New 4-5 month old panther not eating much.

Wyattherp

Wyattherp

Member
  • Your Chameleon - Ambilobe male 4-5 mo old Ive had him 6 days
  • Handling - He came out for the first time yesterday
  • Feeding - Weve tried hand/tongs (took a few off the tongs but no hand,free range crickets,magnetic food bowl? started with 5 dusted crickets and have put 2 dubias and 3 super worms in the bowl? feeding about an hour after he wakes up (approx 9 am) Then trying again in the early afternoon ? fruit and veggis ( carrot,collards,oranges?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule
  • Watering - Hand misting 3 times daily for about 3 minutes and running a dripper for 15-20 min a couple times a day I see him drink a lot
  • Fecal Description - His droppings are brown and solid with a small piece of yellow to orange urate on the end. As far as a know he has not been tested ( Ill email the breeder)
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - 2x2x4 screen
  • Lighting - Zoomed 5.0 T5 HO UVD tube and hood,60 watt incandescent with an 8.5" dome about 8" from basking spot
  • Temperature - Basking spot is currently 82 not sure of the overnight temps. I do about 10 hours on 14 off using a duel Themo/Hygro near the basking spot
  • Humidity -running a little low near the top of the enclosure 40-45% ( I ordered another hygro for the middle of the enclosure
  • Plants - Pothos and Umbrella
  • Placement Living room corner,Were clearing space for him in a room with less traffic,No vents around
  • Location - Tampa,FL

Current Problem - He hasn't been eating much. He took a few crickets off the tongs but wouldnt by hand ( My hands are tattooed with lots of similar colors to him) He also ate a few crickets and worms that were placed in or wandered in to his striking range. I set up an "escape proof" magnetic feeder bowl and thought he ate all the dubia and superworms in it but this morning I caught a roach who got out of it so im not sure the others escaped. any advice would be welcome
 
Forgot the calcium question we use repticalcium like this: regular day 1 D3 day 2 none day ( per the breeder instructions) repeat
 
Wyattherp said:
Forgot the calcium question we use repticalcium like this: regular day 1 D3 day 2 none day ( per the breeder instructions) repeat
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Wyatt, I have never heard of panthers eating veggies. Only veileds. Also everybody on here uses calcium dusted lightly on food every day. Once every 2 weeks, d3. Vitamins, once every 2 weeks also. Just $.02.
 
He may just not be used to you just yet. You haven't had him very long at all and sometimes it can take weeks. Monitor the food in his bowl closely and if he starts eating better in the next few days maybe try tong feeding again. You want him to get used to you but you also want to give him time to get acclimated to his new home. I would just lay off the hand feeding for a little while and see if he starts eating again. Maybe try a yummy treat when you do again. Like a hornworm or silkworm or even a butter worm or waxworm. I also agree with chachi about your dusting schedule. He needs plain calcium daily, d3 twice a month and vitamins twice a month. Best of luck!
Ps, any of those soft worms would be a great treat to get him to eat. Plus the hornworms are great for extra moisture and the silkworms are just very nutritious as is. :)
 
LindsayG said:
He may just not be used to you just yet. You haven't had him very long at all and sometimes it can take weeks. Monitor the food in his bowl closely and if he starts eating better in the next few days maybe try tong feeding again. You want him to get used to you but you also want to give him time to get acclimated to his new home. I would just lay off the hand feeding for a little while and see if he starts eating again. Maybe try a yummy treat when you do again. Like a hornworm or silkworm or even a butter worm or waxworm. I also agree with chachi about your dusting schedule. He needs plain calcium daily, d3 twice a month and vitamins twice a month. Best of luck!
Ps, any of those soft worms would be a great treat to get him to eat. Plus the hornworms are great for extra moisture and the silkworms are just very nutritious as is. :)
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Ha I quoted and didn't reply.

I had some hornworm eggs that hatched a few days ago so they will be ready soon. Those things double in size daily! Tomorrow I have silks and Bsfl coming. I think he took a few superworms and possibly dubia out of the bowl,although after I saw the dubia escape for the "escape proof bowl" I bet I find a few under the paper towels when I clean the enclosure. Thanks for the Calc advise.
 
I've been keeping a record of how much my new Ambanja has been eating daily. I went back and looked and about a week and a half after he was delivered he ate very little for a few days. I had also switched him completely off crickets and made dubia his staple feeder. What I did that helped him start eating more again was that I made a better feeder cup that allowed the dubia to crawl up a screen and be more visible and exciting to him. Worked like a charm and he averaged between 15 - 18 nymphs a day constantly now. Also I skip feeding on Sundays. At Krammer's they had them on a 6 day eating schedule so I just continued that. I do offer him a wax worm by hand on Sundays though, just no dubia or other feeders.

I also agree with the supplement schedule. Giving him D3 every second day of your supplement schedule will end up overdosing him. I have started using the Rapashy calcium plus and an all in one supplement and so far I like it. I just use that daily instead of having three separate powders and having to remember to alternate the D3 and Multi on Saturdays.

Here is a pic of my feeder cup(the outside of the cup should be and is now painted so that he can't see them from the outside of the cup) .......
 

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I put it in every morning and take it out at night. I used a paperclip to hang it from the screen about halfway up the enclosure.
 
Do the dubia ever get out? I can't believe they were able to get out of the feeding cup with a lip. I think they all cloned on top of the superworms and got out
 
Wyattherp said:
Do the dubia ever get out? I can't believe they were able to get out of the feeding cup with a lip. I think they all cloned on top of the superworms and got out
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Its possible that the dubia didn't escape on his own. I've watched my guy shoot for food in his feeder cup and end up grabbing more than a mouth full so some end up falling on the way back to his mouth. I've seen that quite a few times actually.
 
The one this morning definitely got out solo. My boy was on the other side drinking water off the umbrella tree. I'm gonna try and return that shitty feeder bowl. I guess I can make one like your and Velcro it to the magnetic shelf.
 
@Wyattherp, I've never had them get out of THIS one. I made sure there was enough space between the screen inside and the openings that they can't climb. I had used another container and it had a slight lip at the top, they can extend the length of their body off of the screen and they would just grab that little ledge and follow it to freedom.
 
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Yesterday after eating none-2/3 thing a day she at 3 silkies , 3 Hornworms and 2/3 crickets. Most of which she hunted. I'm pretty sure she got the green lacewing that came out of the pothos.
 
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