Baby Chameleon very sick, please help.

J

Jwhiteis187

New Member
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Baby Veil Female, Only had her for about a Month and a half.
  • Handling - Once a day.
  • Feeding - Baby crickets, 3-4-5 of them daily. Dusted in ZooAnimals Vitamins and Calcium.
  • Supplements - ZooAnimals vitamin mix, and calcium.
  • Watering - Mist the whole enclosure 2 or 3 times a day
  • Fecal Description - Not been tested, poop looks normal. pee is white.
  • History - No history, only had him for a little while.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Zoo Med ReptiBreeze Chameleon Kit
  • Lighting - UVB/HEAT LIGHTING KIT MINI COMBO DP DM/5.0UVB on all day, turn off lights at night.. House is 68+ Degrees.
  • Temperature - The house is 68+ degrees at all times, im not sure what temp the inside of the enclosure is .
  • Humidity - Not sure.
  • Plants - Fake plants, vine, and log.
  • Placement - about 4 feet off the ground.. Not much traffic walking past.
  • Location - Pittsburgh PA

Current Problem - Please help, our baby chameleon is sick.. First it stopped eating.. Then started getting really timid and lazy. Then it got really lethargic, sunken eyes, and closed eyes even when moving. Now its to the point he cant hold himself up or climb around. He looks like hes dying and we have a VET appointment in a few hours I just wanted to get any information I could. Pics attached.


ringo.jpg
 
You need more plants and things for him to climb on. They liked to be able to hide when they feel like it. Also I'm not sure what the bowl dish at the bottom is for but they don't drink still water. You should invest in a dripper so that water may drop off the leaves and give your chameleon more time in the day to drink instead of when you're just misting him. Also you should put live plants in the cage instead of fake ones. It'll keep the humidity up longer when you mist. Humidity should be in the 70's. I'm not entirely sure with a chameleon that small but I believe basking temps should be in the 80's. If you're not sure you should get a thermostat that can cage humidity and temperature. I'm not sure what the discoloration is but it can't be good. Hopefully the vet can rectify the situation for you. I hope your chameleon pulls through.
 
Im really sorry to tell you this but i don't think your little guy is gonna make it. If you ever get another one you need to set it up properly the enclosure is horrible set up just something simple like that can kill a chameleon he is basically dying from stress. Make sure to have the right supplements and you need lots more plants and like the other person said take the water dish out and get a dripper you need to have temp and humidity gauges in there at all time. Im sorry to say but this is the result of very bad husbandry next time PLEASE do it properly and invest the money to give your chameleon a long happy life.
 
Last edited:
This is horrible. The Pet Store set us up for Failure, and I take partial responsibilty for not doing the research myself and just listened to the pet store guy. This is what they recommended and said this would be everything we needed. Calcium does not have Vitamin in it. But the Vitamin Mixture does have D3.
 
Don't ever ever ever ever listen to a pet store they don't usually know anything and they will tell you what ever just to make a quick buck do lots of research before getting another one chameleons are not easy at all if you don't know what your doing. I know alot of things about chameleons but i am still always trying to find out more. Research is key I see you have a vet appointment but honestly from how he looks he won't make it there. Im sorry for your loss but next time do the research and ever ever listen to a pet store or most online stores alot of them just want to make money and don't care about the animals.
 
Pet stores frequently give incorrect information. They hire anyone and give little to no training. Calcium is just that, calcium but it probably has D3 in it as well. You need Calcium without D3 too. Everything is explained in the care sheets and spelled out so I can't stress enough the importance of reading them
 
This is what I bought from the Store, the guy, of course, said it was the best one they had.

The Zoo Med ReptiBreeze Chameleon Starter Kit ( google for an image )

includes:

  • ReptiBreeze® Cage - Medium (16"L x 16"W x 30"H)
  • Naturalistic Flora™ - Flexible Hanging Vine
  • Natural Bush™ Plants (Congo Ivy, medium)
  • Tropical UVB & Heat Lighting Kit
  • Digital Thermometer
  • Eco Carpet (5 gal, 2 pack)
  • ReptiSafe® Water Conditioner
  • Repti Calcium® without D3
  • ReptiVite™ with D3
 
Nursemaia said:
Pet stores frequently give incorrect information. They hire anyone and give little to no training. Calcium is just that, calcium but it probably has D3 in it as well. You need Calcium without D3 too. Everything is explained in the care sheets and spelled out so I can't stress enough the importance of reading them
Click to expand...
I agree Research is number one priority.
 
Definitely read the caresheet that Nursemaia linked. Also read through these articles here on the forums resource page. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/

It has information about every part of chameleon keeping and care. It helped me out when I decided to start keeping chameleons. Read through, take your time with it since there is a lot of info to process.

Chameleons are not the easiest animal to care for but, with some understanding of their basic needs and providing more than just what they need, it is very rewarding.
 
Sorry for your loss! Chameleons are not a pet people should get at a whim! I suggest at least two weeks of intense research before even starting to buy the supplies and setting up te cage. I further suggest setting the cage up about a week before you get your chameleon. And then buying from a reputable breeder! Petstores are a very bad idea! The quality of chameleons one gets from petstores in general resemble something that is at the end of its life! Horribly sad and immoral!

Please share your experience with others and help to prevent others from making the same mistake!!!
 
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