compacted

[david sullivan]

How would I know if my cham was compacted? The obvious is no poop yes I know but is there any other signs? If he is how serious is this?, what can a vet to to correct this? Also Why does a shell from a beatle cause problems and say the skull of a mouse would not, In all respect to the size of the cham?
can some one give me a hand????

 

[ChromaChameleons]

The 2 simpilest causes of Impaction are dehydration or the lack of sufficiently high enough basking temperatures. Physical blockages , due to wood chip substrates or overabundance of parasitic worms are other possibilities.

You would notice a lack of defecation and eventually you would see a bulge in the lower abdomen.

Warm showers, and increased water consumption are 2 easy possible corrective measures.

Beyond that , a severe case may require a vet visit.

 

[david sullivan]

well I had to go out of town for a few days and my friend would come over and look after my cam every day. HE breeds these beetles for his toads and He feed one to my cham!?!?!?!
is this going to be a problem??

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

First of all, when was the last time he pooped? Keep in mind that their poop habits can change, and that it's not all that unusual for them to just not poop for a couple of days. Especially if there has been a change in their husbandry.

I see in your earlier posts, that you had substrate in his enclosure, and that you never saw him drink when you misted him. Did you remove the substrate? Did you ever begin seeing him drink when you misted him?

If the photo of the beetle is actual size, that may be a problem. When our male veiled, Guido, was impacted (from eating dead dried foliage that formed a 1"+ bundle of twigs in his intestine) he was not pooping, but there were no other signs. He still looked healthy and was strutting around his range like normal. He was still eating like normal, too. His belly did start to bulge eventually. We found Dave Weldon, somehow, online and contacted him. He gave us a few pointers and then directed us to this forum. We followed Dave's advice, including lots of hydration, daily showers, frequent mistings, light belly massage, and fed him bits of home-canned pears (did not contain added sugar) mashed up. In a few days he passed the clump in the shower and was fine. We didn't know what caused it until he pooped, and there was this bundle of "twigs".

If a course of treatment such as this does not work, or you see any other signs of distress or illness, I would get him to the vet ASAP.

 

[david sullivan]

no more substrate since day 2 and the beetle is a bit smaller

 

[david sullivan]

yeah he is good now, what ever the problem was (if there even was one) is gone, he passed today and is doing fine.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

Great news! Thank you for the update.