Panther chameleons are a member of the furcifer genus and their species name is pardails. Panther chameleons natural habitat range covers most of the island of Madagascar. They are considered by the majority of chameleon owners to be the most beautifully colored chameleon in th world. Panther chameleons are also refered to by their locale. In panther chameleon terminology a locale is associated with a neighboring city. Such locales consist of: Ambanja, Ambilobe, Andapa, Ankaramy, Diego Suarez, Maroansetra, Masoala, Nosy Be, Nosy Faly, Nosy Mitsio, Sambava, Tamatave, and also Reunion Island which is 300 miles east of Madagascar. Other than Vieleds, Panthers are second most popular and available chameleon for sale. They can cost upwards of 10 times more, but beauty has a price. Panther Chameleon care is much the same as Vieleds with minimal differences. The basking temperature should be slightly lower, in the 90 degree range, and ambient humidity should aslo be higher, usually 40%+ with a spike of 70-80% during and after mistings. Other then that, their husbandry should almost be identical. Be sure to check out my caresheet.
HOUSING- Adult- With Veiled and Panther chameleons their seems to be a standard of 24(w) x24(d) x48(h). One chameleon per cage! These numbers can be tweaked slightly, such as width and depth. A chameleon cage can never be too high. I would try not to make your cage any less than 18x18, and this is if you don’t have any room. The cage should always be made up of screen. At least four sides (top, left, right, back and front) the top must always be screen because your light will be coming in from there. As far as the other four sides any choice off three is sufficient. I have found the best screen material to use is aluminum. It doesn’t rust or melt. It is also easier to see through and UV light enters the cage easier.
Juvenile- An average size juvenile cage is around an 18x18x36. This size cage is good until about the age of one year. If it is a large male you can upgrade sooner. Females can be kept in a cage this size as well.
BABIES- newly born chameleons can be kept in a glass cage together for 7-8 weeks tops. After the age of two months they should be placed in a fully screened cage, and they can still be kept together. Once they are separated around the age of 2.5-3 months and sold they should be kept in a screen enclosure measuring 12x12x24-30. This should be suffice until the age of 6 months. Now it’s time to upgrade to a juvenile cage.
Safe Plants- Hibiscus-my favorite choice and also requires a lot of lighting to stay alive, Jasmine, Ficus Benjamina, Croton, weeping fig, Scheffelera Arobricola (Umbrella Plant), Photos, and Airplants. I have used all of these personally and I have found them easy to find and care for.
WATERING- Most chameleons will not drink from standing water. There are rare cases that this occurs, but is not a substitute for proper watering. Proper watering should be done through a dripper all day or short periods of time and misting. I have found that the “Big Dripper” will go all day long if you have it dripping at one drop per second. Hand or automated misting should be done 2-3 times daily. You can use a spray bottle or buy a HerpMist setup for about 200$ and it does everything by itself. Chameleons drink by shooting his/her tongue at water droplets on leaves or licking water from the leaves. Live plants are far superior to fake plants. They hold water droplets at the end of each leaf. Silk plants usually have the water drip off as soon as it makes contact. I have found that fake moss is a great way to supply water. If it is placed right under your dripper the water will run down to the tips of each piece. This is between 30-70 ends. Waterfalls and bowls help to harbor the growth of bacteria. Some of these can come from not letting the cage dry out between mistings or to high of humidity. Bacterium can cause an Upper Respiratory Infection (URI), so make sure you take the neccesary precautions and waterfalls and bowls or standing water should be avoided at all cost. Now that we are on the topic of URI, you need to make sure that the cage dries out completely between misting. If the cage stay damp for an extended period of time it gives mold and mildew an opportunity to grow.
HUMIDITY- The ambient humidity in the cage should be in the 40-50% range. With a spike of 70-80% during and after misting. This isn’t as true for Veiled Chameleons; they can be kept at a lower humidity. If you aren’t lucky enough to live in Florida a cheap humidifier from Walgreens will be fine. Try to stay away from foggers, as these can be frightening to your chameleon. Not to mention more expensive than a humidifier. Higher humidity also helps aid in the shedding process for your chameleon. Generally you will see an “explosive” shed when humidity is high. Meaning all the skin will come off at once. In lower humidity it may take days for it to come off. Adult Veiled chameleon can shed for a very long time. One of my adults males never stops shedding. It takes a month for his body shed to come off. It will usually take a couple weeks to complete a full shed. For most adult Veiled chameleons the entire shedding process usually takes place in certain areas at a time. Young or juvenile males will typically have a few "head sheds" while they are still growing. This takes place because the casque on their head is growing faster then the rest of their body.
LIGHTING- This is a huge area of concern to a chameleon’s health. UVB light helps with absorption of calcium to create strong bones. UVB also aids in the absorption and production of D3. Without proper UVB light a chameleon can develop MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease/Disorder). The most fool proof light on the market is the Reptisun 5.0. studies have found it superior to the Reptiglo 5.0 for chameleons. Do not purchase the compact bulb. These have been known to cause eye problems, such as photo-kerato-conjunctivitis. Lights should be kept on for 10-12 hours a day. Chameleons can only absorb the UV from these lights close up. The maximum effective range is about ten inches. I have personally used the latest lighting on the market with great success, the Mercury Vapor Bulbs. They are an all in one, both heat and UVB output. The maximum effective range of these bulbs is over 12 inches. As far as temperature goes, Veiled’s are a little warmer about 95 basking temperature or what I call the “hot spot”. The “hot spot” temperature can be acquired using standard house light bulbs ranging from 45-75 watts. A household bulb admits UVA light that stimulates appetite. This should be the temperature in one area on the top of the cage and the rest should be in the 80’s. The rest of the cage should vary, and into the mid 70’s at the bottom. Panther’s should have a basking temperature around 90 degrees. Same goes for the cage having varying temperatures. Babies should always be cooler around 85 degrees max basking for both species. Remember nothing can compare to natural sunlight. The best time to put your chameleon outside is between 10 and 2 o’clock. Captive kept Veiled Chameleons are a poor example of the species because of artificial light and poor feeders. Small casques and overall size of the animals are much smaller to their wild counterparts. An average size captive veiled is normally around 17 inches, while the wild Veileds reach sizes over 22”+ commonly.
