A lot of questions im a new owner

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Hi this is my first post and i have a few question regarding my panther chameleon 2 days ago i got him from petco for a certain reason and it was because of how poorly they treated there animals i wanna show you the picture from the first day until now, anyways heres the questions
1. Does anything look wrong with it health wise he has a bruise i believe on his face he had it at the petstore will that heal?
2.it hasnt eaten yet but it did shed today/yesterday as soon as he got into ita new environment he seems very happy is that normal?
3.when will he/she gain color it looks very behind for its age its about 3months and is had no color besides a dark brownish/black color with no pattern when i got it and it had really poor lighting in petco but he has the perfect temp now and is start to show some pattern im just wondering about color?
4.it hasnt finished shelding and has some stuck from its back legs to the end of his tail is there anything i can do to help it i know not to pull it.
5.can anyone identify if its a girl or boy yet?
And may i just add i think petco is cruelest place and should be shut down i truly believe if i didnt buy this little chameleon it woulda died soon there needs to be a movement against petco!!!
 

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I’m new too, I’m not qualified to answer any health questions or anything like that. But you’ve come to the right place for questions. There’s a health form to fill out, they like you to fill it out, I think it’s in the menu. Good on you to save him/her from poor conditions...I do know they will stop eating some when they shed. But again I’m new, maybe a more established member will pipe in hopefully. Good luck(y)
 
I can tell you with all those patterns it will be quite handsome whatever sex it is @Goose502 or @jannb are both really knowledgeable. Sorry to tag you guys, I know how it is to really want some advice :)
 
I’m new too, I’m not qualified to answer any health questions or anything like that. But you’ve come to the right place for questions. There’s a health form to fill out, they like you to fill it out, I think it’s in the menu. Good on you to save him/her from poor conditions...I do know they will stop eating some when they shed. But again I’m new, maybe a more established member will pipe in hopefully. Good luck(y)
Thankyou i spent a lot of money on everything to try and save it from that place just wanna make sure there isnt a lot wrong with it,
I can tell you with all those patterns it will be quite handsome whatever sex it is @Goose502 or @jannb are both really knowledgeable. Sorry to tag you guys, I know how it is to really want some advice :)
thanks so much i was really nervous when i got it i saw no pattern and it was a dark crusty brown it seems to be doing much better not being trapped in that muck of a cage with no lighting at petco im really hoping for a little lady but whatever it is ill be happy just wanna give it the best home possible
 
Oh you’re welcome, all I did was tell you it was a handsome chameleon, keep asking questions and someone will pipe in with good advice, glad to hear he/she seems to be doing better! Welcome to the forums too, everyone is nice.
 
bing bong is currently removing the access shedding and its seeming to come off very easily, in the first picture you can easily see the bruise under his chin from when we got him from petco. Could this be affecting his eating or causing his mouth pain? definitely a concern we want answered! thanks
 

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bing bong is currently removing the access shedding and its seeming to come off very easily, in the first picture you can easily see the bruise under his chin from when we got him from petco. Could this be affecting his eating or causing his mouth pain? definitely a concern we want answered! thanks
Can someone help this member out...they are just looking for some advice? I’m new too sooo
\o/
 
Welcome to the forums. Please fill out the ask for help form linked below so that we can better help you.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

I believe you have a female but I’m not an expert at sexing panthers. @Matt Vanilla Gorilla or @bobcochran would be much better at sexing.

That does appear to be a bruise in that one picture. If it’s a bruise it will go away on its own. What size cage is that? If it’s to Big he might not be able to find his feeders. What feeders and what size feeders are you offering him? He might not be eating because of shedding and the new environment. Is he/she drinking? Pooping?
 
Welcome to the forums. Please fill out the ask for help form linked below so that we can better help you.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

I believe you have a female but I’m not an expert at sexing panthers. @Matt Vanilla Gorilla or @bobcochran would be much better at sexing.

That does appear to be a bruise in that one picture. If it’s a bruise it will go away on its own. What size cage is that? If it’s to Big he might not be able to find his feeders. What feeders and what size feeders are you offering him? He might not be eating because of shedding and the new environment. Is he/she drinking? Pooping?
No feeders i have one but the people told me to hand feed him out of the cage he usually hangs out towards the top i may add it now
 
By feeders, I wanted to know what kind of insects and the size you are offering. In my experience babies like to catch their food moving around in the enclosure.
Well due to her size and the size of my cage (zoomed reptibreeze 16L x 16W x 30H) its kind of a hassel to let the insects roam around i just didnt think shed find them but its only my second day with her im doing meal worms right now and crickets tomorrow im working on getting a wider selection. So i dont think ima let them roam around her cage, unless it’s truly best she seemed to like the feeders location and ate for the first time using it which was good. She also still shoots at the insects in the feeder.
 
