Shedding and Size of Baby Panther

JonnyRogs22

JonnyRogs22

Member
Hi there, I have a baby panther chameleon named Oliver. I got him approx 5-6 months ago and while he has grown he certainly hasn't grown much at all. I think I've only seen him shed once. He looks healthy and I do see him eat but he never seems to eat a whole lot (I feed him baby dusted dubias) he is very picky and I used to be able to cup fees him but then he just randomly decided he didn't like that anymore and stopped eating from the cup. So I then put some in the enclosure on a stick to walk around and then placed him near them and he usually pings off a few of them before not seeming interested, now he seems to not really be interested in them at all. Like I said he is almost 6 months now and is still very small, easily fitting on my pointer finger. Any ideas? The picture attached is of when I got him, he has now grown so his body (not including tail) is about 1"-3/4"
 

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If he is eating and drinking. Great sign some grow a lot slower than others. And I find the males grow a lot slower than the females. But for real he should be about 3 to5 inches at this age unless you got him as a hatchling. Go get more pics very helpful
 
Link said:
If he is eating and drinking. Great sign some grow a lot slower than others. And I find the males grow a lot slower than the females. But for real he should be about 3 to5 inches at this age unless you got him as a hatchling. Go get more pics very helpful
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I did get him when he was very tiny, the guy said over a month old but he looked even younger. This is what he looks like now (my god he's hard to photograph) was able to measure him and from nose to tail tip he is pretty much exactly 4.5". I don't know, maybe he's bigger than I think? He was certainly smaller when I got him, half the size if not smaller. I just expected him to be growing faster. I'll fill all that out when I can. For now here are the photos
 

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Theveiled said:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/ Could you also fill this out? it would help us a ton
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I have never had him tested for parasites, I just find it weird that I haven't seen him shed in over 4 months! (Maybe he she's so fast trough the day I don't even see it? Not sure) here is the info:

Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Panther, Male, close to 6 months old. Has been in my care since approx 1 month old, or so I can tell. Looked very similar to Nightanole's photo when I got him
  • Handling - I handle him at least every other day, only because I'm trying to cup feed him to see if he will change his mind and eat from it.
  • Feeding - I am feeding my Cham baby dubias, and no they aren't too big. The dubias are fed oranges and dry cornflakes/bran flakes and other cereals. There isn't really a schedule, I try to feed him a at least four a day but he rarely eats them all
  • Supplements - Zoo Med Repti Calcium without D3 every feeding and Zoo Med Repti Calcium with D3 twice a month
  • Watering - I have a mist king system set up on a timer, it keeps the humidity generally around 60-70% I have it spraying several times throughout the day for one minute, I have it at the perfect spot where if I have it spray anymore, water collects on the bottom and doesn't evaporate between mistings. Two full sides and the top of the enclosure are screen. I haven't really seen him drink but he clearly must be, he's just so small it's hard to see
  • Fecal Description - little white mucus covered pellet attached to poo (if fresh and not dried out) never tested for parasites
  • History - Not much other than I bought him from a breeder at approximately 1 month old

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Custom built cage to house two Chameleons (yes they are separated) no glass. Just wood and large screen front and sides. 24" Wide x 42" high x 24" Deep, I know it's big but don't have anything smaller. Photo attached
  • Lighting - I use one 100W halogen bulb for heat (keeps basking spots and remainder of cage proper temperature gradient as measured with laser thermometer) and one 10.0 UVB bulb (unsure of brand but bought from Amazon.ca) combined in a Zoo Med double deep dome fixture on a timer running every day from 8:00am - 7:30pm
  • Temperature - Basking spot 86F, ambient temperature 74.5F measured with laser thermometer. Haven't yet measured overnight temps
  • Humidity - approx. 60-70%, created by evaporated water from mist king as well as live plants. I use a Zoo Med humidity a thermometer dual gage
  • Plants - Yes, all live plants, golden pothos, schefflera, and croton
  • Placement - In living room, closest vent about 6 feet away but cage is high off the floor, no fans, area is relatively high traffic although there are tons of deep hiding spots for him. There is a 34" dresser that the custom cage sits on top of, so the base of the cage is 34" off the floor and the top of the cage is 80.5" off the floor.
  • Location - Located in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, winter is almost over here so still relatively dry and certainly cold outside, yesterday was -20C with wind chill. Weather is bipolar here in Canada though lol, today is only -2C

