Panther chameleons are one of the most interesting species of chameleons because of their size, looks, and most importantly, the colors. The combination of red, orange, blue, and black you can see in panther chameleons can’t be seen in any other types of chameleons. The male panther chameleons are more colorful and bigger than the female ones. But, where can you see them? Do you need to travel to Madagascar to have a glimpse of those or to the rainforest of Mauritius or Reunion?
No, you don’t need to do anything like that. You can have a panther chameleon as your pet and companion. As they belong to a warm environment, they find it difficult to survive in cold countries. So, here are some of the pet care tips that you can follow to provide the best environment to your pet, panther chameleon, at your house.
How to House Your Panther Chameleon
The first and the most important thing you need to check out while having a panther chameleon as your pet. As panther chameleon belongs to the rainforest, it requires a well-ventilated cage that contains enough moisture for their well-being. While arranging perfect housing for your pet, you should know that you cannot bring a glass tank for them. Panther chameleons are climbers, so you need to arrange a cage where they can climb vertically. As per your budget, you can buy a cage which is high and big enough.
Arranging the cage is not the only important thing, but you also need to furnish it. Try to create the natural habitat of the animal inside the cage as much as possible. There must be toxin-free plants like a ficus tree, umbrella, pothos, or dracaena. Don’t forget to keep a basking spot inside the cage and also mist your panther chameleon twice a day.
Maintain Temperature and Lighting
Panther chameleons require UVB light, so you need to arrange that inside the cage. For basking, the optimum temperature should be maintained also. You can buy a basking bulb and a UVB or UVA bulb to create the perfect lighting over there. In the cage, the gradient temperature should be maintained. It should be within the range of 23 to 30C. At the night time, if the temperature falls below 10C, you have to arrange a night heat source to keep your pet warm. Ceramic heat emitter is safer to use for the panther chameleons than installing a light bulb to keep the cage warm.
What Should You Feed It?
Once you arrange the dwelling place for the panther chameleon perfectly, the next thing you want to know must be the foods. Panther chameleons are omnivores; rather they consume insects, mainly. Usually, crickets are fed to the panther chameleons, but there must be variation in the diet. Include butter worms, grasshoppers, flies, mealworms, silkworms, roaches, etc. in your pet’s diet. You should never give any wild insects as those can be toxic to your panther chameleon.
To maintain the nutrition balance in your pet, you need to feed them nutritional insects. To do that, you can feed the insects something nutritious, full of vitamin D and calcium, before 24 hours of feeding your chameleon. You need to gut load your panther chameleon while feeding.
Maintain Their Drinking Habit
Panther chameleons love to drink water a lot. But, that doesn’t mean you can keep a pot, filled with water inside the cage. Rather, you should install a system that creates water drops and your pet can go to that corner and drink water in the form of drops. If you can make the system dripping through leaves of the plants inside the cage, that will be more natural to them. Misting your pet is very important as it will keep it hydrated.
So, if you are planning to have a panther chameleon as your pet, you need to follow all these tips to create almost a natural habitat for your pet. You should always be careful about their well-being.
