Kristen.landeros
New Member
Hi all. This is my first post on here. My female Cham “Rango” seems to be dehydrated. She has been very lethargic the past three days. Yesterday she had sunken eyes. She has not eaten in over a week. I took her to the vet yesterday where they examined her and could not palpate any eggs (because my initial thought was that she could potentially be egg bound). Her last clutch was 2 1/2 months ago. She has not been eating for over a week which is her usual sign of being gravid. However that is not what the vet thought. The vet gave her subq fluids and carnivore care at 1 cc once a day. I use a pipette to administer that and not a syringe. Today she was still lethargic and not her normal self. She shut her eyes multiple different times throughout the day. She just seems weak and tired. Her coloring has stayed bright green and her eyes seemed to have gotten a little more bulgier. She does have some edema around her head and horn I believe from the fluids. She did fall asleep tonight holding onto her branch instead of sleeping on the soil of her tree- so I’m hoping that’s a good sign because she had been sleeping on the soil the last two days and not getting up when her light turned back on at 7 am. (Then I would have to pick her up and put her under her lamp for the day)
I booked another vet appt for Saturday morning in case she does not get better.
Any advice on what this might be, or if there’s hope to her recovering? I have been so distraught over the thought of losing her. I’m open to any changes necessary to revise husbandry.
How many days does it take a chameleon to recover from dehydration?
Thank you in advance!
-Kristen
About my Rango girl:
• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Female veiled chameleon. Estimate 1.5 years old. Over 1 year in my care.
Cage Info:
I booked another vet appt for Saturday morning in case she does not get better.
Any advice on what this might be, or if there’s hope to her recovering? I have been so distraught over the thought of losing her. I’m open to any changes necessary to revise husbandry.
How many days does it take a chameleon to recover from dehydration?
Thank you in advance!
-Kristen
About my Rango girl:
• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Female veiled chameleon. Estimate 1.5 years old. Over 1 year in my 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? Calcium supplement with no vitamin D3 dusted on every cricket. Calcium with Vitamin D3 biweekly. Multivitamin 1-2 times a month.
- Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? Misting with spray bottle 3-4 times a day for 2 minutes. No I usually do not see her drinking. Dripper made from water bottle available at all times and it creates a ripple effect onto the leaves of her tree
- Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? Recent droppings- sparse and drier than usual. No she has not been tested for parasites
- History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help.
Cage Info:
- Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? Screen DIY cage. 3 1/2 feet tall by 2 feet wide
- Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? Repti sun T5HO linear bulb 10.0. 75 W heat lamp white color. 12 hours daylight 7 am- 7pm daily.
- Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? 85-88 degrees basking spot. Lowest overnight temp is 61 degrees.
- Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Humidity 65-80% during the day. I create these levels by having live plants and misting sessions, as well as a dripper system. I use a hygrometer to monitor the levels
- Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? I am using live plants. 3 Dracena trees and artificial leaf vines. I have also used ficus and small fiddle leaf trees. She also has a stick placed under her basking area.
- Placement - 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? Guest room of our home. Light traffic by me only. No air vents or fans. About 2 1/2 feet above the ground on a wooden table.
- Location - Where are you geographically located? Huntington Beach, CA