Panther Chameleon basking temps? Please help

Chigimonky

New Member
Hi all. I have a 6 month old Ambilobe male that I got a month ago. Im wondering what you all recommend for cage temps? basking and ambient?

My cham is still grey much of the time and hangs out right under his basking light most of the time. Im confused because the ambient temp in my home is 75 F and I thought that was acceptable. Sometimes hes really colorful and beautiful but most of the time hes dark. Also I heard that they get in a bad mood if they are cold, and If so this makes sense cause hes grumpy most the time.

Oh and do they eat less and get wrinkley before a shed? Thanks everyone

Cage- 19x19x36 Screen mesh wooden frame I made. Its not very high off ground, maybe insecure?
Lighting- 60 watt regular house bulb and 18'' zoo med uvb bulb
Temp- 75 ambient 85 basking
Humidity- about 55-60% with misting 4-5 times a day and a humidifier
Food- mainly crickets
Supplementation- calcium noD3 twice a week, Herptivite twice a month, Minerall twice a month
Handling- Only when needed. I have let him walk onto my hand to get a cricket a couple times to get him used to me

Chameleon- 6 month old Male ambilobe
Issue- Sour disposition, always looking at me, dark drab coloration, always basking

I think thats all of the pertinent info. Any advice on causes of drab coloration and how to make your cham happy is much appreciated!

Brandon
 
your temps seem fine to me.
my room temps are around 75, and my basking temp is 85-87.
my panther is 8 months old.

your humidity might be a drop on the low side if that's the best you can do...
my humidity after misting can get as high as 95%-100% after misting, yet be at 45%-50% when bone dry.
you can try more plants if you have more room. also try misting for more time, say 5 mins or so.

my big question is, just how low are you keeping the cage?
if anything, try a higher table or dresser and see if that makes him feel better and more secure.

Harry
 
Its only about a foot off the ground and its 3 feet tall soo yeah. Im trying to think of a good solution to get him higher I just dont have alot of furniture... But I hear that some people keep their ambient at 80? I cranked my heater up to 80 earlier today and he got really colorful and active
 
day basking spot to a max of 90F/32C (85F is good, and for a young panther chameleon one should try not to exceed this)
day cooler spot / ambient range 70-80F /21-26C
night to a low of 65F/18C
 
getting your room temps to 80F does not seem good to me.
I'll bet the reason he is more active is because he is looking for a cooler area to cool off.

while people do keep panthers outside, even in temps that are higher then 80F, let's remember that outside temps are never constant.
they will be far lower in the morning hours and the evening hours.

room temps, unlike outside temps, are more constant.
keep it around 72F-75F and your guy will have areas to cool off.
this is just as important as basking temps.

as for his color...
showing nice colors doesn't always mean that he is happy.
in fact, my guy only shows his nicest colors outside his cage or when he is pissed off at something.

Harry
 
Its only about a foot off the ground and its 3 feet tall soo yeah. Im trying to think of a good solution to get him higher I just dont have alot of furniture.


you could go to your local home depo or lowes and look for a "plant stand".
they are made for large, heavy plants, yet are great for cham cages as well.
the cost is about $30.00 or less on sale.
you could also look around on garbage day to see if anyone tossed out a nice high table you could use.

Harry
 
Thanks you guys for the advice! I moved him much higher so I hope that makes him happier. I think hes just a sirley little guy and thats why hes dark much of the time. I just hope he calms down with time!??

Brandon
 
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