HELP: My Panther Chameleon Set Up

[GabeCastro]

Hey Chameleon Forums,

New to the chameleon world! Hope i posted in the right thread, if not...sorry!

So today i went out and bought everything i would need for my new little guy. I'm going to be getting a Nosy Be Panther tomorrow (Monday). The panther i'm getting is a male, beautiful colors and is very active. Had a pretty strong grip aswell when i was handeling him...Always seemed to want to climb up towards my face haha. The shop said he's about 2-4 months old, still a juvenile. His colors are starting to show, but are very pastell like. I will upload pics tomorrow evening once i get him. I already purchased him, just scheduled to pick him up tomorrow so i can set his cage up and get things up and running before he gets to his new home.

My cage set up consist of:

18" x 18" x 36" Large Full mesh Reptibreeze enclosure
Zoo Med Reptisun Hood Lamp 20"
Zoo Med Reptisun 5.0 UV Fluorescent Bulb 18" 15w
Flukers 5.5" Clamp Lamp w/ Ceramic Heat Emitters
Zoo Med Repti Basking Spot Lamp - 75w 2pack
Exo Terra Dual Outlet Timer (Kind of confusing, any other recommendations? Got it to work, works okay so far.)
Jungle Vine - waterproof - small
Jungle Plant - silk - medium
Large Mandarin Jungle Plant
Thermometer and Hygro meter
Zoo Med Digital Thermometer's
Small Ficus Tree
Dripper - Smart Water Bottle

For his basking spot, it reads about 84-86º. When i use a hand held thermometer it reads 88º-92º when placed at the highest point of his perch. Humidity is at 75ish (i need a new gage, not liking the one i currently have. Any recommendations?) Also it gradients the heat as you go down towards the ground which was recorded at 70º. It's about 7-8" away from the basking light, which is laying completely flat on top of the enclosure.

Lighting, My UVB and Basking light are on a timer. Both cut on around 7:30am and shut off around 8pm. Just a test run, what times do you guys recommend me to set up my lights? I've read anywhere from sunrise to sunset works.

Misting, My misting situation is by hand. I plan on upgrading to a Mist King starter kit, but i'm currently flat broke atm lol. I will be using a 5 Gal bucket w/filtered water. What times would you recommend me to start misting? And for how long?

Dripper, Smart Water bottle with small hole, drips about every 20 seconds.

Foor, Crickets are currently being gut loaded with Nature Zone Green Total Bites. Also going to throw in some lettuce, pears, and maybe a carrot. I have a small critter cage with about 30 small-medium sized crickets. Also have Rep-Cal brand Calcium w/NO D3, Calcium w/ D3, and Herptivite with Beta Carotene Multivitamins. (Could someone help me with a brief explanation with dusting? I may be missing the reptivite, wasn't sure if i needed it or not since i bought the Herptivite. A direct link would help, or copy & paste works too.) May throw in some waxed worms about 1-2 times a week if necessary.

My ficus plant i'm a bit sketchy about, i just read that allot of Panthers get eye problems from them, also how do i go about the soil? Do i cover it? remove the white balls from soil? Etc. Also wanted to get a few other plants to fill up the cage, looks alittle bare right now.

To Do's: Adding newspaper to bottom of cage, also drilling 2-3 small holes for water drainage. Raising cage and adding a saucer on the bottom to collect the water.

Any info would really help, i've been reading allot of care sheets this week, i want to make sure i'm keeping my little guy happy and healthy.

If i need to make adjustments, DO NOT hesitate to tell me what i'm doing wrong. I want to do this right and i def do not want to harm or endanger my panther in anyway. If i missed any info, i'll be sure to edit my post.

Thanks! On to the pics...

 

[ISA my Veiled]

Alright that is a great start thus far! One thing I would definitely take away is the newspaper, no need what so ever. And also for the drainage, I did what you did but I made about 30 holes to be sure that no excess water just sits at the bottom.

Next I would add a ton more climbing branches, whether they be fake or real it would be better for him to climb more vertically and horizontally. And if you can afford it more fake foliage. I buy fake plants from goodwill for cheap and get some pretty good vines and such. I actually am setting up an extremely similar enclosure right now for an incoming Panther next week. I wil post a picture of my Veileds set up which requires similar care

With my enclosure I plan on adding even more foliage so that will give you a good idea Hope this helps. I will look through again and give you more suggestions if I have any.

 

[ISA my Veiled]

Alright for the ficus...Did you replant it? You should if you have not, you want to replant in organic potting soil along with spraying down the branches and roots. Spraying down and scrubbing the branches should get rid of any pesticides that were used a the place you bought it from.

