Female Panther: Not Eating and Loosing Weight Fast

Millitrix

Millitrix

Member
Just gonna say this now: Please don't be rude. I am a newbie chameleon owner and have been doing my best to keep her alive.

Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Panther, female, approximately eighteen months. I bought her from Petco at about four months old.
  • Handling - Everyday.
  • Feeding - Superworms (I know they're low in nutritional value) and gut-loaded crickets; occasional dubia roach. I force-feed her 2-3 superworms and 1-2 crickets everyday/every other day. Crickets are gut-loaded with Fluker's calcium-fortified cricket quencher, Rep-Cal cricket food, carrots, apples.
  • Supplements - Using Rep-Cal Calcium with Vitamin D3. Dusting every other feeding.
  • Watering - She's can't see well, or can't see at all -- I have no idea -- so I have to give her water through a syringe. She's unable to drink on her own. I mist everyday, 2-3 times.
  • Fecal Description - Has never been tested for parasites. Hasn't had a bowel movement in a while but last one looked normal. Urate can be a little dark at times, but it's not often. (I know it's caused by dehydration.)
  • History - She's been like this for months, almost a year. I don't know what's up with her... vitamin A deficiency maybe? She has no appetite. I have to force-feed her and recently she's been just plain up rejecting. She's active at times and runs around her cage with her eyes wide open for short amounts of time, but mostly she's just sitting in one place with her eyes squinted or completely closed. She sometimes comes down to the bottom and lays/sleeps in the corner of the cage. I noticed she has a white, almost cataract-like spot on one of her eyes. In the past -- and now -- I see her rubbing her eyes on the vines in her cage, like she's trying to get something out of them. Her eyes swell sometimes and she does this strange blinking thing... like, closing her eyes and moving them inside her eyelids or something, like her eyes are bothering her. She's been loosing weight rather quickly recently.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Vertical cage. I don't know the exact dimensions. All glass except for a strip of wire mesh for ventilation. Top is also mesh.
  • Lighting - I don't remember the heat source info. Light/heat is kept on all day and night.
  • Temperature - Basking spot is 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Bottom of cage reaches around 65-70 degrees. I use a temperature thermometer and humidity thermometer located inside the cage, right next to the basking spot.
  • Humidity - Humidity thermometer is used. Cage is usually around 40-50% humid right after misting.
  • Plants - No live plants.
  • Placement - Placed in a living room next to the kitchen. Ceiling is very high (around 16 feet). Placed next to a leopard gecko and bearded dragon cage.
  • Location - Maryland, northern east coast USA.

Current Problem - Minimal energy. Poor eyesight/possibly blind (?); squinting; eyes always closed; rubbing eyes on surfaces. Not being able to eat on her own. Not being able to drink on her own. Rejecting food; no appetite. Fast weight loss; skinny (loose skin).

Most recent photo here:
b6db3f3ed14a27a535de83b6cadef019.png


Please help me, guys, I feel so bad for her and I don't know what else to do! We took her to a vet a while ago but my mother was not able to afford proper veterinary care for her (I know it's wrong; don't start saying I'm irresponsible.).

Thanks so much!
 
You need to clarify on what uvb bulb you are using, you also need to acquire a phosphorus free calcium without D3 to be used daily, a phosphorus free calcium with D3 to be used once a month, and a multivitamin with beta carotene instead of vitamin A to be used used once a month. And the humidity needs to be at 50-70%. The eye issues could be caused by the uvb bulb.
 
Jevin said:
You need to clarify on what uvb bulb you are using, you also need to acquire a phosphorus free calcium without D3 to be used daily, a phosphorus free calcium with D3 to be used once a month, and a multivitamin with beta carotene instead of vitamin A to be used used once a month. And the humidity needs to be at 50-70%. The eye issues could be caused by the uvb bulb.
Click to expand...
Is the eye issue irreversible? Not using a UVB at the moment. It burnt out and haven't replaced it yet.
 
You need to replace that UVB as soon as possible, and in particular if the UVB bulb was of the CFL type, it could have caused the issue. As to whether or not it is reversible, I do not know as I have been absent from the forums for years due to not owning a chameleon for some time. I would recommend you to get a linear uvb bulb and fixture if you do not have one already.
 
