Panther Chameleon Husbandry
The key to chameleon husbandry is finding the right balance of the major five. The major five are: cage size, lighting, temperature, humidity/watering, and nutrition.
Cage Size:
We feel that the bigger the better. The only downfall of having a large cage is if your chameleon is small, it cannot find the small feeders that are appropriate size for size of your chameleon. Also, you do not want to put too many feeders in the cage at once because the uneaten feeders can eat the chameleon's feces which can spread bacteria to the chameleon if that feeders is then eaten. We also suggest using aluminum screen cages for high airflow and
Lighting:
The most common lights that are used with Panther Chameleons are UVB 5.0 lights. The majority of keepers and breeders prefer the linear tube lights over the compact UVB lights because there have been some problems with a few compact bulbs. A UVB light is a necessity as chameleons need UVB to help break down calcium. Furthermore, have a basking branch about six inches from the 5.0 UVB bulb. which should be on 12 hours a day. *ALSO know that most UVB lights need to be replaced after six months because, even if they the bulb is still emiting light, it may not be emitting the proper amount of UVB.
Temperature:
Panther Chameleons can tolerate temperatures from 65F at night to 95F under their basking light. Room temperature should be around 75F during the day and around 70F at night. They need a heat source that will create a daytime basking spot that is around 93F for proper digestion. Many keepers use a 75 watt incandescent bulb that is about six inches from a basking perch to create the 94ish basking spot.
Humidity/Watering:
We keep our chameleons around 50% humidity, which is about average for many heated and cooled houses. Also we suggest having a live plant in your cage to bump up the humidity in the cage. Click here for our Safe Plant List. Furthermore, Panther Chameleons do not recognize standing water, so they should be misted three times to boost humidity and for drinking. A misting should get all the leaves wet and last at least three minutes.
Nutrition:
We believe that feeders and supplementation are the most important part of chameleon husbandry. We know that there is still much that is unknown about what feeders and supplements are most beneficial, much like human nutrition, so we offer our chameleons a wide variety of feeders that include crickets, superworms, silkworms, hornworms, roaches, grasshoppers, and flies. All these feeders are easily gutloaded and provide nutritional value to chameleons. Please see feeder page for suggested feeders. Also, many feeders should be dusted with vitamins according to their age and size. Please see our supplements for suggested products.
