Hello everyone, forgive me in advance for the long post. I have a male panther chameleon who is about 1 1/2 years old. I purchased him from a reptile expo from breeders about 2 months ago.
Issues: Initially he was rubbing his eyes on sticks pretty aggressively. I purchased Vitamin A Repashy powder and that has seemed to get much better, he still does this rarely. This also started getting better about the time i removed the red heat bulb. He is very picky about eating, when i first got him he loved dubias/crickets but quickly lost interest in the dubias. Initially I was feeding 5-6 bugs every other day, but now he will only eat a few bugs at a time and some days will eat nothing. Lately his poop has also been runny/liquid brown. I noticed one time he had a very minimal amount of red in his poop, but that has almost seemed to go away. He has shed once since i’ve owned him, and there is still shed stuck to his face. The pooping is also occurring once or more daily.
Supplements and Husbandry: He is in a 24x48 reptibreeze cage, with a 5.0 UVB. Ambient room temp is ~68F. Basking temps are 85-95F. Night temp is ~65-70F. I have a live hibiscus plant with 4 pothos in each corner. He gets calcium without D3 in every feeding, and vitamin A and calcium without D3 once a month. He is also on a regulated 12 hour sleep schedule. On days where he won’t eat I resort to giving him 1-2 superworms so he won’t starve, but I don’t want to teach him being picky gets him treats. He does have a dripper in case he ever wants a drink. I was misting 2-3 times a day, but after the vet visit i’ve been doing more frequently.
I had a cheap hygrometer, but it seemed very unreliable and I’m planning to buy a new, high end one as well as a lamp hanger as soon as possible.
Handling: He has been handled as minimal as possible, but with his issues I’ve taken him to the vet and been taking him out daily for the past ~3 days for soaks/shower steams. He has always been extremely friendly, has never hissed or puffed at me, and will not close his eyes during handling. Sometimes he even comes to me from his cage.
Vet Visit/Previous Advice: The vet confirmed he has no parasites, and they said that the only issue he has is dehydration. I stay in contact with the breeders and in contrast they have told me he was overhydrated.
He acts like normal, which is weird. He shows bright colors and darker when basking. Aside from the issues i’ve described, he acts completely normal, happy, and healthy.
I have wanted a panther my entire life, and I love this little guy more than anything. I have done countless amounts of research and it feels like i’ve done everything I know to do to make sure he is okay. Regardless whether it’s the vet, the breeders, or online research like these forums i end up with a different answer everywhere. I am lost. Will someone please give me some credible information on what I am doing wrong? If any other information is needed please ask. Pictures are below, I replicated his home from the breeders as best as I could and they told me the cage looks good. I am worried about him not eating properly, as well as over moisturizing and causing respiratory problems, and really anything at all. Please understand this is only my 2nd ever chameleon and I have really done everything I know to do.View attachment 361429View attachment 361430View attachment 361431View attachment 361432
Issues: Initially he was rubbing his eyes on sticks pretty aggressively. I purchased Vitamin A Repashy powder and that has seemed to get much better, he still does this rarely. This also started getting better about the time i removed the red heat bulb. He is very picky about eating, when i first got him he loved dubias/crickets but quickly lost interest in the dubias. Initially I was feeding 5-6 bugs every other day, but now he will only eat a few bugs at a time and some days will eat nothing. Lately his poop has also been runny/liquid brown. I noticed one time he had a very minimal amount of red in his poop, but that has almost seemed to go away. He has shed once since i’ve owned him, and there is still shed stuck to his face. The pooping is also occurring once or more daily.
Supplements and Husbandry: He is in a 24x48 reptibreeze cage, with a 5.0 UVB. Ambient room temp is ~68F. Basking temps are 85-95F. Night temp is ~65-70F. I have a live hibiscus plant with 4 pothos in each corner. He gets calcium without D3 in every feeding, and vitamin A and calcium without D3 once a month. He is also on a regulated 12 hour sleep schedule. On days where he won’t eat I resort to giving him 1-2 superworms so he won’t starve, but I don’t want to teach him being picky gets him treats. He does have a dripper in case he ever wants a drink. I was misting 2-3 times a day, but after the vet visit i’ve been doing more frequently.
I had a cheap hygrometer, but it seemed very unreliable and I’m planning to buy a new, high end one as well as a lamp hanger as soon as possible.
Handling: He has been handled as minimal as possible, but with his issues I’ve taken him to the vet and been taking him out daily for the past ~3 days for soaks/shower steams. He has always been extremely friendly, has never hissed or puffed at me, and will not close his eyes during handling. Sometimes he even comes to me from his cage.
Vet Visit/Previous Advice: The vet confirmed he has no parasites, and they said that the only issue he has is dehydration. I stay in contact with the breeders and in contrast they have told me he was overhydrated.
He acts like normal, which is weird. He shows bright colors and darker when basking. Aside from the issues i’ve described, he acts completely normal, happy, and healthy.
I have wanted a panther my entire life, and I love this little guy more than anything. I have done countless amounts of research and it feels like i’ve done everything I know to do to make sure he is okay. Regardless whether it’s the vet, the breeders, or online research like these forums i end up with a different answer everywhere. I am lost. Will someone please give me some credible information on what I am doing wrong? If any other information is needed please ask. Pictures are below, I replicated his home from the breeders as best as I could and they told me the cage looks good. I am worried about him not eating properly, as well as over moisturizing and causing respiratory problems, and really anything at all. Please understand this is only my 2nd ever chameleon and I have really done everything I know to do.View attachment 361429View attachment 361430View attachment 361431View attachment 361432
