New panther owner, input welcome

[Titan65240]

Hello, my wife and I got a blue bar ambilobe male about a week ago and we're very excited.
He really caught us by surprise when we saw how colorful and beautiful he was at a young age. ( we were told he's no more than 5 months old)
I'm posting pictures of him and his accessories. Any input pull be great regarding his true age and what not.
Thanks in advance!
Cage size is 18x24x36.

 

[ChamDE86]

Congrats on the new addition and welcome to the forum!

He is definitely a stunner for only being 5 months old. My guy did not look like this until he was about 7 months old. Repashy Calcium Plus is a great stand alone supplement to use at every feeding. Just make sure you are lightly coating and not turning your feeders into little white ghost In a few months, I would look into getting a larger cage for your guy (minimum 2x2x4). I would also recommend looking into a better gutload such as cricket crack, bug buffet, bug burger, etc. All can be found in the "Chameleon Foods" section on the forum. Nick Barta sells them by the pound and also sells a variety of feeders. The stuff they sell in the store are not that great nutrition wise, but will do enough to keep your feeders hydrated. Substrate on the bottom is not needed and should be removed as accidental ingestion can lead to impaction.

 

[Titan65240]

Thank you for the quick reply. I was told the risk on eating the substrate is minimal but was recommended using ithe as a cushion in case he falls which is more likely. He is very adventurous and climbs the ceiling of the cage often so far.
I will make sure to use the supplement sparingly as well. I am also feeding the crickets some apple skin and carrots for extra nutrition and using wax worms (1 a day) as a treat to get him used to my hand around him.

 

[Titan65240]

I found the gut load post. Thank you for that.
Do you have any input on which is better for crickets between bug buffet and cricket Crack?

 

[ChamDE86]

You'd be surprise how much of the substrate is picked up when they shoot at a feeder that is running around on the bottom. I honestly do not believe it is worth the risk, even if it's minimal. A better solution would be to add more horizontal branches and foilage to fill up the top and middle portion of the cage. You'll essentially be killing two birds with one stone by maintaining humidity and minimizing the distance, if he were to fall. In addition, he'll be quite happy with the new climbing material. Chameleons are arboreal reptiles and spend the majority of their lives up in trees. Do I dare add another bonus? Yes, a substrate-less bottom will also make cleaning his cage so much easier, and will prevent anything nasty from building up due to the multiple daily misting sessions.

The majority of the members on here will recommend that you only feed wax worms, at the most, one worm a week. Some will even say one or two a month. I personally do not use them at all. They are basically made up of fat and are not very healthy. There are plenty of other feeders you can use such as silkworms, phoenix worms, hornworms, superworms, butterworms, dubia roaches, etc. As for the gutload, I've used both. The crickets like the bug buffet, but LOVE the cricket crack. Sprinkle it on a piece of fresh veggie and they will devour it. The idea is to mix things up and provide variety. Use the cricket crack now, and then switch to bug buffet when you run out.

 

[carol5208]

Congrats on your new panther!! I see you have him in two different set ups? Outdoor, Indoor?. The first one has the socket for a bulb it looks like. I would not put a basking bulb in that. Your chameleon could get easily burned. Lights should always be on the outside for safety. The UVB on the inside is ok, as it does not give off much heat, if any. I definitely would get ride of the substrate as suggested. I have seen many problems over the years with chameleons injesting things in their cages that are not stationary. Sure, it looks cosmetically nice, but does not outweigh the risk you are putting your chameleon in. Fresh fruits and vegetables are best for gutload along with a commericial one. I use bug burger.

 

[Titan65240]

It's only 1 setup. The uv light and the heat bulb are on the outside resting on the mesh.
I will remove the substrate and add more branches to the middle section to give him some protection.
I'll also be ordering the cricket Crack asap!
Thanks again for all your input
Would you guys say he looks to be between 4 and 5 months?

 

[Titan65240]

Carol I just noticed the picture you were referring to. That was the 1st day we saw him at the pet shop so the white background is not my setup.
I move him whole with his cage outside so he doesn't stress out with me handling him so early.

 

[Clint526]

He looks closer to a year old to me, at least 10 months if I had to guess.

 

[Teal Beauty]

Congratulations on your new addition! He is definitely a handsome boy! It sounds like you have been given some very helpful input from other forum members. My only input at this time is to just make sure that you feed variety. I know that it has already been stated, but I do not think we can emphasize enough the importance of feeding variety and making sure that ALL bugs we feed have received a healthy gutload. If you are up to it, many of the feeders can be bred relatively easily with just a small starter colony. A small initial investment can truly pay off in the health and longevity of your chameleon. Also, I would have to agree that based on size and coloration that he is older than 4-5 months. My guess would venture on closer to the one year age as well. Were you able to receive any breeder information from the pet store you received him from?

 

[Titan65240]

I didn't ask specifically about who the breeder was bit I did ask how long he's been buying from him. The owner of the shop was very passionate and involved in general. This guy was also 200 more than his other options.
I will be buying a good variety of food for him to keep him healthy and happy. I also take him out under natural sunlight any chance I get.

 

[Teal Beauty]

Awesome! Yes, natural sunlight is great! We take our chams out for natural sunlight as that is very important for their wellbeing. We use pop-up zip enclosed clothes hampers for basking cages. We stick in some vines for security and hang our hampers out for intervals with misters attached. They love it and it keeps them safe while allowing natural sunlight to reach them.

 

[danielwilu0818]

Hello, my wife and I got a blue bar ambilobe male about a week ago and we're very excited.
He really caught us by surprise when we saw how colorful and beautiful he was at a young age. ( we were told he's no more than 5 months old)
I'm posting pictures of him and his accessories. Any input pull be great regarding his true age and what not.
Thanks in advance!
Cage size is 18x24x36.

OMG HE IS SUCH A CUTIE! His cage is just astonishing! May I ask, where did you buy that sandblasted grapevine?

 

[Titan65240]

OMG HE IS SUCH A CUTIE! His cage is just astonishing! May I ask, where did you buy that sandblasted grapevine?

 

[Titan65240]

I will be going to the store tomorrow to see what other options they have for him. My wife is freaked out of cockroaches but will see how she reacts tomorrow when she sees them. Are they kept similar to crickets? Also how many roaches a day is recommended?

 

[shomegirl]

Welcome! He is colorful. If you need a little comparison, my avi is a 4 month old BB and I have had him for two weeks. I know they grow a different pace, so who know. Hopefully, he will be as colorful as yours. This forum is very helpful.

 

[danielwilu0818]

I will be going to the store tomorrow to see what other options they have for him. My wife is freaked out of cockroaches but will see how she reacts tomorrow when she sees them. Are they kept similar to crickets? Also how many roaches a day is recommended?

No I meant the big wood

 

[Titan65240]

From same store as where i got him and his cage. Called Exotic wildlife. They're 2 separate pcs I supported together .

 

[Titan65240]

So it's been 12 days I've had my beautiful boy and he's settled in great. He's eating crickets well but doesn't seem to like dubia roaches at all. He ate 1 the 1st day. 3 the 2nd day but won't eat them after that. So I'm back to crickets.
I also ordered horn worms for him.
Oh and he let me hold him for the 1st time today which I'm very happy about. I only held him for a minute or so to make sure he didn't panic.

 

[Titan65240]

Here he is. Maybe my hand can give a rough idea on his size