Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My 1.5 yr old female panther chameleon used to be a very good eater up until a week after moving her into a new, larger cage. Now, three weeks later, she is only eating once, maybe twice a week. I've been offering her crickets and superworms in a feeding cup but she's only been eating crickets, about 7 at a time. Does this sound like a normal stress response to moving, is she just bored of crickets and worms? Basically, should I be worried about her and will she return to her old feeding schedule? Other then the feeding slow-down she seems the same. She's very active in the new cage and loves the automatic mister. Whenever it goes off she watches the droplets intently and will try to eat a few as if they were crickets. She still responds strongly to my presence. If I even just walk by her cage she starts to puff up. Thanks for any imput you guys might have.

Two things come to mind because you said she was normal the first week and then slowed down in the following two weeks...

Is the basking temperature in her new cage different than the old one? Is the ambient temperature different? If the temperatures are lower, she might be digesting the food slower now.

Do you have a place for her to dig to lay eggs if she needs to? Females often slow down or even quit eating as they get close to egg-laying times.

Temps in the new cage are exactly the same as the old cage. She, however, does not have a place to lay eggs... wouldn't I be able to see if she was gravid, or is it more subtle? One difference between the cages is the old one had live plants and this new one has fake plants. Thanks for your help!

You asked..."wouldn't I be able to see if she was gravid, or is it more subtle?"...it can be very subtle especially if they will be infertile eggs. Some that have been too well fed and are producing large clutches will be very obvious though. The trouble is if you miss the signs, then she could become eggbound and die if there is no suitable place for her to lay the eggs.

You said.."One difference between the cages is the old one had live plants and this new one has fake plants"...I'm not a fan of fake plants with chameleons....but there seem to be lots of people who use them. I don't use substrates with arboreal chameleons either and I cover the soil on the plants so that the chameleons can't ingest it too.

It was getting to be a while since her last meal and I was getting worried so I put a few crickets around her cage on the screen and she went straight for them even though her feeding cup had been full all day with the same crickets. Now I'm thinking maybe the location of her feeding cup is not good or the thick vegetation in her cage is hiding the crickets in the cup. Between the last cage and this new one the feeding cup is up higher in the cage and there are a lot more leaves. What do you recommend with feeding cups as far as size, location, etc. For the past four months she has been eating out of a super big gulp cup cut in half. Thanks for helping.

I use coffee mugs. I put three in each enclosure. If your cage is large, it could be she isnt seeing the bugs in the one cup you have. I have some who hunt very well and will find food I try to hide, and others that miss seeing food that is practically under their noses (which is why i put it in several places)
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SandraChameleon@gmail.com
BC Canada

I meant to add, YES, they can get bored of just crickets and mealworms. Plus this is nutritionally limited. Try adding butterworms, silkworms and other items to ensure she is stimulated.

And YES, provide an egg laying spot! Its not always obvious when they need to dig.
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SandraChameleon@gmail.com
BC Canada