Help worried about new jevenile panther

[spoogfps]

I recently got this guy on Thursday, he's about 4 months old. He seemed alright but his appetite is low and he seems to do a weird mouth/body movement thing. I'm hoping it's not an RI but I also heard this could be pre-shed behavior and he seems a little more cloudy than when I got him. I just want to know what's going on. The average ambient daily temp is 72-78F with 49-56% humidity (85F basking temp). The average ambient night temp is 65-68F with 60-70% humidity. I've been giving him BSFL and extra small Dubias with light Pangeacal WITHOUT D3 (Have not used Reptivite with D3 yet). He's only eaten about 3-4 bugs since he came home. T5 UVB across the enclosure, lots of live plants, 2 min misting 30 min before lights on, 4 min misting 30 min before lights off. I think I'm doing everything right, I've watched countless hours of Chameleon Acadamy and Neptune the Chameleon. Lot's of hiding spots, good lighting, etc.

Edit: I have the Dragon Strand tall hybrid enclosure and everything in the Neptune advanced kit minus the fogger

Here are the vids please excuse the shaky camera I was holding it up in the corner so he wouldn't see me:
https://streamable.com/53xaax
https://streamable.com/udm8e8
https://streamable.com/53xaax

Please let me know if these links don't work

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

If you suspect a RI, listen for cracking sounds. You can also search the fourm for symptoms of RI. The stress of travel can decrease appetite. Ask the seller the feeding method used and try to copy that method. Since he's drinking, try adding more opportunities to drink. Maybe ice cubes on top of cage, plastic cup with a hole in the bottom, or a dripper. I would drip water directly on the branch in front of him. He may need guidance on finding the water and food.
When my Cham arrived, he ate very little but he drank frequently for the first week.

 

[spoogfps]

If you suspect a RI, listen for cracking sounds. You can also search the fourm for symptoms of RI. The stress of travel can decrease appetite. Ask the seller the feeding method used and try to copy that method. Since he's drinking, try adding more opportunities to drink. Maybe ice cubes on top of cage, plastic cup with a hole in the bottom, or a dripper. I would drip water directly on the branch in front of him. He may need guidance on finding the water and food.
When my Cham arrived, he ate very little but he drank frequently for the first week.

I haven’t heard any cracking sounds at all but he seems a bit lazy since yesterday so I am hoping it could just be pre-shedding behavior. The videos I posted is what I’m concerned about I wasn’t very concerned until I saw that behavior. Thank you for the advice!!

 

[spoogfps]

I recently got this guy on Thursday, he's about 4 months old. He seemed alright but his appetite is low and he seems to do a weird mouth/body movement thing. I'm hoping it's not an RI but I also heard this could be pre-shed behavior and he seems a little more cloudy than when I got him. I just want to know what's going on. The average ambient daily temp is 72-78F with 49-56% humidity (85F basking temp). The average ambient night temp is 65-68F with 60-70% humidity. I've been giving him BSFL and extra small Dubias with light Pangeacal WITHOUT D3 (Have not used Reptivite with D3 yet). He's only eaten about 3-4 bugs since he came home. T5 UVB across the enclosure, lots of live plants, 2 min misting 30 min before lights on, 4 min misting 30 min before lights off. I think I'm doing everything right, I've watched countless hours of Chameleon Acadamy and Neptune the Chameleon. Lot's of hiding spots, good lighting, etc.

Edit: I have the Dragon Strand tall hybrid enclosure and everything in the Neptune advanced kit minus the fogger

Here are the vids please excuse the shaky camera I was holding it up in the corner so he wouldn't see me:
https://streamable.com/53xaax
https://streamable.com/udm8e8
https://streamable.com/53xaax

Please let me know if these links don't work

Here is a very close up picture of him right now so you can see his skin

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

I haven’t heard any cracking sounds at all but he seems a bit lazy since yesterday so I am hoping it could just be pre-shedding behavior. The videos I posted is what I’m concerned about I wasn’t very concerned until I saw that behavior. Thank you for the advice!!

The tongue movement in the second video resembles my Chams behavior when he wants a drink. That's
y i suggested offering a dripper. My guy also had trouble locating his dripper. Initially, i had to drip water directly in front of him. If you suspect RI - a Vet visit is needed.

 

[spoogfps]

The tongue movement in the second video resembles my Chams behavior when he wants a drink. That's
y i suggested offering a dripper. My guy also had trouble locating his dripper. Initially, i had to drip water directly in front of him.

