EMERGENCY!! NO VETS AROUND :(

[ColorChangingAlien]

okay so on sunday night we turned off Gweeber's lights and went on vacation. We have a friend who would turn off and on the lights for all of our reptiles until we came home (which was last night). I do not believe he EVER turned off the chameleon's lights. But he didn't seem too upset when we came home last night at 11PM.
So we turn off the lights and go to sleep.
The next morning, GWEEBER IS NOWHERE... After a half hour of looking we find him curled up and crammed at the bottom of his feed cup!
Our cham is not people friendly like some chams, he normally is a hissing/ puffing up mess.

So as of now we moved him into the shower room onto a plant with his light on him. he is resting along the edge of the plant's pot (laying on the soil).
we called the vet. we normally go to but he isn't in today.
i need some help what do i do?

P.S. - we recently moved his enclosure, so he hasn't eaten in aprox. 2 weeks.
we have had him for 8 months, got from the petstore.
please help!

 

[Decadancin]

Could you post a picture of him and his enclosure? If his lighting schedule has been screwed up for a few days he could take some time to get back on schedule, but there could be something else going on.

 

[ColorChangingAlien]

Could you post a picture of him and his enclosure? If his lighting schedule has been screwed up for a few days he could take some time to get back on schedule, but there could be something else going on.

Yes but we kinda of tore the enclosure apart when searching for him. once we found him, we took one of the 2 live plants out and his basking light and moved him to the bathroom. i can show you a picture of him now? and another picture of what his enclosure sort of looks like?

 

[Decadancin]

Any pics are good. Also, if you could take a few moments to fill out these general questions so we can see if there are any issues that could be causing the behavior.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your 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?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• 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?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

 

[ColorChangingAlien]

-veiled, male, got from petsmart at the very end of november.
-never handle him, ever since we got him he has been very nervous around hands and people.
-an even mix of crickets and roaches, we feed him every day aprox. 6-10 bugs. we feed between 2 and 3 PM
-not sure of the brand but we give him calcium powder 2 times a month. not sure if it has d3 or not (In a ziploc baggie, got some from a vendor at a rep. show)
-we mist everyday between 1 and 5 times depending on the day. recently not so much because it being summer the humidity is way up. we fill his drip once a day
-Fecal is unknown
- we recently moved his enclosure from our bedroom to the kitchen, i havent seen him eat anything since then. and that was maybe 2 weeks ago. i also do not see him drinking from the drip, but if we mist him directly it looks like he drinks.

-Cage is made of wood with one screen side, a screen top and a plexiglass door. it is a very big cage. aprox. 4 feet tall, 3 feet long, 2 feet wide.
- 150W basking bulb (not sure of brand) but it gives off a yellowish/ whiteish light. and also a zoo med "tube light" and i cant remember if its the 5 or the 10 but I think it is the 5, it was so long ago that we got it.
-We have a humidity/ temp gauge located close the the basking spot (not on it) that reads between 80-85 degrees. (the basking spot is a tad warmer, i dont know how to measure the exact branch he sits on)
- 2 live plants and a bunch of sticks from the yard. one live plant is a speckled umbrella plant, and the other one we got from walmart but i was told it was a "money tree"?
- we measure the humidity from the gauge that also reads temp. in the recent summer months it is usually between 75 and 80%
- recently moved the cage to the kitchen, it isnt very high traffic because it is just me and my girlfriend at the house, and we also cover the plexiglass door with a blanket a lot just incase. the cage is sitting directly on the floor but it is a big cage.
-I am in the very middle of Ohio between columbus and cleveland

- my current problem is that i dont know what is best to do right now for him. i would love to upload some pictures but i can't figure out how to get them from my phone onto my tiny notebook laptop. he is currently in his umbrella plant sitting in the bathroom, i set up his basking light accordingly and he has not moved very much since. he looks to be getting better than what he was when we first found him in his cup. he was in a weird almost upside down position when we found him, it doesn't LOOK like he is injured but i dont see him running away. i hope the info is enough, please let me know if it isnt. thanks

 

[Remkon]

I'd advise you to buy a (digital) timer for your electronics...
I've been using a digital programmable one for years and it has never let me down!
It's similar to this one: http://energenie.com/item.aspx?id=7416&lang=en

You don't want your replacement to carry to much responsibility so make it as easy as possible for him. Just have him make sure the animal is doing OK and if you have a long holiday ask him to feed your animal a couple of times... Reptiles do pretty well without food for a longer period so you may just skip the feeding if it's just for a week or so. It pays to find someone that has interest for reptiles too!

