Panther chameleons come from Madagascar and are found in different
locations, giving rise to many colour morphs. It is the male that carries the
brightest colours but the females are pretty in their pink or brown livery, with the orange or black ‘portholes’. The male’s colours are at their best when they are displaying, when the reds
become richer and overall colouring is brighter.
It is
assumed that the reader is familiar with basic chameleon care and understands the need for UV lighting, the correct way to
provide water and heating. Natural daylight cannot be equalled and is recommended
for health and best colours. This is an undemanding chameleon to keep and is often recommended as a first chameleon, although
Veiled are probably hardier. No chameleon likes to be handled, so excess should be avoided.
The cage
should be heavily planted to provide shade and allow for hiding places. Ficus
are good plants for this. A cage of 50cm x 50cm x 100cm is adequate; pairs may be kept in a large cage but it is not recommended
except when attempting breeding. Males should never be kept together as they
are fiercely territorial.
Coming
from various parts of Madagascar they
are not restricted to one habitat or ecosystem. This means that they are fairly
tolerant with temperature but the following are the optimum: day time between 25 oc and 32oc, dropping at night by 5 oc or 10 oc. Do
not let the temperature fall below 14
oc or rise much above 32 oc; although they may survive
they could become stressed.
The diet
should be varied but crickets are eagerly eaten. The appetite drops as the Panther
gets bigger and fasting for a day or two is not uncommon. Silkworms and grasshoppers
make good additions, as do medium sized beetle larvae - but watch out for the mandibles.
Panther
chameleons breed readily from about 6 months but a few months extra will ensure that the female is stronger. The male may live for 8 years but once producing egg batches the females life span is heavily reduced. Eggs, laid in batches of 10 to 25 may take 10 months or more to hatch and the same
batch may hatch over a two month period.
