baby panther not eating enough

Ive had this baby panther for 2 weeks and everyday i dump about 15-20 crickets in the cage. However at the end of the day when i remove the crickets he has eating maybe 5-10, with 10 being the most. I heard they are supposed to be eating up to 20 a day. He wont go for the crickets that are at the bottom of the cage.

Im using a 10.0 reptisun(slightly elevated to compensate) but it was installed 2 days ago. perviosuly i was using a random flourescent but the internet said it had suitable amounts of UVB production but would still need to upgrade.
 
What's the temperature in the warmest area of the cage? I don't know if the 10 would still be too strong or not.
What size crickets are you feeding it?
 
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Ive had this baby panther for 2 weeks and everyday i dump about 15-20 crickets in the cage. However at the end of the day when i remove the crickets he has eating maybe 5-10, with 10 being the most. I heard they are supposed to be eating up to 20 a day. He wont go for the crickets that are at the bottom of the cage.

Im using a 10.0 reptisun(slightly elevated to compensate) but it was installed 2 days ago. perviosuly i was using a random flourescent but the internet said it had suitable amounts of UVB production but would still need to upgrade.

Hi

Let me help you out here. Your setup has some major issues!

1) You need a UVB 5.0 tube [Reptisun 5.0] (A repti sun 10 is for Dessert Animals as in Bearded Dragons) another brand is the exo-terra reptiglo 5.0

You cannot use a standard house hold florescent light. This is a big no no, it will totally mess with your UVB lamps spectrum and you Panther will suffer.

2) Get a proper 50 watt or 75watt basking lamp depending on your ambient room temp's the zoo med or exo terra basking lamps are cheap. (Your Chameleon needs to be warmed up to be nice and active and digest its food)


This is what you need to get or you are going to loose your panther.


  • 1 x UVB 5.0
  • 1x 50 or 75 watt basking lamp
  • Pin Head or x-small crickets


Do you have a temp and humidity gage?

How old is he?


You need to upload a picture of the current housing please!

Is he drinking off of leaves or what? Is he still in a container?

Give us a run down on your total setup, you need to get what i mentioned sorted out as soon as possible.

Guys please update this guy on the correct temps for his baby panther i work in Degrees Celsius this side of the world.

READ THIS!!!!
https://www.chameleonforums.com/general-care-true-chameleons-5943/

Please dude get the lights sorted out asap for the sake of your chameleon. Get a Clap lamp fixture for your basking lamp.

Let us know if you are unsure of anything so we can help.
 
Using the Reptisun 10.0 and not the 5.0 is not necessarily problematic, if the chameleon can't get overly close to the bulb, and can easily get to a well-shaded place away from the bulb. Using this bulb, I don't think, is in any way problematic, as long as the animal has options in terms of exposure. If the animal cannot get away from the bulb (i.e., more than 12" away, and in a shaded spot) then you're likely to have problems with either sort of bulb. The animal needs to be able to regulate it's proximity and exposure to the light regardless of the bulb you're using.

As above, please give us a little more information on the caging/setup and on the husbandry. Are you seeing the animal defecate? How often? Also, if possible, it would definitely be helpful to see some photos of the animal, the cricket size relative to the chameleon (e.g., the chameleon and crickets in the same frame), and the cage setup. Some tweaking may be needed, or it may just be that the crickets are on the large size, and therefore the chameleon only needs to eat 5-10 per day of that size cricket. We can give you a better idea of what to adjust, if anything, with more info and pics.

Best,

Chris
 
WOAH im pretty sure my little dude is good, hes eating but not eating whats recommened. the original household flouresceent was only being used for 4 days while i waited for the 10.0 to arrive. I elevated it about 12 feet to compensate for the 20" of penetration instead of the 5.0's 12" of penetration. I got a basking light.

Crickets could be too big. or just large to the point where she doesnt need to eat as much. I guess my real question is what is the fact that the chameleon has only been exposed to the 10.0 for abouts 2 days be the cause of the slow eating.
 
It's possible that the slow eating could be related to lack of UV exposure, since UVA (which the bulb produces, in addition to UVB) stimulates a variety of behaviors in many reptiles, including feeding. However, I don't think that's likely a big factor here. Without more information we can't even begin to guess as to what's going on. The chameleon may be doing just fine, or may be heading downhill--no way to even guess without more information...