SUPPLEMENTING- This is a key factor in the survival of your chameleon. In captivity we do not supply the chameleon with enough feeders to meet the vitamin/mineral demands of a chameleon. So this is taken care of through dusting and gutloading. Most of the feeders we buy today are high and Phosphorous and low in calcium. There is only one way to take care of this problem. I like to use Herpcares cricket duster because it saves supplement and you don’t need to touch the feeder. Not every cricket needs to be dusted either, nor do they need to look like ghost from being covered in so much calcium. So, don't sake and bake them in a plastic Zip-Lock bag. Gutloading is a term used when feeder insects are given food to eat that is rich in nutrients. There are several cricket foods on the market today that can be used. My personal favorite can be bought online at www.cricketfood.com. Some of the vegetables I use to keep my feeders hydrated include; dandelion, kale, collards, curly endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, etc.). Try to stay away from potatoes because they are very high in phosphorous and tomatoes. There are 3 main supplements used today. My schedule looks like: At most feedings I use a phosphorous free calcium that does not have D3, two times per month I dust with a multivitamin like Herptive, two times per month a phosphorous free calcium with D3, and one time per month with Sand Fires T-Rex Chameleon Formula. A lot of people have their own schedule and tricks. A chameleon can overdose and die from too much D3. To much D3 can cause the blood vessels and organs to calcify and kill your chameleon. You need to be very careful when supplementing a baby chameleon. They can eat up to 20+ crickets a day, and I recommend that you only dust 1/3 of the feeders. You don’t want a buildup or deposits around the nostrils, because chameleons excrete excess minerals and vitamins out of their nostrils.
FEEDERS- Chameleons need a wide range of feeders to stay healthy. We as owners will never be able to supply them with what they would get in the wild. That is why having several staple feeders with proper supplements and gutloading is critical to the survival of captive chameleons. Some of my favorite feeders are; Crickets, roaches, super worms, Silkworms, hornworms, phoenix worms, butter worms, wax worms, and mealworms. Crickets will most likely be you main feeder, that being said they are very poor in nutritional value. They need to be gut loaded with a good cricket food like: My personal favorite can be bought online at www.cricketfood.com. Some of the vegetables I use to keep my feeders hydrated include; dandelion, kale, collards, curly endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, etc.). Try to stay away from potatoes because they are very high in phosphorous and tomatoes. You only need to dust 1/2- 2/3 of the feeders per feeding. Silkworms and hornworms are fantastic feeders and these don’t need dusting. They are also ferocious eaters, so keep plenty of food available. I'm not a big fan of mealworms as a feeder, but having a number of different feeders available can help to keep your chameleon from going on a hunger strike. They have a very tough exoskeleton and aren’t very nutritious. Their tough skin can cause impaction and lead to serious problems down the road. Super Worms are a far better option. They are very easy to gutload and I use the same thing for them as the crickets. There is also a wives tale that supers can chew a hole in your chameleons stomach of they aren’t killed. This is completely false! Phoenix worms are great for juvenile and baby chameleons, they are high in calcium and do not need to be supplemented. They only grow to about ¾” so aren’t much good for adults. They also have a very rubbery/tough skin and it makes them hard to digest. So, it is recommended that you take a pin and poke tiny holes to help digestive juices get inside. Dubia roaches are by far my favorite staple feeder. You can buy a few hundred and never need to buy a feeder again. They can sustain themselves by reproducing, they reach adult size in 3 months, live for upwards of two years, easy to gutload, don't stink, cant climb, and don't make any noise. What more can you ask for in a feeder?
Pygmy chameleon cage is much the same as any other chameleon, but their are still several differences. Some of the slight differences include caging, lighting, supplements, and temperature.
Caging- Pygmy chameleons are one of only a few species that can be kept in a glass cage. Most people use a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium. Here is a great link for creating a a pygmy chameleon cage. http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=63
Lighting-Much the same as all other chameleons, they still need UVB to process calcium and vitamin D3 into their system. The recommended, tested and time prove, bulb is a Reptisun 2.0, and no heat bulb is needed. Most pygmy chameleons live on the forest floor or no more than 1 meter from the floor. A good temerature for most pygmies is in the 72 degree range. These temperatures can vary from species to species. If you contact me I can give you more details.
Water-Wateing your pygmy chameleons is exactly the same as arboreal species. Two or three mistings a day is all that is needed. Most chameleons will not drink from standing water, so dont put a bowl in the cage. Bowls are a great place for crickets to drown and die in. This just leads to other unnesessary problems.
Humidity- Pygmy chameleons need higher humidity then say a Vieled, but much the same as a Panther. Being that they are in a glass cage with substrate it is very easy to maintain humidity. Try to keep it in the 50% range with a spike of 80-90% after mistings.
Supplementing- This should be just the same as Vieleds and Panthers, just on a smaller scale. Please see the detailed supplementing information above.