heat vent on cieling dehydrating?

[flashjord101]

Could it be dehydrating my chameleon? I've shut it off but as per my other posts I have a very dehydrated chameleon despite a mist king going off every two hours for 5 minutes. humidity seems good. I'm just baffled.

J

 

[jshaffer740]

Could it be dehydrating my chameleon? I've shut it off but as per my other posts I have a very dehydrated chameleon despite a mist king going off every two hours for 5 minutes. humidity seems good. I'm just baffled.

J

Possibly. But if you're humidity readings look good then it's more likely your cham just isn't drinking, regardless of how high the RH is. I would first try longer misting sessions, maybe 10 minutes. Some chams need more time to be induced to drink. Also, do you have a dripper?

 

[jshaffer740]

Also, have you filled out the help request form that is stickied in the Health Clinic front page? If so I apologize.

 

[flashjord101]

yes here is the help request form. thank you so much. Strange thing is I have seen him drink.

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - 2 year old male Ambilobe panther chameleon. raised since a baby.
Handling - Daily handling. He loves to come out.
Feeding - alternating crickets and silk worms. cricket crack and greens for gutload.
Supplements - Alternate miner-all, calcium with vit D, Herptivite. (however I am only going to give hiom the vit d and herptivite once a month from here out)
Watering - Mist king. 5 minutes every two hours. I do see him drink.
Fecal Description - Never tested for parasites. fecal usually looks healthy brown with an orange ring and then white urate.
History - Came from Kammers.


Cage Info:

Cage Type - DIY cages screen enclosure. 48x24x24
Lighting - 2 repitsun 5.0 tubes. 12 hours on.
Temperature - basking is at 80-85 degrees F. doesn't drop below 60 at night.
Humidity - ranges from 50 85%. humidity comes from the mist king only.
Plants - Ficus Benjamina
Placement - Cage is in dining room. It is relatively close to a cieling heating vent. We have been using it at night. The cage is about 4 feet away from the vent a 3 feet below it. The top of the cage is about 6 feet from the floor.
Location - Venice beach CA.


Current Problem - Here is my situation with Harold. Male Ambilobe Panther 2 years old. Hes been happy and healthy until yesterday he started grasping his front leg with his back feet as he climbed etc. sometimes knocking him off balance and maybe even a fall or 2. I knew this could be a sign of MBD so I took him to the vet . She did xrays and blood test. Bones and everything look good. She said kidney's looked a bit odd so she sent the xray to a colleague and we should have results from the blood test tomorrow.

However she did say he is extremely dehydrated, which surprised me because he eats and drinks regularly and his urate has been white (she said that white urate could actually mean dehydration in this case...) . I have the mist king go for 5 min every 2 hours (which I will increase).

Anyway: she gave me electrolyte solution and said soak him and mist him with it. I got a little over anxious when I got home and put him in his cage I started misting. I thought he was opening his mouth because he was so thirsty but ultimately he was just angry and stressed. Before I realized this I sprayed some of the solution in his mouth. I then ran the mist king and dripper. for a while and he was drinking a lot. Then he started raising his head catching drops from the top of the cage. Something was wrong. I took him out and he had a clear phlegm type fluid all over and inside his mouth. Totally clear. I was able to remove it. He opened his mouth and allowed me to clear it out and he seems fine now (The dehydration and strange behavior still exists, but no more phlegm). I'm thinking I basically choked him with the water when he wasn't looking to drink. Anyone have experience with this?

If I have solved the phlegm problem I now need the best way to hydrate him. Soaking him in pedialyte just doesn't seem like the best plan. It was my first time with this vet. She is an exotics vet but not sure if she's truly a chameleon specialist. He name is Dr. Margolin at Exotic Animal Care Center in Pasadena.

Any help and advice is much appreciated. It's very upsetting to see my pet sick and unhappy. He's also very stressed right now.

thanks,
Jordan
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[flashjord101]

I have a dripper but usually don't use. I am now. I also don't mist through the night. I'll check the humidity late tonight. It could get prett dry over night.

 

[jshaffer740]

I have a dripper but usually don't use. I am now. I also don't mist through the night. I'll check the humidity late tonight. It could get prett dry over night.

Typically it's good to see an increase in humidity overnight, so that may be one thing to check. A cool mist humidifier on at night wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea. I tend to think the vent is probably not causing an issue. It doesn't seem to be extremely close to the enclosure. Do you know which way it is blowing? Is that adjustable?

I would definitely use the dripper continually and see if that helps. Also, have you tried the shower method of hydration? That can sometimes jump start this process.

The fact that you see him drink regularly just has me somewhat uncertain. Also, it seems as if your feeders are most likely well hydrated based on your gutload, and the silkworms should be providing some moisture.

I would just closely monitor. Increasing the mist king, adding the humidifier at night, and possibly trying to do the shower method (respond if you aren't familiar), should all contribute to rehydration.

 

[flashjord101]

thanks. I've never tried the shower method, but I've read a bit about it. Basically aim the shower head at the wall and him on a plant near by? If you have a good strategy or instructions please send to me. The vet wants me to soak and mist him with pedialyte. any thoughts on this? I plan to do the shower method in the morning when he's had a chance to relax and calm down a bit.

 

[laurie]

Maybe you could call another vet for a second opinion. Spraying and soaking him in pedialyte, is sort of like covering him in sugar water. I am not surprised he had slime in his mouth from that. I am not a vet, but that sounds scary to me. I also don't see how soaking him in that could help at all.