Chameleon constipated

[cutiepascal]

Hello everyone i have an adult female panther chameleon named Pascal her exact age is unknown but I've had her for 2-3 years. She has been constipated struggling to poop for about a month now, to make matters worse she is also pregnant .. her belly is very big and everyday she tries pushing but nothing comes out except for a little bit of her (white) urate.

I have tried warm showers everyday, belly rubs, wax worms, heating pad and baths and nothing seems to work. I've taken her to the vet twice now they did an x ray and said they could see her eggs and some poop in there and gave me some drops to put in a bath for her but they did not help. Most recently they did some kind of flush on her bottom to see if it would help and just said to keep her hydrated, nothing more they can do. If anyone has advice its greatly appreciated i can tell she has discomfort and hasn't been ready to lay yet. I also could've sworn I've seen an egg blocking her hole and only her urates seem to be able to go around it.

 

[Pearl Fields]

I do know that you should not give baths to a chameleon. Not sure about the rest. But she could be egg bound. I don’t know much beyond that lol just trying to help a little, but more knowledgeable people can help on this one more.

 

[cutiepascal]

I do know that you should not give baths to a chameleon. Not sure about the rest. But she could be egg bound. I don’t know much beyond that lol just trying to help a little, but more knowledgeable people can help on this one more.

Thank you for your response. I gave a bath because the vet recommended it and I made sure it was very shallow but i will avoid giving her more thank you.

 

[MissSkittles]

Your vet can prescribe Lactulose and if that doesn’t work, Cisapride. I’ve given both to a leopard gecko and they worked.

 

[cutiepascal]

Your vet can prescribe Lactulose and if that doesn’t work, Cisapride. I’ve given both to a leopard gecko and they worked.

Ok thank you very much ! I will call and ask the vet if they can do that for me

 

[JacksJill]

One possible cause of constipation can be over supplementation. Excessive amounts of calcium can slow digestion as can too much oral D3. I'm not saying don't use these just use them carefully. Dust lightly with your phosphorus free calcium daily and lightly on your twice monthly D3. Same with your multi vitamin.

 

[cutiepascal]

One possible cause of constipation can be over supplementation. Excessive amounts of calcium can slow digestion as can too much oral D3. I'm not saying don't use these just use them carefully. Dust lightly with your phosphorus free calcium daily and lightly on your twice monthly D3. Same with your multi vitamin.

Ok thank you very much I will keep that in mind when dusting.

 

[Beman]

Personally I would find a different Vet. A vet that knows chameleons would not advice a bath. You can get hornworms to see if this helps loosen her up but I would really consider finding a vet that is more knowledgeable about chameleons. If you let us know what city and state your in we may be able to give you some resources on a good vet near you.

 

[Haley Hendrix]

i was also going to recommend trying hornworms until vet visit.

 

[cutiepascal]

Personally I would find a different Vet. A vet that knows chameleons would not advice a bath. You can get hornworms to see if this helps loosen her up but I would really consider finding a vet that is more knowledgeable about chameleons. If you let us know what city and state your in we may be able to give you some resources on a good vet near you.

Thanks for your response. I have had trouble finding a reptile vet near me supposedly the vet we went to deals with reptiles but they did seem not knowledgeable enough, I have tried horn worms and she is not interested in eating them. I live in Costa Mesa, California.

 

[Haley Hendrix]

Thanks for your response. I have had trouble finding a reptile vet near me supposedly the vet we went to deals with reptiles but they did seem not knowledgeable enough, I have tried horn worms and she is not interested in eating them. I live in Costa Mesa, California.

Hmm. Usually no chameleon can resist a hornworm. How are you attempting to feed her the worm?

 

[Ramrod]

Thanks for your response. I have had trouble finding a reptile vet near me supposedly the vet we went to deals with reptiles but they did seem not knowledgeable enough, I have tried horn worms and she is not interested in eating them. I live in Costa Mesa, California.

I have a good vet down here in Rancho San Diego Animal Hospital (Rebecca Brown). But that is a bit of a drive from Costa Mesa.
Don't think I could add anything to the responses you already have. Keep looking?

