CKC32327
New Member
Dave is a 6 month old panther chameleon who has always been a vigorous eater, outgoing and very active. She has been in a variety of cages as she has grown; all screen with live plants except while changing from her last homemade screen cage to her reptibreeze (damn crickets kept escaping) she was in a ten gallon tank with a small ficus and some vine for at most 2 weeks (more like a 8-10 days) with a screen top. She did well in there and ate and pooped more than ever! Way easier to catch crickets when they can't escape!
Now in her new environment she has been getting more and more listless, sleeps during the day. Her eyes seem to bother her, scratching and "bulging" them out. She keeps them closed even when trying to move around.
I have started gently wiping them every afternoon about 5pm (get home from work) with warm water on a q-tip and blotting them dry with a paper towel. She opens them up fully and "runs" around then.
Sunday she didn't do much; I let her be.
Monday she ate one cricket (first I have known her to eat since friday).
Today I caught her pooping and it was a tiny gelatinous bit of white with clear goo and the brown part is more gray and gelatinous as well. One cricket doesn't make for much.
She was getting heavily dusted crickets with the herpivite and calcium with d-3 about every other day.
The crickets ate orange cricket food for gut load and some layer hen ration/scratch feed as a staple diet.
When I first noticed her feeling ill, I researched and have now stopped all supplements until I can get the calcium w/o d-3. (tomorrow) She drinks well, and will even let me spray her in the mouth or on the leaf in front of her and drink readily.
Today I also noticed she seems afraid of the crickets...She stayed light colored but gaped as one came too close. She watched it fairly intently until it got too close. There are not a bunch in there, and she gaped at the loner. I gave her some pin head/smalls to see what would happen and she wasn't interested in them either. She drank a bit, crawled around on the top and finally settled onto the umbrella and has stayed there since 655pm or so tonight.
She is stressing me out, she looks terribly skinny just overnight. I don't know how to post pictures in here and I would hate to wake her. She doesn't look so skinny puffed up asleep.
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Ambanja Panther female 6 months in my care since she was 5 weeks old.
Handling - Three times a week or so.
Feeding - Full size crickets, 6-7 generally eats about 5. Every day after work (5pm) They eat cricket orange cricket food.
Supplements - ReptiCal calcium with d/3 and Herptivite (none for the past 4 days)
Watering - Only a hand spraying; 7am and 5pm and 7pm (sometimes) More often weekends when I am home during the day. Several minutes, I see her drink every 5pm spray.
Fecal Description - Has been very healthy droppings, past few days minimal droppings light orange/yellow clear gelatinous with grayish "poop" part. Never been tested, do not see anything of note in the droppings.
History - The long story above.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - A small Reptibreeze.
Lighting - The twirly Zilla light 5.0; basking fluorescent light too. On at 645am till 8-830pm. Turn off earlier if she curls up to sleep.
Temperature - She has a basking spot of 90 ambient temp about 76-78, night temp 65-70. Measure with gauges.
Humidity - I was worried as the gauge showed 30, but I had it in the basking area. I moved it last night, put some wrap around back and one side of cage, was 50 at the lowest today. Goes up to 90 when I mist. Temp/hum gauge.
Plants - Two bonsai ficus and one "large" umbrella plant (reaches top of reptibreeze). Also fake vine and a dowel.
Placement - Cage is only a few inches off the floor on the bottom "shelf" of a ten gallon fish tank stand. It is in a high traffic area as my whole house is high traffic due to size. No fans, but close to the front door.
Location - Panhandle of Fl
Current Problem - Listless, eyes closed and irritated (no goo in them) not eating. Not showing any dark stress colors, staying very light. Will gape at crickets and randomly gape and seems to "breath hard" for 3 seconds or so. Somestimes, it seems she is trying to swallow something, however I got the option to look right down her gaping mouth and there is nothing in her mouth or throat.
Well, there is my book...any thoughts? I can't get time off until Friday to take her to the vet. Thank you all in advance, any sharing of your wisdom would be MOST appreciated.
~Cheri
One pic of her Monday feeling sick and a week and a half or so back fat and happy.
Now in her new environment she has been getting more and more listless, sleeps during the day. Her eyes seem to bother her, scratching and "bulging" them out. She keeps them closed even when trying to move around.
I have started gently wiping them every afternoon about 5pm (get home from work) with warm water on a q-tip and blotting them dry with a paper towel. She opens them up fully and "runs" around then.
Sunday she didn't do much; I let her be.
Monday she ate one cricket (first I have known her to eat since friday).
Today I caught her pooping and it was a tiny gelatinous bit of white with clear goo and the brown part is more gray and gelatinous as well. One cricket doesn't make for much.
She was getting heavily dusted crickets with the herpivite and calcium with d-3 about every other day.
The crickets ate orange cricket food for gut load and some layer hen ration/scratch feed as a staple diet.
When I first noticed her feeling ill, I researched and have now stopped all supplements until I can get the calcium w/o d-3. (tomorrow) She drinks well, and will even let me spray her in the mouth or on the leaf in front of her and drink readily.
Today I also noticed she seems afraid of the crickets...She stayed light colored but gaped as one came too close. She watched it fairly intently until it got too close. There are not a bunch in there, and she gaped at the loner. I gave her some pin head/smalls to see what would happen and she wasn't interested in them either. She drank a bit, crawled around on the top and finally settled onto the umbrella and has stayed there since 655pm or so tonight.
She is stressing me out, she looks terribly skinny just overnight. I don't know how to post pictures in here and I would hate to wake her. She doesn't look so skinny puffed up asleep.
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Ambanja Panther female 6 months in my care since she was 5 weeks old.
Handling - Three times a week or so.
Feeding - Full size crickets, 6-7 generally eats about 5. Every day after work (5pm) They eat cricket orange cricket food.
Supplements - ReptiCal calcium with d/3 and Herptivite (none for the past 4 days)
Watering - Only a hand spraying; 7am and 5pm and 7pm (sometimes) More often weekends when I am home during the day. Several minutes, I see her drink every 5pm spray.
Fecal Description - Has been very healthy droppings, past few days minimal droppings light orange/yellow clear gelatinous with grayish "poop" part. Never been tested, do not see anything of note in the droppings.
History - The long story above.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - A small Reptibreeze.
Lighting - The twirly Zilla light 5.0; basking fluorescent light too. On at 645am till 8-830pm. Turn off earlier if she curls up to sleep.
Temperature - She has a basking spot of 90 ambient temp about 76-78, night temp 65-70. Measure with gauges.
Humidity - I was worried as the gauge showed 30, but I had it in the basking area. I moved it last night, put some wrap around back and one side of cage, was 50 at the lowest today. Goes up to 90 when I mist. Temp/hum gauge.
Plants - Two bonsai ficus and one "large" umbrella plant (reaches top of reptibreeze). Also fake vine and a dowel.
Placement - Cage is only a few inches off the floor on the bottom "shelf" of a ten gallon fish tank stand. It is in a high traffic area as my whole house is high traffic due to size. No fans, but close to the front door.
Location - Panhandle of Fl
Current Problem - Listless, eyes closed and irritated (no goo in them) not eating. Not showing any dark stress colors, staying very light. Will gape at crickets and randomly gape and seems to "breath hard" for 3 seconds or so. Somestimes, it seems she is trying to swallow something, however I got the option to look right down her gaping mouth and there is nothing in her mouth or throat.
Well, there is my book...any thoughts? I can't get time off until Friday to take her to the vet. Thank you all in advance, any sharing of your wisdom would be MOST appreciated.
~Cheri
One pic of her Monday feeling sick and a week and a half or so back fat and happy.