Well due to her size and the size of my cage (zoomed reptibreeze 16L x 16W x 30H) its kind of a hassel to let the insects roam around i just didnt think shed find them but its only my second day with her im doing meal worms right now and crickets tomorrow im working on getting a wider selection. So i dont think ima let them roam around her cage, unless it’s truly best she seemed to like the feeders location and ate for the first time using it which was good. She also still shoots at the insects in the feeder.

I keep babies in small tubs until they are bigger. Also mealworms are not good feeders for chameleon. They are hard for them to digest. Please fill out the link above so we can help you get everything correct for your baby.

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Idk the lady from petco specifically said to hand feed her or have a feeder close to it because it was having a problem getting crickets and they had it at the vet getting force fed because it wouldnt eat. I guess ill try it out i currently have coconut exrract i also have carpet if i should use that but she doesnt ever go down to the bottom of the cage its kinda strange and i dont see the crickets traveling up should i still give it a try or maybe instead i could put the carpet in a tub and make another feeding enclosure with stick and ect so she doesnt get that stuff in her mouth? Also what else besides crickets should i feed it since meal worms are not good?
 
Idk the lady from petco specifically said to hand feed her or have a feeder close to it because it was having a problem getting crickets and they had it at the vet getting force fed because it wouldnt eat. I guess ill try it out i currently have coconut exrract i also have carpet if i should use that but she doesnt ever go down to the bottom of the cage its kinda strange and i dont see the crickets traveling up should i still give it a try or maybe instead i could put the carpet in a tub and make another feeding enclosure with stick and ect so she doesnt get that stuff in her mouth? Also what else besides crickets should i feed it since meal worms are not good?

There shouldn’t be anything in the bottom of the enclosure. If I had a baby with problems form Petco, I’d definately have her in a tub. I feed babies fruit flies, pinhead crickets and freshly hatch mantis.

Once again to make sure you are doing everything correct, fill out the ask for help form.

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • 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?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

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Please Note:
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Hi there. You have already received a lot of really good advice! The pictures are a little dark and blurry. Here is what I have learned from the pictures. The mark in the jaw/neck area seems to be a bruise from another chameleon of similar size (size and shape of bruise gave me the impression) biting this one. The scales that runs right down the middle of the bottom side of the chameleon are missing (with some hanging by a thread ) in the bruised area. There is also a bruise on television tail of similar fashion. The tip of the tail is missing and has a healed wound. The scales down the back of the chameleon does not have sharp edges and some seems to be missing.

Conclusion this chameleon was kept with other chameleons of similar sex and size/age linger than it should have been for age. The chameleon possibly had many altercations with these other individuals possibly causing the tip of the tail to be missing. This chameleon is most likely a male that has challenged other males and came out looking like this on the other end. The missing and misfire scales on the back of the chameleon could be related to the conditions it was raised in and also a vitamin deficiency.

So, I do think it is possibly male and has not been in good care (till now).
 
i got him from petco for a certain reason and it was because of how poorly they treated there animals
This is exactly the reason why you should NOT get your animals from Petco (or any commercial reseller). By purchasing from them you encourage them to restock and do the same to a whole new load of animals. No sales = no income (quite the opposite) = no more reptiles in these stores eventually.

So next time, don't let your emotions guide you, do the right thing, buy from a breeder that cares properly for the animals and pay em a fair price so they can keep doing what they do. You will have better guarantee of obtaining a healthy animal, you'll get much more valuable info and can always count on their support/advise in the future. (isn't that right @Matt Vanilla Gorilla ? ;))
 
This is exactly the reason why you should NOT get your animals from Petco (or any commercial reseller). By purchasing from them you encourage them to restock and do the same to a whole new load of animals. No sales = no income (quite the opposite) = no more reptiles in these stores eventually.

So next time, don't let your emotions guide you, do the right thing, buy from a breeder that cares properly for the animals and pay em a fair price so they can keep doing what they do. You will have better guarantee of obtaining a healthy animal, you'll get much more valuable info and can always count on their support/advise in the future. (isn't that right @Matt Vanilla Gorilla ? ;))
Its not much “about getting a healthy chameleon and i wouldnt care what any chameleon owner has to say about that, that makes no sense to me let the little guy guy that i could save die at petco i got him for the reason that he was so hurt its to give him a better life you dont return a dog with a troubled past.. all it has is some sick battle scars to me! ;)
 
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