eating habits

panthercross

New Member
I have a question. I have a panther ambilobe x nosy bee, he is almost a year old and his colors still are very dull. I have been worried about his eating habits. He has a large cage 2ftx2ftx4ft with a live umbrella tree in it, sometimes he eats the plant and the dirt. he also has bad aim with his tongue. His tongue shoots up and in front of the cricket. Sometimes i think he may have an eye problem. I used a reptiglo 5.0 and was told they are no good. does anyone have any advice?
 
I have a question. I have a panther ambilobe x nosy bee, he is almost a year old and his colors still are very dull. I have been worried about his eating habits. He has a large cage 2ftx2ftx4ft with a live umbrella tree in it, sometimes he eats the plant and the dirt. he also has bad aim with his tongue. His tongue shoots up and in front of the cricket. Sometimes i think he may have an eye problem. I used a reptiglo 5.0 and was told they are no good. does anyone have any advice?

Hi there,

The only advice I can give you is, if it is possible (weather permitting) get him outside for some natural sunlight. I wouldn't worry about him eating the plant, as it is non toxic, but the dirt can be an issue. I would get some large pond rocks (too big for your cham to eat) and cover the dirt in the pot with these rocks. Your cham eating dirt can lead to impaction. Also, as far as the eye issue, I can't really tell you if that is a fact for obvious reasons, but if I were you I would try cup feeding to allow easier access to the crickets, and this way it is easy for you to keep count of how much he is ACTUALLY eating. If he continues not eating, I would see a good vet. As far as the reptiglo 5.0 goes, they are fine to use, as long as he can get within 12 inches of the light to absorb the UVB, and you need to be sure to change out ANY UVB bulb every 6 months to ensure he gets the uVB that he needs.

What is your supplementing schedule? Be sure to use a calcium powder without D3 at every feeding, calcium with D3 twice a month, and a multivitamin like herptivite twice a month as well.

Also be sure to gutload your crickets with washed, fresh fruits and veggies, and maybe give him some butterworms, silkworms, or hornworms.
 
i have been been pretty good with the supplements now. For a few months i used the store bought gut load oats and the orange cubes. I was told not to use them so now i have a separate container to put make sure that the crickets i feed my cham are getting fed good. i currently feed the crickets lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, some fruits and crushed oats. I usually dust everyday with just the calcium and about 2-3 times a month with the d3. I have been feeding him mealworms and waxworms also. I used to get silkworms but i have had a hard time finding large ones. also tried hornworms once but the crap too much. I try to do evrything right i ask a ton of questions all time and ive read a few books. i just wish his aim was better. from what ive seen on youtube he doesnt have the accuracy like the others
 
i have been been pretty good with the supplements now. For a few months i used the store bought gut load oats and the orange cubes. I was told not to use them so now i have a separate container to put make sure that the crickets i feed my cham are getting fed good. i currently feed the crickets lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, some fruits and crushed oats. I usually dust everyday with just the calcium and about 2-3 times a month with the d3. I have been feeding him mealworms and waxworms also. I used to get silkworms but i have had a hard time finding large ones. also tried hornworms once but the crap too much. I try to do evrything right i ask a ton of questions all time and ive read a few books. i just wish his aim was better. from what ive seen on youtube he doesnt have the accuracy like the others

I would definitely try the cup feeding to help him out a bit. Also, as far as waxworms go, they are high in fat and low in nutrients, and should be fed only as an occasional treat. Try superworms, and definitely butterworms. You can order some great feeders here:

http://mulberryfarms.com
 
I think I might try feeding from a cup. I rarely give him wax worms i do know they are bad. I've given him butterworms before. I usually get my worms from mulberry farms but they havent had the large silkys in awhile. As far as the superworms i had always heard that you had to cut the head off the worm is that true? thanks
 
I would also put a branch closer than 12inches to the UVB. 6ish wouldn't be a bad idea.
 
And the bulb you are using is fine. I have one. As long as it's liner and not a compact your good.
 
i switched bulbs to a reptisun the people i bought it out of said to only use reptisun 5.0 long tube ones. I just hope hes ok, I also noticed that sometimes when he chews he closes his eyes, and every now and then i see him with one eye closed, and i just feel like his bad tongue accuracy is due to bad vision
 
Here's some information that might help...

Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption. Temperatures needed can vary with the species and age. For hatchling panthers I keep the temperature in the warmest area in the low 80's. For older panthers I keep it in the mid to high 80's for the most part.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month lightly with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month lightly as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.
 
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