meal worms gut loaded with Repashy Bug Burger and dusted with Repashy calcium Plus (I didn't really know what I was doing with the fruit flies and just pretty much let them loose in the enclosure without feeding or dusting them. There's several running around inside the enclosure right now.

Please, if anyone can help I appreciate it! I do not want to see him perish due to starvation or stress.

 

[camimom]

congrats on te new cham!
and hes probably just stressed from his shipping, new home etc.

offer food, and leave him alone.

 

[carol5208]

20 seconds on the mister may not be long enough for him to get the urge to start drinking. I would set your mister to about every 3 hours for about 3-4 minutes. Sometimes it can take awhile to stimulate them to drink. Also what basking temp are you getting with a 35 watt? You want your basking temp around 90 plus.

 

[Pancam]

How long to wait?

Thanks! Do you know how long he can go without eating though? I'm just not sure how long to wait before it may be an issue.

I've heard of people taking them out and feeding them in a seperate area. Should I attempt this if he's still not eating in a couple days? It seems unnatural to do that, but then again, I don't want him to starve.

 

[carol5208]

the drinking is more important than the eating, because if they become dehydrated then you start having real problems. I would maybe start worrying after 5-7 days if he does not eat. Most likely he will, and he is just adjusting. Some will eat right off the bat and others wont when they are put into a new environment. Adults can go for as long as a month. I took in an adult panther cham and he did not eat for 12 days and then he finally started eating. Dont freak just yet!!!! Welcome to the forums by the way!.

 

[Captive Creations]

I would give him a few days to get use to the enclosure and you and the routine. It is normal for them to be stressed when they a first brought home, and because of this they can stop eating until they are comfy with their environment. As said I would increase the misting sessions a bit longer than 20 seconds. it takes a few minutes to start drinking. I wouldn't start worrying until he hasn't eaten for a few days. try either free ranging or cup feeding (cup feeding is usually easier to tell when and how much they are eating.) So just don't freak out yet. give him some time.

oh and WELCOME TO THE CHAMELEON FORUM!!!! This is a great place for advice and to share our chameleon experience. you will find alot of experienced keepers on here who can help with any questions you might have. You have come to the right place. Congrats on the new addition Do you have any pictures you can post? I would love to see the new addition! Again congrats and Welcome

 

[creddjobs]

Thanks! Do you know how long he can go without eating though? I'm just not sure how long to wait before it may be an issue.

I've heard of people taking them out and feeding them in a seperate area. Should I attempt this if he's still not eating in a couple days? It seems unnatural to do that, but then again, I don't want him to starve.

I bet he will eat some hornworms! I dont think they can resist those lol

 

[Pancam]

Basking temp/Mist time/Pics

Thanks to everyone for the advice and being welcomed!

His basking temp is in the mid 90's except after misting which it's then in the 80's. The most my mister will do is 120 seconds hourly. I just changed it to 120 seconds every 2 hours. Is that too much or too little? It dropped the overall temp to 68 degrees and increased the humidity to in the 90's, but everything is still wet right now. It looks like I might need to consider developing a drain system also if increasing mist times.

Here are some pics if anyone wants to critique...disregard the paper towels! There's also a pic of the mister settings if anyone wants to advise. Check out the pic where he's black. That's what he's looked like the majority of the day.

 

[Pancam]

Additional pic

Oops, here's the mister settings...

 

[carol5208]

your basking temp is ok. he looks beautiful and your cage set up is very nice also!!! how are you feeding, with a cup, free in the cage,? two minutes on the mister should be ok. A little longer would be better but 20 seconds is not enough to get some chameleons motivated to drink. What kind of panther is he and where did you get him? He sure is a nice looking little fellow!

 

[Kibu]

My Cham walked on the screened to for the first couple of days, and he didn't eat at first, but then he got settled in. Best not to hold them til six mo.

 

[clarkrw3]

Many people feel that chams should not be handled or watched for a few days after they arrive. I have chams that STILL will not eat or drink in front of me after months. If you are feeding him and things are disappearing and if his poop is black and white than things are going just fine. I also have had chams that would NOT cup feed, so keep that in mind too.

 

[Pancam]

Update

Thanks, I ordered him from Kammerflage Kreations. I think he looks good too, but I'm still worried about the eating. I got in touch with the breeder and they suggested I remove the screen foilage so the crickets had less areas to hide. It hasn't helped so far, but his color has not been dark since the foilage was removed. I have mostly let the crickets roam in the cage, however sometimes I try hand feeding. The only thing I have seen him eat so far is a mealworm from my hand and this is day 3. I did notice he was drinking water droptets from the screen yesterday so that's good!

 

[Pancam]

Many people feel that chams should not be handled or watched for a few days after they arrive. I have chams that STILL will not eat or drink in front of me after months. If you are feeding him and things are disappearing and if his poop is black and white than things are going just fine. I also have had chams that would NOT cup feed, so keep that in mind too.

