Husbandry review due to different/odd cham behavior

ajs

Avid Member
My cham has been acting a little different the past few days. He seems to be less interested in food first thing in the morning when I used to be able to get him to eat very quickly after his lights came on (due to my work schedule I have to get food in his cage basically right after his lights are on at 7:30am).

He has also been climbing the screen more after I updated his cage with dragon strand ledges/hanging plants and updated his UVB lighting to a T5ho 5.0 (dual fixture - single reflector - with 6500k daylight bulb). In a similar behavior he has been trying to get out of his cage much more and been very much more willing to climb into my hand to get out. This makes me feel like he doesn't like something, but I don't know what it is.

He went into his sleeping spot much earlier than he ever has last night also (probably 2 hours before lights out at least) although, I know this can be normal.

It has been close to 2 weeks since the ledges have been put in and almost a week with his new lighting. Could he still just be adjusting?
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Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - ~6 month old male panther that I have had for close to 2 months
  • Handling - probably 3-4 times per week for at least 30 minutes to give natural sun exposure
  • Feeding - Dubias (gutloaded with collards, dandelion greens, papaya, sweet potato, squash, zucchini, mixed berries), BSFL, a couple hornworms, and a very occasional superworm (gutloaded on collards so far, but will be adding more to their diet)
  • Supplements - Zoomed repticalcium without d3 just about every feeding, alternating once a week with rep-cal multivitamin and rep-cal calcium with d3. I take a pinch or two of supplement with my tongs and sprinkle it over the feeders then shake them in the cup they're in.
  • Watering - Mist king setup a few days ago (runs for 1.5min at 7:15a, 3:45p, 9p, 2a). I have a dripper going as well. I try to feed a hornworm or two per day for hydration also. But I havent seen him drink in a while.
  • Fecal Description - normal fecal from what I can tell, always 100% white urates. Fecal parasite test negative about 1-2 weeks ago.
  • History - gular edema resolved recently

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - 18x18x36 screen. I am saving up for either a 36x18x36 or 24x24x48
  • Lighting - T5ho 6% arcadia, 6500k daylight, 100W incandescent dimmed to 60W atm
  • Temperature - basking was around 86F when I had the incandescent dimmed to 70W, so I lowered it to 60W to bring it down a bit. I will have to measure temps again tonight as I did it right before they turned off last night
  • Humidity - 50-60% during the day, 60-80% at night usually. Humidifier only on at night.
  • Plants - pothos, plantain lily, umbrella
  • Placement - see picture. Vent maybe 3-4 ft from the cage top
  • Location - raleigh, nc area

Current Problem - odd behavior
 
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How old was he again? Panthers are notorious for getting like this IME. Even in large enclosures with everything they could need. Have you taken him outside? Mine would get like this after being outside.
 
How old was he again? Panthers are notorious for getting like this IME. Even in large enclosures with everything they could need. Have you taken him outside? Mine would get like this after being outside.
He's about 6 months or so. I usually will get him outside 3-4 times per week.

I am maybe a bit more concerned now that he doesn't seem to want to eat in the morning when I used to always see him eat something at least before I left for work. He still ate the BSFLs (~15 or so) i had ledt in his little feeder cup yesterday and 1 hornworm I believe as they were no longer in there when I got home.

Maybe i am being too paranoid lol. Spend all this time and money constantly trying to make his life good that when he acts different I'm like, "OH MY GOD ARE YOU DYING?? IM TRYING SO HARD THOUGH!!"
 
I don't have a panther but as my veiled got older he would bask and warm up first and then eat. Just a thought... :)

Edit: Don't freak out, some change in behavior is common as they get older. I was messaging other members durning my chams teenage years lol!
 
I don't have a panther but as my veiled got older he would bask and warm up first and then eat. Just a thought... :)
Yeah I havent seen him basking or heading up towards the top of his cage in the morning before I leave. He used to before I changed his setup a bit though
 
Any time you change "his tree" it will take some time to adjust back to normal. This is always a problem when doing a complete cage clean, since you can never get the cage back to perfect. And yes all of mine want out after a good cage cleaning, till they get adjusted.
 
He's about 6 months or so. I usually will get him outside 3-4 times per week.

I am maybe a bit more concerned now that he doesn't seem to want to eat in the morning when I used to always see him eat something at least before I left for work. He still ate the BSFLs (~15 or so) i had ledt in his little feeder cup yesterday and 1 hornworm I believe as they were no longer in there when I got home.

Maybe i am being too paranoid lol. Spend all this time and money constantly trying to make his life good that when he acts different I'm like, "OH MY GOD ARE YOU DYING?? IM TRYING SO HARD THOUGH!!"

I was about to guess and say I bet he's 6-7ish months and has been outside lol. Yeah that's very normal panther behavior. They will start to slow down with eating as they age while trying to climb everywere.
 
I saw a similar behavior change with my panther around that age as well. I think it also may have to do with hormones and trying to find a mate/territory. Have you seen sperm droppings yet?
Yeah I have seen a couple. I also had seen him extend his hemipene, but that was a few weeks ago probably
 
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