Hello! New to this....

[JustBeachy]

Hello, everyone! This is Darwin (affectionately named by my 10 year old). He came into our lives two weeks ago when I found him on our property. He doesn’t seem to have been handled much, if at all. Currently, he’s living outside in a large enclosure built by us. We live in Southwest Florida, so the weather is great for him right now. I appreciate this forum because, to be honest, I am very new to all of this.
I am unsure of the geographic location of this panther chameleon. He’ll occasionally turn a brilliant, bright orange, and his colors go very dark when he’s stressed.
We have begun breeding crickets and mealworms for food, and we are looking into other critters to keep for him.
I’m open to any advise, critique, criticism... I just want to make sure we’re keeping a healthy and happy chameleon!

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome! I’m afraid you may not get a large response posting in this section. No idea of locale...I’m a veiled keeper, but he is beautiful. So, mealworms aren’t good feeders...too much chitin and hard to digest. Here’s a list of good feeders and also a list of gutloading them (to pass nutrients on to your cham). If you’d like, you could fill out a ‘help form’ and have all of your husbandry reviewed just to make sure all is correct. Just copy & paste and start a new thread under general discussion for it to be more visible to others.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

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Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

One of the more popular (and better) feeder insects are dubia (not dubai) roaches; unfortunately, they are illegal in FL. However discoid roaches (Blaberus discoidalis) and some other feeder roaches are legal there.

I strongly urge you to check out the Resources section of this site—read everything. It should answer most—if not all—of your questions. Also avail yourself of the archives (Search facility) for years of experience.

For more advanced (and some basic) material, The Chameleon Academy is excellent, particularly the husbandry program.

There are many other excellent resources on the web and on YouTube.

PS: Darwin is a handsome fellow(?) (Can't see his spurs)

 

[Pearl Fields]

PS: Darwin is a handsome fellow(?) (Can't see his spurs)

?????? Panthers don’t have spurs? And that is not female color.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

?????? Panthers don’t have spurs?

Well, shut my mouth and call me corn pone!
That would explain why I didn't see them, wouldn't it?
Shown up by a 12 yr. old... ?

 

[JustBeachy]

One of the more popular (and better) feeder insects are dubia (not dubai) roaches; unfortunately, they are illegal in FL. However discoid roaches (Blaberus discoidalis) and some other feeder roaches are legal there.

I strongly urge you to check out the Resources section of this site—read everything. It should answer most—if not all—of your questions. Also avail yourself of the archives (Search facility) for years of experience.

For more advanced (and some basic) material, The Chameleon Academy is excellent, particularly the husbandry program.

There are many other excellent resources on the web and on YouTube.

PS: Darwin is a handsome fellow(?) (Can't see his spurs)

Thank you! I forgot to mention that we have roaches on order and plan to breed them as well for food. Now we’re just looking for a reputable supplier of other critters to vary his diet.
I appreciate the links to resources. We are reading and learning everything we can!!