Earl came to me in less then favorable condition. He had a number of things going on.
1. He hadn't eaten in three weeks
2. He was Lethargic
3. He had a sore from rubbing on his cage
these were the things I was made aware of. When I picked him up I knew nursing him back to health was going to be a challenge but, I had no idea.
When morning came and I was able to give him a good look over I was in shock. Not only did he have the problems I listed above but he had burns on his tail to the bone. Lethargic was a extreme understatement I literally had to open and close Earls feet to attach him to a limb.
I started by showering Earl every day for an hour. He really seemed to enjoy it and it perked him up. Three days of showering and he was not interested in food.
He weighed 160 grams and I was reluctant to force feed him so I made the decision to dose him with Reptaid. He actually liked the taste of the Reptaid so it was real easy to administer, I also took this opportunity to give Earl water since he didn't seem mind the syringe. After two days Earl passed one of the driest oldest bowel movements I had seen it was obvious he was constipated. I continued the Reptaid
He seemed to watch the crickets in his dish but wouldn't make the effort to eat them. I made him a food chamber (it was a 2x2x4 cage) I put him in it a loaded it with flies and crickets. He finally ate a couple flies and one cricket! It was a beginning.
Now that I had Earl showing an interest in food and being semi active I knew I had to address his tail. I bought some Nolvasan from my vet and began soaking his tail three times a day 3-5 minutes and then I applied silvadene. I wanted the burns to heal from the inside out so I had to keep the tail moist.
There were days when I knew Earl wasn't going to make it, those were the days I would sit on the bathroom floor and beg him "Pleases Earl just one cricket, please Earl just drink a little." I couldn't give up on him. When he looked at me it was as if I could see the plea for help in his eyes.
It has been an uphill battle but I am happy to say today Earl is doing incredible! He weighs 246 grams and has a hearty appetite. He is such a charmer and I am truly blessed to have such a character in my life
Earl was a victim of what can happen when a person has to many chameleons. He was kept in a 18"d x 18"w x 36"h cage and when he wasn't locked in his prison he wandered unsupervised in a greenhouse.
He is now housed in a 4'dx4'wx7'h cage gets to go outside when weather permits and free ranges in the window. He is just loving life.
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1. He hadn't eaten in three weeks
2. He was Lethargic
3. He had a sore from rubbing on his cage
these were the things I was made aware of. When I picked him up I knew nursing him back to health was going to be a challenge but, I had no idea.
When morning came and I was able to give him a good look over I was in shock. Not only did he have the problems I listed above but he had burns on his tail to the bone. Lethargic was a extreme understatement I literally had to open and close Earls feet to attach him to a limb.
I started by showering Earl every day for an hour. He really seemed to enjoy it and it perked him up. Three days of showering and he was not interested in food.
He weighed 160 grams and I was reluctant to force feed him so I made the decision to dose him with Reptaid. He actually liked the taste of the Reptaid so it was real easy to administer, I also took this opportunity to give Earl water since he didn't seem mind the syringe. After two days Earl passed one of the driest oldest bowel movements I had seen it was obvious he was constipated. I continued the Reptaid
He seemed to watch the crickets in his dish but wouldn't make the effort to eat them. I made him a food chamber (it was a 2x2x4 cage) I put him in it a loaded it with flies and crickets. He finally ate a couple flies and one cricket! It was a beginning.
Now that I had Earl showing an interest in food and being semi active I knew I had to address his tail. I bought some Nolvasan from my vet and began soaking his tail three times a day 3-5 minutes and then I applied silvadene. I wanted the burns to heal from the inside out so I had to keep the tail moist.
There were days when I knew Earl wasn't going to make it, those were the days I would sit on the bathroom floor and beg him "Pleases Earl just one cricket, please Earl just drink a little." I couldn't give up on him. When he looked at me it was as if I could see the plea for help in his eyes.
It has been an uphill battle but I am happy to say today Earl is doing incredible! He weighs 246 grams and has a hearty appetite. He is such a charmer and I am truly blessed to have such a character in my life
Earl was a victim of what can happen when a person has to many chameleons. He was kept in a 18"d x 18"w x 36"h cage and when he wasn't locked in his prison he wandered unsupervised in a greenhouse.
He is now housed in a 4'dx4'wx7'h cage gets to go outside when weather permits and free ranges in the window. He is just loving life.
