Can someone take my sick chameleon for free? :'(

[GabeCastro]

I thought this over long and hard...and i think it would be best if someone else took over Jasper...

Jasper was recently diagnosed with 2 parasites...Pinworms & Coccidia.

I currently live with my aunt & uncle while i'm in college. Talked it over with them about Jasper's treatments earlier and they wer'ent too happy with the fact i'll be boiling water and cleaning parasites in their kitchen...Or taking him outside and cleaning his cage and having a sick "lizard" in my room.

Theres nothing i could really do at this point. I tried my best with providing Jasper with everything i could possibly get. I just don't know what to do...I took him to the vet, got him meds, got him new supplies, etc. Just my aunt & uncle don't want me spreading this stuff with our health or the dogs, turtles, cats, bunny, etc.

This is by far thee hardest thing i've ever had to do...All i'm asking is for someone who knows how to treat his conditions to take care of him. Someone with a kind heart who is willing to make sure he lives a happy life. I don't want someone who has very little experience with chams take Jasper.

Just give me the money via PayPal for overnight shipping and I'll ship Jasper first thing Monday morning...I'm not trying to make a profit, or anything. I just want him to go to a good home where i can watch him grow and see if he over comes his parasites. If no one can take him my only 3 options are letting him go somewhere, giving him to a rescue place, or putting my little dude to sleep :'(

Please PM me if you're interested. Or if you have any questions.

Heres recent pics of my little guy :'( He's full ambanja btw.

His Sire, Mr. Ambanja from Chameleons101

Taken this monday the morning i woke him up for the Vet.

Past week:

 

[Meow Kitty]

I'm sooooo sorry. i would take him but i already have too many maybe you'll get a nice local pic up and be able to get him back when your aunt and uncle are not all anti "sick" cham
I don't think you'll have to resort to uthenizing him but if you get to that option ill try to get around the "too many chams"

 

[GabeCastro]

I'm sooooo sorry. i would take him but i already have too many maybe you'll get a nice local pic up and be able to get him back when your aunt and uncle are not all anti "sick" cham

Yeah this sucks...Hurts knowing i gotta give him away.

Hopefully someone can take him with coccidia experience. I'll even ship his meds that i have left over. Not sure if i can, but i'll do it if it's possible.

But thank you though Meow Kitty

 

[Meow Kitty]

Yeah this sucks...Hurts knowing i gotta give him away.

Hopefully someone can take him with coccidia experience. I'll even ship his meds that i have left over. Not sure if i can, but i'll do it if it's possible.

But thank you though Meow Kitty

did you explain that coccidia can not be transfered via contact only if they some how get to his feces?

 

[twatts704]

I am not 100% on whether or not he can "spread" what he has. He has parasites. Pin worms are common from what I have been told. They are internal parasites. As long as you have cleaned his cage good once and spot check everyday and get rid of it then you should be fine. You will not spread what he has to any of your other animals or people unless you ingest his poo or anything else he may excrete. Maybe someone with more experience with this or a vet can chime in. He is a beautiful chameleon and I don't think he is too sick to be deemed dangerous to be around. Maybe hold off and follow what I said until someone else can get with you and give you more ease and your uncle and aunt more ease about you keeping him. If you have the meds he should be flushed of his parasites within a week or two.

Once again I am not 100% on this but have dealt with other parasites in my snakes and chams called protazoa. If anyone sees that my information is wrong and you can prove it please feel free. I wish you luck and hope you take the extra time to figure this out before you ship this beauty. Looks like you care a whole lot and would hate for you to miss out.

 

[laurie]

If you run out of time or options, call ChamEO. It is a rescue org in southern calif. Elisa will take him and make him well, call (818) 219-9315.

If you find a person with experience who will care for him that is great, but now you can stop worrying. He will be cared for.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

I'm so sorry you're having to consider giving him up. That is the hardest decision to have to make, and I think it really shows your maturity that you want what's best for him no matter what. I would love to take him if only I had the room.

An alternative to cleaning everything in the kitchen is just replacing everything...you mentioned he had an adult cage waiting. Well instead of cleaning all his fake plants you could just throw them out and start over. New cage, new plants, new perches. It's going to cost more, but maybe then they would let you keep him. Coccidia won't spread as long as you have good sanitation methods. It's only transferred in feces, so as long as you pick those up with a paper towel, or even get some disposable gloves, immediately and spray down the area with some bleach or heavy duty peroxide then it won't be going anywhere. I don't mean to make this decision harder, but maybe there's still a way you can keep him. The Panacur will take care of the pinworms, which are species specific so you won't spread those. And it's pretty unlikely that you would get coccidia from him. Just don't be licking his cage or anything.

