Source
r/Chameleons•
bmuffle

Tips for getting a panther chameleon in a colder country

I am planning on getting a female panther chameleon later this year. I’ve read several things already on this subreddit but still have some questions. It seems like mesh cages are better than glass cages. I life in the Netherlands and during winters my house temperature sometimes is 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit, will a proper basking spot be enough or do I have to add heat pads or anything? I read somewhere that panther chameleons need very high humidity during the night, how would that work with a mesh cage and without using a mister? I am also reading very conflicting information about the amount of plants in the enclosure, some people say that chameleons like the feeling of a dense forest, other swear by a more open and clean enclosure, what is the right amount of foliage?

Posted Feb 13, 2023, 10:20 PM UTC

88
Shortie_TortiePanther Owner•

I’m a Canadian, it’s above freezing right now (which is really uncharacteristic of my area) but in December it was getting down to like -30 C. (Or below 20 C in the house) My female panther chameleon had been experiencing sluggishness and a bit of daytime sleeping at the time, so I took her to a very qualified exotic vet and they told me to run the heat at night as well as daytime. If you do this though, I would make sure the enclosure is still dark at night so the chameleon doesn’t get disoriented

4
plyr__•

Reptile Ceramic heat emitters! Absolutely fantastic for keeping your babies warm at night. I have one for my tortoise that stays on incase he needs it.

2
bmuffleOP•

Great information, thanks! I don’t even heat my house to 20C for myself, the gas and electric prices are crazy in the Netherlands. Having to heat 1 room to 20+ C 24 hours a day will probably double (maybe triple) my energy bill. I have to keep that in mind when deciding if I really want to go through with the plan

1
odocoileushemionus•

I live in a cold environment in Canada too. I have a veiled (so slightly different temps) but essentially just keep the room he’s in at ~22 Celsius with a small heater (reduces cost to heat whole house) and keep his basking temp at ~84 and he’s happy as a clam. I think the trick is to keep the ambient temp in the low 70’s Fahrenheit. You can achieve higher nighttime humidity by misting after the lights go off, a small humidifier that comes on in the night, or just decide to fog. You definitely want to have your cage full of vertical and horizontal branches, you want your Cham to be able to use most of the space inside the cage. You do want a fair number of live plants too.. just not so dense so that Cham is struggling to move through them. I would suggest a few types of plants that will give cover, shelter, help retain water etc etc

3
Swamp_gayMODCham Daddy Mod•

Foggers are not recommended whatsoever due to them being bastions of bacteria & being extremely hard to clean thoroughly, especially the tubing. They will lead to respiratory issues over time. Ball python owners have been saying this for years, but for some reason foggers still linger amongst recommendations for chameleons.

All the other advice given is pretty solid. Plants should be plentiful but not crowded. These are tree top species, they don’t keep to overly dense brush. They rely almost entirely on sight, so they like to have a nice clear view of their surroundings. I wouldn’t worry about humidity at all once your cham is an adult, but you will need to do some misting while it’s young. A small humidifier that runs for a couple hours at night is fine, but not necessary.

Here’s the basics for an adult/sub adult:

#Panther Chameleon

EQUIPMENT

⁃	18”x18”36 - 2’x2’x4’ mesh/screen enclosure. Reptibreeze is a good, affordable standby
⁃	Reptisun 5.0 T8 bulb (18”-22”) & corresponding housing
⁃	an old school, frosted/white incandescent bulb for heat. in the range of of 40w-75w.
⁃	a large (9-11”) dimmable dome for the incandescent light bulb
⁃	Digital thermo/hygrometer to keep an eye on ambient temp
⁃	Infrared temperature gun for basking temps
⁃	clear, colorless drinking glass around 4-6 oz for hydration

