Dying veiled chameleon . Help?

[Tankgirl73]

My almost 8 year old veiled cham is dying. I found her at the bottom of her drip tray upside down feet up. We tried CPR. Now both her eyes are sunken and a bit of her tongue is out. She's very pale. And as I'm cradling her I can feel movement coming from inside . I don't want to bury her before she's gone!!. I want her last moments to be wrapped up warm & cuddly with me. How will I know she's gone? And what are the movements ....is there a chance she can recover however unlikely?

 

[Lottie87]

I'm so sorry to hear you are going through this. I am sadly in a similar situation with my 7 year old chameleon.

He suddenly stopped eating and sleeping in the day, he's slowly fading away. i think it's just a waiting game.

I've been trying to get advice on what to look out for and ended up on a forums speaking to Petr Necas and he said the following :'(

"Lottie
Once they head towards their end, they do not suffer.
The Mother Nature is kind.
You will see it. He will turn very light
He will look dehydrated with eyes sunken

Just switch off lights, lower the temperatures and let him go"

It made me cry, but brought comfort knowing he should pass peacefully. Well done on looking after your baby for so long xx

 

[JoshD49]

Did I read this correctly that a 8 year old female. I am so very sorry to hear you are going through this but great job on taking care of this girl for so long. 8 years is a great amount of time for a boy or girl.

I know that doesn't make it easier but hopefully gives you solace in knowing you gave her a long life to enjoy.

 

[Tankgirl73]

I'm so sorry to hear you are going through this. I am sadly in a similar situation with my 7 year old chameleon.

He suddenly stopped eating and sleeping in the day, he's slowly fading away. i think it's just a waiting game.

I've been trying to get advice on what to look out for and ended up on a forums speaking to Petr Necas and he said the following :'(

"Lottie
Once they head towards their end, they do not suffer.
The Mother Nature is kind.
You will see it. He will turn very light
He will look dehydrated with eyes sunken

Just switch off lights, lower the temperatures and let him go"

It made me cry, but brought comfort knowing he should pass peacefully. Well done on looking after your baby for so long xx

 

[Tankgirl73]

Thank you so much. I'm still kind of beside myself emotionally. I know I was expecting this but clearly I wasn't ready. She lived a long time and in her aged grumpiness decided she was too old to fight & we became friends again! I just cant seem to let her go. My bf thinks im.nuts cradling a dying reptile. But until I know she's gone I want her to know that I was with her all the way to the end!

 

[Tankgirl73]

Did I read this correctly that a 8 year old female. I am so very sorry to hear you are going through this but great job on taking care of this girl for so long. 8 years is a great amount of time for a boy or girl.

I know that doesn't make it easier but hopefully gives you aolice in knowing you gave her a long life to enjoy.

 

[Tankgirl73]

Thank you so much. It does help knowing I got so much extra time with her. I know so many owners that have gotten chams after me & none of theirs ever lived beyond mine. I'm going to miss her terribly. I doubt I'll get another. This was too sad

 

[Jesspete]

You are so sweet. So sorry.

 

[Chameleomom]

Rest in peace little one

 

[JoshD49]

Like I said. 8 years is great and both you and her had a lot of time together. Great job on ownership and so glad she had a long life gifted by someone who obviously loved her. Go in peace and good job little one. You lived a good life.

 

[Lottie87]

I really hate to bother you when you are most likely grieving for your own baby but may i ask you what you did? Or does anyone have any advice. I found my little one on the floor of his vivarium this morning. Cold and confused. He no longer has the strength to climb. I've currently got him asleep on my lap on a warm hot water bottle but not sure if thats the best for him. Can he get too hot? He displayed his most beautiful colours and has now turned pale :'(

 

[bobbydigital]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Eight years is a long time. I'm sure she lived a long and happy life thanks to you.

I really hate to bother you when you are most likely grieving for your own baby but may i ask you what you did? Or does anyone have any advice. I found my little one on the floor of his vivarium this morning. Cold and confused. He no longer has the strength to climb. I've currently got him asleep on my lap on a warm hot water bottle but not sure if thats the best for him. Can he get too hot? He displayed his most beautiful colours and has now turned pale :'(

My veiled recently passed, he was about 2 and a half years old. He was a rescue and had complications since I got him as a youngin. My vet congratulated me on keeping him alive that long. He started falling and was not putting any effort in trying to get back up. I knew his time was coming. I would come home from work and he would be on the bottom, very cold on his side. I knew his time was coming, and I was expecting to come home and find him dead. I turned my screen enclosure on its side to accommodate him. After about a couple week of this, one day i took him outside and held him, within minutes I could see his body start shutting down. I just held him and ushered him into death, trying to make it as comfortable as possible for him.

