Odd Behavior

[jmtiews]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Ambilobe Panther Chameleon, aprox 3yrs, 3 months
• Handling - Minimal 1-2 a week
• Feeding - Feed him 10-12 large crickets a day in the am and gut load with a cricket feeder food I bought from a breeder. I think it is an alfalfa sprout/veggie mix that is ground into a powder
• Supplements - I dust the crickets with calcium 4-5 days a week and calcium with d3 1-2 times a week and a multi-vitamin once a week
• Watering - I have a mist king with a rain dome and two nuzzles that go off every 1.5 hrs for 60 seconds. Yes he drinks.
• Fecal Description - There is no change in fecal consistency 2-3 times a week and the rate has always been a bit orange. Tested for parasites when I first got him and treated with a dewormer.
• History - Treated for parasites, as the vet said a very minor infection almost not there.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Cage is a modified XL ReptiBreeze with two sides covered to keep humidity up.
• Lighting - I use a dual bulb 2 ft long T5? florescent. One is a Zoomed 5.0 UVB and the other is a simple T5 for ambiance. Zilla Mini Halogen Lamp for basking.
• Temperature - Cage floor 68, Top 75-80, basking 80-85. Not sure what it is overnight. Infared
• Humidity - Unfortunately the hydrometer recently broke and I have not been able to replace.
• Plants - All live plants, pathos, croton. There are a couple others but I cannot remember right now. I checked all of them on this board before placing.
• Placement - Against a wall in a room that has low traffic.
• Location - Massachusetts

Current Problem - Odd behavior. Chameleon lack of appetite and wondering around on the bottom of the cage. He is still drinking and eating just not as much. He is also pacing around the bottom of the cage almost sniffing the bottom. Also, he went to sleep in the corner on the bottom last night. I have a call and an email into the vet right now but have not heard back yet, so I am turning to you guys. Here are some pics from when I woke him last night. He had only been asleep for an hour or so. Also, some pics of him wondering around on the bottom and if I can a video of him wondering. Thanks

 

[Carlton]

A couple of things popped out for me...

You are overdosing his vitamin D3 and vitamins somewhat. Reduce the vitD3 and vitamins to once every 2 weeks. A light dusting of plain calcium every day. Do you feed anything other than crickets? One feeder isn't a well balanced diet and makes it more likely that nutritional imbalances can show up over time.

His behavior suggests he may be searching for a moist cooler darker place to spend time. As you said, his urates are orange and your hygrometer is broken. He may be showing signs of dehydration and possibly lack of sleep. If I understood your info, you have some source of heat and light at night? Chams have full color vision and an infrared light on at night might be a problem. Its not necessary unless your room gets colder than 50 F at night.

 

[Nursemaia]

His setup also looks kinda sparse. He could be bored. He needs more climbing branches and coverage

 

[jmtiews]

Thanks. There is no light at night.

 

[kinyonga]

Was the floor always the same? You didn't change it recently? I'm wondering if he thinks the floor is water and is looking for a drink?

 

[jmtiews]

Was the floor always the same? You didn't change it recently? I'm wondering if he thinks the floor is water and is looking for a drink?

Floor has always been the panel. Thanks

 

[jamest0o0]

Well I'm not an expert like these others that have posted, but like @Nursemaia said... the cage definitely needs more plants and branches. Panthers like to move and the cage might even be too small.

 

[Angelwolf]

He could very well be searching for a way out so he can try to find a "more dense" part of the "jungle". Add MANY more live plants top to bottom! A video would be helpful. He is a beautiful boy!

 

[JacksJill]

I'm sure this is on your to do list but get a good hygrometer and recheck your temperatures to be sure they are correct. Adjust your supplement schedule as recommend above. You will probably want to make one of your mistings a bit longer for a good eye rinse and drinking/hydration opportunity.
Any time you see behavior change a thorough review of your husbandry is a good first step.