dried blood at vent, then slight fresh blood, then tiny urate or sperm??

What time is the appointment? Given that he is on a reverse schedule unless it is first thing in the morning, it will be like 2-3am to him. I would try and give him a short "day" tonight that way he is not all kinds of sleep deprived to add to things.

The vomiting could be from parasites. It could also occur if the presumed infection were to go systemic, into his blood. Save what he did vomit up, put it in a ziploc baggie wrapped in moist paper towel. Toss the whole deal in the fridge tonight, if you have a recent poop add that too. Take it with you tomorrow.

Do you have anything else around to offer him? Silkworms would probably be best, but they are hard to keep on hand at all times. Large female crickets that are dewinged and striped of the rear legs will be easier on him also. The supers have alot of chitin to them, still far less than meal worms though. Given that he threw up the last meal though, you may just want to wait. Ask your vet for carnivore care. Its a powder you mix with water to form a pastey liquid. They seem to like the taste because every reptile I've used it on will keep licking it up if you just keep adding some to its snout.

The best thing you could probably do for him tonight would be to get him as well hydrated as you can. Chances are you will be coming home with some med tomorrow, and hydration is super important when medicating. The more water you can get in him to start with the better. See if you can get him to drink a bit tonight, maybe give him a shower, a luke warm one. It helps to let the water bounce of the wall of the shower instead of hitting him directly. Then let him warm up and dry off for a while. It might even help to raise his temp 5-10 degrees. But do try to give him a shorter day period. Then just do the same tomorrow when you get home to get him back on schedule.

Good luck tomorrow
 
Re: puking

Okay, I did a search for "vomit" and I guess it's not that uncommon to vomit up undigested bugs. Especially if they weren't able to warm up for proper digestion, and I did notice last night that he looked cold. I actually moved him to basking spot a couple of times. But he ventured off and didnt go back, twice. The cage was rearranged yesterday, and is now longer, so more open, and the basking spot doesnt reach as far, its more centralized. (The uvb light was more to one side, he was under that last night, but away from baskig lamp. I moved the UVB more centered tonight, so he won't get confused. I got another UVB fixture the other day, so was going to put it on other side, just haven't set it up yet. ) I moved the basking lamp closer than it was last night, (had it clipped above cage, now is resting on screen) and he's been getting closer to it, so he must know he needs it to help himself. I will turn up the heat in the room a bit tonight, and get a stronger bulb tomorrow. Do you think maybe a second basking lamp too? The cage is now 4 ft long.
So, should I give him a couple crickets tonight?
 
Oops okay posted that before I saw your reply. Thanks for replying by the way, you seem to be the only one following this.
So, okay, yeah the appt is at 11. I did actually wake him up a little earlier than usual today, so that would give him about a 15 hour day if i left him on. but now I'm wondering if maybe he needs more basking, not less, if he's too cold, plus he won't be able to mist/drink as much if he's sleeping. What do you think? What time shut him down?
Ugh - I just looked over and he was leaving basking spot but still dark. It looked like he was dragging/rubbing his vent area on the vine. I checked him out, no protrusion, no blood, all looks normal.
 
As for feeders, I have small crickets, and butterworms, but he won't touch the butters. He wouldn't touch any of the silkworms I had for him last week either. If I end up having to feed him like putting goop on his mouth, should I just squish up gutloaded bugs or use that carnivore care stuff?
 
If he will take them I would offer him a few crickets. Just take off the wings, if present, and rear legs. Also try and find some nice fat juicy ones. Toss a slice of orange in there for like 20min, the crickets will pass the moisture to the cham.

I know what you mean about the humidity. Im in buffalo NY and its a pain here when the heat runs all winter, as I'm sure yours is too. I have taken to covering 3 sides of all my screen cages. This holds in the humidity a little longer, while still allowing alot of air circulation. I also use ultra sonic humidifiers, some piped into the cages and some not. Just be careful with this. If you have furniture on an exterior wall and the house is older you will get mold. Pulling everything 2-3 inches of of an exterior wall will stop this. If you are in a newer building with good insulation and a vapor barrier its not as much of a concern, but still worthy of noting.

