Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone thanks for reading my post. Ok so i got my baby panther on the 27th of last month. It ate crix, mini mealies, and wax worms fine for the first few days i had him but now he has refused to eat atleast what i can tell for the last two days! I leave a food cup in his cage but it dosent look like he eats out of it at all. I tried giving him some electrolyte water through an eye dropper but the second he saw the dropper he totaly freaked out and ran away. But today i saw him try to eat a house fly through the screen cage he is in so WTF, he is obviously hungry WHY WONT HE EAT HIS FOOD! He is 3 months old, weighs 5.2 grams and was purchased from a reputable breeder. Also when i came home today he was hanging upside down under his Mercury heat bulb like he was trying to get as close to it as possible, i dont know why. His basking spot is hot enough why get closer? He lives in an all screen cage that is 30x16x16. The averege temp in my room is about 88 and his basking spot gets to about 96 at 3:00 pm. There are 2 live plants in his cage a pathos and a ficus. I spray the cage down with a garden sprayer 3 times a day and drip water very often there is also an ultrasonic humidifier that blows water vapor into his cage on a timer scheduel. I have contacted the breeder and he says the babies have been eating crix regularly. I am really confused and cannot figure out what i am doing wrong plus i am going to be totally heart broken if my baby dies, if anyone has ANY ADVICE, IDEAS, or QUESTIONS PLEASE LET ME KNOW. You can reply here or email me at bhollandg911@yahoo.com.
Thanks so much,
Bryan

Bryan,

Take a deep breath...I think you may be over-reacting. LOL, I understand your worry for your little cham, but I think he may just have lost interest in his food.

After eating the same foods EVERY day, even if its only a few days in a row, chameleons can get really tired of it. Many are picky eaters, even baby chams. He could also be afraid or intimidated of hand feeding, or more likely, interested in an insect with more movement. It's very natural for chameleons to go after an insect that moves around constintly. If I were you, I would let a few crickets go in his enclosure. There are also many benifets to releasing insects inside of his cage. This way he gets more excercise, sharpens his already superior hunting skills, and alot of chameleons prefer it over hand or cup-feeding. I would also try to get him some houseflies, He's obviously interested in flying insects.

As for him being at the top of his enlcosure, trying to get at his light...Chameleons just do that. It's normal, He's probably exploring his cage and seeing if there are anyways to escape...and through the light source may seem like an option to him! theres also many other possibilities as well.

I think he'll be perfectly fine, though, thats just my opinion!
Good luck with your little guy,

Michele

Thank you! will try to get some flies!

Hey,

Basically, everything Michelle said was right. They do get sick of the same food item day after day, however I have not found it to be that common in my own colony. House flies are great for the little guy, but make sure that you buy them online, DON'T CATCH THEM. House flies are very dirty creature which carry numerous amounts of bacteria and parasites. But there are sources online which sell house flies specifically for feeders. Very cheap; I think I bought about 5000 for 13 bucks. Tyler at Bluebeast Reptile has some links on where to buy 'em, and how to feed them easiest. Be sure to check out his website:

www.bluebeastreptile.com

Also, not all chams cup feed right away, and some never cup feed. They are all different. Yours might just want to have the crickets free roam, so try it. Also, I have noticed that not all chams will eat on a daily basis. In the wild, they can't. They might go for several days before they find insects. So if the cham isn't eating, it sometimes works to stop feeding him all together for 2-3 days and then offer him food again. However I don't reccommend this on your chameleon since he is still small.

Now, Michelle was partially right when she said that he is just exploring his new enclosure. That can very well be the case. But, it can also be because he is stressed because of the enviorment. I am not too sure on the temps for vieleds, but you seem to know your stuff. It seems like you put a lot of research into creating the perfect enviorment for your chameleon. However post a pic of your cage and chameleon, and we can tell you sooooo much more. A picture says a thousand words....

Ank-Inc.

PS- nice cham Michelle.

Yes, good points, Thanks for correcting me Ankinc.

There is the possbility he may be stressed. As Ankinc stated in the previous message, chameleons dont always eat every day in the wild. The bigger, commercial breeders feed their male pathers (I dont know if this applies to females as well) every 2-3 days. This way, it simulates the chameleons diet in the wild, and the chameleon has a lesser chance of becoming "bored" with his food.

I have to admit, I would find it unusual for a baby cham to become bored of their food, I mean, they eat constantly...and usually arent too choosy of eaters.

