Panther chameleon not moving around in his cage

[KiraDrake558]

Hey guys! So my chameleon has been acting strange for the past 2 weeks. I’ve brought him to the vet 3-4 times now and nothing has been coming back so we don’t really know what’s wrong with him. He’s gotten better but he still isn’t moving around his cage. I’m barely getting him back to eating but I have to hand feed him because he is just chilling in one spot in his cage. The only time he moves is when I bring him outside to his tree. Does anybody have any ideas of how I can go about getting him to move around his cage more? Or any idea why he isn’t moving? There have been no major changes in the past month and a half.

 

[Beman]

Hi there so that we can assist you better please provide detailed information on the form below and photos of the enclosure lights down including your chameleon.

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[KiraDrake558]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?male panther, about 14 months and I’ve had him for about 3-4 months
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? Recently everyday due to medication but normally I handle him 2-3 times a week
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? My cham eats crickets and horn worms as a snack. 10 large crickets every other day with dusting of calcium plus lod. Crickets are fed carrots, kale, and squash plus an orange cube. I just introduced him to Dubia roaches today and am feeding the roaches carrots so far.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Calcium plus lod every feeding. Multivitamin once every 2 weeks
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?i have a monsoon mister that goes off every 4 hours for a minute. I mist his leaves occasionally if the mister doesn’t cover them enough. And I do see my cham drink but not recently since he tends to stay in one spot at the top of his cage
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?brown poop with that white stuff and he has been tested with a negative on parasites. Although he did have a really big poop the other day that was liquidy to start (Most likey due to his liquid medicine and food)
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.my cham has been happy and healthy since I’ve had him. Only problem I had was I got a bad cage set up to begin with but I have gotten him a complete new set up that works

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?24-24-48 cage screen
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?i am using the t5 lighting with 12 hours a day of uvb light
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?his temp is roughly 75-77 mid cage with a basking of about 80-85. Lowest night temp can get to 69
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?his humidity is between 50-70 I use a humidifier and I have a humidity gauge to test it
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? I have a schefflera plant (looking into getting a second plant soon)
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?my cage is in my quiet room and is almost the highest thing in my room other then my tv and my fan (can’t help those two things being taller)
Location - Where are you geographically located? I am in Southern California

Current Problem - Chameleon is staying in one spot of his cage for most of the day (May move slightly occasionally)

 

[Beman]

Ok see my feedback in red bold.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?male panther, about 14 months and I’ve had him for about 3-4 months
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? Recently everyday due to medication but normally I handle him 2-3 times a week
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? My cham eats crickets and horn worms as a snack. 10 large crickets every other day with dusting of calcium plus lod. Crickets are fed carrots, kale, and squash plus an orange cube. I just introduced him to Dubia roaches today and am feeding the roaches carrots so far. So at this age he should be eating between 3-5 feeders every other day so he does not put on fat. Gutload should be expanded with more leafy greens. I will add an image for this.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Calcium plus lod every feeding. Multivitamin once every 2 weeks With the repashy calcium plus loD you do not want to add any additional supplements because this one has everything in it.
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?i have a monsoon mister that goes off every 4 hours for a minute. I mist his leaves occasionally if the mister doesn’t cover them enough. And I do see my cham drink but not recently since he tends to stay in one spot at the top of his cage
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?brown poop with that white stuff and he has been tested with a negative on parasites. Although he did have a really big poop the other day that was liquidy to start (Most likey due to his liquid medicine and food) What liquid medicines are being given?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.my cham has been happy and healthy since I’ve had him. Only problem I had was I got a bad cage set up to begin with but I have gotten him a complete new set up that works

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?24-24-48 cage screen
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?i am using the t5 lighting with 12 hours a day of uvb light What bulb strength are you using in the T5? 5.0,10.0, 6%, or 12%? Is this a single fixture T5HO?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?his temp is roughly 75-77 mid cage with a basking of about 80-85. Lowest night temp can get to 69... So these are ok. Basking typically needs to be 85-90 for an adult.
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?his humidity is between 50-70 I use a humidifier and I have a humidity gauge to test it. You do not want to run a humidifier in the cage during the day when the lights are on. Only at night when they lights are off and temps drop. When you run them during the day the chameleon can develop a respiratory infection.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? I have a schefflera plant (looking into getting a second plant soon)
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?my cage is in my quiet room and is almost the highest thing in my room other then my tv and my fan (can’t help those two things being taller)
Location - Where are you geographically located? I am in Southern California

Current Problem - Chameleon is staying in one spot of his cage for most of the day (May move slightly occasionally)

I think part of the problem is that there are no horizontal branches throughout the cage. Also no plants for him to hide in. You want tall mature plants. You can get dragon ledges to attach your branches higher and even your pots for plants. THere is basically that one vine for him to bask on. I am guessing that is where he is hanging out during the day. https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/

Accurate info and Product links for things I like:

https://chameleonacademy.com/

https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeptunetheChameleon?sub_confirmation=1

www.dragonstrand.com

https://tkchameleons.com/collections/accessories/products/shooting-gallery

 

[KiraDrake558]

Okay I will lessen his feeder amount, was not aware it was that little. Will definitely gutload better with that info. And I will stop the multivitamin.
He was given a liquid food diet and he was on Baytril and Doxycycline. Just stopped administering it on Saturday. It’s a t5 10.0 bulb but I do not remember the %. I’ll raise my basking spot and I do have another branch to put in so I will make sure it goes horizontal. I have been having a difficult time finding a mature plant in my area that will suit the cage well. Also I am moving the leaves around tomorrow for more hiding spots (took a while to find the best way to do it)
And I was not aware of the humidifier only being at night. Will change that right away.