I see you are using a 60w blue daylight bulb. Switch to just a plain old every day incandescent screw in. All my 4ft tall cages have 100w in for winter and 60w for summer. That is for panther chams though, you may want to try a 75w and see how that work for you. Im not 100% sure of the optimal temps for a flapneck. I have read to treat them similar to a panther or veild though, this may be outdated now though.

You said its 4 feet long now, did you just turn it on the side? If so I would try adding another lamp, but put one in the center and one to the left or right. Give him a side that would be cooler. this way he can go down in the plants or to that side to cool off. Just make sure with the extra heat he gets extra water.

Also try to keep their cages as change free as possible from here on out. I have a female panther that won't move for a day or two after a new plant has been added. They all seem to take notice of it, just it bothers some alot more than others.
 
As long as hes not going to be up for 20 hours straight I think it would be ok to let him go all night. But if it gets to be where hes not drinking, eating or basking, I would let him take a bit of a nap.

See if he will take some crickets. If it comes to having to feed him with a dropper, not tonight of course. It is up to you and your vet on wether to use the canivore care or "bug juice", mashed up bugs. I have used both ways. I like the carnivore care because it is super easy to digest. It is a balanced diet, with electrolytes, for reptiles while they are getting better. The bug juice still has bits of chitin and other things, making it less nutrient rich. But it is cheaper and does offer good results.

The vent area is probably causing a good deal of discomfort which is why he is rubbing it on things. Thats normal given the irritation, just make sure he wont catch himself on anything while rubbing it.

I know we are not the only ones following it, the thread has 240 some views.
 
Haha, it may be all me, all those views, I keep checking back and re reading what you said. :)
Anyways, yes I did just turn it on its side. The thing was, my plants, even on stands, didn't reach the top, and so he was hanging down at plant level, hardly ever venturing up near lights. I figured this way, sideways, he will have lots more horizontal plant level to travel through and hang out in, to feel protected and be near his water sources, and yet also have that plant level also be up high enough to be able to take advantage of basking and UVB lights that are now closer to plants because plants are closer to roof of enclosure. The top of the cage is still over 5 ft high, so he can be above my eye level as I walk by, but usually I'm in bed when I'm in here so I'm way lower anyway, it's just when I'm standing there misting or something.
On another note, I can now reach the switch onthe light fixture, lol, and the cat hasn't tried to jump up onthe dresser now that it's lengthwise.

As for humidity, that's actually doing better too! I discovered yesterday when I accidentaly hit the off switch while refilling humidifier, that there's another
higher setting! I apparently had had it on a run longer on low kind of setting, so although it never got to the % to shut off, it wasn't blowing at full capacity tie whole week. Its reading 59% right now, and it's been rising, so that should improve now too, first time I've seen it above 50%. :)
On top of that, I didn't do the shower, but i did give him an extra warm direct misting for several minutes, and he sat there and allowed it, started drinking the face drips. So that worked well, he was nice and wet. Leaves are almost dried again, so I'll try that again in a little bit, then see if he'll eat a little bit.
 
Re: bulbs

As far as the bulbs go, I had always assumed that people just said household bulbs for cost reasons, but I didnt think the UVA would be harmful, might help with mood, so i went for it. Is there an issue with uva bulbs? When i was setting up the cage, before I got him, and checking temps & stuff, this 60 watt was making the basking spot a nice 84 or so. At the time though, my room temperature was warmer too. I actually dropped my thermostat down a bit, to give him more of a nighttime drop. To tell you the truth, I don't know if we have a household bulb between 60 & 100 watts. The fixture I have I remember didn't handle a100 watt, I remember reading that cause the bulb that was urn it looked big for it. I was going to get a big one, but then a friend gave me this one for free and I was going low wattage anyway.. Actually the other day I saw in a store a special bulb designed for turtles or high mist animals it said, so I thought maybe that instead so I don't have to worry about bulbs getting wet and bursting?
 
Good to hear he is drinking and hopefully he will eat a little.

