New panther cham shedding/not eating.

mandy74

New Member
Hi we bought a 6 month old panther chameleon privately with a 100 gallon flexarium on Fri, I think hes really tiny for his age..we made sure we watched him eating, and he seemed really alert and lively, since we've got him home we've replace the uv tube with a exo terra reptiglo 10.0 (was told to get a 10 due to the bulb being outside the flexarium) haven't changed the asking bulb... now as the flexarium was already set up with uv and suspended bulb we haven't moved the location of the bulbs...
Since we've had kermit home he's stopped eating.. And I noticed last night that his skin has started peeling, and he's gone really dark in colour.. I'm thinking its a shed but im a bit worried after reading various posts on here that it might be uvb burns...( might just be me having new mum syndrome :) ) just wanted some reassurance or advice on what to do... his temps are 85 in basking spot, he has a dripper set up and i mist 4 times a day for about 3/4 mins (not directly at him) I have researched and read alot on the husbandry and think I have it right, please feel free to correct if I'm wrong, I want the best for this little guy... I will post pics so you can comment.. Also what do you think on the location of the uv tube should i move it to the top??? all advice/comments will be appreciated...
smurf-1.jpg


P1010239.jpg

this is him today...
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this is when we first got him..
Thanks in advance for any advice...
 
he coudl be 6 months old, or younger/older.

without him sitting on something to compare his size to, its hardr to judge.
is his skin peeling everywhere?

can you get a pic of it?

more than likely, hes shedding. is the skin underneath raw, bleeding, black?
is the skin coming off very thin?


also, are his lights on the side of his cage or inside of it?
 
uvb should be on top of enclosure. Basking bulb should be on top also and you should have a vine or branch placed underneath about 8 inches or so for him to soak up heat from the light.Sometimes they will not eat for awhile when they get into a new environment and if he is shedding that may add to the cause.
 
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hes about 4 inches, dont want to handle him at the mo with him probably being stressed with the move..
no the skin is just a little lighter than normal.. and its coming off quite thick....
the lights are on the outside the basking bulb is suspended about 10cm away from the top of the cage, and the uv is secured to the back of the outide of cage about 5cm down..
thanks so much the the quick response :)
 
hes shedding, perfectly normal.

Btw, him not eating right now is normal too, hes stressed about his move.

At best guess i put his age anywhere from 4-7 months.
until i can see him on your hand.

and uvb should be on top of the cage as well.


how do you measure his basking temps?
 
uvb should be on top of enclosure. Basking bulb should be on top also and you should have a vine or branch placed underneath about 8 inches or so for him to soak up heat from the light.Sometimes they will not eat for awhile when they get into a new environment and if he is shedding that may add to the cause.

I thought so, but wasnt sure it was ok to leave it, as didnt want to cause him more stress with him shedding, and having a new environment to deal with.. what do you think?
 
I thought so, but wasnt sure it was ok to leave it, as didnt want to cause him more stress with him shedding, and having a new environment to deal with.. what do you think?

Leave what?
UVB and basking should be o top of the cage, this gets him his baskng spots.
 
hes shedding, perfectly normal.

Btw, him not eating right now is normal too, hes stressed about his move.

At best guess i put his age anywhere from 4-7 months.
until i can see him on your hand.

and uvb should be on top of the cage as well.


how do you measure his basking temps?

thats is music to my ears :D hopefully he'll start chomping away next couple of days... what do you think about moving the uv, should i do it now or wait until hes settled a little??
 
thats is music to my ears :D hopefully he'll start chomping away next couple of days... what do you think about moving the uv, should i do it now or wait until hes settled a little??

Oh it wont matter to him.

its when you mvoe stuff in his cage that it can make them unhappy.
Id say move it now.

And dont worry, we all have th enew mom worry syndrome.
(and it nevr goes away) Im up to 5 chams, and 38 eggs cooking away... and i still worry daily.
 
Oh it wont matter to him.

its when you mvoe stuff in his cage that it can make them unhappy.
Id say move it now.

And dont worry, we all have th enew mom worry syndrome.
(and it nevr goes away) Im up to 5 chams, and 38 eggs cooking away... and i still worry daily.

Thanks will go and move it now...
Oh god.. I'm already grey..:rolleyes:
Hopefully he'll settle in soon as the person I bought him off had him hand feeding and really friendly but I've left him alone atm to settle in..
 
Hi just a quick update, I moved the uvb tube, Kermit has finished his shed, finished by the evening i posted this thread.. I'm such a worrier!! And he's started eating again this morning. :) Feel like I can stop holding my breath now... Hopefully hes starting to feel at home.

Quick question - Are hoppers/locusts ok to be left in overnight? I know crickets aren't, just wondering about locusts as they're a bugger to catch...?

Thank you to everyone who posted xx This place is a godsend.. Think I'm addicted to this forum :cool:
 
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