We raised two clutches of Furcifer pardalis (Panther Chameleons) under controlled conditions to answer a simple question: How do the growth rates of babies raised under UVI 3 and UVI 6 compare? Background Michael Nash recently studied two groups of Furcifer lateralis neonates and found that UVI 7 and UVI 3 resulted in no noticeable difference in growth rates for that species.
Enclosure I tend to use indoor 24"x24"x48" screen enclosures for males, and 18"x18"x36" screen enclosures for females. I add horizontal and vertical boards to the frame which can support 3 levels of horizontal perching branches as well as hold up plants. In the base of the enclosure, I put 12" of bioactive space with drainage, soil barrier, abg mix, spag moss and leaf litter. For microfauna, I use springtails and isopods some red wrigglers and lesser mealworms.
We get a lot of questions about our housing strategy, so I figured I’d provide an organized response. Here is our strategy for hatchling, baby, juvenile, adult male and adult female Furcifer pardalis (Panther Chameleons). Term Age (months) Hatchling 0 - 1 Baby 1 - 4 Juvenile 4 - 8 Adult 8+ Hatchlings We find that it is advantageous to house hatchlings in bio-active tubs because their food items are so small - and would escape screen enclosures - and some hatchlings like to tuck under the leaves near the soil (ABG mix) while digesting their remaining yolk.
Given that wild baby Panther Chameleons are often found in low brush or tall grass, we would like to simulate that as much as possible. So in 2019, we are experimenting with raising our babies in bio bins for the first month. We have multiple soil layers (drainage, abg & leaf) and 3 - 4 species of insects in every bin.
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