Current Problem - Chameleon possibly too small for age and haven't seen him shed in over 4 months. I also have annoying fungus gnats. Any tips on getting rid of them? I know there are threads already but have tried several things including Hydrogen Peroxide and water, soap and water, letting the top 2" of soil dry out, it puts a dent in the population but they always come back. Thanks guys, much appreciated. Here is the photo of the enclosure (the right side houses a 2 year old Male Veiled named Jasper, and the left is Oliver's side (male 6 month old Panther)
 

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nightanole said:
45 days old:

November+17+baby+4.jpg
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What is the bump with behind the back leg? Is it still there today? That looks like something that needs a vet to look at.

Are you offering anything else besides the dubia?

I would get him checked for parasites...of you have had him for 5-6 months he should be bigger.
 
Peachypink said:
What is the bump with behind the back leg? Is it still there today? That looks like something that needs a vet to look at.

Are you offering anything else besides the dubia?

I would get him checked for parasites...of you have had him for 5-6 months he should be bigger.
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What bump? And ok, I will set up an appointment. No, haven't offered anything else
 
Peachypink said:
What is the bump with behind the back leg? Is it still there today? That looks like something that needs a vet to look at.

Are you offering anything else besides the dubia?

I would get him checked for parasites...of you have had him for 5-6 months he should be bigger.
Click to expand...


Sorry way off track. This was the first pic i could find of a confirmed 45 day old panther. Its not op's.
 
JonnyRogs22 said:
What bump? And ok, I will set up an appointment. No, haven't offered anything else
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Sorry for the confusion, I was talking about the picture @nightanole had posted thinking it was yours by mistake.

I would try offering a variety of feeders as well. At that age they should be putting away more than just 4 a day more like 10-15. They do start tapering off a little but his appetite should have been bigger. Also try offering a couple of times a day. Silks are great to add since you can get them pretty small. Also Black Soldier Fly Larve stay tiny and are a great feeder for young ones. But regardless, I would definitely get a fecal done to check for the parasites.
 
Peachypink said:
Sorry for the confusion, I was talking about the picture @nightanole had posted thinking it was yours by mistake.

I would try offering a variety of feeders as well. At that age they should be putting away more than just 4 a day more like 10-15. They do start tapering off a little but his appetite should have been bigger. Also try offering a couple of times a day. Silks are great to add since you can get them pretty small. Also Black Soldier Fly Larve stay tiny and are a great feeder for young ones. But regardless, I would definitely get a fecal done to check for the parasites.
Click to expand...
Ok, more than 4 baby Dubia? One of them probably equals like 4-6 pinheads crickets. I will go out and find something else for him to try. Do you think he is the right size? Maybe just a late bloomer or is he on track?
 
I would also get some better gut load. Cereals are not a great gut load. Get some Bug Burger, then you can add veggies too. just oranges and cereal won't cut it nutritionally for your chams.
 
JonnyRogs22 said:
Ok, more than 4 baby Dubia? One of them probably equals like 4-6 pinheads crickets. I will go out and find something else for him to try. Do you think he is the right size? Maybe just a late bloomer or is he on track?
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He could be a little slow on growing but if you have had him for 5-6 months then he seems small to me. Yes, dubia are better than crickets for what they offer and once can equate to a few crickets but he should still have been eating more than that. Just an example....my panthers put away 10-16 a day for the first 7 months then went down to about 8. That was on top of having silks and BSFL added to the diet. Now, there would be the a day or two that they would only eat 4-6 but they were also eating the other things offered too. I would always offer at least 5 of a mix of silks and BSFL...there were never any left overs of those.
 
Peachypink said:
He could be a little slow on growing but if you have had him for 5-6 months then he seems small to me. Yes, dubia are better than crickets for what they offer and once can equate to a few crickets but he should still have been eating more than that. Just an example....my panthers put away 10-16 a day for the first 7 months then went down to about 8. That was on top of having silks and BSFL added to the diet. Now, there would be the a day or two that they would only eat 4-6 but they were also eating the other things offered too. I would always offer at least 5 of a mix of silks and BSFL...there were never any left overs of those.
Click to expand...
What is BSFL?
 
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