tommyb7842
New Member
Hello everyone. My cham seems to be very week recently any reasons why this might occur. And can someone give me a good supplement regiment.
Few questions
- Thread starter tommyb7842
- Start date
tommyb7842
New Member
help anyone?
he seems liek he cant clinch anything with his hands, does this help?
he seems liek he cant clinch anything with his hands, does this help?
Leilaskeeper
New Member
Fill this out so we can get an idea of what the issue could be. 
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.
Pictures are helpful
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.
Pictures are helpful
draetish
Avid Member
On 10-4-09 you posted "Help Needed" but I dont' see where you ever answered the "how to ask for help questions". Before anyone can give you any opinions, this needs to be completed. There are some many different things that can cause these symptoms. Please fill it out so we can help you.
tommyb7842
New Member
Cham info
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Male Ambanja Panther aprox year 14 months old and has been in my care for aprox 1 year.
Handling - I handle my chameleon about 1-2 times a week.
Feeding - 8-10 large crickets daily usually between 10am-3pm. gut-loading with store bought gut-load along with been pollin, charots, lettuce.
Supplements - I use rep-cal calcium about 4 times a month, rep-cal Herptivite multivitamins about 4 times a month and repti calcium with d3 twise a month.
Watering - My mister is broken so I spray water on a leaf a few times a day and he drinks sometimes from that. After i spray all the leaves down in the tank for about 15-30 secs. He usually drinks at least once a day.
Fecal Description - Colors are usually light brown with some orange. He has been going a lot less frequent as of late. Never been tested for parasites.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Cage is all screen. 23in wide by 23in tall and is 12in deep.
Lighting - Repti-Glo 5.0 UVB Bulb and 100wPowersun for basking. Lights are on and off for 12 hours each day.
Temperature - Temp ranges from about 85-75. The temp at night is usually 63-68. Temp is measured with a thermometer
Humidity - My humidity meeter died so i have not been keeping track of the humidity for a couple of months now.
Plants - No live plants
Placement - Cage is near a window but the window is never open. The top of cage is 4 feet from the room floor?
Location - Long Island New York
Current Problem - He seems to be getting weaker the last few weeks. Was always able to climb and hold onto anything but its a struggle for him to walk up my arm now.
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Male Ambanja Panther aprox year 14 months old and has been in my care for aprox 1 year.
Handling - I handle my chameleon about 1-2 times a week.
Feeding - 8-10 large crickets daily usually between 10am-3pm. gut-loading with store bought gut-load along with been pollin, charots, lettuce.
Supplements - I use rep-cal calcium about 4 times a month, rep-cal Herptivite multivitamins about 4 times a month and repti calcium with d3 twise a month.
Watering - My mister is broken so I spray water on a leaf a few times a day and he drinks sometimes from that. After i spray all the leaves down in the tank for about 15-30 secs. He usually drinks at least once a day.
Fecal Description - Colors are usually light brown with some orange. He has been going a lot less frequent as of late. Never been tested for parasites.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Cage is all screen. 23in wide by 23in tall and is 12in deep.
Lighting - Repti-Glo 5.0 UVB Bulb and 100wPowersun for basking. Lights are on and off for 12 hours each day.
Temperature - Temp ranges from about 85-75. The temp at night is usually 63-68. Temp is measured with a thermometer
Humidity - My humidity meeter died so i have not been keeping track of the humidity for a couple of months now.
Plants - No live plants
Placement - Cage is near a window but the window is never open. The top of cage is 4 feet from the room floor?
Location - Long Island New York
Current Problem - He seems to be getting weaker the last few weeks. Was always able to climb and hold onto anything but its a struggle for him to walk up my arm now.
cambech
New Member
cage
First off I think your cage should be atleast twice the size you have him in now. A 14 month old panther is probably having trouble just turning around in a cage that's only 12" deep. You definately need to add some live plants. This will help to keep the humidity up and also provide a higher level of comfort for your chameleon. Do you use a dripper at all or do you just mist?
