A few questions about my Jacksons...

[mattj]

Hello everyone, over the past two weeks my Jackons started to shed. He eating slowed down and I have caught him with his eyes closed a lot lately. I know this is not good. His urate was starting to get a little orange, so I upped his water and mistings. He was drinking fine, drinking a lot. Even recently started to give him a shower, twice in about 5 days now. I also started to mis in some pedialyte with his water. He also hasn't been eating. I saw him eat one cricket about a week and a half ago. And he actually just ate one waxworm this morning. But since he ate that worm he had his eyes closed for almost two hours.

Yesterday, he was hanging out kind of low his in cage when I started a water drip. He actually went into the bowl and started sipping from the water in the bowl. I picked up him and then put him in the shower after that, where he was drinking right away. The whole drinking from the bowl thing worried me, so I called the reptile store where I purchased him last year. I was told to bring him and they would check him out.

I went in and the guy there said the same things I was thinking. His color looked fine, eyes looked fine. Had a firm grip. But what did surprise me was his suggestion on how old my cham is. He said hes probably about 5 years old. Which kind of pissed me off because when I bought him from there a year ago. I was told he was about a year. So now im thinking that maybe hes just getting old and this is leading to his being more lethargic and having his eyes closed.

I know you guys normally like us to fill out that survey sheet, I just didnt know where it was.

But his water and mistings are fairly regular. Like I said hes been drinking fine. Have had crickets in there for about 2 weeks now. Its a medium size reptibreeze cage, appx 80 degrees during the day, right next to a window, and about about 75-80% humidity. Plenty of vines and a live pothos. Dont know what could be wrong.

Any suggestions?

 

[Elizadolots]

Hi! Here's a link to the How to Ask for Help form: https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/ Click that, copy the questions, paste them into a reply then add your answers. Please be as specific as possible. Names of supplements, names of bulbs. Pictures are often more valuable than anything you can write so if you can include them, please do (get a variety, a long shot to show the whole set up in the room, closer shots of the way the cage is laid out (and the lights!), full body shots of the chameleon).

What bowl is he drinking from? Unless it is very shallow indeed, I would suggest no bowls of water in the enclosure. If it's a catch bowl for the water drip, then cover it with nylon net or a piece of a nylon stocking. Secure that really well so that if he happened to fall into the bowl he will not drown (and we have had stories of chameleons drowning in the catch bowl!).

 

[mattj]

Sorry I wasnt able to really check out this response till last night. As of right now my cham has had his eyes closed for two whole days now. This morning is actually the third. He didnt even open them when I took him out of his cage to put him in the shower.

Things are not looking good right now. He actually ate a waxworm the other day but hasnt done anything since. He was drinking. But even in the shower as I type this, his eyes are closed and just totally unresponsive. Moved a little thats about it.

Can it be just old age? I was shocked to hear how old the store thought he was. Just seemed to happen quick, over a 2-3 week period. I know he wasnt a vet, but its a pretty reputable reptile store. We both agreed he looked pretty healthy the other day. It seems to have gotten much worse in the past 2-3 days.

 

[mattj]

actually just went back in to check on him after writing that post and he is now drinking. Eyes still closed but opening his mouth and drinking.

 

[sulfurboy1o3]

please, if you'd fill out the link above, people will be able to figure out your problem much easier without playing 21 questions.

Yay to drinking again, but really tough news on the ' not opening eyes even when you pick him up' part.

 

[mattj]

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon -Male jackson. When I bought him last year, I was told he was maybe a year old. When I brought him into the reptile store last week, the one I bought him from, I was told more like 5 years old.
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? Very rarely, only when I clean his cage and maybe when someone new is over and they want to see him, which is rare.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Usually crickets, would throw about 4-5 in the cage every other day and prior to the current problem he would go right after them. Gut loading with greens and those orange flukers cubes.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Reptivite calcium MAYBE once a month.
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? Dripper usually twice a day sometimes once. 2-3 mistings a day. Yes he has been drinking just fine. And he gets nothing but Poland Spring.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? Never tested. Has been fine for appx 10 months now. His feces have been dark in color, "wet" as of late. Urate was orange for a little bit, so I upped the water even more. When he started with the eyes closed, not eating thing I started giving him warm baths on a plant in the shower and he was drinking a lot. Even mixed pedialyte in with his water.
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. None that I can think of, the only other times he went on a little hunger strike was near a shed and then hed bounce right back.


Cage Info:

Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? All screen Medium reptibreeze.
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? Reptisun 5.0 It is getting old about 9-10 months now. I was told to get a new one just havent been able to yet. His light schedule is normally on at 530 am and off by 8-9pm
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Basking spot ~83 its been rather warm here the past few months I actually would keep the basking light off for most of the summer as it can get pretty hot in my apt. I have temp guages in the cage.
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Normally 70-80%. Between mistings, live plants and the natural humidity here. I have a gauge in the cage.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Yes one large pothos
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? In my living room, in the corner of two windows, one which normally stays open during the summer. Cage sits on top of a computer desk.
Location - Where are you geographically located?


Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about. I just walked back in from the store and he was actually laying in his water bowl. I thought he was dead right there, from drowning if nothing else. Im guessing at this point, there is not much left to be done??

I know it took me a while to reply back to here, but been working a lot of crazy hours lately. And school work. I just want to know if it sounds like anything I was doing wrong? Is it maybe just old age? When I brought him to the store like I said we both thought he looked fine. He actually ate a waxworm the other day, which shocked me. Even right now, hes literally laying down, eyes closed barely moving, but his color looks good and although his eyes are closed, they dont look sunken in or anything.

After I found him in his water bowl, I took him out and put him on a paper towel. He just lied there barely moving. So I just put him back in his cage laying on the rocks in the pothos planter. And hes just laying there occasionally making small jerking movements.

Any ideas?? I feel bad not having not taken him to a vet. But I literally just cashed in my all my change to buy school books. I dont really have any extra cash laying around at the moment. I can only imagine what a Long Island reptile vet would charge for a visit.

 

[Elizadolots]

This is a bit off topic, but maybe it will help you to know others have been in similar situations. I once took a dog that I thought was 11 to the vet (having had the dog for 8 years at that time) and got told that no, she couldn't possibly be less than 14 and, in fact, was almost certainly at least 16!

I don't know enough about Jackson's to know if 5 is "old". I think it probably is. I really do not think you should have a water bowl in the cage.

I hope someone with more Jackson's knowledge will see this thread and offer more helpful thoughts.

 

[mattj]

Well it wasn't really a water bowl, for drinking purposes. It was more of a bowl to catch the drips. I just happened to start a drip, ran out to do a few things, came back and he was in it. Aside from this whole ordeal, the bowl never seemed to pose a problem. He was always up in his vines and always drank from the dripper.

I just did a quick search and found people saying average lifespans can range from 5-6 years, 5-10 years etc.