Confused about feeding routine

[andrearamirezo91]

Hey guys!

I recently purchased my first panther chameleon. He's beautiful, active and looks super healthy!

He seems to be eating his crickets well. I can't really tell since he never eats when people are around, but i'll drop 5-6 crickets in there every day and they always disappear, so unless they're getting out somehow, he must be eating them.

I have tried on several occasions to drop some super worms in his cage but he never touches them. I have tried holding them in front of him but he doesn't really eat around people so it's kind of hard.

I have been gut loading his crickets with "Fluker's Cricket Quencher Calcium Fortified". The person who sold me the chameleon told me this would be enough to "gut load" them and that no further supplementation would be necessary, but my research says otherwise.

So my question is, how should I be feeding him? I feel like I'm doing it wrong, and he's still in the growing stages so I want to make sure I don't deprive him of any of the essentials for him to grow big and healthy.

Exactly what products should I buy and how should I use them? Also, any comments/suggestions on the worms?

Thank you!! I will be posting pics of my boy real soon so you can all see how pretty he is

 

[JacksJill]

This may answer a few of your questions. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/panther/
You may be able to monitor his eating habits with a feeder cup one of the site sponsors seeks a nice one but many people make their own.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/my-diy-feeder-cup.138734/

Cricket quencher will keep crickets alive but won't do much for the chameleon that eats them. Better than nothing but not much.
Halfway down this page is a list of good gut load ingredients and has other good feeding info. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/food/
Do a forum search to get a variety of recipes and storage ideas for gut load. I food process large batches and freeze it into logs so I can cut off what I need daily.

 

[andrearamirezo91]

Thank you! I love the feeder bottle idea.. gonna look more into that tonight.

I threw five more worms in his cage today and he just left them there. They always keep dying when eventually the water from the mister drowns them. I clean his tray out every morning but with the automatic mister going off every few hours they inevitably drown. They’re there for a good amount of time before that happens and he still doesn’t see them.

Take a look at him and tell me what you think

 

[Lucasthecham]

Take a look at him and tell me what you think View attachment 207714

Dude he’s cuteeee af but maybe feed him more crickets? Instead of 5-6? My 4-5 month old panther eats 5 or 6 in 3 minutes lol..I feed him 12-14 every morning with his cal.

 

[JacksJill]

He's very handsome and looks healthy from here. He has nice clear eyes, straight limbs and a strong tail curl.
It takes chams time to accept new foods. So if at first you don't succeed try try again. Try the supers on the screen sees of the cage that might get his attention. Once you have a feeder they don't drown it will be easier to tell why he likes.
One thing that affects appetite the most is temperature. Make sure your temps are in line with the care sheet.
"Temperature:
Baby/juvenile (<9 months): ambient 72-80F (22-26C), basking 82F (28C)
Adult males: ambient 75-80F (23-26C), basking 85-90F (29-32C)"
Another thing that can affect appetite is parasites so if you don't see improvement soon consider getting a fecal sample to your vet for testing.

 

[NickTide]

Crickets disappear all the time without being eaten. Use some sort of cup for feeding. The one JacksJill showed you is great but you could start with a small cup for super worms for now.

 

[Graves923]

Feeder cup is definitely the best way to monitor eating habits. Put the cup up off the floor. Chameleons often hunt in the trees and rarely venture to the ground to feed. I have a few thin vine that i hang my feeder cup in but you can also mount it like in the video on the side of the cage.

 

[andrearamirezo91]

Crickets disappear all the time without being eaten. Use some sort of cup for feeding. The one JacksJill showed you is great but you could start with a small cup for super worms for now.

Oh man this worries me, I hope he's actually eating them and that it's not that they're all getting out of the cage.

I'm also gonna check on the temperatures in the cage. the guy at the store told me as long as he had his heat bulb and enough space to move up and down, that temp wouldn't be a problem and I wouldn't need the thermometer. I feel kind of stupid having listened to him now. I had fish tanks for a long time and I know people at pet stores misguide new owners all the time just so they can make a sale. I should have known better

He is very active and looks happy. I try to keep handling at a minimum but whenever I do take him out of the cage I take him outside under the sun and he loves it! He does not seem unhealthy at all and I've only had him for a couple of weeks, but of course I want to keep his health in good standing and make sure I'm doing everything right.

I'm going to the pet store today for thermometers (one for the basking spot and one for the bottom of the cage), and Calcium and Vitamin D3 powder to dust his food daily. He already has his heat lamp, UVB light, automatic mister (Reptirain) and a TON of plants. Am I missing anything else?

Thank you for your help everybody!!! <3

 

[NickTide]

Oh man this worries me, I hope he's actually eating them and that it's not that they're all getting out of the cage.

I'm also gonna check on the temperatures in the cage. the guy at the store told me as long as he had his heat bulb and enough space to move up and down, that temp wouldn't be a problem and I wouldn't need the thermometer. I feel kind of stupid having listened to him now. I had fish tanks for a long time and I know people at pet stores misguide new owners all the time just so they can make a sale. I should have known better

This is true of just about any other reptile... they move in and out of the heat as needed... not chams apparently. they just cook.

I'm going to the pet store today for thermometers (one for the basking spot and one for the bottom of the cage), and Calcium and Vitamin D3 powder to dust his food daily. He already has his heat lamp, UVB light, automatic mister (Reptirain) and a TON of plants. Am I missing anything else?

Make sure your plants are on the safe list. I prefer pothos for practicality. You should have calcium w out D3, calcium with D3 and vitamins with D3. If your UVB light is a CFL, its ok for a bit, but start saving for a Linear. Way better. I also like useing a pump mister. They are $4 at Dollar general in the garden center and if you ever need to ad and extra misting or your Reptirain dies on you, You will have it around. It delivers a finer mist for less trouble than a regular spray bottle.

Thank you for your help everybody!!! <3

 

[andrearamirezo91]

Okay I did some research and with your help think I finally have it figured out

He's around five months old, I don't know if that changes things or not but this is what I have:
-Calcium every day
-Calcium + D3 twice a month
-Multivitamin twice a month

I do have a linear UVB light at the moment, and all the plants in his enclosure are fake. There's a few plastic but mostly plants made out of a soft fabric since I figured he'd like that texture better. There's bamboo ladders, driftwood, and jungle vines as well. He has stuff all over the place to climb and hide, and the reptirain automatically mists his cage for 45 seconds every three hours.

I'm actually quite proud of how his enclosure came out ​

Do you recommend I still get some live plants? I know they help retain humidity but florida is already a pretty humid place.

Other than that, I keep his light on approximately 12 hours a day and take him outside to be in the sun and heat for 30min-1hour every day.

 

[JacksJill]

Yes that is a good supplement schedule.
You can get by without live plants in humid climates but you will miss out on the great drinking surface they provide. I would consider one small pothos they are inexpensive and very hardy. Their leaves hold water better than plastic or silk.

 

[somerandomband]

We like to cut the bottom half of a water bottle off and use fishing line to tie it into the cage just below or above a vine for comfortable eating. We tie it on the outside to avoid any irritation. One of our veiled chameleon ladies seems to love that. Our baby Jackson's has been eatjng plentifully that way also but prefers to hunt. Keep it clean though!!!