Hun she looks really bad. I would not keep moving her inside then outside. Too much stress on her tiny body right now.
6 Mo. Female Veiled Chameleon Sick? Any tips or advice would be helpful.
- Thread starter vraspo
- Start date
Syreptyon
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'm afraid those eyes say something worse than just "she's dehydrated". I tend to only see eyes looking that sunken in in chameleons that have very little time left with us. Definitely minimize the amount of interaction with her so she can try to rest.
Being taken into the shower is rather stressful even for healthy chameleons, so I would be afraid that it would be too much for the little lady
Being taken into the shower is rather stressful even for healthy chameleons, so I would be afraid that it would be too much for the little lady
vraspo
Member
So would it be better to keep her inside or outside? She spent the entire day and night outside in her cage yesterday and most of the day today and I want to advise who is watching her this weekend to do the same depending on what is best for her right now per your recommendations. I just gave her another drop of Baytril and my roommate held her up.
Ok so then hold off on the shower idea then? I just want to know what else I can do right now or advise per the person watching her tonight and on the weekend while i'm away to best let her rest. I have only been handling her to give her Baytril shots and previously with water but will leave her alone now that I know it isn't advised.
Yes leave her inside where her environment is controlled and she is not at risk from predators. Honestly with you leaving having someone else come into to this situation to try to give her care is going to be very hard when they do not know what they are doing. She may not make it another day much less until you get back. While keeping her hydrated is important I think the shower may be too much for her as well. As you have learned they aspirate water very easily. If the person is able to try to continue to give her water then that would be good.
I know this is stressful and hard. But she is pretty far gone right now. As @Syreptyon said her eyes are more then just dehydrated.
I know this is stressful and hard. But she is pretty far gone right now. As @Syreptyon said her eyes are more then just dehydrated.
vraspo
Member
Ok gotcha, so I should bring her in right now? How long should I leave her lamps on for the rest of the night? She isn't in danger from any predators as she is locked in her cage. I am going to ditch the shower idea but want to know how my girlfriend's roommate can give her water properly - she should just mist the cage and refill the dripper.. is that good enough? Does she need to give any water via syringe or spoon at any point? Thanks for all the advice.
Yes bring her in now. Her lights should be left on for 12 hours and off for 12 hours. So if sunrise was 7 am (since she was outside) then they need to be turned off at 7 pm. Having them on a timer will help with this. Have your friend mist her cage for at least 2 minutes each time to try to trigger her to drink. Have her dripper going as well. Refilling whatever has water and Making sure they are doing it is important. They can try to give the water via syringe but they have to give it properly and slowly so they don't aspirate her.
You need to prepare the friend as well that she could pass while your gone. She is very bad now and even if I was in your situation I do not feel I have the skill level to rehab a baby in such critical condition.
vraspo
Member
The chameleon owner advised me to leave her outside and said she was better off as they naturally live outdoors in similar conditions. It's similar temperatures to what she would get in the cage and right now the basking bulb and UVA being at the top of her cage isn't helping too much considering she's on the floor and I don't know if it can even reach her as opposed to the sun. Plus stinky indoor air < outdoor fresh air. But then again, i'm not an expert but these are just things I discussed that seemed to make sense. She spent the night outside and went around the sun around 11am and has been there since so if I brought her in I would just leave the lights off for the rest of the night?
I will have her mist the cage and remind her to do so while I am gone. I just can't tell if she is actually taking the water off the leaves or not. I will show her how to put the syringe in the corner of the mouth and to only drop droplets at a time if she does take this route. How many droplets is a good amount to hydrate her? I will also prepare her for worst case scenarios and maybe put her in a comfortable shoe box if the worst does come until we come back and can bury her. Hoping for the best and a miracle recovery though, I appreciate all the helpful suggestions so much.
It is entirely up to you where you prefer to keep her. If she has always been outside then do that. Honestly for me it would be to keep her where she has been most comfortable. But ensure that she is not in direct sun if left outside. I wish I had the rehab skills to give you more information but I do not. I can tell you what not to do with husbandry but that is it. I have no direct knowledge of rehab only what I have read.
vraspo
Member
No worries, Beman. I appreciate you promptly responding to everything and providing all the information you can thus far. She seems to be comfortable outside compared to inside. She is shaded by a branch and not in the direct sun so no worries there.
Well good luck with everything. I hope the little girl pulls through.
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