Acting different after vet visit

Gwendalyn.brock

Gwendalyn.brock

Established Member
After taking my chameleon Arlo to the vet on Saturday he seems like he is getting weaker and stopped hunting crickets since he started taking the parasite medication and carnivore care that was prescribed to him. Could it be because of the stress from being force fed and getting lab work done at the vet or because of the parasite itself?
 
What parasite are they treating your guy for? Do you mind filling out the help form so we as a community can better help you and your little guy out

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • 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?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon.
  • veiled chameleon, male, 2.2yo
  • How long has it been in your care?
  • 2 years
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • rarely, he'll occasionally come to me
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • crickets (5-15 every other day) and they eat high calcium cricket diet, have cricket quencher, a cricket block, and eat mostly spinach and a variety of fruit(mango, apple, orange, berries), occasionally horn worms
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • zoo med calcium without D3 at every feeding, zoo med calcium with D3 every 2 weeks, and Repti-Cal herptivite every 2 weeks
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • monsoon automatic mister goes off every 2 hours for 2 minutes, He's still drinking
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • Droppings look normal brown with white
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Reptibreeze 24x24x48
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Zilla tropical 15w uvb light (tube not bulb) and his heat lamp is zoo med (i think) 75w day bulb, lights on automatically at 430am and off at 430pm
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Lowest temperature at bottom of cage is 75-77, middle 80-90, top 90-100. I have 2 thermometer/humidity gauge and my apartment stays at 75-77
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Humidity stays at about 70% all year, he has the mister, as well as just Austin stays pretty humid. He has a humidity gauge
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? No, they keep dying and I can't afford any attention the moment.
  • 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?
  • Cage is in my room, I put it close to the middle of the room so he wasn't near venta or fan, I love alone so the only time I'm in there is to feed him and when I sleep. How cage is about 2 feet off the ground.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
  • Austin, Texas

Current Problem - he is being treated for coccidia and anemia. He seems to be losing weight and strength quicker since the treatment began. Is this because of the parasite itself or just from being over stressed?
 
What coccidia medication is your chameleon on some can cause stomach upset. If you are feeding carnivore care it is food so it should fill him up some. If he is getting weaker call your vet and let them know. They may want to change or add medications.
 
JacksJill said:
What coccidia medication is your chameleon on some can cause stomach upset. If you are feeding carnivore care it is food so it should fill him up some. If he is getting weaker call your vet and let them know. They may want to change or add medications.
Click to expand...
He was prescribed ponazuril for the parasite
 
I've used that one. Mine was compounded with almond oil and I felt like all that fat knocked his appetite down during treatment but it did improve between treatments and after treatment was over.
Either way stay in touch with your vet even if you just leave messages to update them.
 
JacksJill said:
I've used that one. Mine was compounded with almond oil and I felt like all that fat knocked his appetite down during treatment but it did improve between treatments and after treatment was over.
Either way stay in touch with your vet even if you just leave messages to update them.
Click to expand...
I have left messages with him as well as the updates he asked me to do. He seems stronger today than yesterday he just seemed kind of tired this morning and I think that the medicine definitely took his appetite away so I'm glad he's got the carnivore care.
 
I don't have much experience with parasites (fortunately), so unfortunately I can't comment on that issue. I do however see some improvements that can be made to your husbandry in particular the gutload you're using. Spinach is not recommended for gutloading since it is high in phosphorous. Better leafy greens to feed would be collard greens, kale, and mustard greens. The other fruits and you're feeding are totally fine. I haven't heard good things about cricket quenchers or cricket blocks but I don't know enough about them to fully comment on them.

This video goes into more detail about gutloading and different fruits and veggies you can use.




100 is pretty toasty for a basking temp. Can you get it down to 95?




Just a word of caution with misting as frequently as you are is to ensure the enclosure has time to dry out between misting sessions. Most keepers opt to have longer, less frequent misting sessions -- something like 3-5 minutes 2x/day. But I'm mindful that everyone is going to have a different misting schedule based on their chameleon's drinking response and climate.

Can you also post pics of your enclosure and chameleon?
 
Gingero said:
I don't have much experience with parasites (fortunately), so unfortunately I can't comment on that issue. I do however see some improvements that can be made to your husbandry in particular the gutload you're using. Spinach is not recommended for gutloading since it is high in phosphorous. Better leafy greens to feed would be collard greens, kale, and mustard greens. The other fruits and you're feeding are totally fine. I haven't heard good things about cricket quenchers or cricket blocks but I don't know enough about them to fully comment on them.

This video goes into more detail about gutloading and different fruits and veggies you can use.




100 is pretty toasty for a basking temp. Can you get it down to 95?




Just a word of caution with misting as frequently as you are is to ensure the enclosure has time to dry out between misting sessions. Most keepers opt to have longer, less frequent misting sessions -- something like 3-5 minutes 2x/day. But I'm mindful that everyone is going to have a different misting schedule based on their chameleon's drinking response and climate.

Can you also post pics of your enclosure and chameleon?
Click to expand...
 

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Ares05 said:
He looks very thin, and dehydrated.
Click to expand...
I took him to the vet because he stopped drinking water entirely and seemed to have lost a lot of weight in a week. The first vet told me there was nothing wrong and sent me home and then i made an appointment a week later with another vet who did all the lab work and prescribed this treatment to help him gain weight and get hydrated
 
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