julianfremaint
New Member
My panther chameleon is brown/black 90% of the time I see him. He rarely ever basks in the highest point of his cage. Why is he always black? I mist his cage often and feed him 10 or more crickets a day.
Black/brown panther
- Thread starter julianfremaint
- Start date
Djturna4thakidz
Established Member
Pictures are very helpful.
Might be a problem with your temperatures. What are your temps? how are you checking them?
Also it is very helpful to other members if you fill out the how to ask for help form (sticky). That way we can give you the best advice possible.
Might be a problem with your temperatures. What are your temps? how are you checking them?
Also it is very helpful to other members if you fill out the how to ask for help form (sticky). That way we can give you the best advice possible.
julianfremaint
New Member
I have seen 68-75 degrees at bottom and 85-95 at the top. I will get pictures in a bit. And what is that how to ask form? Where can I get it?
julianfremaint
New Member
My panther chameleon is always black?!
Your Chameleon - Ambilobe panther chameleon, 5 months old, male and I have had him for about 2 months.
Handling - I have tried a good amount of times but still have not actually handled my chameleon outside of the cage.
Feeding - I feed my chameleon small sized crickets from petsmart and petco. I gutload them with flukers orange cubes. The only other thing I fed him was meal worms about 3 days ago. I feed him either in the morning before school or after school. I sprinkle about 8-10 in the cage and hand feed him throughout the day.
Supplements - I use zoo med's reptivite and calcium d3 powder. To be honest, once I first got him I dusted on a schedule of calcium d3 three times a week and reptivite once, but I haven't stayed up to that schedule. I have missed a couple times and haven't stayed loyal to my schedule.
Watering - I currently use a spray bottle to mist his cage. I do it throughout the day randomly. I see him drink A LOT. Every time I mist the cage his color comes out for just a few minutes. Then it is back to the brown/black coloration problem I have been having. This method is until I invest in a Mist King or Monsoon.
Fecal Description - I don't see his feces too much. I have seen some and it has been fine. Although one time I saw what I presume was feces down the side of a leaf. It was brownish red.
History - He is new. He was never brown and black like this when I first got him. He was from time to time but once he adjusted it was fine. Now he is black about 80% of the time I see him. He also VERY rarely basks at the highest point of the cage anymore. He stays mid range near the fake leaves.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - 48x24x24 screen DIY plastic cage.
Lighting - I turn his light on about 6:30 AM before school on weekdays. On weekends about 8:00 AM. I shut the lights off anytime from 9:00 PM through 10:00 PM. My light brands are both zoo med.
Temperature - Near cage floor ranges from 68 degrees to 78 degrees. The basking temperature is currently . Although I have seen it in the late 80's
Humidity - I currently do not measure humidity. I am soon going to invest in a misting system like the Mist King and Monsoon. For now I use a spray bottle to mist his cage at random times throughout the day.
Plants - I am using live plants. I use two draceana plants and a streffela. Not sure about spelling. The strefella is dying and I am questioning trashing it.
Placement - My cage is in my opened up closet. There are no doors. It is kind of centered. There isn't an air vent near the cage but across from it in the same room. There is a fan that is usually active 75% of the day. It gets very hot in my room. The top of the cage is about 3 feet from the ceiling.
Location - I am located in New Jersey.
Your Chameleon - Ambilobe panther chameleon, 5 months old, male and I have had him for about 2 months.
Handling - I have tried a good amount of times but still have not actually handled my chameleon outside of the cage.
Feeding - I feed my chameleon small sized crickets from petsmart and petco. I gutload them with flukers orange cubes. The only other thing I fed him was meal worms about 3 days ago. I feed him either in the morning before school or after school. I sprinkle about 8-10 in the cage and hand feed him throughout the day.
Supplements - I use zoo med's reptivite and calcium d3 powder. To be honest, once I first got him I dusted on a schedule of calcium d3 three times a week and reptivite once, but I haven't stayed up to that schedule. I have missed a couple times and haven't stayed loyal to my schedule.
Watering - I currently use a spray bottle to mist his cage. I do it throughout the day randomly. I see him drink A LOT. Every time I mist the cage his color comes out for just a few minutes. Then it is back to the brown/black coloration problem I have been having. This method is until I invest in a Mist King or Monsoon.