I just tried that and he had no interest in it haha. All chameleons seem to be super particular in their own ways. Maybe he could have been thermo regulating? I’ve been watching him closely without him knowing (I think) and he hasn’t done it since. He was doing it about 20 min after he left his basking spot. As for the tongue thing, I didn’t get it on video but he also licked the branch a few times. I looked that up as well and that seems to be a pretty normal behavior. Did any of the other behaviors seem off to you? I’m a brand new cham owner and I might just be super paranoid because every post I see there’s always people saying something is an RI. I just want this guy to be happy and healthy

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

I just tried that and he had no interest in it haha. All chameleons seem to be super particular in their own ways. Maybe he could have been thermo regulating? I’ve been watching him closely without him knowing (I think) and he hasn’t done it since. He was doing it about 20 min after he left his basking spot. As for the tongue thing, I didn’t get it on video but he also licked the branch a few times. I looked that up as well and that seems to be a pretty normal behavior. Did any of the other behaviors seem off to you? I’m a brand new cham owner and I might just be super paranoid because every post I see there’s always people saying something is an RI. I just want this guy to be happy and healthy

Yes, the branch lick is normal. I would keep a water drip going. To entice eating try a more active feeder like crickets. Lump them together to get his attention. Initially
my Cham would not eat Dubia or BSFL, not enough movement. Put a few crickets in to see if that motivates him to eat. Trust me - I'm definitely a paranoid owner. I had the same questions as you. He's been in my care 3 + months so I've calmed down a bit. And he could have been too hot. Just keep watching. You got this. I installed a wifi camera - yes I am a Chameleon Stalker.

 

[spoogfps]

Yes, the branch lick is normal. To entice eating try a more active feeder like crickets. Initially
my Cham would not eat Dubia or BSFL, not enough movement. Put a few crickets in to see if that motivates him to eat. Trust me - I'm definitely a paranoid x owner.

I will get some crickets tomorrow then and see. Thank you so much!

 

[elizaann2]

I’ve not seen a cham do that. He seems to take a deep breath too if you look at his ribs. @Beman @MissSkittles what do you think?

 

[elizaann2]

Where did you get baby? And how old is your little one?

 

[spoogfps]

Where did you get baby? And how old is your little one?

Got him from highlighter chameleons and he's about 4 months old. He’s a really trusted breeder and has amazing clutches with great husbandry

 

[spoogfps]

I’ve not seen a cham do that. He seems to take a deep breath too if you look at his ribs. @Beman @MissSkittles what do you think?

Ya I’m not sure if this is a big issue or not. He did eat about an hour and a half before this but it was maybe 2 dubias

 

[spoogfps]

Ya I’m not sure if this is a big issue or not. He did eat about an hour and a half before this but it was maybe 2 dubias

Update: he just ate 3 bugs about 45 min ago and he’s been moving. I haven’t seen him open his mouth since earlier. I also see those white spots on his head. Would that be shed or something else?

 

[elizaann2]

Ya I’m not sure if this is a big issue or not. He did eat about an hour and a half before this but it was maybe 2 dubias

How big were the dubia?

 

[spoogfps]

How big were the dubia?

I ordered the 1/4 inch one but some of them were different sizes some bigger some smaller. I honestly don’t know how big the ones he ate were, I just saw him from afar attacking a few bugs

 

[elizaann2]

I ordered the 1/4 inch one but some of them were different sizes some bigger some smaller. I honestly don’t know how big the ones he ate were, I just saw him from afar attacking a few bugs

None were bigger than the distance between his eyes? Just asking in case he was struggling to get a bigger bug down

 

[spoogfps]

None were bigger than the distance between his eyes? Just asking in case he was struggling to get a bigger bug down

The batch of 500 that I got from dubiaroaches.com definitely has some that are a little bit bigger but not by much and the ones in the feeding cup were just the ones I was able grab with the tweezers (still getting better with them). I target the smallest ones but sometimes a few bigger ones make it in there.

 

[spoogfps]

None were bigger than the distance between his eyes? Just asking in case he was struggling to get a bigger bug down

I haven’t measured his head or the bugs exactly though

 

[elizaann2]

I haven’t measured his head or the bugs exactly though

You just eyeball it. Just making sure.

 

[MissSkittles]

I’ve not seen a cham do that. He seems to take a deep breath too if you look at his ribs. @Beman @MissSkittles what do you think?

I’ve not seen any of my chams ever do anything like that before. If he was actively shedding, he might make strange movements to help loosen the shed, but he’s not yet ready for that. Even though he does look to be taking a big breath, I’m wondering more if it’s related to eating too big of a feeder rather than an RI. This would also be why he isn’t eating even close to as much as he should be. It’s much better to feed feeders that are smaller. Get some bsfl or very small crickets and see how he does with those. Try lowering his basking temp a bit too. 85 might be a bit too warm for him right now…try 80. If your basking light is sitting directly on the screen top, you’ll want to raise it a few inches anyhow to prevent burns and that may be enough to lower temp. From all I’ve heard, Highlighter is a respected breeder, so try reaching out to them and share the video and get their opinion.