Chameleon Passed

[anon545]

Unfortunately our Veiled Chameleon passed away earlier today at 6 months old. am posting this because I am not sure what caused her to pass and I'm worried that it could spread to my other reptile if its a contagious worm or bacteria . The chameleon before it passed was defecating around once a day with a yellow urate. The chameleon had a water source and had food also offered to him regularly but rarely ate. The cage was all up to its needs, proper size, lots of hides, ect. When we discovered that it had died we noticed it turned very dark green and grayish black with a white streak through the middle. She showed no indication of sickness or issue and looked to be healthy about 2 hours before when i was observing her. Her bodie was lying in the substrate when she was found dead and she had a urate being passed out; I'm assuming that it was because her bowels released after death. I'm wondering if anyone had any thoughts of what could've been the cause of death.
Thanks for your time.

 

[JohnDoe]

Well first off, sorry to hear of her passing. If you could please feel this out it will help us better understand the enclosure and care given

https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

Secondly many things can happen, and it may never be one issue. As for contagious i am not sure but would not think it was that unless you have a necropsy(autopsy) done to determine the death.

 

[carol5208]

Yes, please fill out the form. It could or could not have to do with the way it was being cared for. Also, a pic of your set up would be beneficial.

 

[anon545]

Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, female, 6 months. We had her for 2 months
Handling - Around once a week
Feeding -crickets, mealworms, and wax worms? 12 pinhead crickets were put in her cage for the day and we then removed them if they were not eaton and we did this with the crickets every two weeks and in between that time she was offered dusted wax worms and mealworms every 2-3 days. The insects were all purchased pre- gutloaded
Supplements - Zoomed D3 and calcium and we were told we could use vita- bugs and kale for vitamins
Watering - We used a waterfall purchased from a pet shope. Once a week... We used a glass enclosure so humidity was on point. Yes she would drink out of the fountain
Fecal Description - Dark- normal colored brown feces with yellow urate. She was never checked for parasites
History - All the husbandry care was told to us by a breeder.

Cage Info:
Cage Type Front dual door opening glass enclosure with screen top 36" height, 18" width and 24" length
Lighting - exo terra for all lighting, 100 wt heat dome, and reptile uvb 10. 12 on 12 off.
Temperature - Around 93-89 for the basking spot, cage floor was around 73 and mid section of the cage was around 80. Lowest ever was 69 during a blizzard normally night temps never went past 72? Temp gun, for humidity we asked the breeder (where we bought everything from) and he said we don't need a humidity meter because he had the same setup for all his chameleons and the humidity was perfect .? Misting once a week and a constant waterfall.
Plants - All plants were fake
Placement- The cage was in our 2nd family room? No fans, or vents were close to the cage, The room was more decorative and there was never really one there besides when caring for her or observing her Around 5 feet
Location - Northern Illinois near Chicago. USA

Current Problem unknown death and concern of spreadable disease.

 

[bookumdanom1]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[anon545]

Thanks for all your condolences.

 

[ChamDE86]

Sorry for your loss. The thing that stood out to me is the waterfall. They can be a major breeding ground for bacteria to develop, and it is possible your cham may have gotten sick drinking from it. Unless you were cleaning it out daily, it's possible that is what lead up to your chams death.

 

[Carlton]

Feeding -crickets, mealworms, and wax worms? 12 pinhead crickets were put in her cage for the day and we then removed them if they were not eaton and we did this with the crickets every two weeks and in between that time she was offered dusted wax worms and mealworms every 2-3 days. The insects were all purchased pre- gutloaded

First, I'm pretty certain your cham didn't have anything contagious. Most likely the cause of death was improper nutrition...from poor care information you received.

Insects have to be fed daily despite what the pet shop gave them. Gutload is basically stomach contents...and they lose the gutload through normal defecation. If you didn't feed the insects once brought home, the cham wasn't getting much nutrition out of them.


Supplements - Zoomed D3 and calcium and we were told we could use vita- bugs and kale for vitamins

Supplement dusts are just that...supplemental to properly fed prey insects. The correct supplementation should be:

Dust with plain calcium (no added vitamin D3) daily.
Dust with calcium with added vitamin D3 once every 2 weeks.
Dust with a herp multivitamin such as Herptivite once every 2 weeks.


Watering - We used a waterfall purchased from a pet shope. Once a week... We used a glass enclosure so humidity was on point. Yes she would drink out of the fountain

Cage Info:
Cage Type Front dual door opening glass enclosure with screen top 36" height, 18" width and 24" length
Lighting - exo terra for all lighting, 100 wt heat dome, and reptile uvb 10. 12 on 12 off.

the breeder (where we bought everything from) and he said we don't need a humidity meter because he had the same setup for all his chameleons and the humidity was perfect .? Misting once a week and a constant waterfall.

No responsible breeder could be certain that the cage setup in YOUR home would provide the same humidity regime he had. Chances are, your room was drier as you wouldn't have had a lot of cham setups, misting, etc. to keep it as humid as his. This was quite irresponsible of him to suggest. You needed to monitor her cage humidity levels with your OWN gauges to be sure what the levels actually were. Misting once a week was not enough. Drinking out of the fountain would only be OK if it was religiously cleaned every day or so.

Plants - All plants were fake
Placement- The cage was in our 2nd family room? No fans, or vents were close to the cage, The room was more decorative and there was never really one there besides when caring for her or observing her Around 5 feet
Location - Northern Illinois near Chicago. USA

I really think your cham died due to poor care information you received. Sorry for your loss!

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

Yeah, make sure to monitor all your params in house. I have never heard of a breeder saying that he has it dialed in at his place, so don't worry about it at your house, doesn't make sense.

I am sorry for your loss. With the information here I believe you will be more successful in the future.