Good luck with your cham!

 

[Decadancin]

-not sure of the brand but we give him calcium powder 2 times a month. not sure if it has d3 or not (In a ziploc baggie, got some from a vendor at a rep. show)

Check out the caresheets https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/ and get on a solid supplement schedule! It is imperative that you have calcium with no D3 at each feeding, Calcium with D3 twice monthly and a multivitamin twice monthly as well. You won't notice any issues with your chameleon due to poor supplementation until there are already significant issues going on.

-we mist everyday between 1 and 5 times depending on the day. recently not so much because it being summer the humidity is way up. we fill his drip once a day

I would still mist even if humidity is higher. Many chameleons will not drink from a dripper and only from droplets on leaves.

we recently moved his enclosure from our bedroom to the kitchen, i haven't seen him eat anything since then. and that was maybe 2 weeks ago. i also do not see him drinking from the drip, but if we mist him directly it looks like he drinks.

Moving and changing enclosure sites or decor can stress out your animal. If he is very healthy there should be no major issues, just a period of adjustment. If the animal's immune system is weakened it can trigger more issues. Do you cup feed or free feed? Nevermind, If he was sitting in his cup I guess I already know that answer .

150W basking bulb

This seems like a very strong wattage, but without a definite basking temp its tough to say. You could get a laser thermometer and point it at the site to get a more accurate reading. They generally don't cost that much and are pretty accurate. Also, those zoo-med bulbs are generally only good for 6 months, so its definitely time for a new one!

the basking spot is a tad warmer, i don't know how to measure the exact branch he sits on

Is this the umbrella plant? If so, it should be fine for a veiled. If not, I would not use it. Veiled chams tend to be leaf eaters, so it is important to have safe plants in the enclosure. @Brad is currently working on a new resource for this, but for now you can search the enclosure/supplies section of the forums for info on plants.
Pachira aquatica- or Money Tree -
Pachira aquatica is toxic on FDA poison plant list. I would not choose this as a cham safe plant for veileds.

It would be better if the enclosure could be raised because they will generally like to be higher to feel more secure. Are you gutloading your feeders prior to feeding? This is important as well for better nutritional value.

I will search to see if there are any recommended vets in your area, but I know @jannb is generally a great source for this. She may have some info.

Hope your veiled is feeling better soon!

 

[Decadancin]

Some Vets "around" you that you could call...

Victoria A. Wendt, DVM
Roberts & Wendt Animal Hospital
1458 W. 117th Street
Cleveland, OH 44107
Tel: (216) 521-0533

Donald L. Burton
Animal Care Unlimited
2665 Billingsley Rd.
Columbus, OH 43235
Tel: (614) 766-2317
Fax: (614) 766-4508

Lani A. Steinhort, DVM
Assistant Professor-Clinical General Practice
Special Interest Avian/Exotics
Ohio State University
Dept. of Veterinary Clinical Sciences
601 Vernon L Tharp Street
Columbus, Ohio 43210
Tel: (614) 292-3551

 

[ColorChangingAlien]

as of now, he is less stressed but he is not climbing or grasping anything. We believe he is injured from falling into his cup (and not being able to get out)... we have a vet appt. tomorrow morning first thing but until then is there anything we can do to help him? he is also normally very hostile and defensive but he let us help him because i dont think he has the ability to climb

 

[guanagator]

He hasn't eaten in two weeks? Chameleons should eat every 2-3 days. If he's been off food for that long then you have a bigger issue, need to get to vet ASAP likely will need liquid vitamins and force feeding until he can get strength back.

 

[OldChamKeeper]

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[MeruJack]

i would love to upload some pictures but i can't figure out how to get them from my phone onto my tiny notebook laptop.

Try emailing the pictures to yourself/your laptop and then download the pics from your laptop email.