Female Panther sunken eyes, sluggish, always sleeping

[Aswavyminton]

Hi All,

Unfortunately this is my first time posting to the Chameleon Forums and I wish it was under other circumstances. I think my female panther is sick and I need some guidance.

My Cham is 1 1/2 years old and about a month ago she started laying eggs in random spots around the cage. I provided her a lay bin but she didn't use it. The last egg I saw her lay was about 3 weeks ago, over the past two weeks she has had sunken eyes which I attributed to dehydration so I upped her water sprays and gave her another water drip and her eyes plumped back up to normalcy. However, the past few days she hasn't moved from the same spot on her vine which tells me she is not eating or drinking and looks even worse now then before.

Chameleon Info:

• My Chameleon - 1 1/2 Panther chameleon. Has been in my care since she was 3 months old.
• Handling - I generally handle her everyday (today she bit me which is a red flag because that has NEVER happened ever, she doesn't even puff up like most chameleons do)
• Feeding - She is fed the normal daily amount of crickets and had mealworms in a dish both on the ground and from a feeder cup.
• Supplements - I coat her crickets with Flukers calcium.
• Watering - I have a automated misting system in her cage in addition to spraying her cage down by hand.
• Fecal Description - haven't seen normal ones since she started laying eggs, and I haven't seen her poop probably in a little less then a week because she hasn't been eating.
• History - She is a class pet so she travels with me during the week to school (medium cage set up at school) and has a large cage at home on the weekends. She has been doing this since Ive had her so she is use to the change of environments..

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Picture attached.
• Lighting - Reptisun LED UVB terranium hood by Zoomed..
• Temperature - Standard temperature 70- 80.
• Plants - All live plants.
• Placement - Near a window away from people and high traffic but receives sunlight when sunny outside.

/ATTACH]

• Healthy pic of her:
  

 

[Extensionofgreen]

Handling a chameleon daily is bad news. It may seem she tolerates it, but especially while egg laying, this is stressful. Transporting her back in forth, while full of eggs and laying is also a big no no.
I don't think the zoomed hood is ideal for her lighting needs. There is no crisp, bright, daylight appearance, which chameleons need for psychological well being. I can't make assumptions about the UVB, but my guess it's not great. That said she doesn't appear to have MBD.

I see a chameleon in need of veterinary intervention, likely partially egg bound, potentially septic, dehydrated, and in need of a review of her husbandry handling routines.

Please reveiw the credible caresheets here and pay special attention to information about lighting, supplements (i.e. Recommended brands), handling, gutloading, and prey choices.
Specifically crickets and mealworms are very limiting and mealworms are a poor feeder choice. Fluker's is not well regarded.
Please get her to a qualified vet, asap.

 

[Andee]

I agree she shouldn't be traveling at all when gravid unless it's to a vet. And no handling unless meds are being administered or some sort of emergency care. She is extremely sick. How long are your misting sessions? If they are not long enough she will not be stimulated to drink. With panthers I have noticed once they get dehydrated they can be extremely hard to get to start drinking at all. If I notice my panthers getting dehydrated I end up giving them water through an oral syringe. However she is to the point where she needs veterinary intervention. Are you giving her any multivitamins or d3? Are you gutloading your feeders at all? You also need to change your enclosure once she is done laying, not before. She needs more foliage and more branches.

 

[Peachypink]

Also, I do not see a heat lamp. She needs a basking spot to warm up and help with digestion. She should have a basking spot of 80-85. You can use a regular house bulb with a dome fixture.