 Common name: Panther Chameleon Scientific Name: Chamaeleo pardalis Homeland: Madagascar Size: Males: up to 20" Females: 13" or less Lifespan: Approx. 8 years Cage: Lizards this size are easy to find a cage for. Try creating as natural a habitat as possible. Lots of limbs for climbing as well as shaded areas for hiding. Ficus and Begonia are great. They climb, so tall narrow cages work great. Keep very humid and you MUST provide running water. They will not drink from still water bowl like other lizards. YOU MUST buy a drip system or a waterfall that you can clean often. If you set up a vivarium, good air circulation is important, but no drafts. A fan blowing out of the cage prevents heat build up and bacteria and fungus growth. I had live plants in his cage so the damp soil created humidity as well as a humidifier I had running in the evening. Substrate:Never use wood or bark or anything that will stick to their long tongues. They will ingest it if it is there so for there safety use the rubber mats I continuously talk about. You should hardly ever see them on the floor if they are healthy.Behavior:They do not like to be handled, they stress very easy and I have heard of some having heart attacks. Especially females. I took in a sick little guy that unfortunately didn?t make it. She would freak out if she saw movement outside her cage. On the other hand I had a wonderful chameleon that would step onto my hand if I put it near him. He has since passed away after a long life with me. I took it in full-grown and he lived 4 additional years. I was lucky.
Temperature: I kept him at about 75 - 85F in his basking spot. Never under 70F at night. Humidity around 70% is good. I used a radient heat panel on the top of his cage. Click here for info on my radient heat panels.
 Feeding: Bugs, such as crickets, mealworms, wax worms, flies, roaches, locusts and an occasional pinkie mouse. I fed crickets nutritious cricket food as well as oranges and carrots for 2 days before feeding. I also dusted the food, especially pinkies, with Calcium and multi-vitamin supplement 2 or 3 times a week. Feed juveniles 2-3 times a day. Adults every 1-2 days. Bugs are best offered in a deep cup or bowl. As for water they only drink running water. There are drip systems available at most exotic pet shops.
Lighting: Sunlight and full spectrum light is a super must do! As often as possible you lizards should have access to direct, unfiltered sunlight. Have a cage, NOT a glass aquarium but an open-air cage on your patio, in your yard or by an open window. Put your lizard in there and let him soak up the rays. He will feel better, and get those bright eyes and beautiful colors you want. Please keep in mind if it is too hot you could cook the litle guy so make sure temps do not exceed their limits. Possibly place them in a tree shadow so the light is there but not too intense. This will provide UV radiation necessary for the synthesis of vitamin D and allow the reptile body to absorb calcium. In the winter this can be a problem. How can you put your sunlight needing reptile out in the yard when the cold will kill him? Answer is full spectrum lighting. I prefer natural sunlight, but is the next best thing. A florescent light tube (never the screw in kind) that copies a little bit of the sun. I have been using Vita-lite brand as far as I can remember with great success, but I believe they have sold to GE and I'm not sure if the bulbs are the same. I'm still looking into it. Another problem is that there are now a zillion lights on the market claming to have full spectrum capabilities. As my time allows I will put more information on this subject later. There is much available on the Internet now if you search. 
This and That: Althought Panthers are the best choice if you want a chameleon, they are still high maintenance, very sensitive and like to be alone. If you really want a lizard I recommend a bearded dragon.
SnakeBabe's Pet Rating: Fair
Beautiful creatures but they don't like to be pets. If you want something just to look at this would be OK but I suggest you pass on it. |