Thank you...I think I need to leave him be to see if it helps!

 

[lojack13]

It's good that you are concerned for your little man. But yeah as everyone has said, don't be too worried. This should make you feel a bit better, when I first brought home my 3 month old female nosy be she did not eat for 5 days. Then she slowly picked up on it and now she is a pig! LOL! Hydration is the most important. He is black cuz he is extremely stressed from the shipping. Keep a dripper going, mist often, and please resist the urge to take him out and handle him until he is a bit older. I made the mistake of handling my male nosy be from the day I got him at 3.5 months and he got sick and passed away on me yesterday. He had no parasites nor anything the vet or I could find, I believe the stress just shut him down. They need to awhile to get used to you and their surroundings. I did not touch my female for 4 weeks after I got her and she is thriving and both her and the male were raised in the same exact conditions. So it was most likely the stress that took him from me. He is gorgeous by the way. I too have a male nosy be coming in mid may from the kammers!

 

[Pancam]

I decided to move him today to the area of my home with the least amount of traffic and I am going to not handle him anymore. I certainly don't want to cause any further stress. Sorry to hear about your male Nosy Be, but thank you for the advice.

 

[Elizadolots]

You don't have to stop handling him at all...just give him a week to adjust to the move then start introducing yourself slowly. Always let it be his choice to be with you.

 

[Pancam]

That's good to know! He actually seemed to like being handled but I may be totally off considering this is my 1st chameleon. He ate a mealworm from my hand which is the only thing he's actually eaten in 3 days (at least that I have seen unless he's eaten some fruit flies). He has not touched the crickets offered to him and I've had to clean them out before bedtime so they won't bother him at night.

I guess I am going to look into getting some silkworms and butterworms if he doesn't eat anything else in the next few days. I have been to several different pet stores in my area and none of them carry anything like that. Maybe a bait shop might have them. If anyone knows of a good place to order live feeders online for a decent price; please let me know.

Also, does anyone know how much he should be drinking at his age (approx. 2-3 months)? I have noticed him drinking a few droplets here and there, but I don't know if that's adequate. It's not like I watch him 24/7, so maybe he's drinking more, but that doesn't seem like very much. He looks thinner today which seems appropriate considering, but I'd like to keep him hydrated well if I can. Should I be leaving the mister on at night time? I wouldn't think that would be appropriate with the lights off, but someone asked me today why I would turn off his mister at night when in the wild that wouldn't happen - I really didn't know what to say to that (he is not familiar with reptile care either).

I go back to work tomorrow so I'm just trying to get as much info as possible before leaving him here for longer periods. Maybe my absence will help him adjust better though and things will work out soon enough.

 

[Elizadolots]

The only way I know of to judge "is he drinking enough?" is to look at the poop. There should be a brown/grey/greenish blog and a whitish "tag". My best description is that it looks like bird poop. If the "tag" is yellow or orange, your chameleon is not drinking enough. If it is white or "ivory"your chameleon is drinking enough. If it is white (ivory) and the end it yellow, it's still okay, you just want to monitor it to see that it doesn't go to "yellow".

 

[Rottsko]

That's good to know! He actually seemed to like being handled but I may be totally off considering this is my 1st chameleon. He ate a mealworm from my hand which is the only thing he's actually eaten in 3 days (at least that I have seen unless he's eaten some fruit flies). He has not touched the crickets offered to him and I've had to clean them out before bedtime so they won't bother him at night.

I guess I am going to look into getting some silkworms and butterworms if he doesn't eat anything else in the next few days. I have been to several different pet stores in my area and none of them carry anything like that. Maybe a bait shop might have them. If anyone knows of a good place to order live feeders online for a decent price; please let me know.

Also, does anyone know how much he should be drinking at his age (approx. 2-3 months)? I have noticed him drinking a few droplets here and there, but I don't know if that's adequate. It's not like I watch him 24/7, so maybe he's drinking more, but that doesn't seem like very much. He looks thinner today which seems appropriate considering, but I'd like to keep him hydrated well if I can. Should I be leaving the mister on at night time? I wouldn't think that would be appropriate with the lights off, but someone asked me today why I would turn off his mister at night when in the wild that wouldn't happen - I really didn't know what to say to that (he is not familiar with reptile care either).

I go back to work tomorrow so I'm just trying to get as much info as possible before leaving him here for longer periods. Maybe my absence will help him adjust better though and things will work out soon enough.

just let him settle in and try not to handle him for a while. new chams often don't eat right away and need to get settled in to their new surroundings.

you can get feeders online and i prefer that than my local pet stores. more variety and better prices. check out the forum sponsors for feeders, they're all great.

as for misting at night, i wouldn't mist at night. the cage needs to dry out so bacteria doesn't grow in the cage. mistings should only run during the day and the cage should dry out in between mistings. as eliza said, the only way to tell if he's drinking enough is if his urate color is white.

good luck and i'm sure he'll be fine. just enjoy him...from a distance.