Ok so I really want a Panther Chameleon, but after a lot of research I have some questions. So how often and how long should they be misted? Is a drainage system required? and how do u make one? I really don;t want to feed crickets, so whats the next best staple? and what is the beat way to feed them? And I'm not really good with live plants are fake plants still good for them? And any extra help would be great. I've looked at all the caresheets on this site and everything.
Future Panther Chameleon Questions
- Thread starter katelynpc
- Start date
Kiwiflage
Established Member
They should be misted 3+ times a day(I'm not a panther owner, but have done my own research). Drainage is not required but a good idea. If it doesn't drain, then you need to be sure it dries between misting to avoid respiratory infection. To make one, I need more info on your set up. I have a basic reptibreeze cage that I took the bottom out of. After that I placed it on a plastic storage container with a hole cut in the top that empties into a plastic drawer for easy disposal... But that's just one way. Crickets suck.... Agreed. A variety in the diet of your panther however, is key. No one staple should be used. Roaches and silkworms are common as frequent feeders though due to good nutrition. I like to hand feed my chams as often as possible so they know I'm not a threat, but you can also free roam or cup feed. All will get the same basic accomplishments, but your Cham may like one method over others... It's very much so a character trait. Real plants are much better, and can be used as a sort of drainage system(catching free fall water) to keep them hydrated. Fake plants offer walkways but are of no real benefit. Any other questions feel free to add to the thread or pm me
SaintJimmy
Avid Member
misting: I would mist the panther around 3 times a day for about a minute each time. Enough to make little droplets of water dripping off leaves and such.
drainage: Usually drainage is required if you want to have a dripper all day. I would recommend a drainage system anyways.
An easy drainage system is to get a sort of slotted plastic stand (shelves)
See the holes?
Now I would buy a rubbermaid or a big, flat tupperware and slide it so where it sits on the bottom shelf. Place the cage on top of the second shelf and remove the other shelves, and you've got yourself a cheap drainage system.
Staple food other than crickets: crickets are noisy, dirty, smelly, good escape artists, and can infest your home if too many get loose. I recommend dubia roaches (depending on how small the cham is buy diff sizes) because they cannot climb plastic or glass, do not smell, are very hardy in nature (survive well), are easily gutloaded, and are meatier than crickets.
Much better than crickets. Trust me, dubis are MUCH more pleasant than crickets.Also, try super worms/meal worms. Depending on the size of the cham buy smaller/larger ones.. They are wiggly and fat, and nice for a TREAT for the cham maybe once or twice every couple days.
Another really good one is silkworms. High in calcium. Don't know much about them.
Best way to feed: Cup feeding, find a little bird feeder bowl (found in most pet shops) they are usually bright in color and have two metal prongs sticking out so it can hang off the side of a bird cage. Take some wire or fishing line and tie these prongs to the side of the cham cage, with the food bowl inside the cage, obviously. Put the dubis/worms in there and you can count how much the cham eats every day!
Another good method to bond with your cham is to hand feed bugs. Take a pair of tongs/tweezers or even your hands, and hold it nicely away from the chams face. If he is interested, he will take it. If not, drop it in the food cup or let it crawl on the screen cage and he will eat it later. It lets him be more comfortable with you and recognize your hands as a food source.
Free ranging bugs in the enclosure = letting them go inside the cage so the cham can hunt. You cannot really be sure how much the cham is eating this way, and it might be harder for the cham to find food. But it is still a good way to feed the bugs.
Plants: I recommend getting at least 1 live plant. Get a really easy plant like a pothos (devils ivy) or ficus tree (small one). They survive REALLY well with the water you will water the cham with. They provide humidity and a snack for the chameleon (if it wants to eat the leaves).
And then the rest of the enclosure can be fake branches/vines/leaves, but I really recommend at least 1 plant.
Ficus and pothos are REALLY easy to take care of, so don't worry!
juice28
New Member
i hate crickets....BUT..theyre always available when other things arent and where i live its pretty rural.. i do have a small dubia colony started but.. theyre not ready yet i find myself feeding off faster than theyre breeding and they arent always available either and i dont have the space for another tub to order a couple hundred dubias.. but they are my main feeder them and the good ole chirpers..wax worms are always on deck but thats a treat. mine dont seem to care for supers/meal worms though..i thought about mantids but i dont need any more critters running loose in the house lol same with walking sticks plus..everything ive read on stick bugs is theyre illegal to own in the US.. i was looking int other roaches but passed due to the fact that for the most part they can all climb and are pretty fast, like red runners. so if some got loose...yea..guess id have plenty of roaches lol. i ordered some horn worm cultures cuz you get a couple hundred eggs in them.
OK so I've looked around and have a couple more questions Which cage is best the Reptibreeze or the LLL Reptarium? Also would it be OK to have a ficus and a pothos but fake hanging vines? Are they the hardiest plants? what's the best way to tie vines and branches to the screen? Is the $100 Mistking good for starting? Are superworms and pheonix worms a good staple? And whats the best way to make a drainage system? Thank you for the help. I hope I'm not being annoying lol
Which cage is best the Reptibreeze or the LLL Reptarium? Also would it be OK to have a ficus and a pothos but fake hanging vines? Are they the hardiest plants? what's the best way to tie vines and branches to the screen? Is the $100 Mistking good for starting? Are superworms and pheonix worms a good staple? And whats the best way to make a drainage system? Thank you for the help. I hope I'm not being annoying lol Similar threads
