Dehydrated and stressed from a move

Rango69

New Member
  • Your Chameleon - I was told she is a female. I received her 2 1/2 days ago.
  • Handling - I have not picked her up yet, want her to get comfortable here first.
  • Feeding - Previous owner was giving her crickets and worms until she closed her eyes and could no longer find crickets. So now she is only on meal worms. She has not been very active since arriving so this morning was the first time she ate. I got one worm in her mouth and as she swollowed it down I put another in there before she could close it. I got her to eat 4 worms and then she turned her head. Gut loading with wheatbran, kelp, hemp, carrots and collards mixture.
  • Supplements - I dusted 3 of the worms with Repti calcium. I don't know how often she should get this. Have Flukers repta +boost mixed in water but can't get her to open her mouth for the dropper.
  • Watering - She has a dripper but it drips on one leaf of the plant and runs down. I don't see her drinking so I have been hand misting her every hour during the day. The water stays on her skin and does not run off, is this okay? I just spray her a few times to keep her damp. The first day I kept drops dumping on her head until she started swallowing. Then she would even open her mouth and then swallow. We did this for 30 minutes and I was really happy but now can't get her to open her mouth again. If I continue to drop water on her head, I see her swallow after a while but she does not open her mouth. Is she getting water if she is swallowing?
  • Fecal Description - yellow and white
  • History - We found her in the yard someone had released her. My son had her and she was super active and healthy but then closed her eyes and now they are sunken. He had a fogger and dropper but said he could never get the humidity up to 80 to keep her happy. He said he misted her often but I don't know the real story. I now have her on the back glass sun room and she loves the sun hitting her. It is 80 degrees out there and 80 humidity. It got down in the 50's last night outside so this morning there was no humidity out there. I bought a warm humidifier (human) and quickly got it back up to 80 and 80%.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - screen. about 2 foot high.
  • Lighting - Reptisun 5.0 UVB and 60 W daytime heat lamp. He told me to leave them on from 7 am to 7 pm
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - natural humidity is 80% but today was dry so I bought a warm humidifier and it was quickly back up to 80% again.
  • Plants - Live ficus and several fake plants. Ficus has lost a lot of leaves so I will go get a new umbrella plant this weekend.
  • Placement - Located in glass sun room. There is a ceiling fan but I have had it off. No air vents and not high traffic (except for when the yard guy going by with the blower)It is on a table about 3 feet off the ground and heat lamps are 5 inches from the top of the cage. Cage does not get below 70 degrees and is usually 80 in the day time.
  • Location - Orlando Florida
Problem. Her eyes are sunken and rarely open and she has yellow poo. I think she is dehydrated. I don't know how often to spray her and what is too much. She doesn't move around a lot, she changes positions about 3 times a day but that is it. I don't know how much to force feed her or how to get vitamin water in her.

I'm a new cam mom and have read as much as I can but I'm super nervous only having her a few days and knowing she needs lots of help.
 

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first stop everything and get her to a vet, she doesn't look like shes in great shape, second stop the mealworms, they are bad for her, they will cause impaction. third humidity needs to be around 50-60, veileds come from a semi arid climate and last she needs a minimum 2x2x4 cage. they get fairly big and judging by your pictures she doesn't look too small if she is even a she, the pattern on the side looks pretty male to me, can you post a pic of he back leg for us just to see if she is actually a she
 
If I was you I would bring him/her to a vet asap. He/she is probably not well nourished, and may have parasites since he was found outside.There are a lot of things you can improve on, but you need to get him/her healthy. I can't tell from your pictures but if it is a female you need a lay bin, if it's a female she may have eggs. Did you check for tarsal spurs? Male veiled chams have spurs on the back of their rear legs.
 