 

[Lottie87]

Thank you.Thor is very nearly 7. I'm afraid i high jacked another post. Did you attempt to force feed / water him during this time? Half of me wants to continue to trying, the other feels like i should just let him be.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I really hate to bother you when you are most likely grieving for your own baby but may i ask you what you did? Or does anyone have any advice. I found my little one on the floor of his vivarium this morning. Cold and confused. He no longer has the strength to climb. I've currently got him asleep on my lap on a warm hot water bottle but not sure if thats the best for him. Can he get too hot? He displayed his most beautiful colours and has now turned pale :'(

Very strange color combination, unfortunately intense coloration is often driven by stress. And turning pale right after doesn’t sound good. Be careful with the hot water bottle, you are on the right track with trying to keep him warm, but I’m a little concerned about the method you have chosen. Chams are cold blooded so what feels really warm to us feels very hot to them since their body temp is way below 98.6 degrees. Treat him like you would want to be treated in his situation. Would you want to be force fed? No judgment, just an honest question.

If I were you and not ready to let go I’d take his basking light and move it to the bottom of his viv, or wherever your keeping him now, so he can stay warm without the risk of falling. I’d also be reading up on how to force feed/water properly before I attempted it, if done wrong it will kill him. I hope the graphic below helps. If he makes it till morning take him out into the sun and give him as much direct sunlight and treats as he will accept. Congratulations on getting him to 7 years, it’s quite an accomplishment.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

If force feeding is your only option, so be it, but it will defanitly add a lot more stress. If he is willing to eat on his own I’d take that opportunity to make sure he is hydrating as well. Get a small spray bottle and squirt some water into his mouth while he is chewing. Chams do not breath while they are chewing so there is no threat of him aspirating. If you have horn or silk worms they help with hydration as well.

 

[Lottie87]

Thank you for all your advice. I think i may have used the wrong terminology when i said 'force'. For the last couple of weeks i have been dripping water onto his mouth and about 50% time he drinks. I usually take advantage of this and try and pop a wax worm / calci-worm in his mouth. I guess what i meant was, is there a point where i should no longer offer?

Please don't worry, he was only sat on the water bottle for about 10mins to warm up then i placed him on a towel in his viv. I used a probe and the surface temp of the covered bottle only reached 27 degrees. He seems too weak to hold onto his branches to get under basking lamp although he can still grip and his legs all seem fine. I'm going to rearrange his tank later to help make him more comfy.

His pretty colours are the ones he used to have on when he was exploring the house or garden ( we called them his exploring colours). The pale colour he is now is very pale green ( slightly lighter than his sleeping colours).

Twice in the last few days when i've attempted to give him a drink he has gone fully black - darker than i've ever seen him so i have left him alone at these times.

Thank you again x

 

[Melodie21]

So sorry for your loss I just recently lost my 1yr old female veiled chameleon due to exhaustion from egg laying so I feel your pain its tough to lose them and is sad wishing you lots of love ❤

 

[nighttowl]

"Lottie
Once they head towards their end, they do not suffer.
The Mother Nature is kind.
You will see it. He will turn very light
He will look dehydrated with eyes sunken

Just switch off lights, lower the temperatures and let him go"

It made me cry, but brought comfort knowing he should pass peacefully. Well done on looking after your baby for so long xx

My vieled died last night, and i came across your comment yesterday while trying to figure out what was wrong when a visit to the vet did not help.
Thank you for sharing.

 

[iMi]

I am sorry for your loss, but also congratulations on successfully keeping her happy and healthy for so many years. That's truly a long time. I know you're sad right now, but this too will pass. They are magnificent creates with so much personality. I hope you continue to keep chameleons because it's clear you are able to give them wonderful care. Cheer up and remember the good times.

 

[BroncosGirl]

Very strange color combination, unfortunately intense coloration is often driven by stress. And turning pale right after doesn’t sound good. Be careful with the hot water bottle, you are on the right track with trying to keep him warm, but I’m a little concerned about the method you have chosen. Chams are cold blooded so what feels really warm to us feels very hot to them since their body temp is way below 98.6 degrees. Treat him like you would want to be treated in his situation. Would you want to be force fed? No judgment, just an honest question.

If I were you and not ready to let go I’d take his basking light and move it to the bottom of his viv, or wherever your keeping him now, so he can stay warm without the risk of falling. I’d also be reading up on how to force feed/water properly before I attempted it, if done wrong it will kill him. I hope the graphic below helps. If he makes it till morning take him out into the sun and give him as much direct sunlight and treats as he will accept. Congratulations on getting him to 7 years, it’s quite an accomplishment. View attachment 213452

OMG...i think I killed my chameleon. I would spray water into his mouth and didn't know about the physiology of it. he died last night he was going to be 1yr in july.