Grumpy panther

Reptilelover47

Established Member
Hi everyone! This is going to be a bit long...

So, I have a 6-month-old male panther cham, Camelot. He is very very grumpy. lol. My last cham was the sweetest thing and I know they all have different personalities and some just don't like being handled, but I don't think that's it. I'm hoping to get some insight and advice.

He used to be perfectly fine and wouldn't give me any issues with handling. He would even eat from my hand, not anymore though. Lately, he has become very grumpy and acts territorial and hisses, puffs out, and tries to bite when I even just put food in his enclosure. He's all bark and no bite though and once I take him out and away from his enclosure his colors change back to normal and he's perfectly happy again. He LOVES when I bring him outside in the sun. I don't know how to explain it, but he always seems like "No, I want to stay outside" when we head back in. lolol. AND, some days I go up to his cage and he's perfectly calm and lets me take him out with no issue at all.

I don't let him think I'm scared of him when he puffs out or acts like he's going to bite. Crazy question... So, my last chameleon was definitely "trainable." He knew when I put a water bottle in front of him that IF he wanted to drink to open his mouth and I'd give a gentle spurt of water. He also got frequent respiratory infections (related to a defect) and his eyes would get full of mucus so, he got used to me cleaning his eyes and would even "help" me. He also learned that if I tapped his nose twice to open it for food (because he couldn't see). So, should I do anything in response to Camelot being mean or should I just continue with positive reinforcement like going outside when he lets me take him out?

Is it just his personality changing and he just doesn't like me? Or is he going through that "teenager phase" and maybe it'll pass? Or is something maybe wrong? I love and will respect the lil' guy no matter what, but I would really like it if he would let me handle him. If it's not gonna happen, ok, but I'd like to hear input before making a decision. I try to get him to associate coming out of the enclosure with positive things.

Here's info on his set-up:
-36x18x18 repti-breeze
-Terra Blue mercury UVA/UVB heat bulb -12hrs/day - above, not touching, top of the enclosure so, he can't get burned
-Hygrotherm turns on heat emitter when needed - day time only
-Night temps didn't drop below 60 during colder months and this time of year, not below 65
-His enclosure temps: ~70 at very bottom, ~75 near the middle, ~82 at the VERY top (on the screen where he climbs)
-Mister goes off a few times during the day for 1-min intervals. He hates being sprayed, but the nozzle is aimed toward the center so he can easily get away and he definitely is getting used to it and knows he can't drink afterward. His stool looks healthy. Humidity is about 70-80% after misting, near 50-60% otherwise. I live in NJ and it's humid here.
-Dripper on cage also
-No substrate
-Was eating about 12 small crickets a day (his favorite), now about 15. -Sometimes I mix in dubias or phoenix worms (soldier fly larvae)
-Calcium powder on crickets every day, except Wednesdays. 1st and 3rd wed of each month I coat with calcium + D3. 2nd & 4th it's multi-vitamin.
-Once a month -Vit A
-2 windows on either side of the enclosure with natural sunlight coming in, no drafts.

I will post a video below.


Any suggestions or insight would be appreciated. Is he in an age range where we can work through this behavior or is it just a done deal?
 
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Lots of things could be going on here, but there are a couple big improvements you could make to his setup.

(1) At his age, you're due for an upgrade to 24x24x48 in the very near future.

(2) What exact bulb are you using for your UVB? I'm just worried that it is compact, if it fits in one of those fixtures. Linear UVB lights are essential to distribute UVB evenly and effectively.