You are going to want to get rid of the lettuce for gutloading, it really serves no purpose lol literally pretty much just nutrient-less for the most part. It won't have any benefit for your chameleon.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html#comment1480
This is the best guide around, and it is amazing, I gutload my dubia and crickets through this guide. she has the best recipes and the best ways and I thank her for her endless amount of research and just about everyone goes by this for gutloading.

As for dusting this is my schedule for my Veiled:

Every feeding I give her plain calcium! Nothing with D3 in it.

2x a month I give her Herptivite Multivitamin and Flukers calcium with D3 at those feedings which are always the 1st and 15th of each month.

Hope that helps also

 

[ISA my Veiled]

And you may want to consider getting more feeders for him if you have the money. ALthough he is rather young, variety is still best for him. Also consider buying in bulk for your crickets because he will go through those crickets in two days if that lol easily. HE should be eating around the size of small(1/2 inch? crickets).
Here are a number of excellent feeders besides crickets that we all commonly use:
Dubia Roaches*, Hornworms*,Superworms, Silkworms*, Phoenix worms*(also known as calci-worms)Wax Worms(occasionally;high fat content), Butterworms*, Mantids*, Mealworms(occasionally;Chitlin in their shell is harder to digest), Fruit Flies(don't think you will need them) and the list goes on. The ones with the * are good staples that can be used frequently in your chameleons diet.

 

[GabeCastro]

And you may want to consider getting more feeders for him if you have the money. ALthough he is rather young, variety is still best for him. Also consider buying in bulk for your crickets because he will go through those crickets in two days if that lol easily. HE should be eating around the size of small(1/2 inch? crickets).
Here are a number of excellent feeders besides crickets that we all commonly use:
Dubia Roaches*, Hornworms*,Superworms, Silkworms*, Phoenix worms*(also known as calci-worms)Wax Worms(occasionally;high fat content), Butterworms*, Mantids*, Mealworms(occasionally;Chitlin in their shell is harder to digest), Fruit Flies(don't think you will need them) and the list goes on. The ones with the * are good staples that can be used frequently in your chameleons diet.

Thank you so much! Glad i joined this forum, i'm starting to get the hang of things and taking allot of input from the members here!

So i'll def replant my ficus, get some more fake plants and hopefully make a run to homedepot and snag a few more plants. Just yesterday i spent so much money i had to go home and figure out my budget again. (I originally planned on getting a baby veiled, which i would of saved about$400 bucks, Since i got the Panther $275, and the large cage $110 i was way over my budget. Luckily my girlfriend is as excited as i am and is helping out.) The pictures you attached help out allot, looks good!

Gut loading...Thanks for the link! Gunna read through the entire post and def look into getting other feeder options.

Also thanks for your feeding schedule, i'll be sure to mark them down on my calendar till i get the hang of it. Excited i have a large selection of food types for the little guy.

I'll be sure to update my post with the new foliage set up.

 

[ISA my Veiled]

Thank you so much! Glad i joined this forum, i'm starting to get the hang of things and taking allot of input from the members here!

So i'll def replant my ficus, get some more fake plants and hopefully make a run to homedepot and snag a few more plants. Just yesterday i spent so much money i had to go home and figure out my budget again. (I originally planned on getting a baby veiled, which i would of saved about$400 bucks, Since i got the Panther $275, and the large cage $110 i was way over my budget. Luckily my girlfriend is as excited as i am and is helping out.) The pictures you attached help out allot, looks good!

Gut loading...Thanks for the link! Gunna read through the entire post and def look into getting other feeder options.

Also thanks for your feeding schedule, i'll be sure to mark them down on my calendar till i get the hang of it. Excited i have a large selection of food types for the little guy.

I'll be sure to update my post with the new foliage set up.

Anytime, I was more than happy to lend you a hand on setting the little guy up. What Panther Locale did you get btw? As far as spending the $110 on the cage next time you get a chameleon if you do I would go to amazon for those things, a lot cheaper than buying it commercially. Anyway planning for a Veiled would have saved you a lot loll but no big deal it is worth the investment big time! And please do post I am excited to see your cage after you buy those things. Also I want to recommend you getting a pothos plant from the store if you can find it. They are awesome plants and hang from the top of your cage.

 

[GabeCastro]

Anytime, I was more than happy to lend you a hand on setting the little guy up. What Panther Locale did you get btw? As far as spending the $110 on the cage next time you get a chameleon if you do I would go to amazon for those things, a lot cheaper than buying it commercially. Anyway planning for a Veiled would have saved you a lot loll but no big deal it is worth the investment big time! And please do post I am excited to see your cage after you buy those things. Also I want to recommend you getting a pothos plant from the store if you can find it. They are awesome plants and hang from the top of your cage.

I got my Panther at a store called The Reptile Room in Hayward, CA. I had to get him because his colors were amazing at such a early age. Also He was $249. I was looking online and usually they charge anywhere from $300-$350 for Nosy Be's not even including the $50 overnight shipping. I'm sure there's breeders on here i could of got in touch with, but at the time $249 didn't seem bad at all.

