Decreased fat pads on casque

[sandrachameleon]

Should I be forcing hydration as well??? Maybe purchase a bunch more of silk worms

That certainly couldnt hurt. Inject water into roaches and crickets as well if you can, if you think extra hydration is in order. It isnt going to hurt. Offer a wide variety of feeders, unrestricted in amount, until his weight comes back or you determine what the problem is otherwise.

 

[sandrachameleon]

.... These pads will also sink in like that when the panther is getting to be very old...don't know if their appetite declines or if their ability to digest food and absorb nutrients might be part of it then.

I have noticed this also. I've got one older fella right now that is given nearly unrestricted amounts of food, and he eats a fair bit more than the younger lads, yet he looks frail.

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."I had earlier been focusing on not feeding him as much as I had been, and was focusing on around 4 feeders around every other day and sometimes daily. Previously he had been given around 6-8 feeders daily."...I don't think you should have cut his intake down. I feed mine every 2 or 3 days but I give the males at least 15 to 20 crickets each time.

 

[sandrachameleon]

But he went back to 6-8 daily, which isnt bad - for maintenance. Still needs to get the weight back first, and ensure there arent any other issues at play. Its a rather dramatic decreased in appearence for just a couple months.

 

[tdotcham]

Well he pooped today... was very runny probably due to all the worms ive fed... couldn't even really see a urate.

Off to the vets we go...

pics:

 

[Jakedn]

Get him some reptaid while you wait on getting him a fecal etc.. Stuff works wonders.

 

[tdotcham]

Yeah, the place I was grabbing it from didn't get it in today.... just to clarify, the water amount in the stool above is from his drainage system as I had to dripper running.

I went to the vet today... it was a joke. After they informed me that they would do the fecal, and if treatment was needed that they would then require a vet visit, they did a 360 after I was asking about the vets experience in chameleon species. I kept hearing "they treat lots of reptiles", and they've seen chameleons before, but when I asked to speak to the doctor they were unable to. Then as I was finishing the papers, I was informed I would have to bring him in BEFORE the fecal, as they legally weren't obligated to send off the feces for testing without the DR meeting me and the cham. What a crock.... I left, threw the stool in the fridge, and will be going to another place tomorrow

 

[tdotcham]

Went to the links road vet in Toronto today, they specialize in birds and reptiles apparently and I saw a picture of a chameleon peach on the wall so atleast I know he's got a customer with a chameleon. His fecal results should be back tomorrow...I put down I wanted a fecal float and smear so I'm hoping they test for everything.

I also stole the parents digital food scale and managed to get big red on it. It showed 104g and he was gripping both sides, and stayed consistent when he started moving around on it. Not sure how much he weighed previously unfortunately and am hoping this scale is accurate to see if he is gaining any weights.

He is going to be fed 10 feeders a day and I can't wait to work through this as he's got me worried sick

 

[ataraxia]

i can only imagine.

good luck with your guy keep us posted!

 

[tdotcham]

weighed him in today, he was at 106 grams before he ate, 2 gram increase difference from last weigh in. fecal results should hopefully be ready today

 

[kinyonga]

Are the pads improving at all?

 

[tdotcham]

Weighed him in today before hogging down his meal at 110g.... continuous progress. No fecal results yesterday, going to call today and see if they are open on the weekend.

Are the pads improving? I mean it's tough to say. Especially since I see him everyday. They vary, sometimes I see them a bit puffed up, then other times not as large... He's messin around with me. That's why I'm utilizing the scale to measure his weight. His appetite is still strong... I've got him on 10 large crickets daily, and really focusing on trying to get him in the mood to drink. His grip is great, and he's been very active.

 

[tdotcham]

well I called the vet, the doctor hadn't called me however the receptionist said there are no parasites found based on the report. I requested both a fecal float and smear, so I'm hoping that they went over everything to eliminate parasites/bacteria infections.

arghhhh

 

[ataraxia]

well thats really good.

sounds like he wasnt getting enough nutrition then. just keep up with your new regiment and the guy should make a turn around.

id still smear some benebac on one feeder a few feeding anyways

good luck.

 

[tdotcham]

whats the benefit of benebac??

 

[ataraxia]

changing environmental or nutritional conditions or after antibiotic therapy.

it replaces or adds to the body natural flora. it can get all messed up with some of the conditions above.

Help for animals under adverse conditions such as: simple intestinal stress, antibiotic therapy, post surgery, birth, weaning, worming, traveling.

i cant find any supporting evidence in reptiles. as i believe it is just from the lack of experimentation with it.

 

[sandrachameleon]

well I called the vet, the doctor hadn't called me however the receptionist said there are no parasites found based on the report. I requested both a fecal float and smear, so I'm hoping that they went over everything to eliminate parasites/bacteria infections.

arghhhh

good news! you've ruled out the more serious issues. Now that you are feeding him better / more he should gain weight steadily until he's back in good condition

 

[tdotcham]

well he pooped again today.. it wasn't solid again and also looked like it had some undigested crickets. The urate confuses me the most, as theres always some orange in there but the rest is bone white.

My GF weighed him in at 104grams again, so I'm guessing he defecated all the weight gain I was happy for. I just fear that the vet didnt find an underlying problem, and I'm still waiting for them to call me back to tell me exactly what they examined for.

disgusting pictures - sorry:

and his a picture of him on his hibiscus out on the balcony showing off a bit of colours:

 

[sandrachameleon]

Its okay if the tip of the urate is yellow or even orange, so long as the remainder is white.
Keep offering lots of food like medium crickets, butterworms, superworms, silkworms, and roaches. Best to add to the number of times fed daily, rather than just increasing the number of prey provided in one meal daily.
Your chameleon will require about 6calories per day just to maintain current weight. So you'll want to exceed that until he is the perfect weight.
You may find this article interesting: http://www.chameleonnews.com/02SepDonoghue.html

 

[tdotcham]

As of now, I'm feeding him 10 large crickets in a meal in the morning. Roaches aren't available around here to my knowledge, and I had been offering him lot's of silk worms and wax worms.