Sounds like turning the cage on its side worked out for the best in all situations! Given his size I don't think he will miss the height too much. Especially with the easier access to the lighting. Also good to hear youve gotten the humidity issue taken care of, that will help alot to keep him hydrated.

My cats are the same way, everywhere they shouldn't be!

Im off to bed, hope the rest of the night goes well. Ill be around tomorrow morning if you have any more questions.
 
For one thing the UVA bulbs are expensive. But I have found that a 60watt cool white provides more heat than an equivalent blue daylight bulb. Being that I am using the bulb mainly for heat I opt for the cheapos. I doubt the UVA would be a bad thing because the definately get it in nature.

I haven't looked closely at those turtle bulbs, I have seen them though. Im not sure about the light spectrum that they generate. But if there is no UV they are just repackaged and repriced outdoor flood lights. I have only once had a standard bulb break on me while misting, and it was 100% my fault. I basically unintentionally sprayed directly into the dome from underneath. It takes alot of water to make one blow, its not like the water vapor mist droplets will do it alone.
 
Re: change free

I know, the change couldnt have been worse timing stress-wise, but probably saved his life, cause I wouldn't have noticed anything otherwise, as I've been trying not to handle him.
But honestly, I do want to add another plant or two because it looks rather bare and open now that there's all the extra space. I stretched the Hoya out along the vines, to make him think he was still in the plants even when just on vines. It seems to be working a bit, he's on the vines more than he used to.
But actually, I had moved the plants a little a couple of times to try and accommodate him better once i saw his behavior in there and he hasn't been weird about it at all - he actually goes "sweet, thats new!" and explored them pretty soon afterwards. I moved the bromeliad up from the floor to share the one stand one day, and he slept on the stem that night. Took me like 5 minutes to find him, looked just like a leaf on the stem he was same lime green colour as it's leaves. Lol.
Anyway, he seems to be a really curious little guy, or at least exploring wins over nervousness. Which is good, better than just hiding, right? At least he's getting some good exercise. :)
 
Yeah, i wasn't that concerned about wetting the bulbs at first, but then I found that he usually will only let me mist him, like including him not just plant, only if I go like straight upwards, so it slowly falls down on him. So yeah, wasn't an issue before because I kind of had basing bulb on angle at lefthand corner. Now it's right above middle - right where I'd spray. Lol.
 
Thanks again.

So seriously, once again, thanks so much for all your advice and patience, I really do appreciate it so much.
 
Hello Echo & Scott. Yes I have been following this thread. I haven't posted for 2 reasons. First reason is Scott is giving you great advice. A bit strong about baytril, but honest about his feelings.:) I don't like carnivore care as chameleons are insectivores and all that protein may not be the best for them. That is just me.Second reason is unless I had anything different to add, I feel it is wonderful when a new person is able to connect with a sort of mentor. You two seem to have that going.

I am also at the point of wondering what is happening. I hope it is going well. I will check back.
 
Thanks laurie, it is good to know others were checking. I did my very best to help all I could. For the most part I was just worried about leaving something out, something I may have overlooked. That is why I was hoping someone else would chime in as well.

I do agree, I have strong feelings about baytril. I despise it, but I did do my best to convey this is merely my opinion. It is life saver is many situations. I just have choosen from experience to explore other routes first. Also I do agree about the carnivore care and the protein content. It would be nice if there was a product readily available for insectivores.
 
I would buy a ready made product for chams in a heart beat, as it is I am a master of bug juice. Even have a cheap little blender for for my chams.:eek:
 
