Dying Cham at Swap-meet

[Echoezra]

I just had a flapneck. It was a male, but still, he was wildcaught, so I could give you some observations about this particular flapneck's behaviour, in case it might help at all.
Give lots of real plant coverage for sure. He wasn't basking properly at first because he wanted to stay in the plants that weren't up quite high enough at first.
For misting, the only way he'd like sit in it and enjoy it is if the water was really warm, and I sprayed straight up in the air, so it was falling down gently on him. If I went sideways, he hid till I was done. He loved to drink off leaves though, so I'd start misting directly a plant on other side of cage, and then work my way under/beside the plant he was on, then turn it upwards so it was gently raining on him.
For eating, he did not even blink at silkworms or butterworms (I tried those first cause they're juicier, I thought might help with hydration from inside out), but he liked crickets (not too small, not too too big, they had to be just the right size) but wouldn't eat them off of branches, only if they were climbing up the side screen. Also went for superworms, again only if climbing up side screen, but no other worms. I gutloaded them both with lots of fresh juicy veggies & fruits to try and increase the moisture content of the feeders to hopefully help with hydration a bit that way, but my guy was a really good and not shy drinker, so dehydration wasn't an issue with him really, but I know it's common with wc's so I stayed on top of it.
I would save any poops to get a fecal test done, whether you treat it right away or not. My guy seemed okay then went downhhill pretty fast, guessing due to a pre-existing parasite-related condition.
If you have a female, you also have to consider maybe might be gravid, if of age? I guess that's pretty common too, with wildcaught females.
Keep us posted with how it goes. Good luck.

 

[VeiledChameleon56]

Bless you! Its people like you that make the world a better place!

 

[Hoj]

Great job, really happy to see people make extra effort.

 

[esponda55]

She is doing so much better now with all of your advice and support. I showered her last night and she went crazy with the misting. She kept trying to move closer to the water but it was a bit too warm so I had to remove her before she burned herself. She ate two crickets yesterday and is a lot more active. I tried to order some flies for her from my pet store but their wholesaler doesn't provide them so I will have to look elsewhere. Her skin is looking a little better and she's getting a lot of water so I hope that is helping. I called the vet to update her on the discovery that she is a flapneck and wild caught but she was in surgery so I didn't get the chance to speak to her. I will call back today and set something up for a parasite check. The vet told me she gave her a de-wormer when I took her in, is that used to treat parasites? I guess I should have asked her then but I really had no idea. Does anyone have good suggestions as to where I can get some flies?
Thank all of you for your support and words of encouragement =) I feel more confident now that Hercules will get healthy.

 

[Trace]

I’m glad she’s feeling slightly better. It’s going to take a little while for her to be 100% healthy but it sounds like things are progressing in a positive way. Excellent.

I shower my chameleons once a week and I use lukewarm water. I’d rather them be on the cool side in the shower then warm up in the cage afterwards then burn them with water that is too hot. If there is stuck shed skin, the water and humidity will help with that too. You may be seeing scratches and bites from the importation process and those will clear up with subsequent sheds. If there are stubborn stuck sheds on her dorsal spine, flaps or toes a drop of baby oil will loosen that right up. I don’t see any of that in your pics though.

Yes, dewormers do treat internal parasites. Depending on the medication given it can be hard on their kidneys so the extra watering you are doing is good to flush her system. Also too, some dewormers should have a follow-up dose given two or weeks later so definitely ask your vet about that.

I believe several of our American members buy their flies from: http://mantisplace.com/ No chameleon will pass up eating a tasty fly!

Keep us posted.

Cheers,
Trace

 

[esponda55]

She does have some left over shed on her head and a bit along her spine but it's less now that she's been misting and showering. The vet didn't mention her needing another dose but didn't mention her not needing one so I will ask about that the next time we speak.
As far as the flies, I took a look at the site and still have a few questions. Will I absolutely need to buy the feed they sell or can I do a sugar and water mix? What do flies need to be fed? I want to get this done ASAP because Hercules isn't paying much attention to what I've offered her so far so I hope this will be our breakthrough.

 

[reptoman]

She does have some left over shed on her head and a bit along her spine but it's less now that she's been misting and showering. The vet didn't mention her needing another dose but didn't mention her not needing one so I will ask about that the next time we speak.
As far as the flies, I took a look at the site and still have a few questions. Will I absolutely need to buy the feed they sell or can I do a sugar and water mix? What do flies need to be fed? I want to get this done ASAP because Hercules isn't paying much attention to what I've offered her so far so I hope this will be our breakthrough.

For blue bottle flies you can use a sugar and powerdered buttermilk mix with a wet sponge or paper towel for moisture. I have kept mine alive for a couple of weeks with that. Check the classifieds for blue bottle pupae. Colorcham has a good explanation of how to keep adult flies alive once they emerge from the pupae. Good luck!