First off I think your cage should be atleast twice the size you have him in now. A 14 month old panther is probably having trouble just turning around in a cage that's only 12" deep. You definately need to add some live plants. This will help to keep the humidity up and also provide a higher level of comfort for your chameleon. Do you use a dripper at all or do you just mist?
hallenhe
Avid Member
The fecal description sounds as if he could be dehydrated (there's generally the brown, and then the urates - which indicate hydration status - should be white, or white with just a hint of orange at the end. If you're seeing primarily orange, especially if there's no white, he's definitely got issues getting enough to drink. I don't have a mister and have always hand-sprayed, so the broken mister isn't necessarily the problem. Does he have a dripper, so he has the option of drinking throughout the day when you're not around? How long are you spraying the leaf? (You mention ~15 seconds to wet down the cage.) I fill my cham's dripper and start it going, then spritz him for a bare minimum of 5 minutes - it generally takes that long before he will start drinking. I use warm water (hot to the touch, a little better than lukewarm about a foot from the nozzle where he is), and he shows no interest until I've spritzed about a pint, sometimes moving away. If he moves away, I don't chase him, but continue spritzing where he was; more often than not, once he catches on that it's his drink, he comes back. He really seems to need that 5-10 minutes to "prime" him to drink, and I've heard this from other keepers as well.
That would be where I'd start; a vet visit might be in order as well. The vet can determine hydration status and see if there's anything else wrong.
Good luck with him!
That would be where I'd start; a vet visit might be in order as well. The vet can determine hydration status and see if there's anything else wrong.
Good luck with him!
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
I think your calcium and supplementation is off. Most of us dust lightly with calcium (without D3) every day, calcium (with D3) about once a week, and herp vitamins only once a month. Your gutload isn't the best so there could be some deficiencies creeping in over time.
How old is your ReptiGlo bulb? They need to be replaced every 4-5 months at least.
Signs look like dehydration too...you don't know the humidity level (and it is probably much drier than you realize especially during winter when our houses are heated), there are no live plants in the cage, he's not defecating as often, orange urates, a broken mister and very short hand misting sessions.
graydon
New Member
d3 once a week? I understood it to be twice a month
kpritch17
New Member
I agree you should mist for longer and also move him to a bigger cage with more live plants. Try giving him a shower too-put him on a plant or vine or your hand and put him in the shower. Have the shower on room temp or a little warmer and hitting the shower wall so that the water bounces off of the wall and hits your cham. This should allow him to get a little more hydrated.
Also, as far as supplements go, I think you should cut down on the vitamins to about 2x per month and increase calcium w/o D3 to every or every other feeding.
I don't think this could be the source of your problem, but you might try mixing up his diet by adding a couple more feeders like silkworms or butterworms or dubia roaches.
Also, as far as supplements go, I think you should cut down on the vitamins to about 2x per month and increase calcium w/o D3 to every or every other feeding.
I don't think this could be the source of your problem, but you might try mixing up his diet by adding a couple more feeders like silkworms or butterworms or dubia roaches.
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Good catch! Sorry for the confusion.
You said the cage is near a window...living in a cool/cold climate this can lead to fungal infections or respiratory issues.
You said..."He seems to be getting weaker the last few weeks. Was always able to climb and hold onto anything but its a struggle for him to walk up my arm now"...hard to be sure. It could be a calcium issue...but unless there are some obvious signs you will need a vet to tell you. (IMHO you need to dust at most feedings with phos.-free calcium.)
I gutload with a wide assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, celery leaves, etc.)
Can you post some picture please?
Here are some sites with good information...
http://web.archive.org/web/20060502...rnals.com/vet/index.php?show=5.Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20060421.../index.php?show=6.Vitamin.D3.and.Calcium.html
http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=102
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://adcham.com/
You said..."He seems to be getting weaker the last few weeks. Was always able to climb and hold onto anything but its a struggle for him to walk up my arm now"...hard to be sure. It could be a calcium issue...but unless there are some obvious signs you will need a vet to tell you. (IMHO you need to dust at most feedings with phos.-free calcium.)