Jevin said:
You need to replace that UVB as soon as possible, and in particular if the UVB bulb was of the CFL type, it could have caused the issue. As to whether or not it is reversible, I do not know as I have been absent from the forums for years due to not owning a chameleon for some time. I would recommend you to get a linear uvb bulb and fixture if you do not have one already.
Click to expand...
Mmm, it was a CFL. I'll get it a correct UVB as soon as possible.
 
Millitrix said:
No, I don't. I know females are supposed to lay eggs but I thought she was so ill she couldn't, for some reason. How do I go about making/getting a lay bin?
Click to expand...
Unfortunately I have not had a female chameleon since my first chameleon passed away, so the details on an appropriate lay bin, both dimensions and what to put in it are a bit foggy.
 
Jevin said:
Unfortunately I have not had a female chameleon since my first chameleon passed away, so the details on an appropriate lay bin, both dimensions and what to put in it are a bit foggy.
Click to expand...
I understand. I'll look into it, thank you.
 
Has she been keeping to the bottom area of her cage or digging/scratching at the bottom of it?
 
Jevin said:
Has she been keeping to the bottom area of her cage or digging/scratching at the bottom of it?
Click to expand...
Not recently, no... but I remember she did in the past... and when I went to pick her up she would exhale deeply, like she was super bloated or something.
 
Usually a female digging near the bottom of the cage, in egg laying species, is an indication that they have a clutch to lay. As to what is causing the current problem, I'm unfortunately starting to get out of my league. I have tagged kinyonga and Matt Vanilla Gorilla. Hopefully they will respond in the morning and be able to further help you.
 
Jevin said:
Usually a female digging near the bottom of the cage, in egg laying species, is an indication that they have a clutch to lay. As to what is causing the current problem, I'm unfortunately starting to get out of my league. I have tagged kinyonga and Matt Vanilla Gorilla. Hopefully they will respond in the morning and be able to further help you.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I'll give her a lay bin tomorrow and see where it takes us.
 
First of all, I love you avitar! Secondly, I find I sad that from your experience with members on the forums you feel that you had to start asking for help the way you did! Please allow me to apologize for the rest of us who feel that is not the optimal approach towards people,who need help! With that said, lets talk about your little tree angel!

You say she is 18 months old? And you have had her for 4 months now? But that she has had this problem for almost a year now. Does that mean that you braught her knowing that she has health and eye probems?

If she truely is 18 months old and has not layed any eggs then she is most likely egg bound and septic with infection and will most likel not survive. If you can take her to a veterinarian her odds might improve but that is the most likely cause if she truely is that old. I need lots more info to know more of what might be going on but for now, please clarify her age for me. Also, do you have any pictures of her from 4 months ago when you got her where she is close to something I could use as a reference for size?

Thanks! Sure hope we can save her!
 
Matt Vanilla Gorilla said:
First of all, I love you avitar! Secondly, I find I sad that from your experience with members on the forums you feel that you had to start asking for help the way you did! Please allow me to apologize for the rest of us who feel that is not the optimal approach towards people,who need help! With that said, lets talk about your little tree angel!

You say she is 18 months old? And you have had her for 4 months now? But that she has had this problem for almost a year now. Does that mean that you braught her knowing that she has health and eye probems?

If she truely is 18 months old and has not layed any eggs then she is most likely egg bound and septic with infection and will most likel not survive. If you can take her to a veterinarian her odds might improve but that is the most likely cause if she truely is that old. I need lots more info to know more of what might be going on but for now, please clarify her age for me. Also, do you have any pictures of her from 4 months ago when you got her where she is close to something I could use as a reference for size?

Thanks! Sure hope we can save her!
Click to expand...
Hey, thank you so much!

No. Well, when I bought her from Petco I asked them how old she was and they said somewhere around four months. They didn't know for sure. I brought her home, at supposedly four months old, on September 27th, 2016. She's had these issues for a few months. I bought her healthy. She ate on her own, drank on her own. She looked and acted fine.

What does "septic with infection" mean? If I give her a lay bin now will it do us any good?

Oh, man, I feel so guilty... I should have done something sooner.
 
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