As for the cage, i looked on craigslist. Emailed about 3-4 people and no one responded, So i said screw it and bought a brand new cage :/

I just sent an email to my girlfriend, hopefully she could pick up some of the things i requested before she picks up the little guy.

Some of the things i requested: one more jungle vine, Jungle leaves (2x), Fake Plants, Bushy hanging Pothos Plant, Organic Potting Soil, 20 more crickets (for now), and waxed worms.

Again, Thank you so much for the help. I really appreciate it!

 

[ISA my Veiled]

Oh i dont blame you whatsoever, there is no price on something that catches your eye like that. You still got a good deal IMO.

Yeah some people are pretty awful at getting back to you. It gets annoying.

That all sounds good, I would look up a method of how to hang your pothos, I myself have no purchased one yet but I am soon.

And Anytime, I received a lot of help when I first started and it was some of the best advice I have gotten. Everyone is awesome on this forum and there is a ton of info on here you will find.

 

[GabeCastro]

OK...So, it turned out the person who helped me at the Reptile Room gave me false information. I told her i wanted a panther, and asked to get the brightest one. I asked her several times if the one i wanted was a male and she said yes, she also kept saying HIM, HE, etc...You get the point.

So Yesterday i was there, purchased him, told her i'd pick HIM up tomorrow (which is today). I did that so i can set up HIS cage and get HIM ready for HIS new cage. So, today i had my girlfriend stop at the Reptile Room after she got off of work to pick up the little guy. Once she got there she entered the store and said "i'm heeerrreeee!" She was excited to get the chameleon aswell…But the girl Ashly said, "Well, My manager said it's a female". " Also from the color of the panther i thought he was a male." My girlfriend also said she seemed unprofessional when it came about identifying a female between a male. She didn't know if males had the spurs on their hind legs or not.

After hearing the panther was a female by a phone call that pretty much ruined my entire set up. I was not ready to get a female panther, or all the other info/equipment i would need to breed her. So i told my gf to get a refund and return her and come home. The lady Ashly, said she couldn't really do refunds but offered her store credit. "She also said well you can go ahead and buy a male panther, i'll give you the breeders number, just don't tell him you got it from me".

So, i had my girlfriend ask for the manager/store owner and she said theres no way to get a refund. Ashly called her manager, spoke with him and i guess he said "It says no returns on the receipt. and hanged up."

For one, i don't have a problem with the no return policy, i knew about it at hand...It's the fact that i was given false information about a chameleon and i deserved to have a refund. I was told the panther was a MALE It wasn't my fault at all, you would think the person you're talking to at a reptile store would have more knowledge than you right? So i trusted her and purchased the panther thinking it was a male the entire time.

So end of story, i called my capitol one banking account and filed for fraud. I told Capitol One what happened, and they said let the store charge go through, give us a call back on the weekend and we'll file a dispute and you'll get your $270.(something cents) back.

I can't believe i had to go through all that just to get a refund! I'm extremely unsatisfied by the Reptile Room in Hayward, CA. DO NOT go there if you're from the Bay Area. Sorry for the long story/rant, but i've been fed up with this past 2 weeks trying to get a chameleon! Now i'm stuck with a $270 charge for a few weeks and no chameleon.

 

[maxttu]

Wait, you realize that panthers don't have spurs, right? You need to go check him/her out, take a pic of the tail (from the side) and we can better assist you.

 

[ISA my Veiled]

OK...So, it turned out the person who helped me at the Reptile Room gave me false information. I told her i wanted a panther, and asked to get the brightest one. I asked her several times if the one i wanted was a male and she said yes, she also kept saying HIM, HE, etc...You get the point.

So Yesterday i was there, purchased him, told her i'd pick HIM up tomorrow (which is today). I did that so i can set up HIS cage and get HIM ready for HIS new cage. So, today i had my girlfriend stop at the Reptile Room after she got off of work to pick up the little guy. Once she got there she entered the store and said "i'm heeerrreeee!" She was excited to get the chameleon aswell…But the girl Ashly said, "Well, My manager said it's a female". " Also from the color of the panther i thought he was a male." My girlfriend also said she seemed unprofessional when it came about identifying a female between a male. She didn't know if males had the spurs on their hind legs or not.

After hearing the panther was a female by a phone call that pretty much ruined my entire set up. I was not ready to get a female panther, or all the other info/equipment i would need to breed her. So i told my gf to get a refund and return her and come home. The lady Ashly, said she couldn't really do refunds but offered her store credit. "She also said well you can go ahead and buy a male panther, i'll give you the breeders number, just don't tell him you got it from me".

