2.5 month old Nosy be Panther, not eaing/ sleeping alot

Hey everyone, I am a new chameleon owner, but I am already addicted to it. I ordered a Nosy Be Panther through my local pet store. So i know that I got him through a reputable breeder. Right now he is about 2.5 months old. I have him in a 2 foot wide X 2 foot high X 18 inch deep all mesh cage. I have a 25watt basking light raised 2 inches off the top of the cage in one corner, and I have a UVA/UVB florescent light as well. I set up a drip system that drips about once every 5-10sec, and I also spray the cage 2-3 times a day. I have a live umbrella plant as well as a live ficus in the cage. Along with the live plants I have a bio-vine, lots of branches for him to climb on as well as some fake plants. I made sure to give him lots of vertical room to climb on. I am fairly confident that his environment is set up properly.

My concern is two fold. The first being that when I first got him, which was about 3 weeks ago he was very active. However recently he has become lethargic, he seems to be sleeping alot during the day. Should I be worried that he is sleeping so much? if so what could it be a sign of, and what can I do to fix the problem?

My second concern is that when I first got him, I saw him eat several crickets, but since then I have not seen him eat any. I put plenty of small sized crickets in for him, however, it is difficult for me to tell how many he has eating because some of them drowned in the dish I have that catches the water from the drip system, and some get out when I open the door of the cage. SO i am afraid he isn't eating enough. Is it possible to have too much plants and leaves in there that the crickets would be able to hide from the chameleon? Is there any tricks to enticing him to eat? Any tips for hand feeding? And lastly is there any foods that chameleons really really like, such as a particular worm, or a vegetable?

I am really worried about him, but I dont know what to do. I am hoping that someone will be able to give me some good advice. Thank you all for your time and your help.

Your fella should not be sleeping during he day.

Your setup sounds good. I would be curious to know what your room temperatures are during the day and during the night. I would also like to know what the basking spot temperature is. I would guess that you need a higher wattage bulb.

Regarding your cham"s eating. If you don't see him eat, then look for evidence of eating. There should be at least one stool produced each day.

Lastly, for $35 take a stool in to your vet and have it checked for parasites.

My room temp ranges from about 70- 85. The hottest area for basking is about 92 or so. The temp in the cage ranges from about 92 at the basking spot, to about 65 or 70 in the evenings. I haven't seen very many stools in his cage. I clean the whole cage out about once a week, and I haven't seen very many droppings.

Your temps are good. time to take a stool sample to the vet or better yet take your cham into the vet for a thorough checkup.


What type and brand of UVB are you using? Have you tried an alternate feeder such as silkworms?

How would I go about finding a chameleon vet? My light is a Zilla. I got it from my friend who works at a reptile store, he said it would be good for the set up I have. I havnt tried any other kinds of food yet. I was told to only feed small crickets when they are young. Would there be something else I could feed him that he might eat more redly than the crickets? What can sleeping during the day be a sign of?

Is your UVB a compact flourescent or long tube ?

Ask locally , either pet stores or fellow herpers, who they recommend for good reptile veterinary care.

Sleep during the day could be a sign of advanced illness. Eyes closed could also indicate a UVB source that is damaging your chams eyes. Try turning the UVB off for a few days, it won"t hurt if its off for a week.

Also read this info....

https://www.chameleonforums.com/new-special-report-uvb-6122/

Is the plastic sheild still over your flouresant bulb...it shouldnt be.

First off, just because you got it through a local pet store, does not always mean that the breeder is reputable. Do you know the breeders name? If so, you should contact them with your concern. Also, i would recommend using a reptisun 5.0 for your primary light source. Your 25 watt basking bulb may not be strong enough as well. Now this doesn't mean that you wan to go too high with the wattage, but its also important to provide panthers with a 90-95 degree basking spot. Your little fellow may be too cold, which would lead to his poor appetite. As for his food intake, i would expect him to be eating much more frequently I have a 3 month old panther and he eats about 10-15 crickets a day. As soon as the crickets enter the cage, he is hunting them down and eating them. Anytime you have to rely on observing the stool for cricket matter, you more then likely have a problem. This doesn't always mean that the problem is big or unfixable, it just means that something has to be adresses and corrected. In addition to getting him a new UBV bight and a higher watt basking light, i would try offering him some variety to stimulate his appetite. Houseflies and fruit-flies are among my panthers favorite and they are a great way to snag his interest. As for t he UBV bulb, the Reptisun 5.0 are what i have used on all my chameleons and i have had great results. The UV stimulates natural sunlight, provides vit D3, and stimulates physiological well-being. There are other UVB lights that are comparable, this just seems to be what works best for me. Also, chameleons love natural sunlight and as long as the weather is similar to their ambient temperatures, they can be placed outside for designated periods of time. Just make sure that you have some shade to prevent overheating. Do you have a night light that allows this little guy to sleep at night? You would be surprised at how much these guys need their beauty sleep.