 

[twatts704]

I'm so sorry you're having to consider giving him up. That is the hardest decision to have to make, and I think it really shows your maturity that you want what's best for him no matter what. I would love to take him if only I had the room.

An alternative to cleaning everything in the kitchen is just replacing everything...you mentioned he had an adult cage waiting. Well instead of cleaning all his fake plants you could just throw them out and start over. New cage, new plants, new perches. It's going to cost more, but maybe then they would let you keep him. Coccidia won't spread as long as you have good sanitation methods. It's only transferred in feces, so as long as you pick those up with a paper towel, or even get some disposable gloves, immediately and spray down the area with some bleach or heavy duty peroxide then it won't be going anywhere. I don't mean to make this decision harder, but maybe there's still a way you can keep him. The Panacur will take care of the pinworms, which are species specific so you won't spread those. And it's pretty unlikely that you would get coccidia from him. Just don't be licking his cage or anything.

Was hoping you would reply too

 

[Meow Kitty]

i feel like your Aunt and Uncle have been miss informed, and shouldn't worry so much i would do what the others said and create a new cage that would be easy to spot clean and disinfect along with keep giving him the treatment. I hope your Aunt & Uncle have not made it final.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

I found this for your aunt and uncle on a forum for vets: "The species of coccidia are very host specific. There is no human health risk from the coccidia." This is echoed by multiple vets. One of the best reptile vets in the country says the zoonotic risk is "pretty much zero". Also, I'm not sure why Jasper went to the vet, but if is he doing well and appears healthy and the coccidia was only found in a regular fecal check then he is not "sick". In fact, if the affected reptile is otherwise doing well and not showing any signs of illness from the coccidia sometimes it's not even treated. I still think it's a good idea to treat, but he's not "sick" like you shouldn't be around him.

 

[GabeCastro]

did you explain that coccidia can not be transfered via contact only if they some how get to his feces?

yeah, i tried everything but they just gave me the guilt look. I don't even pay rent, so i can't really argue with them. I just don't want to get nagged at everytime in boiling water or spraying down his cage outside.

I am not 100% on whether or not he can "spread" what he has. He has parasites. Pin worms are common from what I have been told. They are internal parasites. As long as you have cleaned his cage good once and spot check everyday and get rid of it then you should be fine. You will not spread what he has to any of your other animals or people unless you ingest his poo or anything else he may excrete. Maybe someone with more experience with this or a vet can chime in. He is a beautiful chameleon and I don't think he is too sick to be deemed dangerous to be around. Maybe hold off and follow what I said until someone else can get with you and give you more ease and your uncle and aunt more ease about you keeping him. If you have the meds he should be flushed of his parasites within a week or two.

Once again I am not 100% on this but have dealt with other parasites in my snakes and chams called protazoa. If anyone sees that my information is wrong and you can prove it please feel free. I wish you luck and hope you take the extra time to figure this out before you ship this beauty. Looks like you care a whole lot and would hate for you to miss out.

Man, i wish my "landlords" would give me a break...But i really can't do anything about it. I can write them an essay (which i hate, thats why i go to an art school lol) and they still wouldn't have it.

If you run out of time or options, call ChamEO. It is a rescue org in southern calif. Elisa will take him and make him well, call (818) 219-9315.

If you find a person with experience who will care for him that is great, but now you can stop worrying. He will be cared for.

Thanks Laurie! I think if no one takes my baby i'll give them a call. I just would rather send him to someone who's on the forums so i could check up on Jasper.

I'm so sorry you're having to consider giving him up. That is the hardest decision to have to make, and I think it really shows your maturity that you want what's best for him no matter what. I would love to take him if only I had the room.

An alternative to cleaning everything in the kitchen is just replacing everything...you mentioned he had an adult cage waiting. Well instead of cleaning all his fake plants you could just throw them out and start over. New cage, new plants, new perches. It's going to cost more, but maybe then they would let you keep him. Coccidia won't spread as long as you have good sanitation methods. It's only transferred in feces, so as long as you pick those up with a paper towel, or even get some disposable gloves, immediately and spray down the area with some bleach or heavy duty peroxide then it won't be going anywhere. I don't mean to make this decision harder, but maybe there's still a way you can keep him. The Panacur will take care of the pinworms, which are species specific so you won't spread those. And it's pretty unlikely that you would get coccidia from him. Just don't be licking his cage or anything.

I wish i could get this through my landlords heads! haha this is killing me...I really want to keep Jasper. I don't even want to look at him knowing that i'm considering giving him away :'(

And even if i did move him into brand new everything, i'd still have to clean his cage / foliage 2-3x a month. My landlords would catch me spraying plants, boiling water for jungle vine, etc...Theres just no way i can keep Jasper.

