Sick Tito

RFD

New Member
Not sure - what to do-- do not have a vet within 50 miles. changed cages about two weeks ago-- he stopped eating. would drink -- wathced him -- but now just pale green hanging upside down. Have collard greens, crickets, roach and superworms-- He has 2-40 wat bulbs for heat and a 13W UVB-- misting twice a day for 40 sec.

Picture attached is him now-- eyes are sinking in-- don't know the age because got him from some else.

Not sure what to do-- I put him back in the smaller cage and brought him outside for some fresh air and sunlight

any suggestions
 

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I'm sorry to see that your little man is not doing well. Some outside time is a good thing but don't let him get to hot. Make sure he's well hydrated. Keep a mister and dripper going while he's outside. Where do you live? I might be able to recommend a vet for you. Sometimes you do have to drive a ways to a good one. My specialist is 4 and 1/2 hours away but he is well worth it.
 
Not sure - what to do-- do not have a vet within 50 miles. changed cages about two weeks ago-- he stopped eating. would drink -- wathced him -- but now just pale green hanging upside down. Have collard greens, crickets, roach and superworms-- He has 2-40 wat bulbs for heat and a 13W UVB-- misting twice a day for 40 sec.

Picture attached is him now-- eyes are sinking in-- don't know the age because got him from some else.

Not sure what to do-- I put him back in the smaller cage and brought him outside for some fresh air and sunlight

any suggestions

What is the humidity level in his cage? What temps do those bulbs produce? What's the temp in the room? Does the cage area cool down at night? To what temp? My first idea is that he may be dehydrated and overheated (often dehydrated chams stop eating), but without more specific info hard to say.

BTW, jax usually don't eat much if any plant material so feed the salad to your insects. And, having a vet within 50 miles would be a luxury if they are experienced!
 
Well I quess I was too late -- he passed about 10 minutes ago

Thought I had the right set up-- even spolied him-- not sure how old he was.

But just for reference purposes

Cage 18x18x36
2- 40 ext-terra bulbs
1-13 W UVB
Monsoon mister - twice a day 30 sec each
fogger 90 minutes
lights on 12 hours
basking temp- 80
mid cage 72
evening 70
humity 40 - 65

Not sure what I did wrong-- sick to my stomach--feel like crap
 
In the photo, his eyes do look sunken in. Jacksons need a lot of water - more probably then other types of chameleons. My Jax takes a very long time, sometimes over a minute, of misting to decide if he wants to drink or not. Misting twice a day for 30 seconds each is too little. I would suggest something more like 2 or 3 times a day for 5 minutes minimum. Did you run a dripper? Jax also seem to like sitting under the drips to help thermoregulate and to drink randomly during the day. Some chameleons also never really learn to like misters and only drink well from drips. Chronic, low level dehydration can be really hard on the organs. Based on what others had posted, Jax may have a hard time recovering, too, even with enough misting.

I'm sorry to hear you lost Tito. He was a doll.
 
Thank you-- I read everything I could - but could never get the right mixture of humidity to heat. i kept reading that the bottom of the cage should be dry and not to mist after abour 5 to leave the lighting to dry the cage for the final 3 hours of the night. I never seemed to work-- the humidity was always best at night right after the lights went out at about 60 %.

I am so confused-- when I left the fogger on in the begining he seemed to do well. But I guess I recieved the wrong information.

not sure what I will do next-- thought I had the perfect set up.

The picture is the cage I set up
 

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Thank you-- I read everything I could - but could never get the right mixture of humidity to heat. i kept reading that the bottom of the cage should be dry and not to mist after abour 5 to leave the lighting to dry the cage for the final 3 hours of the night. I never seemed to work-- the humidity was always best at night right after the lights went out at about 60 %.

I am so confused-- when I left the fogger on in the begining he seemed to do well. But I guess I recieved the wrong information.

not sure what I will do next-- thought I had the perfect set up.

The picture is the cage I set up

It always hurts to lose an animal friend. Generally your care seems good, and your cage looks nice - plenty of places to climb and live plants. I would just recommend more misting or run a dripper so that your cham has longer access to drinking water.

Obviously, I can't know that's what lead to Tito passing away. He could have had other issues. It's just a general recommendation for the future. I worry less about maintaining humidity levels when I know there is good access to liquid water. Spikes around 60-80% RH during misting, with a drop in between and overnight is fine. I stop misting at about 6pm so that the cage can dry out over night - you're right that this is good. For montane chameleons like Jacksons, it's a bit of a balance to find the right methods to keep them well hydrated, especially if there are picky or shy drinkers.

The caresheets here are good, if you haven't read them before.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/

Give yourself some time to mourn, and soon you'll be ready to welcome a new cham into your heart.
 
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