Thanks again Ankinc, and good luck with your cham Bryan

Michele

Hey,

Often me and Jim from Chameleon Company LLC (you can see his website at www.chameleoncompany.com) exchange ideas. He has been reading this post and wanted to give his own personal advice. Jim currently has the largest collection of chameleons in the world, and has many many years of experience. Here is exactly what he emailed me. He did give me permission to post it.

This thread caught my eye, as I found it contained some very solid information, as well as some highly inaccurate misconceptions. In no particular order, I'd like to address the following points
1)"Most chams are picky eaters, even baby chams ..." Not true. While some can be, it is the minority. And rather than get stuck on variety, the opposite is usually true, than a cham will get stuck on one specific prey, and ignore all others, at times to the point of starvation. This phenomenon may be unique to captive husbandry, and defies human logic, but it does happen. Also, the statement that "they get sick of the same food item every day" is not supported by observation. While in the wild, variety affords the chameleon its nutritional basis, it becomes less important with captive husbandry where proper gut-loading techniques are not used, i.e. junk bugs are junk bugs. With proper gut-loading, a single type of insect can meet the chameleon's nutritional needs.
2) "buy flies on-line, don't catch them ....." due to bacterial concerns, etc. Pesticidal concerns would be more valid, but otherwise wild bugs are the best. On-line flies are raised on minimal nutrition, and once they hatch out in captivity, usually do not receive the proper nutrition prior to being offered to the chameleons. On-line bugs are "junk bugs" if not given good nutrition by the chameleon keeper, and this is especially true of flies.
3) All recommendations of withdrawing food, or that the big breeders only feed every 2-3 days, is not the case and not advisable. Except for seasonal fluctuations in some of the more severe parts of their range, there is no basis to assume that chameleons do not eat every day in the wild. They are not like lions that gorge themselves after a good hunt, and then go days without eating again. Quite the opposite. I know of no "big breeder" that practices such feeding techniques, and know that chameleons that have food available all the time are the fastest growing and healthiest. My advice is to never stop presenting food. Vary the means of presentation, or type of insect, if you feel that your chameleon is not eating. The surest means of knowing that your chameleon is eating, short of observing it, will be healthy defecations.

Thats his advice. My advice was derived from my own colony and own personal experiences. It is what worked for me. However, Jim is far more knowledgable in cham keepin' and it is best you take his advice over mine. God luck with your chams Bryon. Hope to talk to ya again. And as I told ya, post a pic of your setup. We can help yo far more.

Ank-Inc.
Adam.

PS.- You seem to like posting pics Michelle . Keep 'em coming...

Wow, Jim seems to have corrected both of us. Thats incredible that he has aquired all that info, and also is mantaining the largest collection of chameleons! Simply amazing. I'm not even going to begin to debate over which information is correct, or which works best for husbandry and ect! LOL Someone who has that many chameleons should be high in authority in my book. I visited the website and just seeing so many enclosures aligned in a row blew my mind! All that care and mantienience, I cannot even begin to comprehend it! My 2 chameleons are already a handfull. Again, Kudo's to you Jim, for having the worlds largest chameleon collection!

Adam, just wanted to say that you gave some valuable info, and that pic you posted of your little Ankaramy is gorgeous! He's a beautiful example of the true "pink panther" not those other brown, drab ones I see being advertised. Not to say they are ugly, they just dont have nearly as much color. Especially exibiting such color in a CB species. Im very interested in that Locale, and may purchase one myself sometime later.

Good luck with everything Bryan!

Michele.

P.S. Heres another pic! lol

Hey,

I know that if Jim was here he would say, "Mother Nature is the largest, we are the second"

Yea, Jim really has quite a business going. Not only does he have some of the best looking chams in captivity, but he is also a great guy to talk to. Very friendly, and the most knowledgable keeper I have ever spoke to. Very inspiring, and very honest. If your reading this Jim, Thanks for all the help!!!

Heres another pic of an ankaramy.

Ank-Inc.
Adam.

SUPER COOL!

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PHEve / Eve

Contact PHEve

WOW! Thank you all for the information it has helped calm my mind emencily. Things seem to be looking up. I have modified some of my care practices and lately my baby cham, Djingo, has started eating much more frequently and seems much happier. Thank you so much for your info and support. I will try to get some pics up asap.
Bryan