Panther Chameleon needs new home

[sixspeed]

Hi, I cannot post in the for sale section for some reason. My roommate got a baby panther chameleon this weekend at an expo and he doesn't know how to take care of it. I looked up some information and got him lights and a cage. But I don't think I have the time to look after him. I would like him to go to someone with experience. He wants $300 for the chameleon or $450 with supplies. The chameleon appears healthy, he's pooping and eating everyday. Email me at [email protected]

No shipping, Local pick up in Northern VA please.

 

[sixspeed]

I would like him to have a home asap, I'm afraid hes not getting the proper care and I've read how fragile they can be.

 

[Bowmancj85]

What breeder did you buy him from? Was it at the reptile show right outside Baltimore?

 

[sixspeed]

I'm not sure my roommate got him and he doesn't remember.. He's not the smartest person. He got him from the Baltimore one

 

[odduc748]

I'd take him if I were a bit closer, I'd be tempted to take him.

Thanks for being so good about trying to do the right thing for this little animal.

 

[RobSquared]

If your having difficulty finding a local buyer you might try and do shipping as it is pretty easy. You will most likely find him a good home quicker.

 

[BobS346]

I agree it is great you are trying to find someone to take care of him properly, but $300 for a panther that you don't know who produced it, and I am assuming you don't know a locale of origin, might result in a hard time finding a buyer. I agree with RobSquared that you might have more luck if you are willing to ship. Best of luck for both you and the Cham.

 

[Starman]

I realize this is most likely a temporary setup until you've found a new owner, but I can't help to notice how much effort the little guy has to make to bask.

Any chance of adding some perches closer to his basking light to keep him comfortable until you find a new owner for him?

 

[takeshinagano]

You could turn its enclosure on it's side so the chameleon can get closer to the basking light but be careful about it getting too hot!

 

[sixspeed]

I tried to rearrange and got a branch a little more closer to the lights. The basking bulb is a 150watt, is this too much? My roommate doesn't want to let him go for less than $300 since he paid $350. He is very stubborn

 

[zlew]

Well your roommate isn't in much of a position to bargain is he? He shouldn't have bought a chameleon if he doesn't know how to take care of it. He needs to track down where the expo was, look at the vendors, and call every single vendor who was selling chameleons, and see if he can return it, and unless the breeder is really nice, I doubt he/she would give back more than 60% of the original price.

 

[Carlton]

I tried to rearrange and got a branch a little more closer to the lights. The basking bulb is a 150watt, is this too much? My roommate doesn't want to let him go for less than $300 since he paid $350. He is very stubborn

He isn't likely to get that kind of money from experienced keepers without knowing the precise bloodlines for this cham and the name of the breeder at least. Whoever sold the cham to him may have taken advantage of him as well. Inexperienced buyers won't know what they are getting either. Either way, the more stubborn he is the more this poor animal will suffer or end up sick (unless you, the caring roomie takes care of him ). Then he'll get even less or have to add vet bills to it all.

I can't understand why anyone would buy an animal without knowing anything about caring for it and then turn right around and try to sell it again. Your roomie doesn't deserve a nice creature like this.

BTW, the basking light may be too much, but the best way to tell is to measure the temperature right at the basking perch itself. The temp there shouldn't be more than about 90 F. If its hotter than that, move the light higher off the cage top or the cham could get burned.

 

[sixspeed]

I don't have anything to measure the temperature with, I don't think its too hot. I'm on a tight budget so I'll try to get a temp gun soon. I try to mist the cage twice a day and I have seen him trying to lick the water drops that roll down the screen. He eats 2-4 superworms a day. I tried to feed him more but he doesn't want anymore. Is that okay?

What would be a good price to ask for him? Maybe I can convince him..

 

[werecat]

That chameleon is still young and should be eating much more than 2-4 superworms a day. Also, superworms are not a very nutritious food. You will need to also feed crickets and/or Dubia roaches. The supers are too high in fat to be a main diet. You can also try silkworms, hornworms, and flies. They really need variety.

