Dehydrated? and not eating

W

winston

New Member
Please help, i am new to chameleon's ive had winston for 6 months i think he is about 8-9 months old everything has been ok untill about 2 weeks ago ive been feeding him crickets and occaisonaly wax worms he gets misted twice a day (to be fair i think i have been misled on the amount he actualy needed)
now he dosent seem to be eating at all and looks very thin (should have seen it sooner) and in the last few days become lazy i bought some critical care formula today along with a new UVB bulb, locusts and morio worms to get him interested but he's not having any of it. what can i do to get him to drink his CCF and eat??????
 
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http://s666.photobucket.com/albums/vv30/qwerty_2009654/?action=view&current=DSC01933.jpg

Thanks Syn.

Here he is!

house: he is in a 2ft x 2 ft x 3ft high wood viv with sliding glass doors
lighting: 15w 10.0 2ft UVB reptiglow tube and a 40w yellow heat spot bulb
temp and humid: temp is about 28c - 30c and 50% - 60% humidity
decor: plastic plants, repti vine, vairous wood structures and spider life substrate (peat i think)
location: on top or the rabbit hutch in the bedroom near a big window
type: he is a 8 - 9 month old male veiled cham ive had for 6 months
he gets handled when he wants to be he use to come to the front when he wanted to come out otherwise he would hiss
food: he has been on crickets since we bought him with and occaisonaly wax worms as a treat
supplements: ventark nutrobal calcium powder and multivitamin
water: morning mist & fill dripper midday mist evening mist
fecal: none due to not eating before they were white & brown with watery look??? never knew about testing it the supplying pet shop never said!
history: use to eat while i was putting the crickets in and i could hand feed wax worms
problem: he wont eat i think he is dehydrated (ive never seen him drink other half has seen him 2-3 times) he is lazy/weak i can pick him up and he dosent hiss at all
i dont know how to get him to drink or eat or how to give him his critical care formula help will be greatly apriceated.

cheers Winston
 
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I dont know everything here, but I do know force feeding a Chameleon is almost impossible as it could end up in its airway. or worse. I would suggest a quick trip to the Vet. where they can hydrate your Cham, With a well placed I V solution within the Chams Stomach. That will help more than food right now anyhow. + the vet could check for other things. Per chance he eats for you at home first, inject the feeder with water and get some in that way. If not the vet should at least get it hydrated.
 
I agree with Titan. I vet trip is 100% necessary. Also the 666 in the link must mean something! Oh noes!
 
Fill this out Winston and then we can start from there :)


Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Describe your cage construction (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
* Lighting - What brand, model, and type of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
* Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
* Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
* Location - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?


Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
* Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
* Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
* Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
* Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
* Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
* History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
* Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.
 
So far, from looking at the pics, I don't think he's skinny.
Do you have a better picture of him where he does not suck his gut because of the vine. Also, a pic of his eyes.. are they sunken?

Here is what dehydration looked like:
http://chamworld.blogspot.com/2008/01/health-section-dehydration.html

in the mean time, schedule an appointment with vet anyway.
If he poop on the day of the appointment, grab the poop and put it in a ziplock bag. Bring the poop to your vet and have it tested for parasites.

Are you located in England?
 
http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv30/qwerty_2009654/DSC01936.jpg

Hi dodolah, yes i am from england.

you should be able to see 4 photos in the previous link but this is the one for his eyes i will get him out and get one of him standing on a flat surface tomorow for you, his eyes are not as bad as the one you have linked!
i know i should take him to the vets but the closest one we have for lizards is 45 miles away! not ideal but they know what they are doing, but if i need to i will have to take him. thx for your help oh i forgot to mention he had a bogger of some crusty thing on the nostrill in this photo i had to wet it and pick it off he has a smaller one on the other side no idea what it is but common sense said its not normal, but before this all started i would never have got close to touching his head never mind picking his nose lol hope he gets better soon. cheers winston
 
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Ouch, the eyes does look sunken to me.
Do you have silkworms or butterworms?
In this case, I would add more misting cycles and the length.
Try to hydrate him until you can take him to the vet.
How long has he been not pooping? it could be an impaction case as well.
Take out the substrate. the floor should be bare or use a paper towel..
what kind of reptiglo you are using? compact or linear?
Is the 30 C is the ambient temperature or is it basking temperature? if the first is the case, that seems a bit too hot.





winston said:
http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv30/qwerty_2009654/DSC01936.jpg

Hi dodolah, yes i am from england.

you should be able to see 4 photos in the previous link but this is the one for his eyes i will get him out and get one of him standing on a flat surface tomorow for you, his eyes are not as bad as the one you have linked!
i know i should take him to the vets but the closest one we have for lizards is 45 miles away! not ideal but they know what they are doing, but if i need to i will have to take him. thx for your help oh i forgot to mention he had a bogger of some crusty thing on the nostrill in this photo i had to wet it and pick it off he has a smaller one on the other side no idea what it is but common sense said its not normal, but before this all started i would never have got close to touching his head never mind picking his nose lol hope he gets better soon. cheers winston
Click to expand...
 
