cham refusing to eat... help!

[kelso]

yes linear, no compact, no substrate- used to use paper towels but ditched those too. I don't have a camera but i will borrow one tomorrow if i can, and no i do not have a laying bin for her... she is so small it is crazy to think any eggs could come out of her..... i will do my best to get some photos up asap..
and i use a table spoon in my dry gutload recipe that makes a little less than a cup of gutload that i keep in the fridge and dish to the crickets as needed.
And it is straight vitamin A, i had one of the site sponsors approve the product i used.
I will also call the vet in the morning and ask if they will test a fecal sample for me- any idea how fresh the sample has to be or? and thanks for all the tips and all the advice everyone... especially what to test the feces for.
I know that she needs a vet but i have to try to be the next best thing...... I'm pretty sure the vet will be able to test her sample so if nothing else i can exclude those problems... I will make a laying bin tonight.
Could i have some ideas/instructions on how to force feed her wax worms?
I don't feel as though anyone is beating me up, obviously the feeling that my cham is sick and i don't have many options is much worse than anything being said.. I know that i have not put her in a fair situation and for this i feel so very sorry... I just want to be able to do what I can, and I really do think that I can bring her back... I rescued my leopard gecko from a pet store and he was also deathly skinny when i got him, now he will try to eat your fingers and is definitely far from hungry....
I understand that everyone is just trying to help me and my baby and have no bad feelings towards anyone, i know a herp vet would be the best option for her and i hate that i cannot provide what she needs..... if someone could give me ideas on how to force feed her wax worms and crickets that would be great.. and anything else i can give her to help.....
thanks everyone...
kelsie

 

[jannb]

Stick an insect between his teeth when she is opening and closing her mouth to drink.

You could try babyfood squash or sweet potato.

You can also use a syringe, no needle.

Be careful not to aspirate.

 

[kelso]

ok thanks so much i will try that...
thank you jann, and i will definitley keep everyone updated...
she was up on time this morning, before 7 a.m. so that is good!
and she looked as though she was hunting around, but she will not eat in front of me so it's hard to tell if she is eating anything, i just put two crickets in there this morning before i came to work, so when i get home at 3 i will see if she ate them or not.
Thanks again for the help everyone.....
Kelsie

 

[JackAttack]

Hello there............a member brought this thread to my attention, i see you live in alberta as well. but im not sure where, it sounds like you are really north. i live in edmonton, and recently had to take my late cham to the vet, the best one i found was in Sherwood Park Alberta, Park Vetrinary Centre..........You may be able to call them and explain you situation.......they may do their best to help you over the phone........

http://www.infovet.ca/parkvet/showC...LOCATION_AND_HOURS&parentId=1615&itemId=2457&

Dr Kwantes is who looked after Jack, he was very thorough and caring. hope this helps................good luck with your cham, its hard when they are not well.

 

[jojackson]

Kelso, you mention another cham having similar problem? They are not housed together?
If they are you should separate them physically and visually right away, just to elimenate
unnessary stress.
The basking temp could go higher, perhaps 90f, despite it being female, this will boost its metabolism and hopefully its appetite until you can get some condition on it. (assuming its emaciated as you describe)
Keep up the hydration, install a dripper that will drip all day if possible.
At the age of your lizard the feeding regularity/amount slows down some, so no poo for a week isnt that unusual. How long since you found poo?
Parasites are possible issue, If your so remote a vet is a major issue, is there somewhere
you can obtain a broad spectrum reptile wormer?
Has she recently shed, might be due to shed? They can be less inclined to eat in this period as much as normal.
How long since it actually ate and what was the last meal you saw?
Have you weighed the lizard? This way you can closely monitor weight/loss.
They eye issue is a little mysterious but possibly a symptom of whatever is causing the loss of appetite and weight loss. (I suspect parasites might be worth ruling out first, but if you cant have the poo tested, next best would be the broadspectrum reptile wormer if you can get it. Though it may not work if your lizard has a specific parasite the medicine is not designed for, it will elimenate common parasites, and/or reduce the load, giving the lizard a head start till you can get to a vet)
I dont have a female chameleon, but a very skinny female lizard can be eggbound, its a possibility, and one you really need a vet for if its the underlying cause of the problem. Having a digging box certainly cant hurt .
Best wishes

P.S something else just occured.... Unless im an idiot, its getting cooler in your parts, days are getting shorter, night time temp drops more quickly, these are indicators for most reptiles that winter is approaching. Its at this time most reptiles stop or atleast slow down feeding. It might be time to think about night time temps in your house, and what time you take readings.
If its 65f in the early evening, it may be significant cooler late at night/early hours. A non/minimal light producing heat source may be required in your case.

Photo period in conjuction with temp is also something to look at, if your cham is sleeping early, it may be because its expecting nightfall due to temp dropping. An all screen cage is very difficult to maintain ambient air temprature in cooler climates like yours.
Remember, your lizard isnt basking at night.

 

[kelso]

yeah i'm in High Level Ablerta, It would be an all day drive to edmonton/sherwood park
Thanks I will try to contact that vet, thanks so much.
And no I only have the one cham, its just i orginally thought she was a male and later discovered for myself that it is infact a she. I have a leopard gecko but he is of course housed seperately. I am going to get a higher wattage bulb today and i already have her dripper filled and flowing for her already and will leave it going all day. I found poo two days ago that looked about a day old, that has a very small amount of actual feces.
And i would definitely be interested in purchasing a broad spectrum reptile wormer if there is an online supplier you know of that will deliver to Canada? I don't believe I have ever seen anything like that at the pet store here.
She finished shedding about one-two weeks ago. That was the second shed shes had since i got her.
She is sadly a very sad lizard, she VERY rarely lets me see her eat, so i would have to guess that the last meal she had was roughly a week/week and a half ago. - but she is so small, her eating habits should not be slowing until she is growing right?
And i do not have a small enough scale, would something like a kitchen scale be appropriate?
Yes I believe parasites may be the issue, as soon as i spot a fresh fecal sample it is going straight to the vet! they said they will test it as long as it is at least 8 hrs fresh...
Also, i placed an egg laying bin in her enclosure yesterday and the sand is unmoved, i don't think she has gone near it.
And yes, our temps and the daylight hours are greatly changing, i forgot to edit my "how to ask for help" note, her lights are now on a 6-6 schedule for the winter. and the temps in my house are well controlled with a furnace that is set to 21C which is roughly 69F, it may drop a little more in his room but not more than 4 degrees.
And would it help if i maybe covered a side or two of the cage with something to decrease the airflow and make maintaining a proper ambient air temp in the cage easier?
Thanks again everyone... She is still here and i think she ate the two crickets i put in her cage yesterday! (i didn't want to put too many and stress her) unless the bastards escaped haha. So i think things are really looking up and I'm so happy =]
I think my determination and positive attitude are starting to pay off!!!!!
Thanks for caring everyone,
Kelsie

 

[kelso]

Just wanted to update... i just watched my lil' girl shoot out and catch a cricket on her own!! this is something i've only seen twice before so i think it is an amazingly good sign!
Thanks everyone and your help has made all the difference !
Kelsie