BUT, i still want a chameleon that i could care for...Just not a sick one at this time. I really tried everything i could but i just can't keep him :'(



But thank you everyone for the kind words, really means allot. Glad theres a bunch of nice people on these forums

 

[VanessaS]

I feel terrible for you. I hope it all works out and your guy gets all the best treatment and love. He looks like a sweetheart. If I didn't have two brand new baby chams I would take him ; ) maybe Chameleon Farm can help. Located in Costa Mesa, CA. Look them up on FB.

 

[GabeCastro]

i feel like your Aunt and Uncle have been miss informed, and shouldn't worry so much i would do what the others said and create a new cage that would be easy to spot clean and disinfect along with keep giving him the treatment. I hope your Aunt & Uncle have not made it final.

Yup, they're pretty set in stone with the sick boy...Told me he would be fine if he wasn't sick. They just don't want him around anything at the moment. They even asked why i had meds for him in the refrigerator and they freaked out.

So i'm sure theres no way to get around this without having a bunch of tension under our household...

I found this for your aunt and uncle on a forum for vets: "The species of coccidia are very host specific. There is no human health risk from the coccidia." This is echoed by multiple vets. One of the best reptile vets in the country says the zoonotic risk is "pretty much zero".

ugh...Wish i could, but theres no way i can keep Jasper. Huge learning experience for me. I'd still want to get another chameleon, which my aunt and uncle recommended...It's just not that easy you know? Can't just leave your first chameleon then get a new one right after. This is terrible.

 

[GabeCastro]

I feel terrible for you. I hope it all works out and your guy gets all the best treatment and love. He looks like a sweetheart. If I didn't have two brand new baby chams I would take him ; ) maybe Chameleon Farm can help. Located in Costa Mesa, CA. Look them up on FB.

Thanks Vanessa,

I'll be sure to check them out if no one on the forums is willing to take my poor cham :'(

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

I'm sorry you don't have any choice in it. That's the worst position to be in. I hope he finds a wonderful home!

 

[Eltortu]

If your chameleon needs medical attention and you can't give it to him, I would call Elisa at ChamEo as Laurie suggested.

 

[Meow Kitty]

If your chameleon needs medical attention and you can't give it to him, I would call Elisa at ChamEo as Laurie suggested.

he stated he has the medication but he's in the position where its being forced out of his possession. ChamEo is a good suggestion but he wants a forum member so he can stay in touch with the chameleon (pictures, updates, ect.)

 

[twatts704]

I encourage you to have your aunt and uncle come look at ferrits post. Ferrit is a vet and it should be pretty reassuring in my opinion. I look at it this way, your chameleon is not sick. He has parasites which need to be taken care of. It is not hindering him from sleeping, eating, drinking, or pooping. It is just something that needs to be cleansed. Like humans we all have some form of bacteria or small harmless parasite that lives in our bodies. It may not make us sick and we may not give it to other people but it will be something that is cleansed. I hope this makes sense and you give it another shot at convincing them. Would be more of a cost in your pocket to start over a new when your chameleon is fine as long as you give him the medicine.

 

[GabeCastro]

I encourage you to have your aunt and uncle come look at ferrits post. Ferrit is a vet and it should be pretty reassuring in my opinion. I look at it this way, your chameleon is not sick. He has parasites which need to be taken care of. It is not hindering him from sleeping, eating, drinking, or pooping. It is just something that needs to be cleansed. Like humans we all have some form of bacteria or small harmless parasite that lives in our bodies. It may not make us sick and we may not give it to other people but it will be something that is cleansed. I hope this makes sense and you give it another shot at convincing them. Would be more of a cost in your pocket to start over a new when your chameleon is fine as long as you give him the medicine.

Took your word for it, i'll be talking to them first thing tomorrow morning. It's just their house and i respect their rules, but it wont hurt to ask again.

We'll see how it turns out. I'll be sure to give everyone an update.

As of money, i'm not really worried at all right now. I can afford to keep jasper and provide him with his proper meds/vet visits...It's just for one i'm not paying rent here, or any type of money so it's kind of hard to spend 100's of dollars with my aunt/uncle knowing.

been using my savings for this little guy :'(

 

[GabeCastro]

he stated he has the medication but he's in the position where its being forced out of his possession. ChamEo is a good suggestion but he wants a forum member so he can stay in touch with the chameleon (pictures, updates, ect.)

Yup, exactly what i want...I really want someone that i could still keep in touch with/share photos.

I'm always willing to send him off to someone else, but i just would rather watch my first chameleon grow.