Moody Panther Chameleon??

[JodiShearer]

Hi. I'm new to owning Chameleons. I purchased what I was lead into believing, a male panther of about 5 months and another which is also supposed to be male of I'd say maybe 2 or 3 months old due to its size on Saturday last week. I have my doubts about their sexes. The older one is my mums and I'm just housing it with mine for a couple of weeks until she buys her set up...

The older one is very subdued and hides constantly, won't be handled by anyone and turns very very dark with its mouth open and throat puffed out. The reptile shop I purchased from told me that it's just a moody chameleon and to handle it more. I'm worried about it and can't handle it because it gets too frightened. I'm wondering about the sex also. I have a feeling my little baby is a girl. But very confident and loves coming out to play. A lot different to the bigger of the two. Can anyone shed any light on what I can do to help the poor little mite to stop being so afraid? Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated! I've read loads on the Internet but just not getting anywhere.

Thank you.
Jodi Shearer.

 

[APailthorp]

Younger chameleons will be more docile than a sub-adult or adult.

>housing it with mine

Do you mean either in the same cage or in sight of each other? Bad idea.

Chameleons are very territorial and although you may not be able to read the lizard queues, one is dominating the other.

They need to be housed separately.

 

[junglefries]

No housing together. Figure out a temp home for one of them. Purchased last Saturday is a little early to judge a cham's demeanor. They should be left alone the first 2-4 weeks to adjust. As far as handling, I don't handle mine, plain and simple. Cuddling is for you and your mate or your dog. Good luck.

 

[JodiShearer]

Hi. Yes it's in the same viv as mine. I asked the shop I purchased them from if that would be ok for a couple of weeks. They informed me that it would be ok for up to 4 months. They were in the same enclosure in the shop too. They also told me to handle them both. I'm starting to wonder if anything they told me was true. I'm trying to figure out if there is a way to add photos to this. So that I can possibly find out if anyone can tell me the their sexes too. I have a feeling I'll be going back to the shop to discuss all if this in depth with them considering they are being very vague on the care and needs for these beautiful babies.

Thank you.

 

[jcarlsen]

Hi. Yes it's in the same viv as mine. I asked the shop I purchased them from if that would be ok for a couple of weeks. They informed me that it would be ok for up to 4 months. They were in the same enclosure in the shop too. They also told me to handle them both. I'm starting to wonder if anything they told me was true. I'm trying to figure out if there is a way to add photos to this. So that I can possibly find out if anyone can tell me the their sexes too. I have a feeling I'll be going back to the shop to discuss all if this in depth with them considering they are being very vague on the care and needs for these beautiful babies.

Thank you.

If I were you, I'd stop taking advice from that shop and refer to the caresheets for Panther Chameleons on here. As others said, some panthers are just going to be skittish and you should give them time to adjust in their new home. But yes, the chameleons should be housed separately and should not be able to see each other due to stress.

While some are divided on the issue of handling, I'm siding with those that believe you should at least get your panther used to your hand and getting on it so that you have less stress when you need to take it out of the cage for cleaning or a vet visit. I'm following the handling advise on this blog: http://www.muchadoaboutchameleons.com/2012/04/to-handle-or-not-to-handle.html

 

[odduc748]

You've come to the right place for advice on raising healthy chameleons. This forum is a great community full of people who genuinely love these animals.

First, I would separate your chameleons. I suspect that the reason why one of your animals is shy is because the other may be intimidating him/her. These are not social creatures.

I agree with previous posters in saying that you ought not take further advice from the shop owners and ask your questions, here.

My chams are happy and healthy thanks to most of the advice I received from this site.

 

[Carlton]

Hi. Yes it's in the same viv as mine. I asked the shop I purchased them from if that would be ok for a couple of weeks. They informed me that it would be ok for up to 4 months. They were in the same enclosure in the shop too. They also told me to handle them both. I'm starting to wonder if anything they told me was true. I'm trying to figure out if there is a way to add photos to this. So that I can possibly find out if anyone can tell me the their sexes too. I have a feeling I'll be going back to the shop to discuss all if this in depth with them considering they are being very vague on the care and needs for these beautiful babies.

Thank you.

Even if some babies could tolerate group housing for a couple of months, the fact is that one of yours is obviously not tolerating it well. There are lots of variations, including the cage habitat, size and situation in your home. They are individuals and don't behave exactly the same. Separate them. If your timid one gets its own space it may mellow out more so handling isn't as much of an issue in the future. Just be aware that not all chams are comfortable with the same amount of handling either.