New baby Panther! And some questions...

[zelink14]

Hi all! I used to be on these forums back when I had my veiled chameleon. But all things come and go...

So, after years of waiting for the right time, I finally bought another chameleon - an Ambilobe panther chameleon from Kammerflage Kreations. Ambrose, as I'm calling him, is about 4 months old now, and absolutely gorgeous! It was love at first sight.

In general, I brought him home Saturday afternoon and he hasn't yet eaten. I've been offering dusted dubia nymphs in a hanging shallow bowl (I've shown them to him, so he knows they're there). I remove any uneaten ones before the lights go out. I know in general they take a few days to settle into their new environment, but I'm not sure if I should be trying something else in the meantime. He was being fed crickets until I got him, so I'm wondering if I should be worried about him being picky? Any suggestions?

The other thing is his mood colors. I'm familiar with the colors of veiled chameleons (basking, stressed, excited, etc.) but Ambrose's panther colors are confusing to me. Should he be colorful when basking, or do they make themselves darker with the thin bars? (Like in the third photo.) What should I be wary of?

I'm SUPER happy to have a chameleon in my house again. I'm also excited to be back on the forum!


The day I bought him, before getting him home.


I had to add more branches into his cage, so I put him in the bathroom with his ficus... I hadn't seen these colors before, and was excited to see green on his back!


His colors most of the time... at least when he sees me.

 

[junglefries]

Would offer a variety. Most stores will offer you a couple of everything for a couple dollars. That way you can find his preferences. Superworms will usually start off the pickiest of eaters. Upon, day three is when I would be a little nervous. Keep hydrated and don't over stress him with your affection. I am sure Ed would gladly tell you what he feeds his young ones if you called and asked him.

 

[zelink14]

So interestingly, I thought I'd try picking one of the nymphs up and offering it... and he actually took it! So happy. He must've been hungry - he took 11 right from my hand! Glad to know he wasn't specifically avoiding eating. I guess I'll have to do something instead of a feeding cup.

 

[junglefries]

Once you baby bird feed... Some of mine run to me for food, while others run from me. Hand feeding is always fun, until you get a tongue stuck to you glad he ate.

 

[zelink14]

So today Ambrose's left eye is shut - I want to assume it'll go away and it's just that he hadn't eaten much recently. Should I be worried?

 

[ChamDE86]

The eye being shut is not good at all. Might possibly have an infection or something caught in his eye. Try taking a closer look to see if you can find anything, whether pus or a foreign object. I believe most on here will recommend a long misting showering or saline drops.

 

[zelink14]

So I put him and his ficus into my shower and gave him a good, long mist... eye opened! So that's a relief. Is this just a humidity problem with my enclosure, maybe?

 

[zelink14]

Temporary fix, apparently. His eye is closed again. What causes this?

 

[ChamDE86]

Fill this out and answer to the best of your knowledge. It really helps to be descriptive as possible.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

 

[zelink14]

Your Chameleon - Male panther chameleon. 4 months old. He's been here less than a week.
Handling - I've been messing with his cage a couple times, but never touching him directly.
Feeding - I've been hand-feeding dusted 8-12 dubia roach nymphs every day. Planing on getting some crickets and worms soon for variety.
Supplements - Repashy Calcium Plus, every day (recommended by breeder)
Watering - Misting the cage at least 2-3 times a day till everything is coated; I've seen him drink every morning.
Fecal Description - Poop/Urates have been normal consistancy, haven't seen any today yet, but he's been passing them regularly.

Cage Type - I'm using the mesh reptarium from LLLReptile, about 17"x17"x30". The back and sides of the cage are covered in vinyl to hold in moisture, with 4-5" exposed at the top for ventilation.
Lighting - Reptiglo 5.0 UVB tube light and Repti Basking Spot Lamp, 50w. On from 9 AM - 9 PM.
Temperature - Range is about 90-70 degrees F. At night it gets as low as 65.
Humidity - It's been between 40%-70% at different times - I mist the cage whenever the leaves are all dry.
Plants - Pothos & Ficus
Placement - The cage is against a wall in the middle of the room - there are no vents or windows immediately next to it. The top of the cage is about 5'8" above the floor.
Location - Los Angeles, CA

Current Problem - He woke up this morning with his left eye closed. I gave him a long mist in the shower earlier and it opened up for awhile, only to close again when I returned him to his cage.

Thanks! A friend of mine who used to breed them recommends I get some ointment from the vet, but I want to try everything I can first.

Thanks for your help!

 

[ChamDE86]

Your Chameleon - Male panther chameleon. 4 months old. He's been here less than a week.
Handling - I've been messing with his cage a couple times, but never touching him directly.
Feeding - I've been hand-feeding dusted 8-12 dubia roach nymphs every day. Planing on getting some crickets and worms soon for variety.
Supplements - Repashy Calcium Plus, every day (recommended by breeder)
Watering - Misting the cage at least 2-3 times a day till everything is coated; I've seen him drink every morning.
Fecal Description - Poop/Urates have been normal consistancy, haven't seen any today yet, but he's been passing them regularly.

Cage Type - I'm using the mesh reptarium from LLLReptile, about 17"x17"x30". The back and sides of the cage are covered in vinyl to hold in moisture, with 4-5" exposed at the top for ventilation.
Lighting - Reptiglo 5.0 UVB tube light and Repti Basking Spot Lamp, 50w. On from 9 AM - 9 PM.
Temperature - Range is about 90-70 degrees F. At night it gets as low as 65.
Humidity - It's been between 40%-70% at different times - I mist the cage whenever the leaves are all dry.
Plants - Pothos & Ficus
Placement - The cage is against a wall in the middle of the room - there are no vents or windows immediately next to it. The top of the cage is about 5'8" above the floor.
Location - Los Angeles, CA

Current Problem - He woke up this morning with his left eye closed. I gave him a long mist in the shower earlier and it opened up for awhile, only to close again when I returned him to his cage.

Thanks! A friend of mine who used to breed them recommends I get some ointment from the vet, but I want to try everything I can first.

Thanks for your help!

Everything appears fine for the most part. I would attempt the saline method to try and flush it out, and if that doesn't work, some ointment from the vet may be your last bet. I've attached a link on the bottom regarding the saline method. I read up on it a little, but it mentioned something in regards to the ficus tree possibly causing the eye problem for one member.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/eye-problems-chameleons-42508/

 

[junglefries]

Just as a precaution, double check your uvb bulb. I would substitute with another 5.0 just to rule it out. Too much uvb can cause eye closure. Does basking bulb also produce uvb?

 

[zelink14]

Just as a precaution, double check your uvb bulb. I would substitute with another 5.0 just to rule it out. Too much uvb can cause eye closure. Does basking bulb also produce uvb?

No, it's just a regular heat bulb. And I know for a fact the UVB tube light is like-new. I could always try switching out all the lighting for a 100w Powersun Bulb (I have several extras) and see what happens. My veiled seemed to like being under that one.

 

[junglefries]

A lot of times it is caused by too much uvb or lack of vit B. Figured a uvb check would give you somewhere to start. Start a checklist as you rule out possibilities. Good luck

 

[zelink14]

I wanted to update that it was the UVB light - I spoke to the breeder and they mentioned a basking distance of about 8" from the UVB light. Mine was only 3" away! I elevated the light and within a few hours he was back to normal.