ENCLOSURE SET UP

⁃	Keep the floor bare
⁃	Live, potted plants
⁃	Good, safe options for center piece plants are umbrella tree, money tree, ficus bejamina, and corn plants
⁃	Good vining plants are pothos & Swiss cheese plant. 
⁃	Horizontal branches at various heights, so they have access to all areas of the cage. Avoid dowels & bamboo in favor of natural branches. The multiple levels are for thermoregulating, enrichment, and provides areas with differing levels of UV exposure
⁃	You can use a flexible vine to weave through your horizontal branches to give easy pathways between levels
⁃	Ensure the highest basking branch allows for a minimum of 10” between the highest point of your cham (the casque) & the T8 5.0 UVB bulb. Keep the basking temp at 76-80f for a female, and 78-84f for a male. I recommend an infrared temp gun for checking these temperatures
⁃	Place heat source lamp near the UVB, slightly angled if possible.
⁃	Place clear, colorless drinking glass in the base of one of your potted plants somewhere light will reflect off of it & your cham can access it. Fill to the brim daily with fresh water.

SUPPLEMENTS & FEEDING

⁃	Supplements we recommend: plain calcium (no d3, phosphorus free), and Rep Cal’s Herptivite. Additionally, Sticky Tongue Farms indoor miner-all as a multi 1x a month.
⁃	Keep in mind the hardness of the water you are providing. Harder water = less calcium powder required.
⁃	Supplement & feeding schedule for youngsters: feed 1-2x a day, 10-15 appropriately sized feeders. Dust with plain calcium **lightly** every - every other feeding, supplement with multivitamin 2x a month.
⁃	Supplement & feeding schedule for adults: feed 5-6 appropriately sized feeders every other day. Dust with calcium 2x a week. Multivitamin 2x monthly.
⁃	Supplement & feeding schedule for ovulating females: feed every other day, 5-6 appropriately sized bugs. Dust with calcium every other feeding. Multivitamin 2x monthly.

FEEDERS

⁃	Dubia roaches are the superior feeder. They should be gutloaded with fresh fruits & vegetables. 
⁃	Crickets are a fine feeder. They should be gutloaded with fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains
⁃	Good fruits and vegetables: apple, papaya, mango, carrot, sweet potato, mustard greens, and dandelion greens. I also like to feed bee pollen. Grains for crickets can be sprouts, or just a small piece of bread. You will also need to provide some form of hydration. I like water crystals.
⁃	Silkworms are great feeders & can be used as a primary feeder, unlike most worms. They grow more slowly than hornworms and are easier to digest than both supers & horns. They can **only** eat either fresh mulberry leaves, or a prepared diet composed of mulberry leaves.
⁃	 Black soldier fly larvae are a great natural source of calcium. They do not require gutloading & make a good regular feeder. They must be stored around 50-60 f to slow pupation. Lower temps will kill them.

HYDRATION

Most new owners are told that their chameleon will not drink from standing water, but this a harmful misconception when it comes to captive care. The risks for URIs & mouth rot sky rocket when you rely on misting & drippers for hydration. Repeatedly licking the limited surfaced within an enclosure will lead to build up of detritus on the leaves/whatever is being licked, which will be happily feasted on by bacteria. Chameleons require excellent internal hydration for good sheds and general organ function. Good hydration isn’t achievable with misting alone. For these reasons we suggest LITTLE TO NO MISTING & doing the following for hydration:

⁃	4-12 oz clear, colorless glass filled to the brim with tap or spring water
⁃	place the glass somewhere light will reflect off its surface & where your chameleon can easily access it. They should be able to perch above so as to reach in and drink.
⁃	if urates are showing dehydration (yellow-orange in coloration) a dripper can be added over the glass for a couple hours a day to serve as “training wheels” so to speak. After a couple weeks of this, you can remove the dripper. 
⁃	 always monitor urates to ensure your chameleon is hydrated
6
bmuffleOP•

Thanks for the great advice. My questions were mostly based around the topics that weren’t on the list: humidity and ambient temperature. Online there is a bunch of information about panther chameleons needing a humidity, good to know that it’s not that needed for adults.

1
Swamp_gayCham Daddy Mod•

Ambient temps in the high 60s low 70s :) basking 77-82f

1
niki-p27•

I talked to a panther chameleon breeder over the weekend at a repticon, he recommended having higher humidity at night and to use a misting system to keep up with it, he said you want about 30%-40% humidity during day and 50%-70% during the night.

1