Temporary enclosure review

BryanP

Avid Member
Hi all! Just got my new panther over the weekend and I while I build his huge 2x4x4 enclosure I wanted to make sure I didnt miss anything in his temporary home.

I'm on my phone so I will try to go through the enclosure checklist by memory.


*ENCLOSURE
It's a 18x18x24in enclosure. Glass sides, doors, and a screen top.

***THERE IS A REASON FOR THIS SO PLEASE READ BEFORE COMMENTING ON THE GLASS***

I live in a semi arid area... average humidity is around 40% and as low as 5%. Screen cages can not maintain the humidity between 50-70 so I am opting for hybrid style. I leave the front doors cracked open and there is enough space to allow for ventilation. I know this because as the lights come in I see the ultrasonic fog rising up and out as the enclosure warms up.

*LIGHTING
ZOOMED t5ho with LED plant and white light... it's an integrated system. Zoomed 5.0 t5ho bulb.

50watt basking bulb. Hottest Basking spot is 88degrees when measured with metal probe equalized for 1hr

HUMIDITY/MISTING
manual misting 2 to 3 times a day with pump sprayer. 1st mist is 30min after lights on and last is about 1hr before lights out.

Ultrasonix Fogging is 1 hr at 9pm and 1 hour before lights on.

Ambient temps and humidity are measured with govee electronic guages

FOOD
I've had him 3 days now and he ate 6 dubias the 2nd day and 3 dubias the next. I gut load with bug burger and dust with repashy supercal LoD

Live plants, no substrate... lots hiding spots.

CAGE LOCATION
In our main living area. High traffic, which I know is not ideal but I would like to be able to show him off especially the large show piece of an enclosure I am working on.

Bottom of cage is 36in from ground on a desk amd top would be 5' from floor.

ISSUES
he seems stressed... got him Saturday, he didnt really explore anything until about yesterday and now today he again was just kinda hiding, dark and not really moving around much.

Got him from kamerflage Chameleons so he is from a reputable breeder.
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Hi. Your husbandry looks okay to me. Looks like you know what you’re doing. He’s a cute little guy. 😊 I think he just needs some time to acclimate and settle in. If he’s in a high traffic area, just make sure he has an area of privacy to retreat to if he needs.
 
So an update:

Got him Saturday and he is not doing well. Been down hill since then and I'd say as of Wednesday he was eyes closed during the day. Seems like he had something in his eye, always had 1 closed so I turned the uvb bulb off but that didnt really helps. Yes not eaten anything since sunday and shows no intrest in food. Today he is the most lethargic I've seen but he is moving around the enclosure some.

I did get a little dripper and misted pretty heavy this morning and watched him drink for about 30min.

Not sure what's up at this point
 
So an update:

Got him Saturday and he is not doing well. Been down hill since then and I'd say as of Wednesday he was eyes closed during the day. Seems like he had something in his eye, always had 1 closed so I turned the uvb bulb off but that didnt really helps. Yes not eaten anything since sunday and shows no intrest in food. Today he is the most lethargic I've seen but he is moving around the enclosure some.

I did get a little dripper and misted pretty heavy this morning and watched him drink for about 30min.

Not sure what's up at this point
Do you have a vet near you? Taking him in and having a fecal is your best course of action. It’s very possible he has a parasite that needs treatment.
 
No food in means no fresh fecals unfortunately.
A good vet can help with this. Perhaps he may need a little ’help’ with eating. Although I’ve never done it, some have held a feeder close to their cham and when it gapes, quickly put the feeder in it’s mouth. The vet could also advise about syringe feeding if needed.
 
Seems crappy that I would need to take him to the vet after only 5 days but I will look into it and see what it takes to get there.
 
Where did you get him from? Have you contacted them and let them know what’s going on?
I'm in contact with them and updated them as of Wednesday. They gave me some recommendations to mimic his old environment as close as possible, times, temps, feeders, schedules... I updated then again today and am waiting for a reply.
 
So an update:

Got him Saturday and he is not doing well. Been down hill since then and I'd say as of Wednesday he was eyes closed during the day. Seems like he had something in his eye, always had 1 closed so I turned the uvb bulb off but that didnt really helps. Yes not eaten anything since sunday and shows no intrest in food. Today he is the most lethargic I've seen but he is moving around the enclosure some.

I did get a little dripper and misted pretty heavy this morning and watched him drink for about 30min.

Not sure what's up at this point
The Exo Terra vines could be what's in his eye. You're enclosure looks great except for those! How good is the air circulation in there? Have you tried crickets? Lots of breeders use crickets with their babies and some don't know what to do with new food items
 
Interesting about the vines, I love the natural look but I'll investigate that.

I did try crickets per the breeders recommendations however yesterday and today he was not interested in them at all. He saw them but never had the drive or energy to chase them.

I was also thinking air circulation so I've been having one of the doors open most of the time just to rule that out as an issue. Enclosure is allowed to dry out between misting sessions.
 
There's lot of other vine options that are safe, including real vines (dead and alive), vining plants, and safe artificial ones, like Zoo Med or Fluker's
 
I'm so sorry! Let us know if we can do anything to help! ❤️
Thank you! I had him 5 days so I'm not quite as sad as I am irritated at the moment. I had a chameleon a few years ago and he lived happy and successfully for many years so I know I know what I'm doing.

Just working through what the next steps are as I have a giant enclosure I'm in the process of building and have some money invested there to just give up right now.

If anyone needs a few dozen dubias I'll try to figure out how to ship them to you. Just DM me
 
I would contact Kammerflage and see what they have to say. If you want to do a necropsy to find the cause(s) of death, that might give you peace of mind and could help in trying to get a refund, too.
 
I would contact Kammerflage and see what they have to say. If you want to do a necropsy to find the cause(s) of death, that might give you peace of mind and could help in trying to get a refund, too.
Already working with them. They have been super helpful and supportive. If it was something I did I will obviously own it but I feel like I would have to try pretty hard to kill him in 5 days. Even living in a cardboard box I feel he would have survived longer.
 
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