Update from this morning's vet trip

Well, we went to the vet today, and like a moron, I forgot all my fecal and vomit samples at home. :eek:
To start off with, I'm not entirely sure that I don't know more about chameleons than the vet does. He didn't know they could vomit, he didn't know that you could get wild caught chameleons at all, so I don't imagine he's personally seen any or treated them for specific wild parasites, etc. So that was a little uncomforting from the start. He also didn't know how to spell chameleon correctly. :(
But he was very thorough about explaining the information he did have, documenting with pictures, involving me in the process, which is refreshing.
So I'm just not very confident about his initial diagnosis of hypovitaminosis A. He's basing this on an article from 2003, that does mention a symptom being "hemipenal impaction of newly matured males", as well as other related possibilities like mucous membranes, increased infections, reproductive disorders, etc. But his eyes seem fine, respiratory fine, I would think those would be affected first if it was a mucous issue.
We still have to do a fecal test to rule out parasites, but he honestly barely talked about parasites, seemed pretty sure it must be the vitamin A thing, since that article said that was the most common problem seen in chameleons.
He wants me to start dosing him directly with this vitamin A liquid, I wasn't too clear on whether it also had D3 in it. That makes me nervous, especially since I made it clear flapnecks were supposedly extra succeptibke to overuspplementation.
Sigh, a hundred dollars later, and I don't seem to know much more than I did this morning. :(
What do you think? Do you think he is right about the hypovitaminosis? Or maybe he's just a little clueless about chameleons? He referenced turtles about 4 different times during the appt. "you have to put oil up his nose because turtles have this kind of palate, you have to never let his cage get below 70 because turtles die at 68 degrees..." i almost yelled at the guy " he's not a damn turtle, can you tell me something about chameleons??" lol. I dont know, i dont know, maybe im overreacting, but as much as he may know about turtles, i feel what ive read in one month about chameleons makes me way more knowledgeable than him. So - Continue paying him, to educate him myself?? And let my poor little guy be a guinea pig to possibly outdated practices from 8 years ago? Or see if one of the other two in town are more knowledgeable? Not that I'm dying to drop
another $90 on a new exam fee with a different doctor...
 
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Also I do agree about the carnivore care and the protein content. It would be nice if there was a product readily available for insectivores.

Fwiw, they have omnivore critical care formulas too, and I believe that is what is recommended for use on insectivores. Unfortunately don't have anything else to add for this thread...

Although your vet does not sounds very up to date on chameleon issues. It's true that there are few vets with much experience with chameleons because they're not very common, but still...I would hope for a little more research on his part knowing that's what was coming in. Maybe with some of the articles recommended in previous or other threads we can help you help your vet help your cham! Sounds like your vet isn't too tech savvy but if he's on VIN he should be able to find a lot more info from other vets there. Something to suggest...
 
So anyways, that's where we stand with the vet stuff so far. I wont be able to get a fecal in there until Monday, so won't have any further vet news until then.
As for my little guy, he actually held up better than expected during the car ride and appt. He was a good little trooper. The vet seemed to barely look at him, to tell you the truth, I was expecting a much closer examination. It was really sunny out so he got a little bit of sun during the trip, kind of a little treat. Took him home and put him back to bed while I went to work.
When he woke up tonight, I misted him very well, and he drank enthusiastically, and soaked in the misting for several minutes. I put a couple crickets in there near him, he got interested in one. I left the room, came back and noticed he had cricket legs sticking out of his mouth. He had caught one, but not chewed & swallowed it. ?? He sat like that for several minutes. He shut his eyes. I started getting concerned, and actually went in there and kind of stroked chin gently to get his attention/wake him up? He felt really cold and was a dark colour, so i decided to move him to a better basking spot. I had bought a new dome tonight so I could try a 100 watt bulb to see if getting warmer helps keep his bugs digested. As I tried to get him to climb on me he seemed to go alright, alright, I'll eat the bug, and he did swallow it then. I put him under the bulb, and he soaked it up for a while. He ended up opening his mouth for about a minute or two, then stopped. A little while later, he wandered up a different vine so he's still actually under the lamp, just alittle more over to the side. But his colour is much lighter/brighter so at least I know he's not cold anymore.
I just misted again, and he lives it again, slurping up the leaves and then okay again closed his eyes and it looks like he just fell asleep with his chin resting on the leaf he was drinking from... He's under his lights. I know closed eyes are not a good sign. Could it just be from messing with him in the middle of his "night" today?

Btw, thanks for chiming in too - I appreciate the various feedback, even if its just to say "yeah, what he said" its reassuring to have multiple opinions on an issue.
 
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