Ambanja Panther, Few Questions...

Hello, my name is Mario and i'm a brand new chameleon owner. Though i've done extensive research and what not i'm still a tad bit confused on how to sex my 3 week old Ambanja Panther Chameleon. Any pointers would be great. Currently little Umi....(yes...his name is Umi..) is in a 10 gallon glass terrerrium and was wondering if that was okay for his age and also when i should buy a bigger cage. Few more things, where can i find a Fica Plant? Oh, i've also heard of a few people who feed their chameleon baby food, Is that okay?

Thanks a ton!

~Mario~

Welcome to Fauna!

Panthers can be hard to sex until they are a couple of months old, if you have a photo youc an post we can take a look and see what we think but at 3 weeks its harder to tell.

I have put small chams in glass tanks but only until 3 or 4 weeks, you will need to move him/her to an all screen cage soon, a 65 gallon reptarium would be OK for a 100 or larger would be best.

You can get a ficus at Home Depot or Lowes hardware for about $7.

I would not feed my cham baby food, stick with crickets until it is a month old then you can add mealworms, silkworms, butter worms and adults like pinky mice.

Mario,
Congradulations on the new chameleon. I breed ambanjas so I can tell you a little bit about them. If he is three weeks old he is probably too young to tell male from female. Some people can tell when they first hatch but between that time up until they are atleast a couple of months it's more complicated to tell. I still have a hard time sometimes. Without having others to compare to it will probably be impossible for you.
The 10 gal tank is good for now. When mine are that young I use paper towels in the bottom of the tank to make it easier for them to hunt and catch crickets. Its also easier to clean regularly. I usually place a couple of very small potted plants in there and a couple of branches. After a couple of months he will need to be moved to a larger preferrably screened enclosure.
They seem more delicate the first few months so I normally recommend purchasing them at between 3 and 4 months old, so he's going to need special attention for awhile. Right now mist him at least twice a day with luke warm dechlorinated water, I use spring water to be safe. He should also be fed twice a day with crickets. Are you currently using a calcium or vitamin suppliment? What kind of lighting are you giving him? A good forum with a lot of info. on chameleons is www.chameleondatabase.com. If at all possible, take him outside for some natural sunlight whenever you can.
You can get good small ficus trees and plants at Home Depot. Make sure that you rinse them off well in case they have been sprayed with pesticides. Wal Mart also has a few good plants.
I have not tried baby food, but I can't see them wanting to eat it since they normally eat live insects.
Good Luck!

Jerm

Thanks a lot, I greatly appreciate the help. Right now he seems to be doing very well, he's extremely social and has a great personality. Umm...another question, how long does it usually take or, when, does he/she "it" begin to display color? And as for the baby food question, my friend has a veiled that happily takes mango baby food from her finger on a regular basis and loves it, and we also have to Satanic Leaf Tailed Geckoes that are actually supposed to be hand fed baby food on a regular basis, so i really don't see a major issue. As far as the vitamin supplements go, i gutload the crickets with orange cubes and "shake and bake" a dozen crickets in Rep-Cal daily. Any other suggestions?

Peace,

~Mario~

Oh, one more thing, He's got a UV light and a small heat lamp for now. I usually have to get him off the screen so he won't burn.

Males will start to show color as early as a couple of weeks, but won't get their vivid adult colors for a while. You can start to see what the adult colors will be at approx. 6 months, but each lizard is different. Also natural sunlight seems to bring out better and brighter colors for me and it tends to make them grow faster. You have to remember though, if you start letting him get natural sunlight, you must get a suppliment with no vitamin D3, he will produce it himself.
Also, I like to alternate between different brands of suppliments because I don't know of any that are the "perfect" mix. Its hard to replicate mother nature. Sticky Tongue Farms has a good suppliment. They sell one for inside with D3 and one for outside with no D3. I just do as much research as possible and take what I have found and make my own conclusions.

Jerm

I forgot to add that Veilds seem to accept more food items than panthers, including plants. Also, most geckos will eat baby food. There is a chance that he will eat it but it's not as likely as a veiled or gecko.

Jerm

True, Veileds will eat grapes, greens, dandilions and lots of items that other chameleons will not.

Each group is different, crested geckos each fruit (or fruit baby food), leopard geckos don't.

Mario,
Check out some of the websites with the major breeders, mine included, but go to www.Kingsnake.com chameleons, and go through the sponsors websites at top. Read all the husbandry pages. You have much to learn. Even if it was a gift, and if you paid for it then shame on you, but taking on ownership of a 3 week old chameleon is not a wise move. Its done, but learn from your current experiences, and websites, and don't do it again.
Color is a function of size. It won't show color as Jeremy said (sorry Jeremy. Let the reader know that you only live 10 miles form me, and we've met, and I know you mean well. You're just wrong about showing color at a few weeks.) It will need to be at least 5" total, and likely more, before it shows color. You may be able to sex it sooner, but it will be by pattern, and not color. Just be patient, as you can't change it anyway (if it was human and living in San Francisco, maybe). On top of it all, your animal is claimed to be Ambanja, which is west-coast Madagascar. If it is an east coast animal (Tamatave of Sambava, ie.), or a locale-cross, it will take longer to color-up than a typical west coast animal (Nosy Be and Ambilobe included). You really have an obligation to the animal to educate yourself, which you had not yet done judging by your first post. Its your animal, and if it has an early demise, its your loss. Check those websites.
And Wendy. Congrats on your new task !! Take care.

Hi Chamco, I appreciate your input. But, i've had much prior chameleon experience to this, i've owned two Veileds and Jackson's chameleon that did very well. All i'm doing is furthering my research as far as an Ambanja panther chameleon goes. I've heard many different stories as far as the previous questions went from many different sources. I know how to take care of my Chameleon and I wouldn't have bought a panther without prior knowledge on Chameleon care.

Thanks for your input,

~Mario~