A bit inactive, not exploring

[Sunnysenorita]

• Your Chameleon - Leif Erikson is a Male ambilobe panther, hes about 7 months old and we got him 2 weeks ago.
• Handling - I plan to handle him only when absolutely necessary, so far I have not touched him, only coaxed him onto sticks to get him out in order to rearrange his habitat a bit.
• Feeding - He wasn't eating much till 4 or 5 days ago. Now hes having 1 or 2 superworms, plus 5 or 6 large crickets or dubias a day. We gut load with pangea roach and cricket food, plus sweet potato, kale and apple.
• Supplements - flukers without d3 everyday except 2 days a month when he gets reptivite with d3
• Watering - I hand mist about 3 or 4 times a day and also run a big dripper on 1 drip per second for about 2 hours a day. I have seen him drink, although not much. He doesnt LOOK dehydrated, I think hes a secret drinker.
• Fecal Description - size and shape of a young childs pinkie, about 80% brown, 20% white urate, overall moist, no mucus
• History - he came directly from a local breeder, where he was bred. His sire was onsite and in fantastic health, as well as a few half brothers from previous clutches and a few brothers and sisters from his own clutch.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - screened enclosure, 2×2×4, sitting on an 18" high table.
• Lighting - 48" htg double bulb t5 HO fixture, currently with 1 uva spectrum+ HO and 1 arcadia uvb 6% t5 HO-first one came broken) I have a 60w halogen bulb for basking.
• Temperature - basking area is 85, and ambient temp measured at about 1/3 of the way from bottom is between 73(night) and 77(day)
• Humidity - digital hygrometer in center of cage, away from dripper reads consistently between 55 and 67%. Humidity in my home is about 50-55, so the levels in his enclosure are easily maintained with live plants and misting a few times a day.
• Plants - all live, pothos, nerve plant, hoya, dracaena, hibiscus, staghorn fern, burgundy rubber plant and monstera delicious. He hasnt tried munching on any.
• Placement - cage upstairs in my landing, in front of a window which only gets direct sunlight in late afternoon. It has air flow on all sides, the top of the cage is 5.5 feet from the floor.
• Location - Coastal South Carolina

Problem: he doesnt seem as active as he should be and he doesnt ever go below the top third of his cage, except to sleep when he goes down under the highest leaf. He's eating fine now, but I am a little worried hes not drinking enough. I mist regularly but he's never down in the leaves where the drips are so I'm not sure how hes getting water, unless is from the dripper, but I've never seen him go near that.
Another thing, I dont keep his heat lamp on all day, only for an hour, twice a day, because he has a habit of climbing upside down on the top of his cage and i dont want him to get burnt.
Is there something I mentioned above that seems off? Am i being overly worried? I'm open to feedback!!

 

[NashansCamos]

Have you got him tested for parasites?

 

[Sunnysenorita]

Have you got him tested for parasites?

Not yet, just got a few recommendations for exvets from a local fb page, my plan is to get one done next week.

 

[NashansCamos]

It might be parasites. I read that parasites can make chams feel weak but it could be anything I'm just taking wild guesses. Chances are its not parasites, but I would get a fecal to make sure

 

[mrfixit01]

Keep some ReptiVite on hand and give 4 or 5 drops a month. Keeps them healthy.

 

[Beman]

