Help!! Very odd behavior

[Road_House]

I purchased a 8mo panther chameleon a few weeks back and he isn't acting normal.

Cage is a 4x2x2, eating crickets and mistking setup, reptisun 5.0. Had a 40w bulb that went to 83f on top branch but just swapped to a 60w today.

He always is towards the bottom of the cage, a few times I would check on him before lights go on and he would be sleeping on the bottom... in a small puddle from the mistking.

He has never been under the basking light getting warm

When he moves around from branches, it's like he's drunk. He wobbles around, his depth perception is way off. Keeps trying to grab the same branch for 2 minutes.

When the mister goes on and he is getting misted he almost clenchs up and almost falls on whatever he's attached to.

Ive seen him eat when I first got him. Crickets do dissappear still. I called the breeder and did everything he said.


I'm very worried about him. Any suggestions please

 

[Theveiled]

Could you post a picture of him? How do you supplement?

 

[Road_House]

Could you post a picture of him? How do you supplement?

I use repti calcium supplement without d3.

Thank you

 

[Theveiled]

Do you have lights on at night? His colors are starting to look nice

 

[sebastianthechameleon]

You said you had him for 2 weeks? This may be an acclimation thing. How long has this been going on? How often do you dust with D3 and Calcium? I am not noticing any strange bone structure. Do you hand feed/free range/ or cup feed? I have had experience with chameleons going wack from cup feeding. More info may help

 

[Decadancin]

He does look maybe a bit thin, but not bad. Could you post a pic of the enclosure?

 

[Road_House]

Do you have lights on at night? His colors are starting to look nice

He has 12hrs of day then lights are completely out at night.

You said you had him for 2 weeks? This may be an acclimation thing. How long has this been going on? How often do you dust with D3 and Calcium? I am not noticing any strange bone structure. Do you hand feed/free range/ or cup feed? I have had experience with chameleons going wack from cup feeding. More info may help

I've had him for about 3 weeks. He's been acting strange from day one. Always at the bottom or the floor of the enclosure. I called the breeder for tips within the first couple days of having him and did everything he mentioned.

I've dusted about 3 times now, so once a week or so. But I notice the dust doesn't stay on long.

I got a feeder cup but there are still crickets that excape and roaming the cage.

I've tried feeding him supers in a cup but he wants nothing to do with them.

 

[Road_House]

He does look maybe a bit thin, but not bad. Could you post a pic of the enclosure?

If you check my created threads, I made an enclosure one with more pics.

 

[Decadancin]

Oh yes, I recognize the enclosure! You could use a vine or two near the top maybe, but that doesn't look like it would cause any of the behaviors you are describing. He may just need a little time to adjust, but that's just a guess.

 

[Road_House]

Oh yes, I recognize the enclosure! You could use a vine or two near the top maybe, but that doesn't look like it would cause any of the behaviors you are describing. He may just need a little time to adjust, but that's just a guess.

I do have a fake vine I picked up from petco last week. I was going to return it as i felt guilty spending $17 on it when I got home. But I'll throw it in the cage anyway.

He has been raised outside in sunny cali sense he has been born also. I'm not sure if that makes a difference or not.

The main things that worry me is him sleeping on the bottom of the cage, the constant wobbles and no depth perception.

Thanks for posting

 

[Road_House]

Found him on the bottom of the cage again today

 

[Theveiled]

Found him on the bottom of the cage again today

Could you post a pic of him at the bottom of the cage?

 

[Road_House]

Could you post a pic of him at the bottom of the cage?

I got up this morning, yet again at the bottom sleeping.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I do have a fake vine I picked up from petco last week. I was going to return it as i felt guilty spending $17 on it when I got home. But I'll throw it in the cage anyway.

He has been raised outside in sunny cali sense he has been born also. I'm not sure if that makes a difference or not.

The main things that worry me is him sleeping on the bottom of the cage, the constant wobbles and no depth perception.

Thanks for posting

Why do you say he has no depth perception?

Have you ever had a chameleon before? If you've never had a chameleon, you might not know what "normal" locomotion looks like. There are a whole lot of different things that might be going on.

The behavior you are describing might be stress. A stressed healthy chameleon that ends up on the bottom of the cage can look pretty pathetic and move in ways you describe. They might even roll around and appear as if they can't even walk. In general, most chameleons do not like to be hit by a spray and might respond as you describe. Think about where your perches are in relation to the mister head.

Your description of him taking a long time and wobbling before he places a foot is normal behavior. Their apparent unsteadiness is an effective camouflage technique making them look like a quivering leaf. My wild caughts will move very unsteadily through cover if the air is still but if there is a breeze and the leaves are quivering, they move fast and straight. They understand the need to hide and appear like a leaf. They are more apt to move very slowly when they are stalking prey, too.

I see a few things about your cage that don't seem very chameleon friendly.

First, once he ends up on the bottom you don't have easy ways for him to get up. I have not found chameleons to be very good problem solvers and some of them tend to short circuit when they get down on the ground and then are not be able to figure out a way to get up which only stresses them more. I would put a tangle of branches at the bottom so that no matter where he is, he can find an easy route up.