i have crickets small locust wax worms and i think what you call super worms
i would say about at least 3-4 days cleaned him out monday and no mess yet
you dont know how long ive been looking for an answer on substrate
i am using a reptiglow 10.0 15w fluorescent tube and a small 40w yellow bulb
for a heat spot the temp is ambientand the basking is a bit hotter,

also when i bought the set up the pet shop sold me a heat mat have i wasted my money?

and what temp are your vivs at and what should i be aiming for?
and i will increse the misting duration too :)
 
winston said:
i have crickets small locust wax worms and i think what you call super worms
i would say about at least 3-4 days cleaned him out monday and no mess yet
you dont know how long ive been looking for an answer on substrate
i am using a reptiglow 10.0 15w fluorescent tube and a small 40w yellow bulb
for a heat spot the temp is ambientand the basking is a bit hotter,

also when i bought the set up the pet shop sold me a heat mat have i wasted my money?

and what temp are your vivs at and what should i be aiming for?
and i will increse the misting duration too :)
Click to expand...

you are using a heat mat on top of the basking lamp?
I think this is one of the contribution of why he dehydrated and probably stop eating.
Return the heat mat to the store,
no substrate necessary,

here is the lamp recommendation:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/my-enclosure-19933/#post169360

ambient temp should be around 70 - 80 F (21 - 25 C)
Basking temp could be around 87 - 95 F (30 - 35C)

Also remember, you are using glass.. so chances are it actually hotter than you think since glass retain heat real well.
 
thank you, right heatmat and substrate out paper towels in tripple the misting and adjust the heat i should have come on here before buying him ive been looking in to it for about 2 yrs but everyone says diffrent things one shop i went to said dont bother with a big viv and you can chuch him straight in others go over the top with ceramic this and that, never mind thanks for the top advice hopefully he will be good as gold in no time fingers crossed!:D
 
winston said:
thank you, right heatmat and substrate out paper towels in tripple the misting and adjust the heat i should have come on here before buying him ive been looking in to it for about 2 yrs but everyone says diffrent things one shop i went to said dont bother with a big viv and you can chuch him straight in others go over the top with ceramic this and that, never mind thanks for the top advice hopefully he will be good as gold in no time fingers crossed!:D
Click to expand...

in the meantime, try to get that vet appointment.

i think it is a good idea to do it.
Ceramic heat can be used if the temp at night drops below 50 F (10C).
Ideally, 60 F (15 C) is good night temp.
And, veiled can survive 40 F (4 C) night temp if necessary.
 
dodolah said:
in the meantime, try to get that vet appointment.

i think it is a good idea to do it.
Ceramic heat can be used if the temp at night drops below 50 F (10C).
Ideally, 60 F (15 C) is good night temp.
And, veiled can survive 40 F (4 C) night temp if necessary.
Click to expand...

never knew they would cope with temps that low i was told that going down to 20C was enough of a drop hopefully with the heatmat out it will drop and i will see if there is a vet a bit closer to home i can get to first
 
winston said:
never knew they would cope with temps that low i was told that going down to 20C was enough of a drop hopefully with the heatmat out it will drop and i will see if there is a vet a bit closer to home i can get to first
Click to expand...

they can survive that low, but i wouldn't expose mine to that extreme.
 
i will play on the safe side and aim for 15c and see where we go.

also would you recomend directley misting him to try and rehydrate him?
 
winston said:
i will play on the safe side and aim for 15c and see where we go.

also would you recomend directley misting him to try and rehydrate him?
Click to expand...

in this case, if you gonna do that, I would fill the mister with hot water (not boiling). So, when the water came out from the mister, it is warm and pleasant for him.
 
Hey, hope all has gone well since I last was on. You know I am No professional, but have dealt with years of Dry Climate, Chameleon raising and breeding. Even in a more humid climate dehydration is very possible. (only worse here in our High Alpine Desert) What im getting at is the Cham Appears dehydrated from the pic's. Chameleons Quickly show signs of this in their appearance structure.
My dry climate experience has taught me what I need to pay attention to for a well hydrated Cham. Sunken eyes, are a sure sign of dehydration, or discomfort, or pain! Also Dehydration shows in the high back and tail, Kindof like an orange slice drying out, you suddenly see more of the internal parts, much like stavation does to animals also. only quicker.
I have seen where I can get liquids into the animal soon enough they recover well! This especially comes to mind as you stated, you dont see him drink. So getting him hydrated is crucial to survival and figuring out if somthing else is wrong. BUT never force the liquid in. Only Vets should do that if it is past the Cham doing it on its own.
This reply is getting way to long but I have to add. The Glass in your cage could attribute to stress. And stress could cause a Cham not to drink even if it is right in front of it! I would most definatly suggest a much larger enclosure also!:)
 
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