• Your Chameleon - Leif Erikson is a Male ambilobe panther, hes about 7 months old and we got him 2 weeks ago.
• Handling - I plan to handle him only when absolutely necessary, so far I have not touched him, only coaxed him onto sticks to get him out in order to rearrange his habitat a bit.
• Feeding - He wasn't eating much till 4 or 5 days ago. Now hes having 1 or 2 superworms, plus 5 or 6 large crickets or dubias a day. We gut load with pangea roach and cricket food, plus sweet potato, kale and apple.
• Supplements - flukers without d3 everyday except 2 days a month when he gets reptivite with d3
• Watering - I hand mist about 3 or 4 times a day and also run a big dripper on 1 drip per second for about 2 hours a day. I have seen him drink, although not much. He doesnt LOOK dehydrated, I think hes a secret drinker.
• Fecal Description - size and shape of a young childs pinkie, about 80% brown, 20% white urate, overall moist, no mucus
• History - he came directly from a local breeder, where he was bred. His sire was onsite and in fantastic health, as well as a few half brothers from previous clutches and a few brothers and sisters from his own clutch.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - screened enclosure, 2×2×4, sitting on an 18" high table.
• Lighting - 48" htg double bulb t5 HO fixture, currently with 1 uva spectrum+ HO and 1 arcadia uvb 6% t5 HO-first one came broken) I have a 60w halogen bulb for basking.
• Temperature - basking area is 85, and ambient temp measured at about 1/3 of the way from bottom is between 73(night) and 77(day)
• Humidity - digital hygrometer in center of cage, away from dripper reads consistently between 55 and 67%. Humidity in my home is about 50-55, so the levels in his enclosure are easily maintained with live plants and misting a few times a day.
• Plants - all live, pothos, nerve plant, hoya, dracaena, hibiscus, staghorn fern, burgundy rubber plant and monstera delicious. He hasnt tried munching on any.
• Placement - cage upstairs in my landing, in front of a window which only gets direct sunlight in late afternoon. It has air flow on all sides, the top of the cage is 5.5 feet from the floor.
• Location - Coastal South Carolina

Problem: he doesnt seem as active as he should be and he doesnt ever go below the top third of his cage, except to sleep when he goes down under the highest leaf. He's eating fine now, but I am a little worried hes not drinking enough. I mist regularly but he's never down in the leaves where the drips are so I'm not sure how hes getting water, unless is from the dripper, but I've never seen him go near that.
Another thing, I dont keep his heat lamp on all day, only for an hour, twice a day, because he has a habit of climbing upside down on the top of his cage and i dont want him to get burnt.
Is there something I mentioned above that seems off? Am i being overly worried? I'm open to feedback!!

Hi there... Everything looks on point in your form. The only thing I am seeing in the pics is a possible issue with the UVB exposure. With that 6% you have that top vine extremely close. Is your dual t5 a single reflector or does each bulb have its own reflector panel?

 

[Sunnysenorita]

Hi there... Everything looks on point in your form. The only thing I am seeing in the pics is a possible issue with the UVB exposure. With that 6% you have that top vine extremely close. Is your dual t5 a single reflector or does each bulb have its own reflector panel?

Single reflector. He was on a hunger strike the first week we had him so I wanted to make sure he could get to where the crickets hang out. Also, he climbs the top and before I put that vine up, I caught him a handful of times hanging with no way to get down( hes not the smartest dude). Should I move it? What if I get 1 or 2 more small leafy plants to hang up high so he has more cover up that way?

 

[Beman]

Single reflector. He was on a hunger strike the first week we had him so I wanted to make sure he could get to where the crickets hang out. Also, he climbs the top and before I put that vine up, I caught him a handful of times hanging with no way to get down( hes not the smartest dude). Should I move it? What if I get 1 or 2 more small leafy plants to hang up high so he has more cover up that way?

Depending on the fixture and the reflector you will get different UVI levels. Hard to tell without knowing what you are working with. Trouble with him being on top of them is the UVI is much stronger the closer you get. I would put about a 6-7 inch drop between the top and the branch but.... Here is the thing you will not know without a solarmeter 6.5 to give you exacts. Not all dual fixtures are created the same if you know what I mean.
He will screen climb until he weighs too much to do it. It is not about the plant cover it is about them trying to get as high as they can.

 

[MissSkittles]

I’m so sorry and not making light of your concern’s, but am I the only one who sees the irony that a cham named Leif Erikson isn’t into exploring?

 

[Sunnysenorita]

I’m so sorry and not making light of your concern’s, but am I the only one who sees the irony that a cham named Leif Erikson isn’t into exploring?

I KNOW? hes incredibly shy and stubborn so I feel like his behavior is all spite due to his name. Ironically, he was more active today than ever before. He has an appt with an exvet on 7/22 and will hopefully get a clean bill of health?