3 month old died

[Salty]

The critter keeper isnt bad. I wouldnt have put it in the cage or even beside it without visual barriers. The small one could have been stressing over what it thought to be a predator the whole time even though the larger one wanted nothing to do with it.

Who knows if that is what happened. I would ask about a guarantee unless you really think it was something you did. Any pics of the cham through out the time you had it?

Just one pic. Since I had him. it's a little blurry. Was taken as I transfered him to the cricket keeper.

 

[CoLoRcHaNgEr13]

My guess would be the glue curing was giving out toxic fumes.

 

[RPCV]

There are hundreds of formulations. Most are relatively safe (for humans); some are not. Can't say with any certainty without knowing the product & manufactuer.

Don't call yourself stupid or blame yourself! I investigate chemical exposures for a living - so natrually that's where my thoughts go (and I may be wrong on this one). I've seen many bad things happen with very intelligent people involved, its not a matter of stupidity.

 

[Salty]

There are hundreds of formulations. Most are relatively safe (for humans); some are not. Can't say with any certainty without knowing the product & manufactuer.

Don't call yourself stupid or blame yourself! I investigate chemical exposures for a living - so natrually that's where my thoughts go (and I may be wrong on this one). I've seen many bad things happen with very intelligent people involved, its not a matter of stupidity.

Which ones would you suggest for chams?

 

[Cainschams]

Poor guy. Sorry to hear that.

Hard to tell from the pic but he doesnt seem to be in horrible shape. If he seemed fine the whole time and then suddenly died I wouldnt rule out the glue.

Stuff happens so dont beat yourself up and its hard to say what it was from.

 

[chameleonfan101]

Sorry for you loss.

 

[Salty]

Thanks for the support guys. I guess in the future I will get them a little older and be more aware of the exact glue I am using. It had almost no smell but Can't be sure...
On the bright side, my other guy started eating today. He ate 2 big mil worms. I opened the cage and was litterally pleading with him to eat. I was super excited when he did. I am hoping that tomorrow he will be interested in some crickets.

 

[Salty]

I am going to move on to a happier thread and try to cheer myself up. Oh! and I'll try to feed my Ambelobe again. That'll make me super happy if he eats.

 

[Elizadolots]

I'm very sorry Salty.

 

[EvilLost]

As for the glue sticks, it is important to give them time to air out and cure. Since that critter keeper was enclosed on all sides, it would hold in any fumes for a bit. How long did you give it to air out?

NOTE: Smell doesn't necessarily mean there are or are not fumes. Many cannot be smelled (or the smell is too weak for us to notice, but not for those tiny guys)


These are just shots in the dark though....as others have said he looked pretty tiny, maybe it just wasn't meant to be :\

 

[carol5208]

The bigger cham is extreemly dosile. I suppose if he really wanted to he could have gotten in but he is to big to get at the little guy in the middle of his jungle gym (where he was at) and I really don't believe that is what happened.

Do you think the cricket keeper was a bad idea?

i think it is possible that he could of gotten stressed over the bigger cham but I don't think it would kill him that fast. I think he would have deteriorated over time if that was the issue. It is just my opinion and I am guessing here. Just trying to help you solve the mystery! I also thought of the glue at first but I thought that might be far fetched, but who knows.

 

[Olimpia]

I think the first and foremost thing that screams to me is having him in a larger cage, just inches away from a much larger chameleon. He must have been freaking out the whole time, just sitting there on red alert waiting to be eaten up at any minute. If he was sick when you got him, that level of acute, sustained stress would definitely have pushed him over the edge.

 

[TyggyToo]

I'm thinking of the offgassing of the glue too in the small area of the plastic container.

If it is at all possible, I would take his body to an exotics vet for necropsy. I understand that most people don't want to spend good money on a dead animal, and sometimes it doesn't give answers anyway, but I'm one of those animal keepers who will necropsy any animal that dies either to [try to] determine the cause of death or confirm what I think I know.

Fumes don't always have odors. Think of carbon monoxide.

Sorry for your loss, Salty. Bad things sometimes happen.

Tyg

 

[K9Luvn]

I am so very sorry to hear you little one died. Please know my heart is with you. I recently had two little ones pass and I chose to spend the $200 to have one of them sent out for necropsy. I was worth the money to me to find out what was going on.

 

[Zen Reptiles]

As a rule of thumb, always use silicone glue when animals are involved and give it at least 24 hours to cure/settle before introducing pets. I usually leave it for 48 hours just to be safe.