 

[Haley Hendrix]

Thanks for your response. I have had trouble finding a reptile vet near me supposedly the vet we went to deals with reptiles but they did seem not knowledgeable enough, I have tried horn worms and she is not interested in eating them. I live in Costa Mesa, California.

https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661
I don’t know how far your willing to go. Hopefully you can find one though. Here’s a link for vets.

 

[Beman]

@jannb Do you know of any vets near Costa Mesa, CA

 

[kinyonga]

Please post a recent photo of her.

You said..."some drops to put in a bath"...what kind of drops?
Did you see the X-rays? Can you tell where the poop is in relation to the eggs? Where the "eggs" round or oval? Can you estimate the number of eggs she has in her? Was she unmated?
Has she laid eggs before?

What supplements SPECIFICALLY are you using and how often for each? (I especially want to know if they are calcium or calcium with D3 or have preformed vitamin A (retinol, retinyl, etc) or prOformed vitamin A (beta carotene) in them.

 

[jannb]

@jannb Do you know of any vets near Costa Mesa, CA

Attila Molnar, DVM *
All Animals Medical Center, Calabasas, California - (818) 591-2773

Geoffrey Stein, DVM *
Shipp's Animal Hospital, 351 Foothill Blvd., Beverly Hills - (310) 550-0101

Daniel Reimer, DVM *
Adler Veterinary Clinic, North Hills, California - (818) 893-6366

Thomas H. Boyer, DVM
Pet Hospital of Penasquitos, 888-F Carmel Mountain Road, San Diego, CA - (858) 484-3490
Pet Hospital of Penasquitos

Todd R. Cecil, DVM
Pet Emergency and Specialty Center, Chula Vista, CA (619) 591-4802 and La Mesa, CA (619) 462-4800

Tom Greek, DVM
Greek & Associates Veterinary Hospital, 23687 Via Del Rio, Yorba Linda - (714) 463-1190 or (866) 940-7028
www.tomgreek.com

 

[cutiepascal]

Please post a recent photo of her.

You said..."some drops to put in a bath"...what kind of drops?
Did you see the X-rays? Can you tell where the poop is in relation to the eggs? Where the "eggs" round or oval? Can you estimate the number of eggs she has in her? Was she unmated?
Has she laid eggs before?

What supplements SPECIFICALLY are you using and how often for each? (I especially want to know if they are calcium or calcium with D3 or have preformed vitamin A (retinol, retinyl, etc) or prOformed vitamin A (beta carotene) in them.

Yes for the soak I am reading the bottle and it just says "DSS soak" "place 2 drops per liter of water and soak for 20 min every 12 hours for 7 days". The vet did not show me the x rays and I asked how many eggs and she said she couldn't tell because it was all shadows. She has not been mated since I've had her as for before i'm not sure. She has been laying ever since i got her 2-3 years ago. As for supplements she gets calcium everyday and calcium with D3 every other Tuesday on the opposite Tuesdays she gets liquid multivatamin, as for the exact ingredients I don't have them in original packaging anymore so I don't know that information.

 

[cutiepascal]

Hmm. Usually no chameleon can resist a hornworm. How are you attempting to feed her the worm?

She really likes horn worms but usually when she becomes pregnant she is less interested in food .. also maybe her constipation is making her less hungry as well. I usually let one loose in her cage or put it in a feeding cup near the top of her cage.

 

[kinyonga]

@cutiepascal said..."She really likes horn worms but usually when she becomes pregnant she is less interested in food .. also maybe her constipation is making her less hungry as well. I usually let one loose in her cage or put it in a feeding cup near the top of her cage"...is she pooping at al?
How many eggs has she laid in previous batches? When did she lay last?

 

[cutiepascal]

@cutiepascal said..."She really likes horn worms but usually when she becomes pregnant she is less interested in food .. also maybe her constipation is making her less hungry as well. I usually let one loose in her cage or put it in a feeding cup near the top of her cage"...is she pooping at al?
How many eggs has she laid in previous batches? When did she lay last?

She usually lays about 28 eggs last time she layed was a couple months ago. She hasnt pooped in a whole month she just tries pushing and nothing comes out except a little bit of her urate.