I gutload with a wide assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, celery leaves, etc.)
Can you post some picture please?
Here are some sites with good information...
http://web.archive.org/web/20060502...rnals.com/vet/index.php?show=5.Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20060421.../index.php?show=6.Vitamin.D3.and.Calcium.html
http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=102
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://adcham.com/
draetish
Avid Member
First of all I am not trying to put you down, only help!
I went back through your threads you've posted trying to put together a scenerio so we can help. Here they are:
10-4 he had no color
11-28 he was chewing on bark
12-3 it was taking a long time for him to shed
12-11 how long leave lights on
12-11 humidity help
2-3 Please help - no poop in over a week
2-18 Weak Cham
Hard time shedding "could" be caused by lack of humidity. Has he pooped since you posted on 2-3? There are alot of reasons a cham becomes weak so I'm trying to narrow it down
1. Chronic Dehydration leads to Renal Disease which is:
RENAL DISEASE
One of the most common causes of death in chameleons is renal disease. One of the most likely causes of these renal changes would be chronic dehydration. Exposure to low humidity or inadequate watering methods could lead to renal failure, especially in conjunction with other factors. Clinical signs are usually vague, but include anorexia, depression, weight loss, and weakness. Other common signs include gular edema, generalized edema, exophthalmia, and sunken in eyes
2. VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY
Clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency include eye problems, respiratory infections, neurological dysfunction, spinal kinking, difficulty shedding, and increased formation of hemipenal plugs.
I'm not saying that the above is what is wrong with your chameleon.
If this were my chameleon the first thing I would do is a 20 minute shower with tepid water. Warm to us is hot to them. Get a dripper set up and they are very easy to make. Change your supplement schedule as others have mentioned and properly gutload your feeders. Get digital thermometer and hydrometer and log it for the next few days, morning, noon and night. Change the UVB bulb to ReptiSun 5.0 linear tube bulb.
It looks like he has been dehydrated for awhile off and on. I wouldn't worry about him eating everyday right now, the older they get the less they eat.
You can turn this guy around if you are dedicated to making his husbandry right. Don't be afraid to ask questions and post pics. We are all here to help.
I went back through your threads you've posted trying to put together a scenerio so we can help. Here they are:
10-4 he had no color
11-28 he was chewing on bark
12-3 it was taking a long time for him to shed
12-11 how long leave lights on
12-11 humidity help
2-3 Please help - no poop in over a week
2-18 Weak Cham
Hard time shedding "could" be caused by lack of humidity. Has he pooped since you posted on 2-3? There are alot of reasons a cham becomes weak so I'm trying to narrow it down
1. Chronic Dehydration leads to Renal Disease which is:
RENAL DISEASE
One of the most common causes of death in chameleons is renal disease. One of the most likely causes of these renal changes would be chronic dehydration. Exposure to low humidity or inadequate watering methods could lead to renal failure, especially in conjunction with other factors. Clinical signs are usually vague, but include anorexia, depression, weight loss, and weakness. Other common signs include gular edema, generalized edema, exophthalmia, and sunken in eyes
2. VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY
Clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency include eye problems, respiratory infections, neurological dysfunction, spinal kinking, difficulty shedding, and increased formation of hemipenal plugs.
I'm not saying that the above is what is wrong with your chameleon.
If this were my chameleon the first thing I would do is a 20 minute shower with tepid water. Warm to us is hot to them. Get a dripper set up and they are very easy to make. Change your supplement schedule as others have mentioned and properly gutload your feeders. Get digital thermometer and hydrometer and log it for the next few days, morning, noon and night. Change the UVB bulb to ReptiSun 5.0 linear tube bulb.
It looks like he has been dehydrated for awhile off and on. I wouldn't worry about him eating everyday right now, the older they get the less they eat.
You can turn this guy around if you are dedicated to making his husbandry right. Don't be afraid to ask questions and post pics. We are all here to help.