Also, all feeders MUST be dusted with supplement powders. This is critical for bone development since he is still growing! If he does not recieve proper supplements he will quickly suffer from Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). If he develops MBD your roommate will have a difficult time getting any money for him at all and the chameleon will suffer greatly (experienced keepers can easily spot a chameleon with MBD)!
Most of us use the following supplement schedule:
Calcium with no D3=daily
Calcium with D3=2x per month
Multivitamin=2x per month

I am surprised your roommate is willing to let this chameleon waste away from lack of care when he wants to make his money back. Try explaining that giving proper care will protect his "investment". Without proper care, chameleons often decline quickly will become worthless.

 

[werecat]

Also, is the little guy climbing on the ceiling of the cage at all? If so, he can easily burn on that basking bulb. Most people use 60-100 watt. 150 seems very high, but the main basking spot was very low so maybe that worked. I know that young ones tend to hang upside down on the screens below their bulbs. A severe burn will require a vet and will most likely also devalue him.

Thank you for trying to do the right thing for this little guy!

 

[odduc748]

A few superworms a day is far too little food for this young cham.

I feed my girl, who is about the same age as yours, about a dozen crickets and dubia roaches and 3-5 meal worms per day. She will sometimes even eat more. Of course my feeders are gutloaded and dusted with the appropriate calcium and vitamin supplements. I've got silkworms and small hornworms on the way too.

Basically, you should try to ensure that they eat very well in their early stages of development.

Monitor the poops, also.

 

[Carlton]

I don't have anything to measure the temperature with, I don't think its too hot. I'm on a tight budget so I'll try to get a temp gun soon. I try to mist the cage twice a day and I have seen him trying to lick the water drops that roll down the screen. He eats 2-4 superworms a day. I tried to feed him more but he doesn't want anymore. Is that okay?

What would be a good price to ask for him? Maybe I can convince him..

A very rough way to judge the temperature (but obviously not the best) is to remember that your body temp is 98.6...if the basking area feels warm to you, its hotter than that...and may be TOO warm for a cham. If the basking area feels neither warm or cool to you it may be OK for the time being. Just make sure the cham can move closer or farther away from the heat.

If you are going to try getting some temp measuring device, there are inexpensive temp guns out there instead of spending the $ on a thermometer that won't work as well. Plus, that temp gun is a very handy thing around the house too. You don't need a fancy one that can handle anything up to hundreds of degrees. Try Radio Shack, bigger pet supplies, or order one online (LLL, Pro Exotics tempgun.com, Big Apple, the Bean Farm, Herpsupplies.com, etc).

 

[sixspeed]

Thank you for all the suggestions. I got some crickets and he ate around 8. He seems to love drinking the water from the screen when I mist the cage and yesterday before work he was beginning to shed so I slowly misted him and he didn't seem to mind and when I came home all the shed came off. He's pooping at least once a day. I switched the bulb to a 100 watt. I know he doesn't have many vines but I will try and by more when I get paid or maybe a live plant. I'm kind of getting attached to him! He doesn't seem to climb on the ceiling of the cage too much. I've only seen him do it a few times

 

[sharp229]

You can get dowels at a hardware store, cut them to the right lengths, and hold them to the screen with a small thumbtack at each end. This is the fastest and cheapest method since the dowels are generally well under $1.

 

[jajeanpierre]

You can get dowels at a hardware store, cut them to the right lengths, and hold them to the screen with a small thumbtack at each end. This is the fastest and cheapest method since the dowels are generally well under $1.

I just use branches from a tree. Just make sure the tree isn't one of the poisonous trees. I put dead/live leaves and all in. I find dowels too smooth, too uniform. I won't even use dowels in my parrot cages.

You can buy a cheap houseplant from Home Depot for under $10. Something like a ficus or a Schefllera. Try to get the plant up to the top of the cage--they are arboreal (tree) dwellers; they don't live on the ground. The best plant is an hibiscus if you can get one cheaply. Just wash any A LOT in a bucket of very soapy water including the pot--use hand dish washing detergent. You want to remove any toxic stuff the grower put on the plants or in the soil. I just put paper towels over the dirt and tuck them into the pot to keep the chams from getting any garbage from that. They can end up eating dirt along with the bug they snap up. The plants will likely do poorly in the lighting conditions, but in the mean time they will give the chameleon a place to hide in and extra humidity. The natural plant leaves hold water drops better than plastic as well.

Good luck.