i have a sick 5mo old male panther. i have talked to my breeder about him and he seems like he dont care. so I registered to this and I thought maybe I can get some help here.

alright if anybody has experience on panther please help me out.

well I have researched quit a bit on the internet and it seems like he might have that metabolic bone disease. he is very shakey, sometimes he hangs by his back feet. he wasnt eating for a few days and now hes gradually eating a couple crickets a day. hes still drinking alot. he also has gout behing his head on both sides. i no this sounds like all from nutrition problems. i had just got back from vacation and my neibor I dont think new the proper ways to take care of him. i really regret going and I wish I wouldnt have. but anyway I take him out in the sun for an hour at a time a few times a day. he seems to really like that. i have to pull off most of the legs to the crickets so he can get at them easier. i need someone to let me now if they no anything on how to help him get better. any ideas on what to do.

i really appreciate any help I can recieve thank u

Welcome to HC. From the sounds of it her really doesn't sound too bad off if he's eating and drinking well. I would focus on making sure you have optimal temps. and humidity, as well as a good UV light that produces UVA and UVB. A good all in one light are the new HQL that put out 7% UVB a 80 watt should put you in the temp range you want.

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UVB is VERY important. He should have it in his cage at all times and should have a good heat gradient in his enclosure.

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How is the enclosure set up ?? let us know all the details and that will help in finding out whats wrong.

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Ken
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well the cage is 18x24x12. its a screen cage. i have a real pathos plant and a few fake vines and climbing vines. ive got a little dripper which I manage all day. an exo terra sun glo its either a 50w or 60w. and a esu reptile slimline with super uv lamp. i keep the temp between 70-80 I nthe day and 60-70 at night. i also use an infred zoo med 100w light at night. i think thats it pretty much all.

Im not an expert but I know for veiled chameleons that the temperature during the day should be 85 to 90 and at night should be 70 to 80 during the night.......is he getting alot of calcium because chameleons need a calcium supplement........and even though the temps might be at the range it doesnt mean the temperature gradient is that temp...as I said I own a veiled chameleon I dont know if the temps are different for a panther......and make sure your a giving him calcium when you feed him the crickets .......without calcium they become very weak and shake alot trying to move due to weak bones

Did you remove the plastic sheild beneath the bulb on the Slimline? UVB does not penetrate the plastic.
A trip to a qualified Herp Vet is in order. If it is Metabolic Bone Disease the vet can give an injection of calcium to get the problem reversed.
Your temps are a bit low. The recomendation for Panthers is a range of 75 cool and 85 high with a basking spot of 85-90 degrees.
Your cage is also a bit small. The minimum suggested for a 6 month old Panther is 18x18x36 while bigger is better.

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I just took that plastic off. i did not know that wasnt suppose to be on there. i have a bigger cage but its a 4foot by something cage and I didnt want to put him in it while he was ill. is it expensive to take him to the vet and get that shot. wont they have to do x rays and all that? is there any other kinda of food I can try to give him that they sell at normal pet stores. we have petland, petsmart, pets supplies plus and petco.

Unfortunately, owning a reptile means regular vet visits - especially when the animal shows signs of being sick. And they can be expensive. I can't stress enough how vital it is that you plan for this and have money set aside for it. It can sometimes mean the difference between your animal recovering and leading a long full life, or dying.

Metabolic Bone Disease is a serious disease that can kill. You can make sure the UVB is working, take him outside daily into the sunshine, and dust his food with calcium, but that doesn't guarantee that he'll recover, or that he actually does have Metabolic Bone Disease at all. A vet visit at this point is really essential to his health.

It may be a little pricey, but isn't it worth making sure your chameleon doesn't die?

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yes I understand on the whole vet deal. but I dont work its my boyfriend who brings in the money. i told him before we even got the chameleon that is wasnt going to be cheap. but now that he is sick he dont want to fork up money for a vet or even to try and make him feel better. so I just got done calling a vet and now my boyfriends mad cause we have to pay to put him to sleep. i dont want to sit here and watch him suffer. he dosnt understand how much this chameleon means to me.