My New Panther Chameleon

[ClameJackson]

Hi guys!

We have recently bought an 8 month old panther chameleon. He is very active and loves to eat. Theres a couple of things Im not sure of.

1. He hangs upside down now and again, but seams quite contented?

2. when i open the tank he wants to climb onto me straight away, is this normal?He loves to strut and loves to get as high as he can, and seams to attract to my hand if I put it down, I do hand feed him so I know he'll be looking for food, but he does it when hes not hungry too, and also he likes to perch on my fingers and eat what I place in hit tank (hoppers etc). in my eyes he seams pretty happy but i dont want to stress the wee dude, hes my boy!

3. How long should i leave the dripper on? i worry about soaking the substrate. I just hope he gets enough water.

he has plenty room in his tank, loads of climning stuff ad leaves, baskin light with a perch below it (not to close).

I know you will get all these questions alot but im new to this world and i dont want to stress or make him unhappy.

Cheers guys

Euan

 

[camimom]

Welcome ! and congrats on the new cham! beware, they become addicting super fast!
To answer your questions...
Hangiing upside is normal, no worries.
Odd that he wants to come out and chill with you, but not uncommon. you got lucky!
As for the dirpper, let it go most of the light cycle, I would turn it off about an hour or so before lights out so the cage can dry.
NO SUBSTRATE!
chams can ingest this, either on purpose or accidently when going for a bug, please remove it.
ingestion of it can cause impaction.

What do you mean by tank?

ALso, do you only have a bsking light, or do you have a uvb light too?

 

[ClameJackson]

Hi! Thanks for getting back to me so fast.

Yeah hes awesome, chirpy wee chappy! Thanks for clearing that up for me, I thought he was just chilling but wanted to make sure.

He has a basking bulb and a uv bulb too.

I had read about the substrate problems but heard a few different ideas. I will remove it.

By tank I meant vivarium, He's still quite wee but i will be getting him a bigger one yearly next year when he grows up a bit more. I know being a panther he can get quite big.

Cheers

 

[BeBoSON]

Mine hangs upside down a lot also, kids will be kids...lol.
As far as the dripped, put a small cup or bucket to catch the water when it goes to the bottom of the cage. Also put some sticks or a sponge in the cup/bucket so if he does fall he can climb out. Just empty the cup/bucket as needed.

 

[Meow Kitty]

i put a pothos with a drain pot under the drips

 

[Pilotman800]

Hi guys!

We have recently bought an 8 month old panther chameleon. He is very active and loves to eat. Theres a couple of things Im not sure of.

1. He hangs upside down now and again, but seams quite contented?
This is completely normal! Most chameleons do this when they are younger. Its nothing to be worried about.


2. when i open the tank he wants to climb onto me straight away, is this normal?He loves to strut and loves to get as high as he can, and seams to attract to my hand if I put it down, I do hand feed him so I know he'll be looking for food, but he does it when hes not hungry too, and also he likes to perch on my fingers and eat what I place in hit tank (hoppers etc). in my eyes he seams pretty happy but i dont want to stress the wee dude, hes my boy!
You got very lucky!!! Most chams do the complete opposite! The average cham will run away from your hand. You just seemed to get one more tolerant of handling.
3. How long should i leave the dripper on? i worry about soaking the substrate. I just hope he gets enough water.
As long as you are misting like you're supposed to, I would only have it running when you are not home.
he has plenty room in his tank, loads of climning stuff ad leaves, baskin light with a perch below it (not to close).

I know you will get all these questions alot but im new to this world and i dont want to stress or make him unhappy.

Cheers guys

Euan

My answers are in red. Im also going to attach my blog for new owners.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/pilotman800/548-new-chameleon-owner-information-husbandry.html

 

[Texas Ranger]

By tank I meant vivarium, He's still quite wee but i will be getting him a bigger one yearly next year when he grows up a bit more. I know being a panther he can get quite big.

Depending are where you are. Panthers should be housed in a all screen cage. Not a Vivarium. At around 9 months or so they should be put in a 24x24x48 size cage. And they can live out the rest of their life in this size.

Glad you are removing the substrate. There is no good in it. Besided apperance.

Your in the right place for answers.
Check out my youtube page for setup ideas.http://youtu.be/JkPtTAzHOK8

 

[ClameJackson]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the info. Why do they sell you substrate (apart from the obvious money part)?

His vivarium right now is 24x24x48, its got a mesh top, but i want to give him a bigger house, all mesh and taller so he can climb. He loves climbing! I will get the substrate removed asap, i need to get some plastic sheeting in, could be messy!

when they are not happy, do they go dark? He goes pretty vibrant when hes out and about but not dark.

Cheers guys

 

[Pilotman800]

They can go dark when they're stressed, cold, or basking (Absorbing heat).