Best,

Chris

p.s. I wouldn't necessarily place the fluorescent more than 12" from the basking area, as long as the chameleon can retreat from the bulb. These bulbs tend to produce more UVB than the 5.0 bulbs, but neither are very intense compared to tropical/subtropical sunlight. After about 12" the UVB from the 5.0 bulbs has dropped to somewhat low levels, whereas the 10.0 bulbs produce a bit more UV and the same low intensity occurs a bit further from the bulb (20" is the manufacturer recomendation, I'm guessing, but is pretty generous). In other words, the animals should be able to get at least as close as 12" and 20" (realistically, probably more like 14-16"), respectively, for the 5.0 and 10.0 bulbs, but at those distances the UV intensity is not going to be very high. If they are able to get a bit closer (say no closer than 6-8" for either bulb) while also able to get well away and find shelter then they'll have good opportunities to regulate their UV exposure.
 
WOAH im pretty sure my little dude is good, hes eating but not eating whats recommened. the original household flouresceent was only being used for 4 days while i waited for the 10.0 to arrive. I elevated it about 12 feet to compensate for the 20" of penetration instead of the 5.0's 12" of penetration. I got a basking light.

Crickets could be too big. or just large to the point where she doesnt need to eat as much. I guess my real question is what is the fact that the chameleon has only been exposed to the 10.0 for abouts 2 days be the cause of the slow eating.

Alrighty then. Do you have a basking bulb for the little champ? I didnt see you mention that anywhere?
 
Psyrocco: that cham in your avatar is amazing! What species is that?

Dion: please listen to what these experts are telling you. They are giving you great advice that will improve your chams health, he/she should be gobbling up 15-20 crickets a day with no trouble.
 
Psyrocco: that cham in your avatar is amazing! What species is that?

Dion: please listen to what these experts are telling you. They are giving you great advice that will improve your chams health, he/she should be gobbling up 15-20 crickets a day with no trouble.

Hi yea its a one of the species you find in South Africa in the Knysna area, they call it Bradypodion damaranum. Knysna Dwarf Chameleon.

I am not allowed to keep them as they are indigenous to South Africa :( The only way to keep them is if i Import capacitively breed.

Here is some more info on them https://www.chameleonforums.com/bradypodion-damaranum-28107/
 
uh chya! but he still is eating like 3 meal worms are okay. and i tried luring him into cup feeding and right when i put the mealworm in the cup he lost interest

Smaller crickets free ranged! Just order some until yours hatch. The pinheads are going too be way to small and he will eat them up in a short time along with them escaping the cage. The size you describe him to be 1/2 or 1/4 inch are too big. Try 1/8s.
 
Sorry. My computer was downstairs and it got quarantined for a day while we did plumbing and mold fumigated(dont worry the chameleon is miles away from it)

Heres some quick specs.
Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - 3-4month old Panther chameleon
* Handling - about 3 times a week mainly for a trip outside in the sun
* Feeding - 15-20 pinhead crickets a day. Pain in the butt to remove them so my dude needs to start eating
* Supplements - repcal no d3 with reptical D3 about twice a month. Only feed him one dose of reptivite and D3 since i got him about 2 weeks ago
* Watering - 3-5 times a day. sHe drinks water almost every single time
* Fecal Description - Repetitively similar. Black with white cap not too greasy....ew
* History - had her for about 2 weeks. LLLreptile
Cage Info:

* Cage Type -2ftby2ft with 1.5ft high. Glass with mesh screen
* Lighting - 75watt ceramic heater and 10.0reptisun
* Temperature - 73-80 everyday. depends on tempature in my room. Ceramic is hooked up to hygrotherm controller
* Humidity - 74-87. Humidifier also hooked uip to the hygrotherm
* Plants -pothos,umbrella, ficus and palm
* Placement - the tank sits on an end of desk in my room with humidifer above it
* Location - my room. Relatively quiet in their. IM mainly downstairs or in living room

Im gonna put the flourescent back on the screen and see if that helps. Idk i may jst be paranoid but im worrying my homie is declingng in health.
Please note that ive noticed these issues about 4 days ago.
ALSO thank you to all of you posting and helping.
 
BTW correctin for the lighting. The flourscent is hooked up to a timer to turn it off at ngiht and the ceramic heater is hooked up to the hygrotherm
 
psyrocco- Also that regarding my last post. I hope i didnt come off aggresive or mean. I was in class and had to rush type it and wasnt analyzing my convo to well..so if i came off mean my apologies
 
My suggestion is not handling her. It is good to let them out for natural sun and by all means dont stop doing it!!! What I would suggest is taking the whole cage out there. This way you dont have to handle her to put on a plant outside. She needs to settle in. If you cant take the whole cage out let her settle in before messing with her.
 
Yeah im thinking she is stressed. Ive been doing alot of work since she came in. getting new plants, lights, substrate change out etc. Ive tried to avoid stressing her out and havent handled her in about 4 days to avoid any additional stress
 
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