Please Help!! I'm a newbie!!

[Calval24]

Hi everyone! First I just wanted to say thank you to everyone on this forum. Everyone has been so helpful from all my questions setting up to getting my first Panther settled in!

So here is my question now.

I've had him for a week now but I'm not sure he is eating. I know he drinks a lot because I see him drink all the time.

I feed him small crickets dusted with mineral and I'm trying fruit flies now. I put some in a cup and some free roaming. He doesn't seem interested in the ones in a cup.

From what I see he seems healthy. He roams around when I watch him.

He is in a 16x16x20 now.

Anyone know when he will start eating regularly? It's been a week I'm getting concerned. About how long does it take them to settle in.

Also he is a small guy about 1 to 1.5 inches from nose to start of tail. (Wonder how old that would be)

Any advise would be helpful!!

Thank you

 

[Antihero383]

Filling this out would be helpful.https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

Are you offering appropriate sized food? The food shouldn't be larger than the distance between the eyes as a rule of thumb.

 

[Calval24]

Filling this out would be helpful.https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

Are you offering appropriate sized food? The food shouldn't be larger than the distance between the eyes as a rule of thumb.

Yes the crickets Are pinhead -small crickets and fruit flies

 

[Antihero383]

Yes the crickets Are pinhead -small crickets and fruit flies

Do you have pictures of the setup? What kind of lighting and temperature gradient do you have? What kind of "minerals" are you dusting with?

 

[Calval24]

Do you have pictures of the setup? What kind of lighting and temperature gradient do you have? What kind of "minerals" are you dusting with?

5.0 uvb. With a 60 zoomed daylight blue bulb.
Basking temp about 80-85. 75 in the middle. Bottom I'm not to sure last time I checked I believe it said 72.

And the supplement I use is the Yello cap "Mineral" brand. I hope I spelled that right

 

[Antihero383]

5.0 uvb. With a 60 zoomed daylight blue bulb.
Basking temp about 80-85. 75 in the middle. Bottom I'm not to sure last time I checked I believe it said 72.

And the supplement I use is the Yello cap "Mineral" brand. I hope I spelled that right
View attachment 157331

I'm not sure what supplement you have, can you get a picture of it?

You should be dusting with calcium without d3 most/every feeding. And then 2x per month you should be dusting with calcium with d3 and a multivitamin.

How long are the lights on every day?

This is just basic husbandry advice and doesn't necessarily have any bearing on the lack of eating.

Have you seen the chameleon eat at all? Or seen evidence of eating such as regular pooping?

Also, ditch the substrate at the bottom, it is just a hiding place for insects and a breeding ground for bacteria, it could also pose a huge health threat the the chameleon if it were to ingest any.

 

[Chachi]

Hi everyone! First I just wanted to say thank you to everyone on this forum. Everyone has been so helpful from all my questions setting up to getting my first Panther settled in!

So here is my question now.

I've had him for a week now but I'm not sure he is eating. I know he drinks a lot because I see him drink all the time.

I feed him small crickets dusted with mineral and I'm trying fruit flies now. I put some in a cup and some free roaming. He doesn't seem interested in the ones in a cup.

From what I see he seems healthy. He roams around when I watch him.

He is in a 16x16x20 now.

Anyone know when he will start eating regularly? It's been a week I'm getting concerned. About how long does it take them to settle in.

Also he is a small guy about 1 to 1.5 inches from nose to start of tail. (Wonder how old that would be)

Any advise would be helpful!!

Thank you

My advice first is get that substrate outa there asap. flat clean floor is best. It will be easiest to clean and no hiding places, someone else alredy said that but its important so i wanted to reiterate. Also dust his food w calcium and you are gonna have to figure out a way to know he got them. There was a lady on here that dusted her crickets but left them to roam around and the calcium all came off apparently and her chameleons ended up getting Metabolic Bone Disease because he wasn't getting any calcium and she didn't know it. When i read that I started watchin til they got a few and I knew. Theres always room for discussion. Congratulations and good luck

 

[hkitchen]

As for your age question: with the size that you gave I would hazard to say that your little one is only a couple months old at most.