I have had a blue bar ambilobe panther chameleon for about a month now and recently ive noticed that he doesnt show much interest in food and is napping for small periods of time during the day. Is this a major problem? will taking him outside help? what does the temperature need to be because around me right now during this time of year it is like low 90's. is that too hot?
What temperature should it be outside to take baby 3.5 month old panther outside?
- Thread starter ajh3193
- Start date
Zubi
Established Member
i think we should first address the napping issue, which is not a good sign at all could you please follow the link and copy and paste the form into this thread and fill it out. This will help us understand what is going on with your cham https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/
also an ideal temperature would be around 80 where he has access to shade outside. If he shows signs of over heating such as gaping and turning very light colors i would bring him inside.
also an ideal temperature would be around 80 where he has access to shade outside. If he shows signs of over heating such as gaping and turning very light colors i would bring him inside.
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Blue Bar Ambilobe Panther Chameleon 3.5 months old have had for roughly a month
Handling - Never
Feeding - About 10 crickets per day
Supplements - All in one vitamin/calcium supplement every day
Watering - Misting once or twice a day
Fecal Description - Mostly white at times, never been tested
History - no important history, from trusted/good breeder
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Screen cage 18x18x24
Lighting - 60 watt heat bulb/blue light kept on 24 hours due to 70 degree temperature inside. 5.0 reptisun flourescent
Temperature - low 90's near lamp, low 80's elsewhere near bottom. high 70's low 80's at night
Humidity - not sure but misted usually twice a day
Plants - no live plants
Placement - not near fans, on top of a table in my bedroom. table is about three feet of the ground
Location - southern california
Current Problem - it just doesnt seem like hes eating as much as he is supposed to and i have also caught him napping a couple times during the day as he goes and hides with his tail curled up and closes his eyes. Fecal matter is mostly white at times with little to no brown
Your Chameleon - Blue Bar Ambilobe Panther Chameleon 3.5 months old have had for roughly a month
Handling - Never
Feeding - About 10 crickets per day
Supplements - All in one vitamin/calcium supplement every day
Watering - Misting once or twice a day
Fecal Description - Mostly white at times, never been tested
History - no important history, from trusted/good breeder
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Screen cage 18x18x24
Lighting - 60 watt heat bulb/blue light kept on 24 hours due to 70 degree temperature inside. 5.0 reptisun flourescent
Temperature - low 90's near lamp, low 80's elsewhere near bottom. high 70's low 80's at night
Humidity - not sure but misted usually twice a day
Plants - no live plants
Placement - not near fans, on top of a table in my bedroom. table is about three feet of the ground
Location - southern california
Current Problem - it just doesnt seem like hes eating as much as he is supposed to and i have also caught him napping a couple times during the day as he goes and hides with his tail curled up and closes his eyes. Fecal matter is mostly white at times with little to no brown
Zubi
Established Member
Ok first for lighting you only need a regular incandescent house bulb and those temps are way too high his basking should be 85 and the middle of the cage should be around 75. You shouldn't have any lights on at night. So it should be 12 hours with lights and 12 hours without. Change that then well see if he stops napping. Also a temp drop at night is good as long as its not below about 65
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
ok, one thing that needs to be changed is the blue light on all night. Also change that to a white bulb. 70 is not anywhere close to being too cold to keep a light on all night. You could be disrupting his sleep cycle. Not eating at that age is not a great sign as they should be snatching up everything in sight. That coupled with the day sleeping concerns me. Getting him outside surely cannot hurt. 90 is ok, but just make sure he has some shade. My panthers are outside in the Florida sun all the time, but they are adults and can take the heat better than a baby I am sure. It might be a good idea and get a fecal test done if you can get a sample. Also, I would mist the cage more and add a dripper.
once or twice a day is not enough especially if you are not doing it very long. He may not be getting enough hydration. Do you see him drink???
once or twice a day is not enough especially if you are not doing it very long. He may not be getting enough hydration. Do you see him drink???
ya i see him drink all the time and his fecal matter is pretty much all white all the time so i assume he is well hydrated just not eating much. the guy at the reptile store that i got him from told me that since my house stays around like low 70's that it was best that i get a blue bulb heat lamp and keep it on 24 hours a day
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
basking for young panther is ok around 90. As long as they are not gaping, then it is ok. Also, they can take temps lower than 65 and still require no heat. I would say more like 55 or even a little lower would be ok.
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
honestly, the guy at the pet store is wrong. They can take temps far below 70.
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
if he is not gaping, then leave your basking temp where it is at. It is ok. No, the temp at night should really have nothing to do with him not eating. If it is only around 70, then that is perfect. Have you tried any other feeders besides crickets??? If he was just not eating, I would not be that concerned, but that combined with him sleeping during the day is not a good sign. If it were me, I think I would get a fecal test at the vet and have him checked over.
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
well you have to call around to some exotic vets and see if they know chameleons. Alot of exotics do not know chameleons. I have seen it on here alot. As far as transporting, I have a small screen cage for mine that has a plant and a few brances in it. Some people put theirs in a little box with a stick for them to climb on. If your cage is not too big, you could just take the whole cage with you depending on the size.
today ive also noticed that he isnt really napping at all today but instead he is sitting with his tail curled up and keeping his right eye closed. but the eye is still moving around as if it were open. is this a problem? should i be doing anything to fix that? and if i do start turning off that heat lamp during the night will that help with the napping during the day situation?
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
Well technically they do not close their eyes during the day unless there is something wrong. Sometimes people see their chameleons with their eyes closed and assume they are sleeping when they might not be. I cannot say for sure that turning off the heat light will solve the problem of him sleeping during the day(if indeed he even is sleeping). In my opinion, I think that the light being on all night may have disrupted his sleep pattern, but not saying that it is causing him to nap during the day. My one chameleon can sleep with lights on around the cage and my other guy cannot. He needs it very dark or he will sit with his eyes wide open. Lets see what happens with your turning out the lights at night if it makes a difference. You said he is not eating also, which I said it cause for concern considering his age and the closing of the eyes.
