Update on my "dwarf" Cham!

Calichamelon

Calichamelon

New Member
This little guy still has not grown much! He is now 7 months old... Waiting on that "growth spurt" lol but I have decided to keep this one because he is just too cute! Still don't understand why he is so small other then his size he appears very healthy eats great and moves around a lot! Happy little guy! If anyone has any ideas of why he is so small let me kno!


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That is pretty crazy! Cute for sure....is there dwarfism...or I guess since he is proportionate and just small he would be a midget...were his parents full size? Anyhow cute for sure...:)
 
Their was a panther on the forums a couple years ago just like this. I forget the user name. Rave something I think? Never found out what was the reason. It was just a small small panther! Which is probably the case here
 
One of my boys was more or less this size when I bought him. According to his papers, he was at least six months old. He is over a year now and looks like a healthy adult :)
IMG_2034.jpg
 
Ya his parents were normal size. It's just crazy! Thank for the advice I think I will make an appointment with my vet to make sure no parasites! He is such a sweet little boy though!
 
You will need a fresh stool to take with you ;)

Not ruling out parasites but i doubt it here.

When you say he eats great.
1. How often are you feeding and size?
2. How many is he eating?
3. Are you giving enough feeders for him to get full at each feeding (all he can eat in 15 or so minutes)?
4. How often are you supplementing calcium?

I have had slow growers just like this one. Banshee was a super slow grower (just like the one here) and then bammmm he is now one of the biggest i have.
 
ataraxia said:
You will need a fresh stool to take with you ;)

Not ruling out parasites but i doubt it here.

When you say he eats great.
1. How often are you feeding and size?
2. How many is he eating?
3. Are you giving enough feeders for him to get full at each feeding (all he can eat in 15 or so minutes)?
4. How often are you supplementing calcium?

I have had slow growers just like this one. Banshee was a super slow grower (just like the one here) and then bammmm he is now one of the biggest i have.
Click to expand...

I feed him smalls and put about 12-15 in his bowl and he will eat them all also I give him small roaches about once a week. I dust them with calcium every feeding and multi vitamin 1x a week.
 
Also a question, I have him in a 10 gallon tank, that they were in after hatching, with the lights so that it keeps the warmth for him. But should I change cages now that he is older? I wasn't sure if I should or not just because I was scared of him falling down from the taller cages. Is this bad for him to be in the glass tank with a screen top? Or is it better due to his size??
 
premiebabies

Was he smaller at birth. possibly underdeveloped. i unfortunately have had some like that in jackson's. they just stayed smaller but cuter.
 
Calichamelon said:
Also a question, I have him in a 10 gallon tank, that they were in after hatching, with the lights so that it keeps the warmth for him. But should I change cages now that he is older? I wasn't sure if I should or not just because I was scared of him falling down from the taller cages. Is this bad for him to be in the glass tank with a screen top? Or is it better due to his size??
Click to expand...

Yes, get him into a bigger screen enclosure. They are tree dwellers.. they don't fall unless they are sick and weak.
 
junglefries said:
Was he smaller at birth. possibly underdeveloped. i unfortunately have had some like that in jackson's. they just stayed smaller but cuter.
Click to expand...

No they all were the same size then the others just out grew him lol I would lie for him to just stay small as long as he is healthy!

Thank for the advice everyone. Ill check into getting him a new cage this weekend
 
ataraxia said:
Please read this https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/chameleons/

For best results, your chameleons should be fed at least twice daily as much as he will eat in a feeding. Please read the link above all the way through.
Click to expand...

Thank you for that info I read it completely and learned a few things I did not know. But the feeding schedule says that at 6-12 months the should be fed 10-12 crickets every other day... I will still try feeding my little guy 2x a day to see if it helps with his growth. I really appreciate the link thank you
 
Calichamelon said:
Thank you for that info I read it completely and learned a few things I did not know. But the feeding schedule says that at 6-12 months the should be fed 10-12 crickets every other day... I will still try feeding my little guy 2x a day to see if it helps with his growth. I really appreciate the link thank you
Click to expand...

If he is that small still feed him all he wants. Also make sure you have a proper gutload for the crickets. Also try some fattier bugs like some superworms or waxworms to put some weight on him. Also higher temps can aid in faster digestion, metabolism, and what not.

Also have you changed the uvb lighting? What wattage are you using?
 
Sticktongue said:
Yes, get him into a bigger screen enclosure. They are tree dwellers.. they don't fall unless they are sick and weak.
Click to expand...

Congrats on ur 1,000 post btw.


Also to make sure you don't have to worry about them falling is to make sure the cage is very dense with foliage and branches all the way from the top of the cage to the bottom.
 
The UVB bulb was the lower watt (can't remember exact) but its time to replace it so should I go with the higher one now? I'm going to the pet store to get a new cage so I will get the worms too. I really appreciate all the advice from everyone, I'm going to do it all :) I will make sure he has food constantly and put more variety. I will be spending tomorrow working on a good cage for him too
 
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