 

[KiraDrake558]

Ok see my feedback in red bold.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?male panther, about 14 months and I’ve had him for about 3-4 months
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? Recently everyday due to medication but normally I handle him 2-3 times a week
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? My cham eats crickets and horn worms as a snack. 10 large crickets every other day with dusting of calcium plus lod. Crickets are fed carrots, kale, and squash plus an orange cube. I just introduced him to Dubia roaches today and am feeding the roaches carrots so far. So at this age he should be eating between 3-5 feeders every other day so he does not put on fat. Gutload should be expanded with more leafy greens. I will add an image for this.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Calcium plus lod every feeding. Multivitamin once every 2 weeks With the repashy calcium plus loD you do not want to add any additional supplements because this one has everything in it.
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?i have a monsoon mister that goes off every 4 hours for a minute. I mist his leaves occasionally if the mister doesn’t cover them enough. And I do see my cham drink but not recently since he tends to stay in one spot at the top of his cage
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?brown poop with that white stuff and he has been tested with a negative on parasites. Although he did have a really big poop the other day that was liquidy to start (Most likey due to his liquid medicine and food) What liquid medicines are being given?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.my cham has been happy and healthy since I’ve had him. Only problem I had was I got a bad cage set up to begin with but I have gotten him a complete new set up that works

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?24-24-48 cage screen
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?i am using the t5 lighting with 12 hours a day of uvb light What bulb strength are you using in the T5? 5.0,10.0, 6%, or 12%? Is this a single fixture T5HO?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?his temp is roughly 75-77 mid cage with a basking of about 80-85. Lowest night temp can get to 69... So these are ok. Basking typically needs to be 85-90 for an adult.
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?his humidity is between 50-70 I use a humidifier and I have a humidity gauge to test it. You do not want to run a humidifier in the cage during the day when the lights are on. Only at night when they lights are off and temps drop. When you run them during the day the chameleon can develop a respiratory infection.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? I have a schefflera plant (looking into getting a second plant soon)
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?my cage is in my quiet room and is almost the highest thing in my room other then my tv and my fan (can’t help those two things being taller)
Location - Where are you geographically located? I am in Southern California

Current Problem - Chameleon is staying in one spot of his cage for most of the day (May move slightly occasionally)

I think part of the problem is that there are no horizontal branches throughout the cage. Also no plants for him to hide in. You want tall mature plants. You can get dragon ledges to attach your branches higher and even your pots for plants. THere is basically that one vine for him to bask on. I am guessing that is where he is hanging out during the day. https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/

Accurate info and Product links for things I like:

https://chameleonacademy.com/

https://www.chameleonbreeder.com/

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeptunetheChameleon?sub_confirmation=1

www.dragonstrand.com

https://tkchameleons.com/collections/accessories/products/shooting-gallery

View attachment 268941

For the light. Do I need a 6% or 12%?

 

[Beman]

Okay I will lessen his feeder amount, was not aware it was that little. Will definitely gutload better with that info. And I will stop the multivitamin.
He was given a liquid food diet and he was on Baytril and Doxycycline. Just stopped administering it on Saturday. It’s a t5 10.0 bulb but I do not remember the %. I’ll raise my basking spot and I do have another branch to put in so I will make sure it goes horizontal. I have been having a difficult time finding a mature plant in my area that will suit the cage well. Also I am moving the leaves around tomorrow for more hiding spots (took a while to find the best way to do it)
And I was not aware of the humidifier only being at night. Will change that right away.

Why did they put him on Baytril and Doxycycline?

With it being a 10.0 uvb bulb is it in a single bulb fixture? If it is a single bulb fixture You will need about 12 inches between where the fixture sits on the cage top and where his highest basking branch is or he will get over radiated with UVB. I would drop this back to a 5.0 reptisun or a 6% arcadia bulb. Then basking sits 9 inches below. 10.0 bulb is a bit strong for him.

Order the dragon ledges they will make life so much easier for you to mount plants and branches. This is my boys cage currently using dragon ledges. This gives you multiple mounting points and plenty of places for them to sit depending on what they need at the time.

 

[Beman]

For the light. Do I need a 6% or 12%?

So the 6% and the 12% are the arcadia brand and then reptisun is the 5.0 or the 10.0

 

[CrisBruns]

Is the basking bulb burned out? Noticed it was not lit in photo. Larger Pothos plants are usually easy to come by at your Lowe’s or similar. Just got a good size money tree and a hibiscus braided tree at Lowe’s this past weekend.