Fecal Description - I don't see his feces too much. I have seen some and it has been fine. Although one time I saw what I presume was feces down the side of a leaf. It was brownish red.
History - He is new. He was never brown and black like this when I first got him. He was from time to time but once he adjusted it was fine. Now he is black about 80% of the time I see him. He also VERY rarely basks at the highest point of the cage anymore. He stays mid range near the fake leaves.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - 48x24x24 screen DIY plastic cage.
Lighting - I turn his light on about 6:30 AM before school on weekdays. On weekends about 8:00 AM. I shut the lights off anytime from 9:00 PM through 10:00 PM. My light brands are both zoo med.
Temperature - Near cage floor ranges from 68 degrees to 78 degrees. The basking temperature is currently . Although I have seen it in the late 80's
Humidity - I currently do not measure humidity. I am soon going to invest in a misting system like the Mist King and Monsoon. For now I use a spray bottle to mist his cage at random times throughout the day.
Plants - I am using live plants. I use two draceana plants and a streffela. Not sure about spelling. The strefella is dying and I am questioning trashing it.
Placement - My cage is in my opened up closet. There are no doors. It is kind of centered. There isn't an air vent near the cage but across from it in the same room. There is a fan that is usually active 75% of the day. It gets very hot in my room. The top of the cage is about 3 feet from the ceiling.
Location - I am located in New Jersey.
julianfremaint
New Member
Oops current problem got cut off.
Current Problem : My chameleon is always black. I barely ever see him as color as I would expect. He is a dark coloration 80% of the times I see him. If not less. Something else I may point out is that he barely ever basks. I only see him few times basking at the highest point of the cage. He mostly stays at the middle area of the cage.
Current Problem : My chameleon is always black. I barely ever see him as color as I would expect. He is a dark coloration 80% of the times I see him. If not less. Something else I may point out is that he barely ever basks. I only see him few times basking at the highest point of the cage. He mostly stays at the middle area of the cage.
Andee
Chameleon Enthusiast
What is his basking temp? I think you accidentally forgot to put that down.
Secondly I think the reason you aren't seeing much feces is because 8-10 small crickets isn't much for a 5 month old in my opinion. Is this what the chameleon chooses to eat? Or have you given more? Most young chams eat around 14-18 in my experience sometimes even up in the twenties like my panther did. Also I think your lighting schedule is off if I did the math right... They need to be on a 12 hour schedule.
How long are you misting for when you mist? And how often are you misting roughly? I know you say you do it randomly but a rough estimate would help.
Secondly I think the reason you aren't seeing much feces is because 8-10 small crickets isn't much for a 5 month old in my opinion. Is this what the chameleon chooses to eat? Or have you given more? Most young chams eat around 14-18 in my experience sometimes even up in the twenties like my panther did. Also I think your lighting schedule is off if I did the math right... They need to be on a 12 hour schedule.
How long are you misting for when you mist? And how often are you misting roughly? I know you say you do it randomly but a rough estimate would help.
julianfremaint
New Member
I sprinkle that much in the cage and hand feed him throughout the day. I will try feeding a bit more. My basking temp is from 85-95. Currently it is 87. It varies. Also I mist from 6-8 times a day for maybe 15-30 seconds each.
Djturna4thakidz
Established Member
Those are pretty big swings in temperate. Why do they fluctuate so much? Consistency is one of the keys to keeping healthy chams. I would try and minimize the change in your temps, a few degrees is ok. 10 degrees at the basking spot is a little much IMO
reptoman
Avid Member
Your supplement schedule is incorrect. You should be using phosphate free calcium without D3 for daily feedings and with D3 one or 2 times per month. That much D3 is bad for a panther and will cause issues pretty quickly.
If you only mist for water he may not be getting enough to drink. You should add a dripper and see if he drinks.
There is no issue with temp fluctuations in my opinion. If kept outside they would fluctuate a wider range than what you describe. Plenty of people keep them outside with great success.
If you only mist for water he may not be getting enough to drink. You should add a dripper and see if he drinks.
There is no issue with temp fluctuations in my opinion. If kept outside they would fluctuate a wider range than what you describe. Plenty of people keep them outside with great success.
julianfremaint
New Member
Bump. Can someone help?
