new baby not eating

[owowsedthecow]

so i just got my baby yesterday and hes been drinking water fine his colors to my knowledge are fine hes not too light of a brown but not very dark either hes right in between. he ate 2 crickets yesterday but has yet to eat today. do you think its possible hes still kinda stressed? im worried hes my first cham and i want nothing to go wrong.


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - male ambilobe about 3 months got him shipped him yesterday.
Handling - ive held him twice since ive got him but for only about a minute or less both times.
Feeding - yesterday he ate 2 crickets gut loaded with dry cricket food and spinach.
Supplements - i dusted today with repcal and herptivite
Watering - i have a dripper set up and ive misted him about 4 times since i got him yesterday.
Fecal Description - i have yet to see in poop in the cage unless im missing it. yesterday when i got him his poop was brown with a tad bit of white

Cage Info:
Cage Type - screen cage
Lighting - im using a reptisun 5.0 and a heat bulb
Temperature - the temps have been ranging from low to mid 80s.
Humidity - humidity is usually at 50 unless i mist then it goes to about 80-90
Plants - pothos and a ficus and a couple fake plants and vines
Placement - the cage is pretty high up i usually have to look up to see him it is somewhat close to my ceiling fan though.
Location - texas

 

[mbondy]

I'm no expert but got my own baby. Don't worry about him, my guy has been doing the same thing. Everything looks good, its important to see him drinking. They go through a week to two week adjustment period so if he eats sporadically through the next week or so, don't worry. Congrats on your baby, mine is slightly older. You can also try a few meal worms later in the week to boost his metabolism.

 

[carol5208]

I would not worry too much. They take time acclimate to their new surroundings. Some will eat right away and some won't. You probably won't see poop until he starts eating although it does have a way of "hiding" itself in the cage when they are little! Your set up seems ok. When you say low to mid 80's is that the basking spot or the whole cage? I would not dust with two supplements in one day. use the calcium with no d3 at every feeding and then use your calcium with D3 twice a month as well as your multivitamin. Space them out and don't do them on the same day. Just my opinion.

 

[owowsedthecow]

its the basking area thats in the 80s i dont have a thermometer at the bottom so im not too sure what the temp is below. what are some signs to look out for a stressed baby panther? like if im correct with veilds their colors change when the temps not right is it the same with panthers

 

[azgnoinc]

Check with the experts on here, but I believe that spinach is a calcium blocker when gutloaded - so you probably need to switch that to kale. If you don't see him eat soon try getting some fruit flies or even houseflies if possible - I have had about 8 species of chams and none of them can resist something that is flying around their cage. Make sure that you are misting the enclosure (not the cham directly) at least a couple times a day, I suggest room temperature water that has been dechlorinated (leave sit out over night).

 

[panther67]

How big is your cage?

 

[owowsedthecow]

24x24x30 but if he diesnt eat within a day or two I'm moving him to the small repti breeze cage. I'm cup feeding him now.

 

[carol5208]

its the basking area thats in the 80s i dont have a thermometer at the bottom so im not too sure what the temp is below. what are some signs to look out for a stressed baby panther? like if im correct with veilds their colors change when the temps not right is it the same with panthers

yes, panthers colors can be afftected by temps also like the Veilds. It doesn't mean the temp is not right,just reacting to the change. If my cham is basking sometimes he will turn flat and darker to absorb the heat.

 

[Stanly]

Check with the experts on here, but I believe that spinach is a calcium blocker when gutloaded - so you probably need to switch that to kale. If you don't see him eat soon try getting some fruit flies or even houseflies if possible - I have had about 8 species of chams and none of them can resist something that is flying around their cage. Make sure that you are misting the enclosure (not the cham directly) at least a couple times a day, I suggest room temperature water that has been dechlorinated (leave sit out over night).

it's true spinach is high in oxalates (which bind to calcium) so if you use it only use small amounts from time to time, kale also has a moderate amount of oxalates so I wouldn't make that the MAIN gut load green.

from my understanding greens (mustard, collard and turnip) are best for the main part but of corse it's good to mix it up with other fruits and veggies as well as a dry mix (wheat, ground nuts oats, kelp powder, bee pollen ect.)

sandrachamelon has some great blog post about gut loading and feeder nutrition.

 

[owowsedthecow]

well he ate two more crickets today. this is good right? better he ate 2 than none.

 

[owowsedthecow]

He's still not eating much since I got him Tuesday he's only ate 4 crickets.

 

[clarkrw3]

I would like to hear more about basking temps because from what I understand those temps are good for an adult but for baby panthers you need it to be higher. Some breeders have it quite high and if that's what he is use to the lower temps could effect metabolism and hunger.

 

[owowsedthecow]

I had it originally in the lower to mid 80s and he kept hanging out in the lower part of the cage so I figured he was too hot so i had it in the upper 70s to lower 80s until I read what u said and now I'm making it a little warmer again.

 

[owowsedthecow]

so i moved him to a smaller cage and everything is working out fine. i was told to do this in the first place but i was stubborn and wanted to save on money. shouldve listened... but all that matters is my babys eating now.