(3) The enclosure is significantly too empty to keep a chameleon in. Repeat after me: "empty space is wasted space!" And by that gauge, at least 60-70% of your enclosure is wasted space. He probably feels way too exposed because there is so little foliage cover, branches, and places to hide. It doesn't even appear as though he has a basking branch. Without a branch positioned under the basking bulb, he will not be able to thermoregulate

(4) Am I reading correctly that your basking light is only on sometimes during the day? Chameleons need the option to bask under heat at all times during the day, if they want to. It is meant to replicate the sun and the sun does not turn on and off all willy nilly-like

(5) Branches, branches, branches! Needs so many more branches, vines, horizontal walkways of your choosing at all levels of elevation throughout the enclosure. This is how the move around and he currently has extremely limited options for 3D maneuvering

(6) 60 seconds of misting is not enough. 2 minutes minimum in screen enclosures
 
I agree with above statement!! Linear uv bulb is a must, or it will die!! And (empty space is wasted space) emphasized!! I water spraying everyday for 3-5 minutes per enclosure thats close to half a gallon of water per enclosure that is sprayed and I use spring water from the store, chlorine in tap water will burn their eyes
 
Lots of things could be going on here, but there are a couple big improvements you could make to his setup.

(1) At his age, you're due for an upgrade to 24x24x48 in the very near future.

(2) What exact bulb are you using for your UVB? I'm just worried that it is compact, if it fits in one of those fixtures. Linear UVB lights are essential to distribute UVB evenly and effectively.

(3) The enclosure is significantly too empty to keep a chameleon in. Repeat after me: "empty space is wasted space!" And by that gauge, at least 60-70% of your enclosure is wasted space. He probably feels way too exposed because there is so little foliage cover, branches, and places to hide. It doesn't even appear as though he has a basking branch. Without a branch positioned under the basking bulb, he will not be able to thermoregulate

(4) Am I reading correctly that your basking light is only on sometimes during the day? Chameleons need the option to bask under heat at all times during the day, if they want to. It is meant to replicate the sun and the sun does not turn on and off all willy nilly-like

(5) Branches, branches, branches! Needs so many more branches, vines, horizontal walkways of your choosing at all levels of elevation throughout the enclosure. This is how the move around and he currently has extremely limited options for 3D maneuvering

(6) 60 seconds of misting is not enough. 2 minutes minimum in screen enclosures


#1: I was thinking about upgrading him in about a month. I will try to do it ASAP instead.

For #2, I have been wondering exactly that! Thank you!

#3: Haha! I like that quote. I will remember it. Ok, I will add more stuff tonight! The moodiness is new so, maybe the foliage was OK before, but not anymore...? That would make sense! He still has that habit of climbing on the screen and also hangs on the wires & plants hanging from the top, but I will also take your advice on that.

#4: No! LOL. I didn't mean to get that idea across. The heat/UVB is on 12 hours a day. The heat emitter, on the other hand, is on & off as needed in the winter if the other bulb isn't heating well enough.

5: Ok, again, I will add more horizontal stuff today. Specifically near the top.

6: Even in an already humid environment with a dripper too? Mister goes off 4 times a day. Should I increase every one of those times?


THANK YOUUUUUU!!!!
 
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I agree with above statement!! Linear uv bulb is a must, or it will die!! And (empty space is wasted space) emphasized!! I water spraying everyday for 3-5 minutes per enclosure thats close to half a gallon of water per enclosure that is sprayed and I use spring water from the store, chlorine in tap water will burn their eyes

I use distilled water from the store. :) I will change his light fixture. The pet store owner I bought the current fixture from recommended it to me and I thought I'd give it a try. It's not what I used for my last cham though.
 
That’s how my male was! He’s over a year old, a year and so months, he’s the sweetest Cham ever now. He had a butthole teenage stage XD but as he got older and grew out of it he sometimes will wait for me to take him outside on his fav tree outside
 
That’s how my male was! He’s over a year old, a year and so months, he’s the sweetest Cham ever now. He had a butthole teenage stage XD but as he got older and grew out of it he sometimes will wait for me to take him outside on his fav tree outside

Aw, that's awesome! I hope that he calms down too. He used to be so sweet, until just a few weeks ago.

His awesome breeder ;) who has his parents and stays in touch with his customers who have others from same parents thinks it's just a teenage moody stage, and that's probably part of it. He definitely knows what he's talking about. But, I want to make sure I'm doing everything right for the lil' guy and nothing else contributes to the mood. I want to make sure he's happy & healthy. Better to ask and be safe than sorry. If it is a teenage stage, it means it's a mood development stage and what I do now is probably crucial.

I definitely got great input.
 
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