Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Panther Chameleon, maybe 5 years, Male, have had him 11 days
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? Way too much probably. We have to carry him home when we got him because he had no carrier and I didn't anticipate having to handle him so much. I've redone his cage so much lately trying to find something he likes that he has been handled a lot.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? He's eating crickets and mealworms right now. Haven't been able to find hornworms or silkworms. I don't really have the extensive funds to afford buying them online with shipping.Feeding him every other day, about 10 crickets dusted with calcium.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Been dusting crickets with calcium every meal and with calcium with d3 every 3 feedings. I have been feeding crickets veggies. I don't have special vitamins yet, waiting for payday.
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? He has a drip cup above his tank that's over some leaves. I also mist his cage 2-3 times a day for about 5 min - 10 min depending on how dry it is. I have seen him drinking. He also will drink out of a cup if I offer it.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? His poop has been normal from what I can tell. First day we got him, we were driving home and I was holding him. He was warming up from the sun in the car, he was freezing and almost listless when we got him, and he pooped ALL OVER me in the car. Lately I've noticed poop, it's white with some brown. No other colors, it's solid, and not runny.
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. We got him when we went to resuce some tarantulas. The person was housing him with a crested gecko for the last two years. We had to take the housemate too so they could "live together" so we now have a crested gecko as well. She was housing all her other animals together too. Bearded dragons with geckos, a tarantula with a gecko, etc. He came with an 8 foot repticage but we traded it at our reptile store to get him lights and leaves and a vine and more food.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? It's a 12x12x24 it's weird because the top is screened and the front bottom is screen, but the rest is plexiglass. I know it's small for him, but since he can't move around much and because he's weak and falls I wanted something that I'd be able to contain him better to make it easier for him to move around.
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? It's the petsmart brand of coil light, 5.0 uvb. He also has a 75 basking light. I read coils are bad for them so that worries me. He has 12 hours of light and heat.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? His basking is 90-100 degrees, ambient temp is 80, the floor is 70, but right now the very bottom has a heating pad on low since he's on the floor, so some spots are 78. We have a temp gun we use to monitor. Lowest temp at night I've seen has been about 68, we keep our house warm.
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Our humidity is about 60%, I'm having a hard time maintaining humidity, it dries pretty fast, I try to soak the cage 2-3 times a day. I'm worried about the basking light shattering when I mist. There's a hydrometer in the cage.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? No live plants, was going to get some pothos when I can afford it. He has a vine and some fake plants in there. I keep scott towels on the bottom but may switch back to towels.
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? It was next to my desk where I have a fan blowing on my laptop so I moved him on top of a cabinet by the front window where the curtain stays closed but I can open it if I want so he can get sun or look outside. He seemed less stressed once I moved him up high because the kids and dogs and high traffic were stressing him i think.
Location - Where are you geographically located? Colorado
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about. I think he's dying. He seems dehydrated again. He's got that eye tumor that seems to bug him. He's 5 to 6 years maybe? I think the damage is done and he's just in his last days, I'm hoping not. My hope is to make him comfortable so at least if he IS in fact dying he will be comfortable and warm, and not die cold and suffering.
