Help chameleon noob, im EXTREMELY worried

mariovr4

New Member
So my friend was taking okay care of a chameleon but then he moved out of state (we are from MN). SO i took over because i love animals and a girl that probably wouldnt even dare to touch it was going to take it anyways...
--hes not older than 1 year, veiled
-- nice handled often
----humidity was around 50 fixed it now 75
---had him for a month
----2x2x3high
----5.0 uv bulb
---- I dont know if this might hurt his eye but i had a normal 60 watt desk lamp to warm him(out of the cage) now i covered the bulb so only heat goes.
---- I do have occasionally annoying parekeets(which i love lol)



My veiled chameleon started having problems with his left eye. It just seemed weird. Then he/she (seems like she because not very colorful) stopped eating. I was feeding crickets, superworms and meal worms but for the last two weeks only giant mealworms. Covered about once a week with vit. powder.
His eyes are sinking a little bit. Left one looks like he has something in it and hes not moving it like he used to. Im very worried.


In the past 7 days i "forced" fed him 2 worms. He like to drink water directly out of my bottle sprayer only about every other day he isnt changing colors as often, not moving alot takes lots of naps.... i know this is all bad signs but i cant afford vet. I showered him a little bit but still napping not doing much.



I really liked him before this happened we loved coming out of his cage and being with me now he just sits there =[[
 
Somethings i forgot, poop is basically white and a little orange i know that hydration which im taking care of. I just bought it when i realized he didnt have a uv bulb just a normal house white bulb thing(the bulb). Also he never had a "heating station" i gave him one. He never realy came out until i got him. And sorry for my grammar/spelling im very stressed out i have a physics test tomorrow and im really worried
 
What do you mean heating station? Do you have something to measure the temperature with? Also is your uvb bulb compact or tube? The 60 watt should be ok. But your cage temps should be in the low to mid 70's with a basking temp under the 60 watt of about 82 degrees.
 
Like i put the desk lamp next to a little rock thing so he goes there and basking temp is around 84 cage is arround 76, 69 the coldest at night with everything off. Compact light btw
 
your temps sound ok. Your chameleon should have a basking branch or vine not really a rock. that is more for an Iguana or bearded dragon. Do you have vines and branches for him to climb on? Live plants for him to hide and climb around on in the enclosure? Are you using supplements to dust your feeders with such as calcium, calcium with d3 and multivitamin? Do not cover the bulb up. Get a dome and screw the bulb in there.
 
yeah its a calcium d3 and vitamins dust. Ill look into the dome. What do you think its wrong with it? It was so sudden he was happy eating around 6 med crickets then for the last week it ate it was eating like 6 mealworms or 2 basically switching off between 6 or 2. Then this eye thing happened and he stopped eaating now he barely moves. He is napping wayyy too much. I know they r awake most of the day. When it comes onto my hand it will just sit there and close his eyes. His left eye might be getting worse idk he never showss me that eye
 
i would cut down on the vitamin powder to 1-2x/month and get some calcium without D3 for the regular dusting....

are you using any kind of misting bottle on a regular basis and how do you give him/her water during the day?

you should be able to tell if it's a girl or boy by looking at the back feet....if there is a "spur" on the back foot, it's a boy. if not, girl. :)

i would agree with getting some vines and such for him to climb on and not using a rock for the heating/basking spot....rocks can get too hot and most chams are quite prone to getting burns.

also, are you using a glass cage or screened cage?

it may be needing quite a bit of uvb light if you hadn't had one in there....having the cage outside in natural sunlight could help with that as well, especially if the temps are ok for it to spend some time outside. i would be careful of having it in a tree or bush or anything because of possible predators, but it may have a uvb deficiency if it hasn't had a uvb light....
 
Only use the calcium with d3 a couple of times a month. You do not want to over supplement with that. They produce their own d3 from the uvb light. Get a plain calcium and dust your feeder with that at every feeding. It is possible if all your other conditions are right that your cham could have a parasite. When they become lethargic and and do not want to eat, it could be a sign. Your temps and humdity seem ok. Chams do not sleep at all during the day unless they are ill. I would think about taking him to a vet and getting a fecal done just to be on the safe side.
 
Did the previous owner not have a UVB light for him then? how long was it in his care before you took over?
 
25.jpg


This was him as u an see fatter/ eyes look healthy i left him in the dark thats why he was camouflaged hes mostly always light solid color.


this is just taken


https://mail.google.com/a/hamlineun...disp=inline&realattid=acae4e15e4674904_0.1&zw

https://mail.google.com/a/hamlineun...disp=inline&realattid=1fbdb9603e8506b9_0.1&zw




https://mail.google.com/a/hamlineun...disp=inline&realattid=4d5a3ddf1982e695_0.1&zw



his bad left eye. I cleaned the cage like a week ago but ive been putting alot of water it was very dry. that is wat was blocking the direct light bulb i was affraid the light might damage it
 
There is no picture to view. So how long did he have him then with no uvb?. Are his limbs real curvy looking? When they are not supplemented and not provided with uvb over a period of time they will more than likely get a thing called MBD or Metabolic Bone Disease. Can you get a pic up of him.
 
did you try attaching from the paperclip? If that wont work, you can use photobucket. that is what I do. I go to their website and then download the picutre and copy and paste it. It is free. I would like to see a picture of your chameleon.
 
The one of him colored was him before, fater eyes look healthier
 

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First of all...you need to know if its a male or female. If its a female it might produce eggs...might already be doing so.

Your chameleon needs UVB and proper supplementing...and you will also need to look after the insects properly.

Here's some information you might find helpful......
Exposure to proper UVB, appropriate temperatures, supplements, a supply of well-fed/gutloaded insects, water and an appropriate cage set-up are all important for the well-being of your chameleon.

Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects before you feed them to the chameleon with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.

Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200604210...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/


Couldn't see the pictures when I posted this...
 
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Thanks kinyonga, uv is thorugh mesh. It seems its a she. Her name is mami but i didnt know what she was. I always thought female
 
Is that picture of your cham sitting on the rock taken today? It looks to be gravid, carrying eggs. If it is a male, you will see points on the back of the back of its feet. If not it is a female. When a female needs to lay eggs, they will usually stop eating. They will become eggbound and die if they cannot. They need a laying bin.
 
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