Second, the top of the cage is actually quite barren. He needs a lot more cover that is easy for him to move in and out of at many different levels. Your cage is really set up upside down--that bushy plant should be at the top with branches--natural branches with bark on them--through it so he has lots of pathways to get as close or as far away from the heat and the UVB.

Third, your perches look really slick like dowels and bamboo. They need branches with bark on them. Related to the slick branches are his nails. Your picture isn't very good, but it looks like he has very short nails. They need long nails to grip and I think they need bark for the those fine sharp nail tips to wedge into. Screen caging is really hard on chameleons' nails because they end up climbing the screen. As they get bigger, they have more trouble holding on to the wire and their grip. As they slip/fall they break off/rip out/wear down their nails to nubs one nail at a time.

He might simply be quite shocked to find himself where he is. He is used to natural sunlight and a 5% Reptisun is nothing like natural light. Your cage may be so different from what he is used to, he might very well be upset. I know I have a little Calumma malthe that was huddled down at the bottom of a big cage in the dark for the longest time--months. I changed his cage about five or six times before I finally figured out what made him happy.

 

[Road_House]

Why do you say he has no depth perception?

Have you ever had a chameleon before? If you've never had a chameleon, you might not know what "normal" locomotion looks like. There are a whole lot of different things that might be going on.

The behavior you are describing might be stress. A stressed healthy chameleon that ends up on the bottom of the cage can look pretty pathetic and move in ways you describe. They might even roll around and appear as if they can't even walk. In general, most chameleons do not like to be hit by a spray and might respond as you describe. Think about where your perches are in relation to the mister head.

Your description of him taking a long time and wobbling before he places a foot is normal behavior. Their apparent unsteadiness is an effective camouflage technique making them look like a quivering leaf. My wild caughts will move very unsteadily through cover if the air is still but if there is a breeze and the leaves are quivering, they move fast and straight. They understand the need to hide and appear like a leaf. They are more apt to move very slowly when they are stalking prey, too.

I see a few things about your cage that don't seem very chameleon friendly.

First, once he ends up on the bottom you don't have easy ways for him to get up. I have not found chameleons to be very good problem solvers and some of them tend to short circuit when they get down on the ground and then are not be able to figure out a way to get up which only stresses them more. I would put a tangle of branches at the bottom so that no matter where he is, he can find an easy route up.

Second, the top of the cage is actually quite barren. He needs a lot more cover that is easy for him to move in and out of at many different levels. Your cage is really set up upside down--that bushy plant should be at the top with branches--natural branches with bark on them--through it so he has lots of pathways to get as close or as far away from the heat and the UVB.

Third, your perches look really slick like dowels and bamboo. They need branches with bark on them. Related to the slick branches are his nails. Your picture isn't very good, but it looks like he has very short nails. They need long nails to grip and I think they need bark for the those fine sharp nail tips to wedge into. Screen caging is really hard on chameleons' nails because they end up climbing the screen. As they get bigger, they have more trouble holding on to the wire and their grip. As they slip/fall they break off/rip out/wear down their nails to nubs one nail at a time.

He might simply be quite shocked to find himself where he is. He is used to natural sunlight and a 5% Reptisun is nothing like natural light. Your cage may be so different from what he is used to, he might very well be upset. I know I have a little Calumma malthe that was huddled down at the bottom of a big cage in the dark for the longest time--months. I changed his cage about five or six times before I finally figured out what made him happy.

First i want to Thank you very much for your detailed replay.

This is indeed my first chameleon, and thank you for clearing up his odd movements.

I rearranged the top of the cage for him. I put in real branches with leaves, plenty of hiding for him. But unfortunately it is to late. He barely moves now and his eyes look very sunken in. He doesnt grasp the branches, just kind of lays there. His eyes open but just a little and he doesnt move his turrets. I put 200 crickets in his cage but I'll be shocked to see him alive when I wake up :'(
I'm very upest. Thanks everybody for the help.

 

[vtcowgirl]

Oh my goodness, I would not put crickets in at night at all let alone 200 of them. The Cham sleeps at night and the crickets may bite him. I hope your little guy gets better!

 

[Road_House]

Oh my goodness, I would not put crickets in at night at all let alone 200 of them. The Cham sleeps at night and the crickets may bite him. I hope your little guy gets better!

Last ditch effort for him. He won't be around come morning. Sad sad day

 

[Andee]

How much were you feeding him and how often? How long and how often were your mistings? I agree he looks malnourished a bit.

 

[Nursemaia]

I understand a last ditch effort but dying and having crickets bite you while is no humane way to go

 

[Road_House]

How much were you feeding him and how often? How long and how often were your mistings? I agree he looks malnourished a bit.

I always had crickets in the cage.
Misting 3 times a day, 90s each

I understand a last ditch effort but dying and having crickets bite you while is no humane way to go

Crickets bite him? I havnt noticed a single cricket on him. He's gone but thanks