Possible Problem with Panther Cham

[Escalade]

Your Chameleon - Panther, Male, 5.5 months old
Handling - Once a day for 5-10 minutes
Feeding - Offer him 12 crickets a day, eats about 8 everyday plus I give him 1-2 hornworms every other day and the occasional phoenix worms, gutloading with cricket crack collard greens,kale, sweet potato and butternut squash.
Supplements - Repashy Calcium Plus, every feeding.
Watering - Mistking 3 times a day for 30 seconds plus I hand mist once a day sometimes, I see him drinking from time to time.
Fecal Description - Big white urate little brown, not been tested for parasites yet.

Cage Type- Free range
Lighting - 5.0 reptisun tube uvb, regular house bulb, 12 hours on 12 off
Temperature - Basking area 87-92 degrees, other areas around 68-75, lowest temps around 65 I use a digital and non digital gauge.
Humidity - 50-70% in the room, humidifier, and petco humidity plastic gauge
Plants - Schefflera Tree
Placement - Corner of room not near a fan air vent or high traffic area, the top of the tree is 6 feet high
Location - Boston, Massachusetts

He skips meals about 2 times a month and only poops every 2-3 days, he used to do big ones everyday but now its eaither a small one every 2 days or a big one every three. He shed last week and yesterday he didnt eat his crickets so I hand fed him 1 hornworm and 7 pheonix worms, then today he only at 3-4 crickets and ate a hornworm from my hand. Sometimes when I get home from work he will be in his sleeping spot around 3-4pm when its lights out at 8pm.

I can't take him to the vet until January 1st 2012 because chams are illegal in mass (didn't know when I bought him) and I had to submit a permit application to MassWildlife and it won't arrive or be active until the new year starts. I called the vet and they said they can do a fecal but can't take him in if something is wrong without a permit.

 

[Carlton]

Your Chameleon - Panther, Male, 5.5 months old
Handling - Once a day for 5-10 minutes
Feeding - Offer him 12 crickets a day, eats about 8 everyday plus I give him 1-2 hornworms every other day and the occasional phoenix worms, gutloading with cricket crack collard greens,kale, sweet potato and butternut squash.
Supplements - Pepashy Calcium Plus, every feeding.
Watering - Mistking 3 times a day for 30 seconds plus I hand mist once a day sometimes, I see him drinking from time to time.
Fecal Description - Big white urate little brown, not been tested for parasites yet.

Cage Type- Free range
Lighting - 5.0 reptisun tube uvb, regular house bulb, 12 hours on 12 off
Temperature - Basking area 87-92 degrees, other areas around 68-75, lowest temps around 65 I use a digital and non digital gauge.
Humidity - 50-70% in the room, humidifier, and petco humidity plastic gauge
Plants - Schefflera Tree
Placement - Corner of room not near a fan air vent or high traffic area, the top of the tree is 6 feet high
Location - Boston, Massachusetts

He skips meals about 2 times a month and only poops every 2-3 days, he used to do big ones everyday but now its eaither a small one every 2 days or a big one every three. He shed last week and yesterday he didnt eat his crickets so I hand fed him 1 hornworm and 7 pheonix worms, then today he only at 3-4 crickets and ate a hornworm from my hand. Sometimes when I get home from work he will be in his sleeping spot around 3-4pm when its lights out at 8pm.

I can't take him to the vet until January 1st 2012 because chams are illegal in mass (didn't know when I bought him) and I had to submit a permit application to MassWildlife and it won't arrive or be active until the new year starts. I called the vet and they said they can do a fecal but can't take him in if something is wrong without a permit.

Skipping a meal twice a month is nothing. Pooping every few days is nothing. As chams age their growth rate slows and this also means they are not metabolizing every meal as quickly as they did when younger. They are probably eating larger masses of prey which might also slow down their digestive rate. In the winter, if he can see ambient outdoor light it will affect when he thinks "day" is over even with his lights on.

I suggest double checking your humidity gauge. The simple plastic dial types are notorious for being inaccurate or sticking at the wrong humidity level. A cham who is borderline dehydrated won't poop as often as their GI tract tries to reabsorb more water from food. White urates are good. Orange to brown urates bad. Don't worry about the fecal for now. Just get it when your permit is valid.

 

[lindawaz]

If I am not mistaken you posted before with this cham. It seems this time he is doing better. Glad you are getting th permit and doing things right for the Cham. They deserve it

 

[clarkrw3]

Sounds totally normal to me. That is still a lot of food...mine normally eat one Dubia a day and skip days when they feel like it Also mine eat much less if they can't get some natural sun. It's also very normal for you to be worried about him