At a loss

Slurpsmom

New Member
I have an 11 month old male veiled chameleon. He used to eat crickets right out of my hand but in the last few weeks he has slowly stopped eating and drinking. The last 2 weeks he has gotten worse still. He became a little sluggish and started falling. The local pet store owner suggested using calcium drops and also giving him water with the dropper. He appeared to start doing better but in the last few days got worse. His color is bright and he is more active but he will no longer open his mouth for even water. He moves around but won't open his eyes. He has no interest in any type of food or water. Any suggestions?
 
You need to get him to a Vet pronto. If you fill out the form here, we can help point out and husbandry issues that may have helped put him into his current condition.

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.
 
Veiled chameleon, male, 11 months. in my care for 3 months
handled infrequently until recently
gutloaded feeder crickets @ 3/day gutloaded at pet store
feeders dusted once per week
was misted 4-5 times per day for approx 5 mins each time and he was drinking
previously droppings were normal but has little to no droppings currently
no previous history besides seemed healthy

cage:
2x2x3 screen cage
zilla uvb bulb on from 8a.m.-8p.m.
cage floor is @70 basking is @80...used thermometer to check
unsure of exact humidity level
have live ficus and ivy with branches and fake ivy also
cage is in low traffic area, no vents or fans near him, top of cage is 6 ft from floor
located in wisconsin
 
Are you stopping by the store every day and buying 3 crickets?

If you are buying more than the day's supply and keeping them for feeding later, then they are not gutloaded when you feed them off.

Crickets need to eat pretty regularly to stay "fed".

3/day sounds a little light for a veiled that age, but I doubt that would be enough to cause what you are seeing.

I really think you need to take this animal to a vet.

While you're a bit off the "board standard" I don't see anything that screams "bad" with the possible exception of the gutloaded insects...but even that doesn't seem like it would cause this much of a problem this quickly.

I suspect you bought an animal with an existing health problem. Chameleons are good at hiding their problems until they are severe.
 
You said..."gutloaded feeder crickets @ 3/day gutloaded at pet store
feeders"...even if the pet store told me they gutloaded the crickets, I would be feeding them myself for a few days before I fed them to the chameleons to make sure that they were well gutloaded.

You said you dust once per week...IMHO you should be dusting at every feeding with a phos.-free calcium powder.

You said that he was drinking when misted...did you spray water in his mouth?

You said you use a zilla uvb bulb...some bulbs cause health issues with chameleons. I don't know if this is one of them or not. The most often recommended UVB light is the Repti-Sun 5.0 long linear tube light since its had no bad reports against it yet.

You said.."cage floor is @70 basking is @80"...you could bump the temperature up to the mid 80's at your chameleon's age.

What type of ivy is it you're using?
Any substrate?
 
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