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everysmile

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My Veiled Chameleon was fine a little while ago. I glanced over and she was eating a mealworm. I got her at the start of July so I'm assuming she's 3-4 months old. I have her in a terrarium that is 12" x 12" x 18". The basking temp is in the 90s and the normal temp is 75. I use the calcium supplement once a week. I found her laying on the bottom of the terrarium with her tongue sticking out. I believed she was dead but then she started gasping. I am really worried and want to know what is wrong with her.

The only thing I noticed recently was that she had a large amount of urea, but I figured that was due to her eating more mealworms than crickets (cause those seem to be juicy). Other than that her color has been normal. Even now she has been changing in color.

Please help!
 

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I'm sorry but your chameleon is in really bad shape. It's impossible to say why at this point but if she's still alive you need to get her to a good reptile vet IMMEDIATELY. She appears to be on death's door and needs fluids and calcium asap.

She's looks older than 3-4 months imo.
 
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled, Female, 2 months
Handling - once every other week
Feeding - mealworms and crickets, as much as she can eat till she doesn't take anymore
Supplements - Fluker's Calcium with vitamin D3
Watering - I mist her cage, 2x a day for 30 sex
Fecal Description - her droppings have been a little softer than normal, but overall I never suspected anything wrong
History - she has had a large amount of urea but it's been white and light yellow

Cage Info:
Cage Type - combo
Lighting - i have it on from 9am-9pm, exo terra
Temperature - basking temp-80
night temp-74
Humidity - humid, i have a gauge that just tell me not humid to too humid
Plants - no
Placement - living room but it's not so high traffic since i'm usually outside or in my room
Location - south texas
 
but why was she fine and then the next minute in such bad shape?

i'm so distressed because of it and don't know what to do
 
everysmile said:
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled, Female, 2 months
Handling - once every other week
Feeding - mealworms and crickets, as much as she can eat till she doesn't take anymore
Supplements - Fluker's Calcium with vitamin D3
Watering - I mist her cage, 2x a day for 30 sex
Fecal Description - her droppings have been a little softer than normal, but overall I never suspected anything wrong
History - she has had a large amount of urea but it's been white and light yellow

Cage Info:
Cage Type - combo
Lighting - i have it on from 9am-9pm, exo terra
Temperature - basking temp-80
night temp-74
Humidity - humid, i have a gauge that just tell me not humid to too humid
Plants - no
Placement - living room but it's not so high traffic since i'm usually outside or in my room
Location - south texas
Click to expand...

several things.
1- how many mealworms?
2- you are over supplementing. that can be a cause of a problem. too much d3. you shoul dbe doing a calicum without d3 every feeding, a calcium with d3 every 2 weeks, and a multivitamin every 2 weeks.
4- what kind of lights? uvb and basking, what wattage?
5- you arent misting enough. you need to do it at least 4-6 times a day for about a minute or two. sometimes more if its warmer out.
 
She doesn't look really gravid in that picture, but she may be. If she's getting too much to eat (sounds like she is) and is kept at warmer temps (definitely is for a young female) then it will encourage eggs to grow earlier than we would like. She may have eggs that she has been unable to lay without an appropriate laying bin because you didn't know she was gravid. They are stuck inside her now if that is the case. That's the most obvious problem that comes to mind but it could be something else.
 
i'd say about 6 large mealworms a day, 3 in the morning and 3 at night, i leave some in a bowl incase she's hungry while i'm away
it's a uvb light at 26W

i've been spraying her tongue while she's been down cause i read on another site to do that
 
ferretinmyshoes said:
She doesn't look really gravid in that picture, but she may be. If she's getting too much to eat (sounds like she is) and is kept at warmer temps (definitely is for a young female) then it will encourage eggs to grow earlier than we would like. She may have eggs that she has been unable to lay without an appropriate laying bin because you didn't know she was gravid. They are stuck inside her now if that is the case. That's the most obvious problem that comes to mind but it could be something else.
Click to expand...

I noticed she was scratching at the sides of the cage, but i covered the sides and she stopped that, i had thought it was cause she could see the outside
 
Yes, keep the tongue moist so the tissue doesn't get dried out and damaged, but be careful not to get water in her mouth because she probably won't swallow it and could inhale it, which causes pneumonia or choking. She needs veterinary help asap if she's going to have a chance.
 
If what ferret said is true, then she needs a vet asap. she will need a shot of ocytocin to stimulate egg laying.
 
camimom said:
If what ferret said is true, then she needs a vet asap. she will need a shot of ocytocin to stimulate egg laying.
Click to expand...

And calcium and fluids for the oxytocin to have a chance of working. At this point she may need to surgery to remove the eggs, but she must be stabilized first.
 
Good luck with her. I doubt it's egg binding that was the cause of this. Hopefully a vet can help you get her healthy soon.
 
That chameleon needs a vet regardless and they will determine what the real cause hopefully through a series of test.ATM I know they are just looking for help. Im not going to sit here and lead someone on to something we have no clue about by a picture. Reptiles can lay without medium more times than none. Most here dont give them any credit. Anyways I have no theory other than I doubt a chameleon is going to be fine one min and drop to the ground eyes closed tongue out because out of nowhere it has no place to lay so it became eggbound. Is that really what you think is the issue ?

I think OP would have seen some action restlessness anything not just a flat out chameleon as they have. It very well could be but as I said I doubt it. Take it to Professional and good Luck. If I had more to offer I would have mentioned in the first place. Other than Goodluck and take it to a vet to find out the issues. IF she does have eggs she is def in no shape to lay now though thats for sure so yes that will have to be taken into consideration.
 
Thanks for the explanation, it helps others learn more when you explain your thoughts behind a brief statement like that.

I definitely wasn't saying it was the only possible cause, but I wanted to offer some possibilities to the OP instead of just telling them what to do. OP did mention she was scratching at the cage recently, and she's old enough with high temps and lots of food. Doesn't look like overt MBD, but not out of the question. Regardless of the cause a vet visit is absolutely necessary for a chameleon that looks like that.
 
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