  • Your Chameleon - I was told she is a female. I received her 2 1/2 days ago.
  • Handling - I have not picked her up yet, want her to get comfortable here first.
  • Feeding - Previous owner was giving her crickets and worms until she closed her eyes and could no longer find crickets. So now she is only on meal worms. She has not been very active since arriving so this morning was the first time she ate. I got one worm in her mouth and as she swollowed it down I put another in there before she could close it. I got her to eat 4 worms and then she turned her head. Gut loading with wheatbran, kelp, hemp, carrots and collards mixture.
  • Supplements - I dusted 3 of the worms with Repti calcium. I don't know how often she should get this. Have Flukers repta +boost mixed in water but can't get her to open her mouth for the dropper.
  • Watering - She has a dripper but it drips on one leaf of the plant and runs down. I don't see her drinking so I have been hand misting her every hour during the day. The water stays on her skin and does not run off, is this okay? I just spray her a few times to keep her damp. The first day I kept drops dumping on her head until she started swallowing. Then she would even open her mouth and then swallow. We did this for 30 minutes and I was really happy but now can't get her to open her mouth again. If I continue to drop water on her head, I see her swallow after a while but she does not open her mouth. Is she getting water if she is swallowing?
  • Fecal Description - yellow and white
  • History - We found her in the yard someone had released her. My son had her and she was super active and healthy but then closed her eyes and now they are sunken. He had a fogger and dropper but said he could never get the humidity up to 80 to keep her happy. He said he misted her often but I don't know the real story. I now have her on the back glass sun room and she loves the sun hitting her. It is 80 degrees out there and 80 humidity. It got down in the 50's last night outside so this morning there was no humidity out there. I bought a warm humidifier (human) and quickly got it back up to 80 and 80%.
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - screen. about 2 foot high.
  • Lighting - Reptisun 5.0 UVB and 60 W daytime heat lamp. He told me to leave them on from 7 am to 7 pm
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - natural humidity is 80% but today was dry so I bought a warm humidifier and it was quickly back up to 80% again.
  • Plants - Live ficus and several fake plants. Ficus has lost a lot of leaves so I will go get a new umbrella plant this weekend.
  • Placement - Located in glass sun room. There is a ceiling fan but I have had it off. No air vents and not high traffic (except for when the yard guy going by with the blower)It is on a table about 3 feet off the ground and heat lamps are 5 inches from the top of the cage. Cage does not get below 70 degrees and is usually 80 in the day time.
  • Location - Orlando Florida
Problem. Her eyes are sunken and rarely open and she has yellow poo. I think she is dehydrated. I don't know how often to spray her and what is too much. She doesn't move around a lot, she changes positions about 3 times a day but that is it. I don't know how much to force feed her or how to get vitamin water in her.

I'm a new cam mom and have read as much as I can but I'm super nervous only having her a few days and knowing she needs lots of help.
I believe she is a he, but the one way to know for sure is to snap a pic of the back of his back feet to see if there is a tarsal spur, on the veiled care sheet herexwhich I recommend reading- there’s pictures of what a tarsal spur looks like. There are actually wild populations of veileds in Florida, so he could be wild or someone’s released pet, either is likely. Either way, you’re stuck with him now, so let me help out some. Good job on not handling, chams are like fish, look but don’t touch. For feeding, mealworms are a big no-no, use superworms instead, and only occasionally. Try some other feeders for more variety, like roaches (super healthy; red runner, orange-headed, and ivory-headed cannot climb or fly), silkworms (super healthy), hornworms (great for hydration), black soldier fly larvae (great source of calcium), and butterworms. If he ever regains vision, pupated black soldier flies, blue bottle flies, green banana roaches (can climb and fly), painted lady butterflies, and silk, horn, and waxworm moths are all great, as well. Mantids, stick insects, and helix aspersa snails are great, too, amongst others. There are many ways to supplement: 1) phosphorous-free calcium without D3 every feeding, phosphorous-free calcium with D3 every two weeks, and a multivitamin without D3 every two weeks. 2) phosphorous-free calcium without D3 every feeding and a multivitamin with D3, like Zoo Med Reptivite with D3, every two weeks. 3) Arcadia brand supplements using the Arcadia insectivore schedule off of their website. 4) an all-in-one supplement every feeding, like Repashy Calcium Plus LoD or Sticky Tongue Farms Miner-all (gutload feeders with Vit-all the night before if using Miner-all). The amount of D3 given depends on if your cham is housed indoors or outdoors. Every feeder should be completely, but lightly, dusted right before feeding. Every feeder should be properly gutloaded before for feeding, by either separating what you’ll feed off the night before and intense gutload them with quality gutload (keep the rest of the colonies fed) or keeping all feeders constantly fed with a quality gutload. Use either a quality commercial gutload, like Cricket Crack, Langea, Mazuri, or Repashy, and/or organic fresh fruits and veggies (there’s a list in the gutload section in food and nutrition in the resources tab here). Bee pollen and spirulina are also great! Mist your cham 3 times a day, at minimum
 
