Panther chameleon (4.5m) basks all day

MGM

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Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Panther male 4.5 months old, in my care for almost 3 weeks
  • Handling - Not at all, he's still very scared of me so I'm only in his enclosure for feeding, cleaning and misting
  • Feeding - Crickets (amount he eats only 5-8) and small locust I feed him some crickets in a cup that i'm holding every morning, he has a feeder in his enclosure and I free range 2 or 3 crickets
  • Supplements - I'm dusting with Miner-all every feeding and gutload the crickets with apple, carrot, cabbage, kale, indian cress (flowers), wheat bran or whatever I have left of vegatables/fruits
  • Watering - I mist 2 times a day for like 2-3 minutes he has a dripper, rarely see him drink, sometimes place some water directly on his fav branch and he'll lick it, hes afraid of the dripper
  • Fecal Description - Brown solid with a small white urate. And he seems potty trained cause he will always poop at the same spot:)
  • History -

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - A glass cage with mesh top and ventilation at the bottom of the terrarium. (I live in the Netherlands so to cold for screen) Dimensions 32x16x40 if he gets to big for it I can double the with to 32
  • Lighting - 1 heat lamp (normal household lamp) 100w and one 28w on top of the terrarium mesh one 18w tube arcadia d3 5% Lights on 7.30 am off 19.15 pm.
  • Temperature - Highest basking spot 82.4 till 84.2 (had to convert from celsius:) ) lowest point ground of cage 67-70 and in the middle of enclosure 77 (3 digital thermometer)
  • Humidity - between 55 and 70 during day in the morning sometimes 80-90. I use a digital hygrometer.
  • Plants - All life plants accept for 2 stuck on the sides. Bromelia (2 small ones 1 big one, stephanotis floribunda (Madagascar jasmine) Calathea (big one he sleeps in here), Schefflera (umbrella plant)
  • Placement -Cage is in my sons bedroom, its very peacefull all day (nobody there and quiet street and we peacefully take care of him in the morning and evening, cage is 5.5 inch from the floor. I only open a small bit of the window which is 80inch away at night for half an hour to ventilate the room for my son
  • Location - The Netherlands

He basking almost all day now. I'm new on the forum and in chameleon care. I've been reading a a lot before actually getting a panther and the enclosure was already done for a month cause I wanted everything to be (almost) perfect. Got this little guy for almost 3 weeks now and found out that although I did my research there's still some room for improvement and stuff you find out by actually taking care of one.

The temperature under the basking spot was higher at first between 90-95 cause dutch forums say this is good but I noticed him opening his mouth under the basking spot a lot and hanging out lower in the cage under a plant so I checked this forum and it says for young panther 82 is better. So I lowered it and it ranges between 82 and 84. Then he started to bask all day long. My ambient was a bit low so I put an other light on the other side of the cage of only 28w and this helps for the temp. Ambient temp varies from 67 lowest point to 77 in the middle.

But now he only leaves the basking to catch a cricket or at night to sleep or to run away from my giant hands;) Is hit normal that he basks so much? He is not really exploring his cage accept from hunting a cricket but then he runs right back to the basking spot. Its also hard to see if he's drinking enough, he's scared of the dripper so I make sure that there are enough drops on the leafs and put drops of water on his basking branch which he will drink cautiously. His urate is white but compared to his poop very small.

Is my little man allright? (his name is Carmen by the way my son thought it is a perfect boys name, 5 year old brains;) ) Do I have to change anything? Be more patient? I find it very hard to know if he's allright also cause he's so scared of me and freezes when he sees me accept for when I'm holding a feeding cup.

Thanks so much!
 

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I would say to just be mindful of his hydration and let him settle in. It sounds like you have a temp gradient so I wouldnt worry a ton. They are pretty good at maintaining their own temps. Good luck with your cham!
 
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