Black splotches/lethargy/not eating Senegal

[amart]

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - Senegal, about 2 years old, have had him for a little over year
Handling - rarely, only when needed
Feeding - 6-12 large crickets a day, flukers gut loader/apples/potatoes, wax worms on occasion
Supplements - flukers calcium with d3 every few feedings
Watering - drippers/misting everyday 3 times a day/humidifier (he drinks regularly)
Fecal Description - normal (also been tested by a vet)
History - n/a


Cage Info:

Cage Type - screen 12x12x18
Lighting - 5am-5pm UVB/heat bulbs (been using the same bulbs for him since we have had him)
Temperature - digital thermometer, keeping it between 70-90 degrees
Humidity - humidifier/keeps around 70 normally
Plants - fake and live (all okay and non toxic)
Placement - table in back room with natural lighting available
Location - Southern US


Current Problem - He has developed black splotches starting on his head and tail and are now sporadically all over his body and keeps his eyes closed almost all day. He hasn't eaten in a few days (which is rare) and hasn't moved much at all in about 3 days..

 

[ReptileLove18]

i'm sorry this is going on with your guy! i do not know what the black spotches are, hopefully someone will pop in with some ideas on that however i do notice some things in your husbandry that need to be adjusted.

senegals only need to be given feeders supplemented with d3 once every 2 weeks. the recommended supplementing schedule is dusting feeders with calcium without d3 or phosphorus at nearly every feeding, dusting with calcium with d3 once every 2 weeks, and dusting with a multivitamin once every 2 weeks. this is because too much d3 can lead to d3 poisoning and cause serious issues for your cham.

uvb bulbs stop putting out uvb at about 6 months so your uvb needs to be replaced as soon as possible as it is no longer putting out any uvb. this could be a reason why he is lethargic however i am not positive.

what does the feces look like?

flukers gut load is not the most nutritious so i recommend that you check out this blog on gutloading. it has a great recipe for your feeders that will provide the most nutrition possible for your cham! https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html

its also important to provide a variety of feeders for your chameleon so here is a list of different feeders you can try https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/74-feeders.html

and here is the caresheet for senegal chameleons. this provide accurate information of their care and husbandry. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/senegal/

i really hope your guy starts feeling better and someone can identify the black splotches for you! you could also message ferretinmyshoes as she is a vet with lots of experience in chameleons, she may be able to identify what is going on with your buddy!

 

[LazardLizard]

Maybe(if you haven't) try some good ol natural sunlight.

 

[amart]

Yeah I meant Ive used the same brand bulbs since Ive had him, I just switched them out a few weeks ago actually and that's also about how often i dust their crickets, but I will try and change up the gutloader a bit. He's finally moving around a little bit more and I see one less cricket in his bowl since yesterday but it could have just jumped out. He's been drinking at least, He's usually such a fatty so it scares me, and I still have yet to read or see anything like that blackness that's on him Its warm out where I am now so I think I'll try to get him outside if I can. He isn't the friendliest out of the 2 I have and I'm worried about stressing him out right now, I don't want to make anything worse. If anyone else knows anything please jump in and comment!

 

[amart]

The black has spread and is covering him now and he sleeps all day almost..he won't eat still and has let me take him out with n problem and is sleeping on my hand as i type..which is NOT like him at all I don't know what to do!

 

[ReptileLove18]

take him to the vet as soon as possible. sleeping during the day is a sign of illness and its spreading. it could be an infection of some sort, fungal or bacterial. im no expert and i dont know what it is but at this point i think you need to take him to a vet ASAP.

if you are willing to go to Marathon there is a highly recommended reptile vet, Dr. Mader, who one of our members Jann B takes all of her chams to and recommends to all forum members in florida. heres the link to Dr. Mader http://www.marathonvet.com/about-us/veterinarians/dr-doug-mader

if you cant get to Marathon, check out this site, you can search for reptile vets by state on here. http://www.arav.org/find-a-vet/

 

[carol5208]

agree, take him to a vet. He is steadily going downhill. Do not wait!!!

 

[ReptileLove18]

any update on how he's doing? were you able to get him to the vet?

 

[Trace]

For what it's worth you have a female chameleon and I'm not entirely convinced it's a Senegal. Do you have a better photo? Do you have a lay bin in her cage?

 

[amart]

So sorry it's been so long. Living where I do I couldn't get him into a vet..there aren't many vets out here that know anything about chameleons. I believe it was a parasite that he had though. I tried the laying bin, force feeding, hydrotherapy, natural sunlight, changing his bulbs, everything. He didn't make it sadly but his sister is still doing great and is happy and healthy. He became full black and almost a grey and lost ability to open his eyes or keep his tongue in his mouth and even grab on to his branches. The closest vet would have been an 8+ hour drive and with my work schedule, it was impossible to do..Florida is such a long state and the vets who know about those kind of reptiles are much farther south. Thank you all for everything and all the advice. I love being able to come on here for help and good advice.