I believe she is a he, but the one way to know for sure is to snap a pic of the back of his back feet to see if there is a tarsal spur, on the veiled care sheet herexwhich I recommend reading- there’s pictures of what a tarsal spur looks like. There are actually wild populations of veileds in Florida, so he could be wild or someone’s released pet, either is likely. Either way, you’re stuck with him now, so let me help out some. Good job on not handling, chams are like fish, look but don’t touch. For feeding, mealworms are a big no-no, use superworms instead, and only occasionally. Try some other feeders for more variety, like roaches (super healthy; red runner, orange-headed, and ivory-headed cannot climb or fly), silkworms (super healthy), hornworms (great for hydration), black soldier fly larvae (great source of calcium), and butterworms. If he ever regains vision, pupated black soldier flies, blue bottle flies, green banana roaches (can climb and fly), painted lady butterflies, and silk, horn, and waxworm moths are all great, as well. Mantids, stick insects, and helix aspersa snails are great, too, amongst others. There are many ways to supplement: 1) phosphorous-free calcium without D3 every feeding, phosphorous-free calcium with D3 every two weeks, and a multivitamin without D3 every two weeks. 2) phosphorous-free calcium without D3 every feeding and a multivitamin with D3, like Zoo Med Reptivite with D3, every two weeks. 3) Arcadia brand supplements using the Arcadia insectivore schedule off of their website. 4) an all-in-one supplement every feeding, like Repashy Calcium Plus LoD or Sticky Tongue Farms Miner-all (gutload feeders with Vit-all the night before if using Miner-all). The amount of D3 given depends on if your cham is housed indoors or outdoors. Every feeder should be completely, but lightly, dusted right before feeding. Every feeder should be properly gutloaded before for feeding, by either separating what you’ll feed off the night before and intense gutload them with quality gutload (keep the rest of the colonies fed) or keeping all feeders constantly fed with a quality gutload. Use either a quality commercial gutload, like Cricket Crack, Langea, Mazuri, or Repashy, and/or organic fresh fruits and veggies (there’s a list in the gutload section in food and nutrition in the resources tab here). Bee pollen and spirulina are also great! Mist your cham 3 times a day, at minimum

Females do not present the same coloration as the chameleon in the photograph. That is clearly a male based on the coloration pattern. I do agree however that we can confirm this based off the rear feet with the present spurs.
 
I believe she is a he, but the one way to know for sure is to snap a pic of the back of his back feet to see if there is a tarsal spur, on the veiled care sheet herexwhich I recommend reading- there’s pictures of what a tarsal spur looks like. There are actually wild populations of veileds in Florida, so he could be wild or someone’s released pet, either is likely. Either way, you’re stuck with him now, so let me help out some. Good job on not handling, chams are like fish, look but don’t touch. For feeding, mealworms are a big no-no, use superworms instead, and only occasionally. Try some other feeders for more variety, like roaches (super healthy; red runner, orange-headed, and ivory-headed cannot climb or fly), silkworms (super healthy), hornworms (great for hydration), black soldier fly larvae (great source of calcium), and butterworms. If he ever regains vision, pupated black soldier flies, blue bottle flies, green banana roaches (can climb and fly), painted lady butterflies, and silk, horn, and waxworm moths are all great, as well. Mantids, stick insects, and helix aspersa snails are great, too, amongst others. There are many ways to supplement: 1) phosphorous-free calcium without D3 every feeding, phosphorous-free calcium with D3 every two weeks, and a multivitamin without D3 every two weeks. 2) phosphorous-free calcium without D3 every feeding and a multivitamin with D3, like Zoo Med Reptivite with D3, every two weeks. 3) Arcadia brand supplements using the Arcadia insectivore schedule off of their website. 4) an all-in-one supplement every feeding, like Repashy Calcium Plus LoD or Sticky Tongue Farms Miner-all (gutload feeders with Vit-all the night before if using Miner-all). The amount of D3 given depends on if your cham is housed indoors or outdoors. Every feeder should be completely, but lightly, dusted right before feeding. Every feeder should be properly gutloaded before for feeding, by either separating what you’ll feed off the night before and intense gutload them with quality gutload (keep the rest of the colonies fed) or keeping all feeders constantly fed with a quality gutload. Use either a quality commercial gutload, like Cricket Crack, Langea, Mazuri, or Repashy, and/or organic fresh fruits and veggies (there’s a list in the gutload section in food and nutrition in the resources tab here). Bee pollen and spirulina are also great! Mist your cham 3 times a day, at minimum
Sorry, as I was saying, mist for 3 times a day, but preferably for more, for at least 2 minutes, but preferably for 5 minutes each time. Invest in an automated mister, like a MistKing. When hand-misting, spray down the entire enclosure, especially the plants, and gently mist your cham, for they need it to clean out their eyes. Make sure the dripper drips over a plant. You need a bigger screen cage, at minimum of 2’ by 2’ by 4’ tall. once in a 2’ by 2’ by 4’ tall cage, get either a t5HO or T8 linear uvb bulb (Zoo Med 10.0) and fixture, unless you’re keeping him outside (uvb cannot pass through glass, so if your sunroom is windows, get the uvb light). Go to the hardware store and get a digital temp gun to measure his basking temps, a timer for the lights (12 hours of uvb and basking, and 12 hours of complete darkness), and a digital thermometer/hygrometer combo for ambient temp and humidity. The humidity is too high, it should be between 40-70%, I believe (the veiled care sheet here has proper percentages, basking temps, amount of feeder and when to give, etc). Make sure to feed in the morning only, as well. Chams need the second half of the day to bask and digest. Chams need a temp drop at night, so if it gets below 60*F, I believe, use a low wattage ceramic heat emitter. He is dehydrated, take him to the vet, feed hornworms, and mist longer.
 
