Baby Melleri HELP

[antalaotra]

I was at the reptile show this past Sunday and I saw a container of poor dying agamids, when low and behold there was a Baby Melleri in with them in a dry hot 20 gallon terrarium, I was shocked and started scolding the person for keeping a chameleon like that! to make a long story short, I brought the baby home for free! Now this is what I am doing for him, He's in a heavily planted 2+2+4 tall all screen enclosure with a misting system that is going 3 times a day for a half hour, he has a fogger going at all times! He has an 85 degree basking temperature and a 6% Arcadia bulb, room temp is 72, This animal is so fragile and weak, I didn't think he'd make it through the night, he is so dehydrated both eyes are completely sunken in and are closed, he is emaciated as well, hips are sticking out and his ribs are visible! what I'm doing right now is giving him Pedialyte, several times a day, this morning I forced fed him a few gut loaded crickets (Cricket Crack) He did have difficulty chewing and swallowing the crickets, but he did do it! I talked to a forum member today and I will do the calcium ensure tomorrow! I am trying to stabilize this little guy so I can get him to a vet asap! I'm sure he's loaded with parasites and he has some dying tissue on his protuberance and a little on his tail! Every day is touch and go, he made it over night opened up one eye and tried to bite me this morning! Sorry for the rambling, I'm sure the post is difficult to read but I want so badly for this little guy to pull through! Any other thoughts are welcomed!

 

[distortionz]

Cleveland reptile show? I was there and saw some one walking around with a mellerri. I actually got excited and pointed it out to my buddy to check out the mellers lol.. Only saw him for a brief second but he looked good.. He was probably still a juvenile.. if you got him I wish you the best of luck... I tend to stay away from any of the chameleons at that show.. especially anything from "kicks balls".. they have a lot of wc chams crammed in tiny plastic containers that look half dead and dehydrated. If I had the space for a melleri I would be all over it.. best of luck

 

[antalaotra]

I was at the Cleveland reptile show, but My baby doesn't look good in anyway, he's knocking at deaths door, I got him from the fellas in the back! Didn't get them from the kicks but the table he came from wasn't any better!

 

[antalaotra]

If he makes it I have an 8 foot tall by 4 foot wide custom enclosure for him as an adult, but that's in the future if he make it!

 

[distortionz]

Did you get him from the people in the corner that had that monstrous veiled in that 20 gallon aquarium?

 

[antalaotra]

He was the only cham that I saw at the table, far back corner, had some tree frogs, some dying brown basilisk!

 

[distortionz]

That's the one he had the giant monkey frogs.. But he also had a huge veiled that looked terrible. You must have already got the melleri before I got there... sounds like it's in a better situation now hope he gets to see that huge cage

 

[antalaotra]

So bummed, still trying to stabilize the baby Melleri so he can be vetted, he's now opened mouth breathing and laying on his belly put him in a smaller enclosure as he is so weak, giving him sub Q fluids of lactated ringers 3 times a day, nothing orally! Did a shot gun panacur, even though I wanted to wait until he was better, he pooped out a bunch of blood and several worms, I fear I'll find him deceased in the morning! Still pulling for the guy!

 

[laurie]

Hang in there with him Anna, I think getting rid of the worms may help. The blood does not sound good. Just a tiny bit or a drop or 2?

 

[antalaotra]

Laurie is was quit a bit of blood, he is now laying with his tongue out. Poor baby I so wished I would have found him earlier

 

[MelissaB]

Poor little guy. I'm glad he went home with you, it sounds like he was in a horrible situation. I hope he beats the odds and somehow pulls through.

 

[odduc748]

Good luck! I hope we can all see pictures of your healthy Mellers, soon enough.

 

[antalaotra]

Thanks guys, unfortunately I lost him, he was so bad and I had hoped he'd somehow pull through! I feel terrible, poor little guy had a lot more life to live

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

My condolences you gave it a good go to rescue that baby Trioceros melleri. Sometimes wild caught chameleons are just way to far gone to save.

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich

 

[odduc748]

Oh no! Sorry to hear you lost him.

 

[MelissaB]

I'm so sorry that he didn't make it.

 

[antalaotra]

Thank you all for the kind words! Even though I only had him a few days it's never easy to feel like you failed an animal!

 

[MelissaB]

You definitely didn't fail him, I hope you don't feel that you did. You gave him a fighting chance, which was more than he would have had in the seller's care.