ivythechammy
New Member
Please let me know what I can do to help my poor chameleon! I’m really worried, and I don’t want to lose her!! I used to have many different reptiles many years ago, but this is my first time caring for a chameleon. That said, I do have some basic knowledge with reptile and chameleon husbandry. I wanted to rekindle this hobby, and it’ll be really sad if this turns out to be a tragedy.
I have compiled a detailed history to the best of my memory, which you can find at the end of this post.
I also took some pictures today. Please let me know if you want a specific angle and I'll snap it when she's in the right position.
Chameleon Info:
Cage Info:
-I understand that my setup is far from perfect. I realized that ReptiBreeze started kit isn’t the best option (after I bought it). I decided to get some milage out of it while my chameleon is “growing up”. At the same time, I wanted to learn from this setup and gain some insight on what to improve for my next setup. I was planning on doing these improvements next month after moving into a new apartment. I know there are a million things I can improve upon and most of you are more knowledgeable than me, but please refrain from any critique for now unless you believe it is pertinent to the current issue. Much appreciated.
-Larger cage (I thought I got a juvenile chameleon, but in retrospect, I think she was already fully grown when I got her)
-Live plants
-Better UV light
-Better supplements
-I understand that superworm isn’t the best feeder, but they are easier to maintain. I do switch things up once a blue moon to make things interesting.
Current Problem + Timeline:
-Today
-Chameleon has eaten almost nothing in two weeks. She is weak, and struggles with climbing, and mostly just hangs on the vine. I have not been able to obtain a fecal sample as she has not been eating.
-Yesterday
-I saw her sleeping during the day. A clear sign of health issue.
-3 days ago
-Received hornworm and she ate only a small one.
-4 days ago
-Because of her sudden change in appetite as mentioned above, I thought it was that she could be in fact ready to lay eggs, so I added a laying bin with coco coir in the yellow bucket as seen in the picture. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to have it in there just in case. Chameleon was acting normal again. She was moving around in the cage, but still would not eat.
-5 days ago
-Saw the chameleon hanging upside down in her cage around midnight. This is the first time I realized something could be seriously wrong with her. I immediately examined her, and she was very weak. Usually she lashes out and tries to bite me when I approach, but she was too weak to do any of that, and didn’t resist when I picked her up. Her eyes were closed and looked a bit sunken in to me. I gave her water with a hand spray, and she drank a decent amount. Since then I have been giving her water in addition to the daily automatic mist about once every other day, or when I think she is dehydrated. I ordered some hornworms on line, hoping that would entice her
-12 days ago
-Chameleon stopped eating for 3 days or so. She had thrown a fit like this before, which was spontaneously resolved. She seem fine otherwise (walking around the cage and still seem mentally alert.) At this point, I decided to wait it out.
-About a month ago
-She was extremely active in her cage (crawling up and down). She spent a significant amount of time on the floor, but I wasn’t sure if she was digging. I did some research on the forum, and I wasn’t sure if it was “Cage fever”, or she’s looking for a spot to lay eggs. I gently palpated her belly, and I did not see any bumps. Additionally, I didn’t see any drastic change of color like some people said, so I concluded that it was just cage fever, and I decided to just keep an eye on her.
I have compiled a detailed history to the best of my memory, which you can find at the end of this post.
I also took some pictures today. Please let me know if you want a specific angle and I'll snap it when she's in the right position.
Chameleon Info:
- Your Chameleon -
- Female veiled chameleon.
- Age: Unsure
- Purchased from petco on 11/29/2019
- Handling -
- 1-2x/ month. Generally avoided unless I have to.
- Feeding -
- Mainly large superworms gut-loaded with cricket crack
- 3 worms every 2-3 days
- Supplements -
- A mixture of the supplement below, dusted on every single superworm
- ZooMed Repti-calcium without D3 (About 1 teaspoon)
- ZooMed Reptivite vitamins (A light sprinkle)
- Watering
- Monsoon mister 3x/day & 2 mins per session
- Occasionally I see the chameleon drinking
- Fecal Description
- Usually moist dark brown/black stool with white urate
- Never been tested for parasites
- No stool recently due to lack of eating
- History
- Not sure if the chameleon grew much if at all since I got her.
- Extremely shy and gets upset whenever I open the cage door
Cage Info:
- Cage Type - ZooMed ReptiBreeze
- 16 x 16 x 30 Screen
- Lighting -
- ZooMed UVB which came with the ReptiBreeze Starter kit
- 8am-8pm
- Temperature -
- Basking: 80F
- Lower corner: 67F
- Measured using handheld infrared scanner
- Humidity
- Not currently being monitored by any means
- Plants
- Plastic plants
- Placement
- Top of the cage is about 4’4” from the floor
- Located in the corner of my room, not near any fan/vents, but I do spend a considerable amount of time in my room near the cage.
- Location -
- Central New Jersey
-I understand that my setup is far from perfect. I realized that ReptiBreeze started kit isn’t the best option (after I bought it). I decided to get some milage out of it while my chameleon is “growing up”. At the same time, I wanted to learn from this setup and gain some insight on what to improve for my next setup. I was planning on doing these improvements next month after moving into a new apartment. I know there are a million things I can improve upon and most of you are more knowledgeable than me, but please refrain from any critique for now unless you believe it is pertinent to the current issue. Much appreciated.
-Larger cage (I thought I got a juvenile chameleon, but in retrospect, I think she was already fully grown when I got her)
-Live plants
-Better UV light
-Better supplements
-I understand that superworm isn’t the best feeder, but they are easier to maintain. I do switch things up once a blue moon to make things interesting.
Current Problem + Timeline:
-Today
-Chameleon has eaten almost nothing in two weeks. She is weak, and struggles with climbing, and mostly just hangs on the vine. I have not been able to obtain a fecal sample as she has not been eating.
-Yesterday
-I saw her sleeping during the day. A clear sign of health issue.
-3 days ago
-Received hornworm and she ate only a small one.
-4 days ago
-Because of her sudden change in appetite as mentioned above, I thought it was that she could be in fact ready to lay eggs, so I added a laying bin with coco coir in the yellow bucket as seen in the picture. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to have it in there just in case. Chameleon was acting normal again. She was moving around in the cage, but still would not eat.
-5 days ago
-Saw the chameleon hanging upside down in her cage around midnight. This is the first time I realized something could be seriously wrong with her. I immediately examined her, and she was very weak. Usually she lashes out and tries to bite me when I approach, but she was too weak to do any of that, and didn’t resist when I picked her up. Her eyes were closed and looked a bit sunken in to me. I gave her water with a hand spray, and she drank a decent amount. Since then I have been giving her water in addition to the daily automatic mist about once every other day, or when I think she is dehydrated. I ordered some hornworms on line, hoping that would entice her
-12 days ago
-Chameleon stopped eating for 3 days or so. She had thrown a fit like this before, which was spontaneously resolved. She seem fine otherwise (walking around the cage and still seem mentally alert.) At this point, I decided to wait it out.
-About a month ago
-She was extremely active in her cage (crawling up and down). She spent a significant amount of time on the floor, but I wasn’t sure if she was digging. I did some research on the forum, and I wasn’t sure if it was “Cage fever”, or she’s looking for a spot to lay eggs. I gently palpated her belly, and I did not see any bumps. Additionally, I didn’t see any drastic change of color like some people said, so I concluded that it was just cage fever, and I decided to just keep an eye on her.
