Help help help

[vangarret2000]

Tell you what has almost always worked for me....if he is able to grip onto a plant or branch take him outside and mist him...I use one of those roundup sprayers from,lowes..sometimes it takes awhile, but be persistent and don't give up...most finally give in and start licking their lips...also use warm water...good luck

I was just getting ready to go to MIchaels to look for a fake plant so I can bring him outside. I got nothing in my yard to put him on. I will try wha you recommend. I have never put him outside before. Is there anything I nee to do? Does he need some shade?

Right now I just hooked up a dripper into a fake vine so te water would run through it and stuck him right in front of it in hopes he drinks while I am gone.

 

[vangarret2000]

A few minutes ago we noticed he was trying to go to the bathroom he was really struggling and his hemipenes were popping out while only a little liquid came out. Is this to do with him being dehydrated or could he be constipated?? What should we do?

 

[lysinlight87]

I'd just keep an eye on him when you take him out. I know he's really poorly & probably not in a fit state to make a get away, but you never know with these guys. Unless you have a little screened cage you can put him in & then spray that? Good luck with him, hope he gets better for you

 

[Elizadolots]

I'd just keep an eye on him when you take him out. I know he's really poorly & probably not in a fit state to make a get away, but you never know with these guys. Unless you have a little screened cage you can put him in & then spray that? Good luck with him, hope he gets better for you

I second that...also, predators are in the sky and we've had horror stories about birds carrying off or attempting to carry off chameleons. If you have one of those mesh pop up laundry hampers you could put that over the plant to help keep him safe. You could also drape a towel over one side so he has some shade.

 

[vangarret2000]

I second that...also, predators are in the sky and we've had horror stories about birds carrying off or attempting to carry off chameleons. If you have one of those mesh pop up laundry hampers you could put that over the plant to help keep him safe. You could also drape a towel over one side so he has some shade.

It's 28 Celsius out and 30% humidity. I am gonna spray him down some while out side but how long should I keep him out there for? He would really get any shade where he is going to be.

 

[vangarret2000]

A few minutes ago we noticed he was trying to go to the bathroom he was really struggling and his hemipenes were popping out while only a little liquid came out. Is this to do with him being dehydrated or could he be constipated?? What should we do?

Does anyone have any insight into this? I am supposed to be making him eat and drink and take Tums but I am worried he might be constipated or something and I don't want to keep making him eat if that is the case.

 

[kinyonga]

So I take it you are giving it tums because it's lacking calcium? IMHO it would be better to use a liquid format since it should be more easily absorbed. Constipation can occur if the chameleon is lacking calcium. Are you using a substrate in the cage?

Regarding forcefeeding....it should only be done if the chameleon won't/can't eat on its own. You can make a bug juice and use a syringe to feed the chameleon with too.

 

[Elizadolots]

To make bug juice, just blend some well fed bugs in a coffee grinder or blender. Add a little pedialyte (unflavored) to moisten it up enough for the needleless syringe. You could add calcium to your bug juice.

 

[vangarret2000]

So I take it you are giving it tums because it's lacking calcium? IMHO kt would be better to use a liquid format since it should be more easily absorbed. Constipation can occur if the chameleon is lacking calcium. Are you using a substrate in the cage?

Regarding forcefeeding....it should only be done if the chameleon won't/can't eat on its own. You can make a bug juice and use a syringe to feed the chameleon with too.

The vet said tums becuase there was some thing in it that helps his body absorb the calcium better then normal reptile supplements do. I have been disolving it in water before giving it too him. Seemed better then putting a bunch of powder in his mouth.

What is kt?

No substrate in the cage.

The vet said to only force feed if he won't eat on his own. Which he hasn't been.

 

[vangarret2000]

How much should I feed at one time if I am giving him bug juice? I have a syringe that holds 1ml. How many of those should he get? And how far apart should I space them?
Can I just add a little water instead if pedialyte? Pedialyte goes bad in a day and it's $5 a bottle here so that would get pricey usin it everyday.

Could a blend a big batch and stick it in the fridge or is it only good for one day?

Should I still be feeing him his normal calcium(I use repashy) or just the tums?

