A bit skinny? (Pygmy Leaf Chameleon)

[Teasekitten]

We had Mushu for about a month and a half. He eats (I last saw him eat about 4 days ago. He may have eaten after that but I haven't watched), he's misted 2-3 times daily, and is kept at a temp about 72F. He was the smaller of the two at my fiance's work. I recently brought him to my house (we do not live together yet) because I feel he should be misted 3 times spaced out morning, afternoon, and night which he cannot do due to the responsibilities of being a manager. I do a lot of work, but during most of it I am at home.

Anyway, here are some pictures when we first got him.

And these were taken today.

He seems a little on the skinny side to me. I'm no expert on chameleons by far but from the other pictures I looked at, he doesn't seem normal. Should I be alarmed or am I just being paranoid?

 

[Julirs]

I agree-he seems a bit skinny. Is he a wild caught or captive bred? What are you feeding him?

That is not his house with the colored gravel-right? What are you housing him in? Was he housed with another male?

 

[Niels Pedersen]

I would say you have a little Ri. brevicaudatus female.
He does not look healthy IMO.

 

[Teasekitten]

Well, my fiance ordered 2 of them for work from a supplier. And, no, I have two firebellies living in the tank you saw. Here is a picture of Mushu's setup. (My fiance set it up, today I am going to do a scrubdown of his tree and I'm going to take out a bit of the moss and substrate on the bottom because I believe the crickets are hiding in it, I feed him (or her now?) small crickets and like I've said, I've seen him(her?) eat and when he(she?) was in my Fiance's care he did as well).

Btw, that's a piece of cardboard you see to prevent the substrate oozing out :O.

Thanks, Niels. I knew what type of Pygmy Mushu was but we had no idea of the sex! Lol, Mushu can be a girl name, RIGHT!? I fell in love with that name because I figured Mushu in Milan was real small and he was a hero, so Mushu's my little hero! How can you tell for future reference?

I just want to know if there's anything I can do, because my Fiance only has experience with larger-type chameleons (Cameron the veiled is doing quite nicely :]..except he's a friggen jerk).

Do you guys think it would be better for me to take out some of the substrate that the crickets are burrowing in, because maybe he(she?)'s having trouble finding them and therefore Mushu isn't eating as often? That's the only guess I've got.

 

[Julirs]

The trouble with pygmies is that there is often nothing you can do. I would try to make sure he (not so sure that is a female) is eating, but that is difficult with the pygmies also. The trouble is that when you get them and you are not sure of their age they could easily be at the end of their natural lifespan. Vets really don't usually know what to do with the tiny things as it is easy to do more harm then good with them.

 

[Teasekitten]

So you also think I should remove a bit of the substrate on the bottom? Because I know he ate...I just don't know if he's eating as often as he should. (Lol I refuse to call Mushu a he until a further reply from Niels ).

I'm not sure if the supplier he got Mushu from was a separate breeder (which would be good because I'd hope they'd be a bit more knowledgeable). If that's the case, then I don't think they would have shipped over one at the end of it's lifespan. Plus he is a little over an inch, maybe an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half. I figure he should grow a bit more. But then again, he could be a runt. I had a beagle who ended up being half the actual size of a beagle.

 

[Julirs]

I am at work and can't see the pictures, so I am unsure of the substrate. He could have parasites of some kind being that he looks so thin. Are his eyes open most of the time? It is just truly difficult to save them once they take a downwards turn.

 

[Teasekitten]

Yes, his eyes are open the majority of the time I'm looking at him. Sometimes he closes them when he's a tad sleepy, but other than that he's usually active.

You know, I have a cat like this. He was born May 15th 1993 and he's still alive and kicking. Could it be that he's just normally skinny? My cat has been skinny his whole life and eats like a cow. I understand these two are totally different but throughout all species there are some that are just skinnier than the rest. He seems to be fine other than that, so I don't know.

 

[Teasekitten]

Good news guys! Like I had planned on doing, I redid the setup that my Fiance had and I threw out nearly all the substrate/moss but a tiny bit of each lining the floor. I put some small crickets in there and I saw him chow down on one! OMNOMNOM.

I hope things are going to go better for him soon!

Pic of the change:

!

 

[Julirs]

Is that a 10 gallon tank on it's side? You can just use it regularly-it will be tall enough for one or two pygmies. How do you keep the water from running out, or even open it, or keep the feeders in? It may be a female, and in that case you would want the substrate at least 3" deep in case she needed to lay eggs.
I worry that you can see so much leg bone. Here are pics of a bunch that I hatched this year:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/pygmeleon-extravaganza-17283/

 

[Teasekitten]

Yes it is. I plan on using it for his regular home because any bigger and poor mushu will get lost and won't be able to find his food! I only have one and only plan on keeping one for now at least. I need to get Mushu back into good health before I focus on trying to keep another one in there and stressing him out.

The reason I took out most of the substrate is because the crickets were burrowing and drying up in it. I found at least 5 dead crickets in all that I removed, and I am sure there were more that I missed. That's why I think he's been getting so skinny to begin with.

There's been no issue with the water. I hand mist 3 times daily, and like I said there's a piece of cardboard at the bottom to keep anything from seeping out. To open it, I just take the two tank clips off (because without tank clips the lid will easily fall off) and pull the lid towards me.

Josh and I also talked about Mushu's leg bones and had that mutual concern and that's why I wanted to see what other people had to say. Hopefully this change in the amount of bedding will help him out as it's seeming to already. I'm hoping that I can post recovery pictures asap. He really is a sweetheart and I'd hate to lose him!

 

[THECHAMMAN]

hes older than me WOW. im amazed he lived for like 15 years.

 

[Julirs]

hes older than me WOW. im amazed he lived for like 15 years.

What? I am lost here?

 

[THECHAMMAN]

a couple of posts ago, she said that the pyg was born may 15 1993

 

[Teasekitten]

Nonono, that's my CAT. :] He's still with me right now.

Btw, very cute hatchling pics, Julirs!

 

[THECHAMMAN]

whoops, my bad.