Oh my gosh I feel so much better with all this advice. I will read each post slowly and make sure I try every word of advice. Her / His cage is 30 inches tall and she is at least 12 inches long. Your right she needs a bigger cage, I will work on that as soon as I get her better and moving around. Right now she needs nursing first. I didn't think I could get a picture of her legs but she got up a little since I checked on her last. So is Rango a boy and not a girl?
I can't tell you all thank you enough, I feel so bad and will do anything to help her.
 

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Oh my gosh I feel so much better with all this advice. I will read each post slowly and make sure I try every word of advice. Her / His cage is 30 inches tall and she is at least 12 inches long. Your right she needs a bigger cage, I will work on that as soon as I get her better and moving around. Right now she needs nursing first. I didn't think I could get a picture of her legs but she got up a little since I checked on her last. So is Rango a boy and not a girl?
I can't tell you all thank you enough, I feel so bad and will do anything to help her.
Definitely a boy. Thank you for taking initiative!
 
Rango went to the vet today. vitamin A and calcium deficient. I have to force feed him Carnivore Care 1 Tbsp per day. I also have to give him liquid calcium supplement daily. He received a vitamin A/D and calcium Gluconate injections today. He will get 10 minute bath in warm water per day and outside time in the sun. I will be misting him hourly as the vet suggested not investing in a misting system till we know he will pull out of this. This will be a long road but we are going to get thru this.
 
I see no reason to delay a mister, it would make rehydrating him a lot easier.

Why does he want to give him baths? They tend to be very stressful to chams.
 
I see no reason to delay a mister, it would make rehydrating him a lot easier.

Why does he want to give him baths? They tend to be very stressful to chams.
Said that he will absorb water thru the skin and will help with the dehydration. They gave him a bath yesterday at the vet and I was just about to give him a bath for today but yes I thought he would be stressed out. I'm supposed to put him in shallow water and slowly pour water on his back. My fist question is do they really absorb water thru their skin because if they do and I keep his skin wet with constant misting, will that do the same thing without having to hold him? I'm holding off on the bath till I hear back from you. I already have to get him out of his cage to give him liquid calcium and the rest of his Carnivore care for today. I contacted mulberry farms to see if they have smaller hornworms. The ones at petsmart seem too big. @Erklrose said hornworms are good for dehydration so I wanted to try that also.

Any suggestion on the best place to purchase feeders? Petsmart only has superworms and he needs a variety in his diet.
 
Said that he will absorb water thru the skin and will help with the dehydration. They gave him a bath yesterday at the vet and I was just about to give him a bath for today but yes I thought he would be stressed out. I'm supposed to put him in shallow water and slowly pour water on his back. My fist question is do they really absorb water thru their skin because if they do and I keep his skin wet with constant misting, will that do the same thing without having to hold him? I'm holding off on the bath till I hear back from you. I already have to get him out of his cage to give him liquid calcium and the rest of his Carnivore care for today. I contacted mulberry farms to see if they have smaller hornworms. The ones at petsmart seem too big. @Erklrose said hornworms are good for dehydration so I wanted to try that also.

Any suggestion on the best place to purchase feeders? Petsmart only has superworms and he needs a variety in his diet.
Our site sponsors are a great place to start. Dubia Roaches has great prices and a big assortment of feeders, Coastal Silkworms has horn and silkworms, Full Throttle Feeders has lots of roaches, Josh’s Frogs has feeders, too. Rainbow Mealworms has combo packs. I would give him a “shower”, put a plant, stand, or branch in the shower, put the shower on at room temperature and face the shower head towards the wall and position the branch/stand/plant to where it is lightly getting completely misted by the offspray. Put your cham in and supervise. Do 10-30 minutes (someone correct me if I’m wrong). You can also inject any liquid meds into the hornworms if your cham ends up liking them.
 
I am not 100% on weather or not chams can absorb water through their skin. But I do know that chams are aborial reptiles, not semi-aquatic. You should opt for the shower method as outlined above, not baths.
 
I'm going to keep this thread going unless I should do this another way. I think you all are going to help me save Rango. Injecting the hornworms with his medicine is genius - I would've never thought. I just ordered him a bunch and hope they come before Thanksgiving. I feel like he should be eating worms along with his supplement mixture that I feed him with a syringe but I don't want to feed him too much. He does not willingly take a worm, is forcing 1 worm in him a day along with the Carnivore care too much or not enough?
 
Another quick question. The vet said he was too cold at night so I bought a nighttime incandescent heat bulb but now I just read that is a no no. Tonight it will get down to 61 and wed night 54. I thought these were okay temperatures, your thoughts? He was moving for the first time this morning after having the nighttime heat lamp last night.
 
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