Help my male panther is not eating well

[dutchess]

So I am new to owning a chameleon, and I have a few concerns. He is a panther about 4 months old and he does not use his tough much to eat. He also misses a lot even if he is right on top of a cricket and then gives up, I am starting to get worried that he may not be getting enough to eat. What can I do to help him. I also tried putting food on my hand and bringing it to him but he is so scared of me the he bolts to get as far away from me as he can, is that normal or is that something that he is going to grow out of. What am I doing wrong can someone please give me so advise on my little guy. Thanks

 

[BeBoSON]

Hey,

Sorry your cham isn't doing well. Fill this out, it will help determine if there are any problems with your care.

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.

 

[dutchess]

he is a panther ambilobe chameleon about 4 months old.
been in our care about 3 weeks, and we do not handle him at all yet he is really scared of us still.
feed crickets and meal worms, crickets mostly about 10-15 a day but he only eating a few
the feeders get fruits and vegs as well as pet store feeder food
supplements- two kinds of calcium and vitamins once a week yes we dust the feeders
we have a misting system the comes on 3 times a day for 5 minutes he drinks from that
fecal is small and brown mostly

cage
it is a screen cage 18x18x3ft tall
50 wt basking bulb and repti sun 5.0
lights come on a 8 am and off at 9 pm
temp 75-78 basking spot 88-90
night temp about 68
humidity can go as low as 40 but stays most of the time between 60-65
We have a live scaffara plant and some fake veins from the pet store
cage is in our bedroom no kids but we do have cats and dogs but they don't even know he is in there so they don't mess with him, the plant gets light from a window all day as well as the lights in the cage
we live on the north coast way north right on the bay.
Well that is the best i can do hope you can help.

not sure if he is eating enough, and wondering if something is wrong with his tough. Also how do i get him to not run from me when i put my hand in. The people we bought him from said he was friendly and liked to be held and that he is a big eater.

 

[Zen Reptiles]

Hi,

5 mins 3 times a day is a lot of water for a 4 month old. I've personally had issues with long mistings and respiratory issues (maybe it is the climate here in BC). Others have no problems, but that is the first thing I would change.

I would suggest a 1 or 2 minute misting in the morning, and 4-6 45sec mistings throughout the day. Adjust to your climate.

Also, use purified water if you can. Not filtered...purified. Fridge and Brita filters don't count. Use Reverse Osmosis or Distillation, otherwise buy some Reverse Osmosis or Distilled water...usually 1$ for 5 gallons at a grocery store.

If you are feeding him 15 crix a day and he is only eating 3 or 4. I would suspect there are lots of dead crix around causing some bacterial imbalances.


To be honest this sounds like the first signs of the problem I had with a few of my chams when I was misting too much, one died, the others recovered after I reduced the misting time to a minute or less.


Also @ 4 months of age I would use multi-vitamins once every 10 days. Calcium LIGHTLY at every feeding, and calcium and D3 once a week.

Everything else seems good to me.

 

[Elizadolots]

Hi!

On the fecal matter, there is usually a tag at the end. What color is it? Commonly occurring colors are orange, yellow, red, white.

How big are the crickets?

You say the dogs and cats don't bother him, but can he see them? He might just be bothered by them being in the room with him. That's sort of a stretch but if there are no other ideas, keeping the dogs and cats out of sight might be something you need to try.

 

[carol5208]

have you tried cup feeding, or are you letting the crickets roam? If they are too big he might not eat them. What size are you using?. See if dusting the crickets everyday with the plain calcium(no d3) does not help. You have only been using that once a week? If he is missing when shooting his prey it could be an eye issue, possibly a vitamin A deficiency. What fruits and vegetables are you gutloading with?

 

[dutchess]

thanks everyone I will try adjusting the misting times and when the crickets die we take them out right away.
We are gut loading with this green jell type stuff from the pet store
we are using medium size crickets but they are on the smaller side and the are dusted

 

[dutchess]

what should i be feeding him other then crickets

 

[Thompson]

You can feed him silk worms, hornworms, superworms, dubia roaches, waxworms etc. Variety is best for chameleons! You need a good gutload for these feeders before you feed them off to your chameleon as well. Here is a good blog on good gutloading items, https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/nutritional-information/