rickd5
New Member
https://www.chameleonforums.com/need-urgent-advice-veiled-doing-worse-114340/ Previous post.
Sherman is 18 months old, ive had him for a month. He weighs 49 grams. (his growth was probably stunted from his previous owners bad husbandry, He's a trooper and I can't explain how much love I have for this animal. I just want him to have a good life for once.)
I've made a couple threads on this cham I am trying to save.. Thanks for viewing/writing. Since Shermans surgery on 7/19 to remove his infection on his nose(bump).. Sherman's appetite has went downhill. I was only able to get him to eat once... he devoured 4 mealworms crawling up his cage in a "hunter-mode" like state on 7/23 randomly. Since then he has shown zero interest in any feeder cricket/waxworm/mealworm/superworm. Even with them being in a cup all day, even climbing up his cage. he will not touch them or even show interest. He also seems super lazy.. lays with one arm hanging off and his head resting.
I'm afraid the antibiotics im giving him (Enrofloxacin) are causing this appetite loss and laziness.
So I called my vet and he said I could try force-feeding if i'm worried about the health of my cham.
So today I tried force-feeding for the first time.
Using a syringe, he easily can swallow a small amount of water. I also gave him some Pedialyte. Plus some liquid Calcium .
I put a small waxworm in his mouth and he literally just lets it sit there. He will not swallow it. So I tried again and again, a few of the times he projected it out of his mouth using his tongue(could not find this anywhere on the forums). Finally after about a half hour of trying to feed him I managed to get 2 wax worms and half of a super worm down him dusted in d3/multivitamins.
-What does this mean, he is literally starving himself at this point I think
-I would stop the antibiotic but then his infection could just get worse
-Should I continue to force feed, even with it being as stressful on him as it is
-Is there any other methods/suggestions available?
Thanks for reading my wall of text. Any help is greatly appreciated I have never been so stressed/heartbroken over an animal like this
I've spent hundreds of dollars on vet trips in the past month. Even redid his entire cage with new plants. I'm willing to do whatever it takes.
Sherman is 18 months old, ive had him for a month. He weighs 49 grams. (his growth was probably stunted from his previous owners bad husbandry, He's a trooper and I can't explain how much love I have for this animal. I just want him to have a good life for once.)
I've made a couple threads on this cham I am trying to save.. Thanks for viewing/writing. Since Shermans surgery on 7/19 to remove his infection on his nose(bump).. Sherman's appetite has went downhill. I was only able to get him to eat once... he devoured 4 mealworms crawling up his cage in a "hunter-mode" like state on 7/23 randomly. Since then he has shown zero interest in any feeder cricket/waxworm/mealworm/superworm. Even with them being in a cup all day, even climbing up his cage. he will not touch them or even show interest. He also seems super lazy.. lays with one arm hanging off and his head resting.
I'm afraid the antibiotics im giving him (Enrofloxacin) are causing this appetite loss and laziness.
So I called my vet and he said I could try force-feeding if i'm worried about the health of my cham.
So today I tried force-feeding for the first time.
Using a syringe, he easily can swallow a small amount of water. I also gave him some Pedialyte. Plus some liquid Calcium .
I put a small waxworm in his mouth and he literally just lets it sit there. He will not swallow it. So I tried again and again, a few of the times he projected it out of his mouth using his tongue(could not find this anywhere on the forums). Finally after about a half hour of trying to feed him I managed to get 2 wax worms and half of a super worm down him dusted in d3/multivitamins.
-What does this mean, he is literally starving himself at this point I think
-I would stop the antibiotic but then his infection could just get worse
-Should I continue to force feed, even with it being as stressful on him as it is
-Is there any other methods/suggestions available?
Thanks for reading my wall of text. Any help is greatly appreciated I have never been so stressed/heartbroken over an animal like this
I've spent hundreds of dollars on vet trips in the past month. Even redid his entire cage with new plants. I'm willing to do whatever it takes.