Panther seems unhappy

stalincat

Member
Hi everyone, it's been a while!
I got a wee problem and I would like an advice (or two) pretty please.
My panther chameleon Rupert is always dark. He doesn't eat much and doesn't seem to be interested in anything. He used to be bright blue, now he is nearly black most of the time. I have no idea why! He is really bright and pretty when he is asleep though. He is also bright first thing in the morning when basking, but later he just sits on the same branch all day long. He's got different level branches under his basking lamp, he never goes to the very top one. He usually gets to about 85f then goes a bit down.

He has been seen by a vet who said he seems fine. His fecal was clean.

The setup and husbandry is exactly the same with my other chameleons.. 4ft screen cage, mistking, 10% full spectrum uv on top on the screen (I think reptisun or glo), usual supplement schedule.. yada-yada..

What can it possibly be? Does he need more foliage or what? Or is it his UV lamp? I have no idea!!!:(

It's really breaking my heart to see him like that. Even my boyfriend is worried now.
 
How old is your UV lamp? If its a Reptisun 5.0 in use over 6 months replace it. If it is a ReptiGlo in use over 4 months replace it. You should see the name/model printed on the tube near one end.

Can he see any of the other chams from his cage? He could be subdued and intimidated by one of them. Try draping some sort of light colored opaque sheet around his cage. A cham sitting dark and uninterested in anything regardless of temperature is either extremely stressed by something or very ill (but your vet says not?). It is normal for chams to take on a fairly light bright coloration when asleep...this helps them NOT look like a vulnerable prey item. The fact that he does turn a brighter lighter color when asleep seems to point more to stress/anger/fear than sickness or being cold.
 
No he can't see anyone else from his cage, its covered with shower curtains.
I'll order a new tube today, see how that goes. Btw what's better Sun or glo?
I'm not sure what else to do.. the vet said there are further tests they could do but he seems fine. I am afraid I would be putting him through unnecessary stress

I was told a few hours in the sun could help but its still really cold over here
 
Reptisun or Reptiglo are pretty much the same, although the Reptisun should last for a couple of extra months. I use Arcadia now, they last up to a year, and as I understand it they are slightly better quality in general.
How old is Rupert, and what is his appetite like?
It could just be a phase he is going through - they do seem to notice changes in seasons even when we keep them as consistently as we can.
There is no way to tell whether or not he is "happy" - maybe they aren't even capable of it.
 
Reptisun or Reptiglo are pretty much the same, although the Reptisun should last for a couple of extra months. I use Arcadia now, they last up to a year, and as I understand it they are slightly better quality in general.
How old is Rupert, and what is his appetite like?
It could just be a phase he is going through - they do seem to notice changes in seasons even when we keep them as consistently as we can.
There is no way to tell whether or not he is "happy" - maybe they aren't even capable of it.

probably not, but he's not supposed to be that dark all the time. He is of all rainbow colours at night and in the morning and really dark for the rest of the day.
He is a year old, his appetite is next to non-existing. The only thing he eats (if he eats!) is butterworms. He had a brief romance with green banana roaches, but lost interest really quick.
I'll try arcadia, see how it goes
 
Although this behavior could definitely be cause by a plethora of more serious problems, my Cham has exhibited similar behaviors when his cage temps drop. Mine seems to do best when the basking temp is around 90.
 
he's got a 100w lamp and 3 levels under it. I dont have a probe there, but I take his temperature when he basks.. he usually gets to mid 80s and goes down.
 
I was going to advise some sun, even through a window (not for UV ;)) to see if this brings on some colors. I'm assuming the vet checked inside the mouth for potential issues, but sometimes there could be early signs of health problems. As for the Arcadia, I know the T5 HO last at least a year, but I'm not sure if this is true about the T8's. Zaphod did show some better colors when I switched to the T5 Arcadia's, and was more active. How has the weather been? (no UK jokes :rolleyes:) If it has been more cloudy recently this could have impact on your chams. The last three days have been rather dreary here and Zaphod has not been himself. I hope Rupert is feeling better soon! :)
 
I would also check to see that all your temps and humidity levels are accurate. Sometimes slight changes to humidity can be enough to send your chams into a depressed state. If basking temps have risen a bit due to the temp in the room going up a bit you could have faster evaporation inside the enclosure and need an extra misting session. Just a thought.
 
probably not, but he's not supposed to be that dark all the time. He is of all rainbow colours at night and in the morning and really dark for the rest of the day.
He is a year old, his appetite is next to non-existing. The only thing he eats (if he eats!) is butterworms. He had a brief romance with green banana roaches, but lost interest really quick.
I'll try arcadia, see how it goes
Well, it sounds like there is a problem with his attitude at least. What other foods has he eaten before? Surely not just butterworms and roaches for his whole life. So you need to break his hunger strike, but you let it get to this stage before doing it.
It happens. Just don't offer him any food for the first week and then start offering crickets. That's my advice, I don't see anything else that could be the prblem.
 
I was going to advise some sun, even through a window (not for UV ;)) to see if this brings on some colors. I'm assuming the vet checked inside the mouth for potential issues, but sometimes there could be early signs of health problems. As for the Arcadia, I know the T5 HO last at least a year, but I'm not sure if this is true about the T8's. Zaphod did show some better colors when I switched to the T5 Arcadia's, and was more active. How has the weather been? (no UK jokes :rolleyes:) If it has been more cloudy recently this could have impact on your chams. The last three days have been rather dreary here and Zaphod has not been himself. I hope Rupert is feeling better soon! :)

I would also check to see that all your temps and humidity levels are accurate. Sometimes slight changes to humidity can be enough to send your chams into a depressed state. If basking temps have risen a bit due to the temp in the room going up a bit you could have faster evaporation inside the enclosure and need an extra misting session. Just a thought.

The weather's been weird.. warm, then rain, then warm again, then hailstones.. I managed to get Rupert out for a bit, he seemed unsure about it. Gonna try again when have a chance.
Yeah I've heard that T5 supposed to be glorious, but I'm rather tight with £ at the moment. Also looking at at least £100 for the vet visit for Ripls in the nearest future (needing xray). Boo.
The humidity never drops below 50%, so I don't think that could be the issue.
I bought him a new bushy tree, will put it in tomorrow.. maybe that will make him happier
Yeah the vet checked everything, he seems to be fine. They could take bloods but I'm not sure there is a point. I'll see how changing the UV lamp goes

Well, it sounds like there is a problem with his attitude at least. What other foods has he eaten before? Surely not just butterworms and roaches for his whole life. So you need to break his hunger strike, but you let it get to this stage before doing it.
It happens. Just don't offer him any food for the first week and then start offering crickets. That's my advice, I don't see anything else that could be the prblem.

He used to eat crcikets and locusts.. not anymore though. I tried starving him, after 3 weeks I gave up. He just wouldn't eat. I'm afraid his liver would fail if I starve him for so long. So as for now, I'm giving him what he wants.. he totally owns me like
 
update:
Today I cleaned his viv, rearranged everything, put a new bushy tree in and change the tube.. Rupert looks brighter and his blue bars became visible again! Hopefully he will look and feel even better tomorrow!:D
 
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