panther chameleon information!?

[ambermarie729x]

I just recently made a post about a veiled chameleon.. wondering about their behavior, etc. Now I'm hearing that panther chameleons aren't as aggressive as veiled chameleons.. and they are SO cool looking too! I'll be researching more about them before I get one (which won't be for a couple months anyway) but if anybody owns one or knows much about them and are interested in talking about it, please tell me some information I'd like to know things such as aggression, diet, caging, lighting, etc. Also the "overall maintenance" would be good to know. I have 2 guinea pigs that are high maintence (they stink up the room if they aren't cleaned daily) 2 tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) and a blue spotted salamander (Ambystoma laterale), which is housed separately from the tigers of course, and i also have a beta fish The salamanders aren't very high maintenance at all, and neither is the fish really.

So, with me being a full time college student and working 25 hours a week.. do you think I can handle owning a panther chameleon on top of it? Considering that I DO take good care of my other animals, and I had a leopard gecko years ago that unfortunately lived for only 3 years because it had a virus. Honest opinions are appreciated!

Thank you
Amber

 

[Ace]

They are more or less the same care as veiled.... May need mire humidity, but both are recommended starter chams but people say veiled because they are a little more hardier and cheaper...

Only the male panthers are colorful and females are usually orange peach color ,

I have a male panther and he is great , I just hand fed him to gain my trust , and is starting to trust me, still can't hold cuz he gets scared rather than defensive/ aggresive
But every Cham is DIFFERENT!!!
Good luck

As LNG as you are committed and have time , then it's ok to have and care for a Cham... To make things easier get misting system, dripper, drainage, light timer, and breed your own bug feeders, overall saves time and money
That way all you can do is take pics of your Cham as he/ she matures

 

[ambermarie729x]

Thank you If i get one I plan on getting this "waterfall" thing, it's like 30 bucks and it cycles water through it. I know the chameleons won't drink from a dish of water so I read that it'd be a good idea to get something like that. Like i said above, I have 3 salamanders and I have to mist their tanks daily, I just do it wish a spray bottle and it works fine.. I think that should work for a chameleon too then right?

 

[Jamelon]

If you do get a waterfall you should clean it regularly because bacteria can build up and make you cham sick. And yes you can use a regular hand mister for you chameleon

 

[ambermarie729x]

Thank you the one I want supposedly is "easy to clean". We'll see.

 

[Gensen]

Bad idea....

Thank you If i get one I plan on getting this "waterfall" thing, it's like 30 bucks and it cycles water through it. I know the chameleons won't drink from a dish of water so I read that it'd be a good idea to get something like that. Like i said above, I have 3 salamanders and I have to mist their tanks daily, I just do it wish a spray bottle and it works fine.. I think that should work for a chameleon too then right?

As mentioned it may look cool (a waterfall) but it is not really healthy for the Cham. It's bacteria grounds. Also the enclosure should be allowed to dry out completely in between mistings and dripping. You should also avoid any type of subtrate for the same reasons, plus some will eat it which is not good either.

Also as far as personality/aggression/temperament.... each & every Cham is different so there is not way to tell in advance whay "personality" you could end up with so be commited and ready to accept any personality type.

Here are some good links to read before commiting to buying any Chameleon:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/general-care-true-chameleons-5943/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/basic-husbandry-38769/

Good luck!

 

[ambermarie729x]

That's good to know about the waterfall! I'll have to look into some other type of drip system then.. thank you very much for the links as well!

 

[pssh]

In my opinion, guinea pigs require more daily work than chameleons. If you're taking care of them correctly anyways.

Veiled care and panther care is about the same. Panthers like it a few degrees cooler and the humidity a little higher.

It's hit or miss with aggression. It really just depends on the animal. I've got a little baby girl who puffs up and tries to strike at me sometimes, and a sweet boy who likes to just hang out on my arm or shoulder sometimes. My boyfriend also has a very nasty tempered girl who is almost (if not just as much) aggressive as my veiled. My veiled doesn't mess around, when he bites, he has the intention to take off some flesh.

 

[ambermarie729x]

Thanks for the comparison to the guinea pigs! That's what I was looking for.. because they really are a lot of work if you take proper care of them (and of course I do). Any reccommendations for a cage size? looking online I saw ones that were 4' tall and a couple feet wide.. Is that appropriate for a full grown panther?

 

[carol5208]

It is not just the care of the chamelon to consider but also the cleaning, and feeding of the feeders. They require certain diets also and you constantly have to keep their environments clean also. They all poop WAY more than a a chameleon and you are talking large quantities of feeder insects that are also an expense, not to mention all the fruits and vegetables that cost money to gutload them. Please take that into consideration, because it can become quite expensive unless you want to get into breeding some your own feeders, but you still never get away from their container maintenances.

 

[Gensen]

That's good to know about the waterfall! I'll have to look into some other type of drip system then.. thank you very much for the links as well!

I use a "little dripper" you can pick them up online or at most petstores in the reptile section... this in combination with hand misting has worked well for me & my Cham.

 

[reptileman1]

Panthers as pets

Panther chameleons are a GREAT choice as a starter chameleon, if for no other reason than they are almost ALL captive born. This nearly ensures a quality, well started animal, especially if obtained form a reputable breeder, that has an EXCELLENT chance at a quality life.

Literature ABOUNDS on the care of this species but the basics are these: Good source of UVB radiation, frequent hydration, plenty of well ventilated cage space and an adequate food source.

As with many Chameleon species, the male is the more colorful of the two genders and owning a lone female poses husbandry problems. Most novices would be wise to choose the male for this reason.

Good luck!

 

[pssh]

Trust me, if she is properly taking care of her guinea pigs, she already has huge amounts of veggies, cleans up a zillion poops twice (or more!) a day, has to know the calcium content of most veggies, etc. I also have to refill and clean waterbottles twice a day because my guinea pigs like to empty theirs as a sort of game. Plus she has to buy huge amounts of fresh hay.

Guinea pigs are a lot of work.

 

[ambermarie729x]

Thank you! my guinea pigs require special fruits/vegetables as well so I know how that goes. and they also poop a lot i have to go in the cage daily & do little cleanings. I also buy crickets/meal worms for my salamanders and put vitiman c & d3 mineral dust on the crickets. I'm going to start gutloading the crickets as well. my boyfriend has 18 tarantulas (all different species) and he gutloads/breeds his own crickets.. I'll have him show me how to! I'm ready for some maintenance. I want to do a lot more research/reading though before I buy one though Thanks for the advice.

 

[ambermarie729x]

Thanks a lot!