So, i had my girlfriend ask for the manager/store owner and she said theres no way to get a refund. Ashly called her manager, spoke with him and i guess he said "It says no returns on the receipt. and hanged up."

For one, i don't have a problem with the no return policy, i knew about it at hand...It's the fact that i was given false information about a chameleon and i deserved to have a refund. I was told the panther was a MALE It wasn't my fault at all, you would think the person you're talking to at a reptile store would have more knowledge than you right? So i trusted her and purchased the panther thinking it was a male the entire time.

So end of story, i called my capitol one banking account and filed for fraud. I told Capitol One what happened, and they said let the store charge go through, give us a call back on the weekend and we'll file a dispute and you'll get your $270.(something cents) back.

I can't believe i had to go through all that just to get a refund! I'm extremely unsatisfied by the Reptile Room in Hayward, CA. DO NOT go there if you're from the Bay Area. Sorry for the long story/rant, but i've been fed up with this past 2 weeks trying to get a chameleon! Now i'm stuck with a $270 charge for a few weeks and no chameleon.

Believe me man, that deserves a really really good rant. I totally agree with you, the policy is fine...But you didn't even have the chameleon yet...So that I do not agree with and that is extremely unprofessional and a slap to your face. Not to mention he hung up on you after you spend nearly $300.00. What crap is that. I would order from a breeder online or here at the forum. Wow this pisses me off and it has nothing to do with me lol this situation is ridiculous to say the least. Sorry you had to go through that.

 

[GabeCastro]

Wait, you realize that panthers don't have spurs, right? You need to go check him/her out, take a pic of the tail (from the side) and we can better assist you.

The girl said she asked her manager and he stated it's a female. And that they have 3 females in the store. Also the breeder they buy from arn't in good terms anymore, also said he kind of steals their customers and probably sells the males for cheaper.

It's worth a try, but i'm just fed up with that chicks customer service.

 

[GabeCastro]

Believe me man, that deserves a really really good rant. I totally agree with you, the policy is fine...But you didn't even have the chameleon yet...So that I do not agree with and that is extremely unprofessional and a slap to your face. Not to mention he hung up on you after you spend nearly $300.00. What crap is that. I would order from a breeder online or here at the forum. Wow this pisses me off and it has nothing to do with me lol this situation is ridiculous to say the least. Sorry you had to go through that.

i want to be calm but i just can't beleive what happened. Especially that i spent $400 in the store yesterday, atleast give me a refund for their mistake. It's crazy how helpful this site is, even in this situation i'm still getting fast feedback haha.

I'll keep you guys posted, hopefully i still get my refund and everything works out. My panther is currently in the store ATM, didn't take her home, but i still have my receipt.

Once it clears, i'll be sure to find a breeder online.

 

[ISA my Veiled]

The girl said she asked her manager and he stated it's a female. And that they have 3 females in the store. Also the breeder they buy from arn't in good terms anymore, also said he kind of steals their customers and probably sells the males for cheaper.

It's worth a try, but i'm just fed up with that chicks customer service.

And this is a case where you should buy from breeder. A well established breeder in that case. They won't feed you crap like they did to get a sale. That is another case where you can relate them to PetCo/Petsmart where the employees have no knowledge about what they are selling and they just watch the CBT once and call it a day. Very frustrating though the way they threated you after you spend that much money.

 

[maxttu]

Stupid question, but does your receipt show that you bought a MALE panther? If so, this is a open and shut case! Get the money back and run...Unless it's a healthy male and you love it!

 

[GabeCastro]

damn! i was hoping it would say male or M. but nothing, good question though.

***Also the girl who helped me name was Amanda, not Ashly.

From what i remember the panther just looked really bright and active. The other ones were alittle lighter and brownish. The one i was planning on getting had shades of blues, whites, greens, etc. Btw they're enclosed is all glass enclosures that are about 12x12x18. Also had substrate on the bottom of the cages. The one i wanted, my gf mentioned it tried to dig a hole.

It may be a male, since it sounds like this shop has no clue whats going on...

 

[carol5208]

get a picture of the "females". Try and take pics of the their tales by their vents(poop area) and we should be able to tell you. Coloring can be tricky when they are young, as males can look like females and vice versa.

 

[GabeCastro]

Enclosure*

 

[GabeCastro]

ugh, i would if i was close to the shop. But i live about a 30 minute drive from the pet shop. And gas just spiked up to $4 a gallon out here in California :/ think ima let it go and see where my bank takes this dispute..

Def was a beautiful Nosy Be Panther though...

 

[ISA my Veiled]

If I were you keep the cage and stuff you bought and get the money back for the chameleon. You didn't take it home, he remained in there care, and they diagnosed the chameleon wrong. Explain to that and just let them no that you just want your money and no problems. Maybe the owner won't be such a douche this time.