-Cala-

If the basking spot is already at 92 I wouldn't put a larger wattage bulb there.
Put screen or mesh over your collection cup to prevent drowning any more crickets.
See if you can order some small silkworms from Coastal. less than an inch but not too small.
I think your dripper needs to drip at least one drop per second for him to recognize that the water is there. Have you seen him drink?
How long are your misting sessions and do you spray him directly? You have to be careful when they're little ...they can aspirate if you spray them in the face for any period of time.
As mentioned before, make sure there is no plastic or glass between the light and the cham.
Good luck. A vet visit wouldn't be a bad idea.
Check out this site to find one close to you:

http://www.arav.org/USMembers.htm

-Brad

I was looking more closely at my light. I have a Zilla Tropical 25 UVB florescent Bulb. 12 watt, 20 inch, T5. I'm not a 100% sure what that all means, but I was wondering if that is large enough, and strong enough for him?

cham_man said:

Also read this info....

https://www.chameleonforums.com/new-special-report-uvb-6122/

Click to expand...

Howdy Cham_man,

I think you hit the nail on the head!

*****!!!!! DAN !!!!!*****

If you are using the Zilla 50 or even the Zilla 25, get it away from your panther! You appear to have the exact problem going on that these Zilla lights are noted for. The simple term is "Snow Blindness." In addition to eye closure due to UVB damage (the eyes are likely to heal) if he is getting close to the UVB source, he may die from UVB burns. No kidding - BLISTERS.

See the panther photo: https://www.chameleonforums.com/uvb-mystic-tube-big-6311/#post44717

The R-Zilla distributor is (has) pulling all of these from sale and refunding to those who return their purchase.

See this summary section of the report: http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor-summary.htm

I read the links you provided me, and they seem to be talking about the Zilla Desert series, not the tropical one. Where did you read that the Tropical ones were having the same problem?

It's going to be the same.
Return that light.
Get a Zoomed 5.0.

-Brad

Dan said:

I read the links you provided me, and they seem to be talking about the Zilla Desert series, not the tropical one. Where did you read that the Tropical ones were having the same problem?

Click to expand...

Howdy Dan,

The Tropical series uses the same phosphorus blend as the Desert Series but with half the output power. Dropping the power from 50uW/cm2 to 25uW/cm2 still leaves a huge risk factor at this point. The Tropical Series will be tested soon. R-Zilla is sending samples. There's more to this problem than just the uW levels. There is a shift in the spectrum that is putting energy at wavelengths that are not considerd safe, including content that is not part of the sun's spectrum that reaches the earth's surface. Although this additional spectral content isn't all the way down to the super-dangerous UVC range, it is still of great concern. That's why the manufacturer will be re-blending their phosphorus coating to fix the problem.

Thanks so much for the awesome advice. I turned off his light, and I am gonna go buy a new one tomorrow. What would you recommend for a good light, that inst too expensive? (I'm still a poor college student, haha.) Is there a light that would work for the cage I have him now, as well as the larger cage that I am going to put him in later?

Hopefully I caught this soon enough, and this is his only problem. How long should it take for me to see signs of him getting better? Is there anything I can do for him, to help his recovery?

Zoomed 5.0
you might be able to get a flourescent housing from Home Depot for cheaper than an aquarium hood (shop light fixture).
LLLReptile has the bulbs for a fairly reasonable price I think.
They are expensive at most petstores.

-Brad

Do I just need to replace the bulb, or do I also need to replace the whole housing for the bulb as well?

Dan said:

Thanks so much for the awesome advice. I turned off his light, and I am gonna go buy a new one tomorrow. What would you recommend for a good light, that inst too expensive? (I'm still a poor college student, haha.) Is there a light that would work for the cage I have him now, as well as the larger cage that I am going to put him in later?

Hopefully I caught this soon enough, and this is his only problem. How long should it take for me to see signs of him getting better? Is there anything I can do for him, to help his recovery?

Click to expand...

The zoomed 5.0 18 inch will run you about $22 i think...that includes a light fixture and bulb.

Geez........what a great thread!

This thread is a perfect example of how well this forum works and how it can save chameleon lives! Get that Zilla light out of there is right! You got some excellent help here Dan. The Reptisun 5.0 will work well for that cage size. Keep misting him to keep him hydrated. I'm hoping he will be able to open his eyes tomorrow. You may even want to keep any light off for today and just have a heat source on to keep him warm. Please please tell us how he is doing later today and tomorrow. Keeping my thoughts on him today. I hope the little guy improves soon