Panther needs fattening up.

keanmu

New Member
Hi, I posted a few weeks ago to introduce myself and someone linked me to an info page which I have read and re-read about 5 times.

18 month old panther that I was roped into (didn't take much persuasion though) rehoming.

Louis seems to be doing alot better. I purchased a much larger reptibreeze for him as I was advised that the one he came in was too small. He's now in a 24 x 24 x 48". He has a live plant (umbrella plant) and lots of other plastic foliage until the plant grows. He has a reptirain spayer and also an Exo terra water fall which he seems to like drinking from. And of course a UV bulb and a heat lamp.

He is eating with gusto, mainly crikets (sometimes 15 a day), some superworms (2 or 3 a day), 1 or 2 silk worms and 1 or 2 horn worms per week. He has no interest in butter worms. As his aim is off with his tongue I am currently hand feeding him everything and I feed him until he no longer wants anything else. Hand feeding is also helping him get used to me. I can pick him up now with out him trying to take my finger off.

I have learned that his bad aim is probably a vitamin deficency so he's having extra vitamins and minerals twice a week. Crickets are always gut loaded and dusted with calcium plus every time.

He is alot more active now, has MUCH better balance and his grip is alot stronger.

I am still concerned that he might be somewhat dehydrated though and also that he's too thin. Although I do think he's more hydrated and fatter than when he arrived. His eyes are not sunk into his head but his casque is definately not raised. It's not sunk, it's just flat. His urate and stool look normal now. His urate was a little orange when he first arrived.

Is there anything else I can do for him? Anything more I can give him to fatten him up or will it just take time?

I don't think he was eating properly in his old home. He struggles to catch crickets and I think the person was just leaving them in his (small) habitat and they were dying before he managed to eat them. Found alot in the bottom of the habitat.
 
Word of advice... Get rid of the waterfall and add a dropper instead. Waterfall is def a breeding ground for bacteria.

With the amount he is eating he should put on weight in no time.
 
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Word of advice... Get rid of the waterfall and add a dropper instead. Waterfall is def a breeding ground for bacteria.

With the amount he is eating he should put on weight in no time.

It seems to be the only thing he will drink from. When he was given to me I was told that he will only drink from a flowing fountain. I didn't have one at first and used a dropper. I wanted to be sure he was getting anough water so I used a syringe to poor some in his mouth. He couldn't get enough and practically climbed out his habitat when I refilled the syringe. Since having the waterfall i've actually seen him drinking from it and he no longer takes water from a syringe.

I just have to mindful and change the water a coulpe of times a week.
 
Oh and i'm misting him a few times a day. Anything to try and rehydrate him.

Unfortunately he came to me this way and he is alot better than what he was but I really want to see him at optimum health. Is this something that's going to take time or is there something I am missing?
 
If he is eating that much he will def fatten up. Just be sure that his feeders are gutloaded well and hydrated well.
 
Thank you for the reassurance.

Should I be concerned that his casque is not raised? As I said, it's not sunken but it's definately not raised, it's just flat. Is this also to do with being underweight?

I've seen loads of pictures of sunken casques caused by dehydration and he's NO WHERE NEAR as bad as the photos.

Maybe i'm worrying over nothing.
 
I just have to mindful and change the water a coulpe of times a week.

yikes. that's terribly inadequate. the water fountain should be removed and the chameleon provided water in a more natural way - help it learn.
until then, remove the old water DAILY and scrub the fountain thouroughly DAILY and be sure to run peroxide through the tubes (Im assuming you cannot clean inside the mechanism easiy) as least weekly and with white vinegar DAILY (rinsed out thoroughly before returning back to water)

can you post a picture of the chameleon, and provide answers to all the questions in the "how to ask for help" sticky please?
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

what does he weight? how long is he from snout to vent?
 
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