Panther Chameleon not eating! HELP!

[allan.king]

Hello, I have a male panther chameleon that’s about 9 months old. He was doing fine then suddenly stopped eating. I figured he might of gotten sick of the super worms I fed him for about 3 weeks so I got him crickets and he only ate one. I’d say it’s been nearly 2 weeks where he’s only eaten 1 super worm and 1 cricket. He’s getting very skinny and there is no way I could afford an exotic vet in my area at this time. He sleeps most of the day and likes the cool bottom of his cage. It seemed like he had less coordination using his tongue and it seemed like it wasn’t very sticky. I decided to finally try and force feed him however I could not get him to gape whatsoever. He seemed to just get really stressed out and go completely still and close his eyes so I stopped. Anyone have any tips for dealing with this? I really don’t want him to die

 

[allan.king]

I’m starting a job soon so I’ll be able to afford a vet visit hopefully in a month, I forgot to mention he does have sunken eyes so he definitely is sick. Does anyone know if he will be able to last that long? I can’t tell if he is taking in good a good amount of water or not, I have an automatic mister system as well as a small little fountain. I would give him water with a syringe but again I just cannot get him to open his mouth even after trying all the techniques I could find.

 

[Flick boy]

I’m starting a job soon so I’ll be able to afford a vet visit hopefully in a month, I forgot to mention he does have sunken eyes so he definitely is sick. Does anyone know if he will be able to last that long? I can’t tell if he is taking in good a good amount of water or not, I have an automatic mister system as well as a small little fountain. I would give him water with a syringe but again I just cannot get him to open his mouth even after trying all the techniques I could find.

Can you post pictures of your entire enclosure lights and all and your cham

 

[allan.king]

Can you post pictures of your entire enclosure lights and all and your cham

Here they are, the UVB bulb was replaced last week.

 

[Andrew1283]

I started writing a bunch of husbandry questions but then realized they’re useless right now.

It sounds like your chameleon is in critical condition and his little body is shutting down from lack of nutrition and hydration. The hard exoskeletons of super worms are full of chitin, which is not easy digestible, so super worms are supposed to be used sparingly, and as a treat. It sounds like you have tried manually hydrating him and feeding him but he won’t gape. That and you can’t afford vet care. Your primary objective should be getting him to a vet or he will die

 

[Andrew1283]

When was the last time he pooped?

 

[allan.king]

Here they are, the UVB bulb was replaced last wee

I started writing a bunch of husbandry questions but then realized they’re useless right now.

It sounds like your chameleon is in critical condition and his little body is shutting down from lack of nutrition and hydration. The hard exoskeletons of super worms are full of chitin, which is not easy digestible, so super worms are supposed to be used sparingly, and as a treat. It sounds like you have tried manually hydrating him and feeding him but he won’t gape. That and you can’t afford vet care. Your primary objective should be getting him to a vet or he will die

I figured, do you have any estimations of the cost for a vet visit for a chameleon? Most things I’ve seen are around $200-300, is that accurate?

 

[allan.king]

When was the last time he pooped?

Not sure, I just cleaned up some parts in his cage and didn’t find any I’d say were fresh. So it’s probably been a while.

 

[Andrew1283]

Where are you located?

 

[Flick boy]

Here they are, the UVB bulb was replaced last week.

Hi your uvb bulb is incorrect the compact bulb does not provide enough uv you need a Long linear fluorescent like zoomed t5 ho 5% of arcadia t5 ho 6% this needs changing asap .what supplements are you using ?

 

[Flick boy]

Here they are, the UVB bulb was replaced last week.

You will also want more live plants for him to hide and feel safe what temperature is your basking and your humidity, how are you measuring them , how long do you have him , you can get other feeders like black soldier fly larve, dubia roaches silkworms and locusts, what have you been feeding your supers ?

 

[allan.king]

Where are you located?

I’m in Austin, TX.

 

[allan.king]

Hi your uvb bulb is incorrect the compact bulb does not provide enough uv you need a Long linear fluorescent like zoomed t5 ho 5% of arcadia t5 ho 6% this needs changing asap .what supplements are you using ?

I have one of those in my hometown I’ll be able to get soon, I use Repashy Calcium Plus LoD as well as simple fluckers calcium.

 

[Bazelthechameleon]

Definitely work on scheduling a vet appointment ASAP as this cham needs serious medical attention. After that, if he makes it, you should fill out a husbandry review so we can fix your care and prevent any further issues.

 

[Bazelthechameleon]

I have one of those in my hometown I’ll be able to get soon, I use Repashy Calcium Plus LoD as well as simple fluckers calcium.

What’s your supplementation schedule? How often do you use each type of calcium?

 

[Flick boy]

The light needs to be changed immediately, how old is the one you have ?

 

[allan.king]

You will also want more live plants for him to hide and feel safe what temperature is your basking and your humidity, how are you measuring them , how long do you have him , you can get other feeders like black soldier fly larve, dubia roaches silkworms and locusts, what have you been feeding your supers ?

The plants were more lively but died off due to lack of water, (I thought my mister provided more water to the plants than it did). I’ve had him pretty much the whole 9 months, since he was the size of my thumb. I have a digital thermometer, his hottest point is around 90 F +- a few degrees depending on room temp. Unfortunately I don’t really gut load my feeders, I stop at petco for crickets and worms once a week pretty much since it’s closest. The crickets eat a high calcium food. There is another reptile store in my area that would probably have some better feeder options. If I can revive him I’ll definitely start focusing on mixing it up more. I also have his sister who is doing completely fine.

 

[allan.king]

What’s your supplementation schedule? How often do you use each type of calcium?

I’d use the Repashy one like twice a week then the regular calcium every other time.

 

[allan.king]

The light needs to be changed immediately, how old is the one you have ?

The one I have is brand new.

 

[allan.king]

The one I have is brand new.

It’s a compact UVB 10.0