Panther Chameleon Care Sheet

Panther Chameleon Care Sheet

Common Name: Panther Chameleon

Scientific Name: Furcifer pardalis

Difficulty: Intermediate-Advanced

Notes: The panther chameleon is a stunning species of chameleon from the northern and northeastern coasts of Madagascar, where they inhabit a range of habitats, but prefer more open forests and shrubland. These chameleons are vibrant and a beautiful animal to keep as a living jewel in your home, if you are up for the challenge!

Handleability: Somewhat easy to handle. Due to their arboreal nature, they hold on to one’s hand and body very well, but they can stress out from contact. They will flatten their bodies, turn dark brown to black, gape, and hiss when they do not want to be picked up. Allow the animal to come to you, and if they do not wish to have contact, then leave them be unless it is absolutely necessary. Socialization from an early age may help, but each chameleon will have their own personality and may never enjoy human contact.

Length at full size: Females: 10-14 inches at about 1 year of age.

        Males: 12-18 inches at about 1 year of age.

Lifespan: Females: 3 years

    Males: 6 years

Recommended Tank Size: 

Hatchlings to animals up to 10 inches long: A 30 gallon vertical enclosure measuring around 18” x 18” x 24”

Animals 10 inches long to full size: A 120 gallon vertical enclosure measuring around 24” x 24” x 48” or larger.

While there is a strong push for chameleons to be in full mesh enclosures, a glass or wood enclosure may be suitable for those living in low humidity climates. As well, it is strongly recommended to attach opaque acrylic or plastic panels to at least two sides of the mesh enclosure to help your chameleon feel more secure and less exposed.

The essential components of a panther chameleon’s enclosure setup will include a lot of climbing branches and vines that their feet can grasp well, along with a good amount of fake or live plants for cover and security. A water dripper that drips on to the leaves of plants will aid in encouraging your chameleon to drink. There are products to aid in this, such as the ExoTerra Reptile Dripper. Adding safe-to-eat plants is highly recommended and helps hold humidity, but expect them to be chewed on. Panther chameleons do like to nibble on the odd plant along with their insects.

Due to the large amount of water introduced into the enclosure for humidity purposes, substrate will become saturated quickly. Adding a way to drain the water from the bottom of the enclosure will be essential. There are pre-built enclosures that include a drainage port, but a drainage port can be built into most enclosures via DIY methods.

Sleep Pattern: Diurnal. These lizards are sun lovers and will be active during the day.

Temperature Range: 

Basking Spot: 85-90°F (29-32°C)

Ambient Temperature: 72-77°F (22-25°C)

Nighttime Temperature: 60-70°F (15-21°C)

Lighting/Heating: Panther chameleons require a heat lamp, a strong source of light, and a UVB bulb as their lighting sources. 

Heat bulbs usually are best chosen in accordance to the distance that it will be from the basking site, and kept on only for 3 hours in the morning. Due to the vertical nature of the tank, the thermal gradient will be vertical as well, with the hottest areas being near the top, and the coolest near the bottom.

For UVB, a 5.0 or 6% strength fluorescent tube that spans 2/3rds of the tank will be the best setup for your animal, but a smaller compact fluorescent can suffice for smaller animals until they grow larger. Ensure that the UVB is covering the basking site, and has no glass or plastic between the bulb and the inside of the enclosure.

A 6500k T5 HO fluorescent or LED light source is essential for their behavioral health, which can be provided with a long LED strip or T5 bulb across the top of the enclosure.

Place your UVB and visual light on timers to ensure a 10-12 hour photoperiod.

Humidity Range: Panther chameleons do best in an environment that has a cycle of humidity; 50-60% during the day, and 75-100% at night. This can be achieved via misting the enclosure down substantially in the evening and just before daybreak, made more convenient by the use of timed misting systems.

Diet:  Panther chameleons are completely insectivorous. Crickets are a solid staple of their diet, as well as silkworms, hornworms and their moths, black soldier flies and larvae, and discoid roaches. Good insect treats are waxworms and butterworms, as they have high fat and water content. Feed juveniles as much as they can eat daily, and adults 5 insects every other day.

Vitamin and mineral supplementation are crucial to be particular with, as panther chameleons are very sensitive to over- or undersupplementation. To make sure your animal is getting the vitamins and minerals they need, use a calcium powder without d3 every feeding, and a multivitamin with d3 twice a month. If you can get a hold of it, Arcadia’s EarthPro A is a great daily powder, along with ZooMed’s Reptivite with d3 for bimonthly dusting. If you have a hard time procuring Arcadia’s supplement, however, a high quality calcium powder without d3 from brands such as ZooMed or Repashy will suffice.

Water: Providing water via misting and via the reptile dripper will accommodate your panther chameleon’s unique drinking needs.

Water should be free of chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals. Use a water conditioner such as ReptiSafe, SeaChem Prime, or an equivalent brand. You can alternatively procure your water through filtration systems designed for drinking water. Distilled and reverse osmosis water are sufficient to use as well, as long as a multivitamin is used in your feeding regimen.