 

[kinyonga]

Sorry...it was a typing error...should have been it.

I didn't realize that about the Tums. I have used Tums for years to dust greens and veggies for my lizards and turtles.

 

[Elizadolots]

How much should I feed at one time if I am giving him bug juice? I have a syringe that holds 1ml. How many of those should he get? And how far apart should I space them?

I would think you want to feed him as much as he will take but I've never done it so hopefully someone with experience will jump in.

Can I just add a little water instead if pedialyte? Pedialyte goes bad in a day and it's $5 a bottle here so that would get pricey usin it everyday.

I think water works. Pedialyte is the standard recommendation because the electrolytes are helpful.

Could a blend a big batch and stick it in the fridge or is it only good for one day?

I think it's blend as needed....don't even try to keep it more than an hour or so. You're trying to feed it off as soon after the insect dies as possible.

Should I still be feeing him his normal calcium(I use repashy) or just the tums?

I think that's a question for your vet.

 

[vangarret2000]

Last night at some point he fell in his tank. When we left him later in the evening he was baskin in the top corner of his tank. Before we went to bed we found him on the very bottom of his tank directly below where he was basking.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Hmm. I just read the whole thread and I have some questions for you.
1. Why did your vet think there is a liver problem? Was bloodwork done?
2. You said in your previous thread you gutload with leafy greens. Can you be more specific?

You got him so recently that unfortunately the previous owner might have caused chronic health issues that you're now seeing the effects of. It might not be something that you caused.

Based on the description of his last bowel movement I'm more worried about his kidneys than his liver. If the kidneys are diseased or damaged (combo of the meds given and chronic dehydration) they can become larger than normal. The kidneys sit right at the pelvic canal just above where the colon is, so if they become too large they can pinch off the colon and cause constipation issues. If this happens they can get impacted from the large kidneys not allowing anything to pass, and unfortunately you can do anything to fix that...

Pedialyte can keep for a week or so if refrigerated after opening. Bugs blended don't keep though so make a new batch each time you need it. If you can get him to eat the bug juice at least 3ml a day would be a good start, and if he eats more then great. Hydration is critical right now. His kidneys need the fluids. If you can't him to drink then he'll need more of the injections of fluids to keep him hydrated. Maybe your vet can show you how to do them at home if you feel comfortable trying?

 

[vangarret2000]

He didn't tell me exactly why he thought liver damage. He told me he was sure there is but didn't know how bad and if he wasnt better by today he would recommend blood work.

The leafy green were from my garden, green lettuce, or Swiss chard, or kale.just before he started getting bad I was actually giving carrots and potatoa(I didn't knOw potatoes weren't nutritious enOugh until now). Right now they have carrots and sweet poratoes.

My GF told me she toOk him outside recently an got him to drink a little after about a half hour. He also tried going to the bathroom and the same thing happened. Pushed hard but only a little liquid. Is there anything I could do to help that? If it is becuae of the kidneys and nothing can be done like you said is it fatal then or something will always need attention?

My GF couldnt get him to eat bugs as is today so I am gonna go buy some pedialyte on my lunch and make bug juice.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

I only ask about the liver thing because that's a little odd to me. Liver issues aren't terribly common in reptiles, and you generally can't tell if that's a problem just by looking at them. It would be diagnosed on bloodwork, or x-rays if the liver looked abnormal. Were x-rays done?

It sucks that he's having that much trouble defecating. Again, hydration is the key to try to add as much liquid to the poop as possible. I've seen some people give pear baby food to help soften the poop too. The vet could try an enema if he cant get this one to pass. If you can get him well hydrated an keep the poop soft he might be able to pass enough to keep him from getting impacted. Unfortunately though if he can't pass anything that's not compatible with life and you may not be able to do anything about it.

 

[drcrossfire]

What is kt?.

Kt is a form of calcium solution.

Sorry to hear about all of these problems. I hope your cham gets better!

 

[vangarret2000]

I only ask about the liver thing because that's a little odd to me. Liver issues aren't terribly common in reptiles, and you generally can't tell if that's a problem just by looking at them. It would be diagnosed on bloodwork, or x-rays if the liver looked abnormal. Were x-rays done?

It sucks that he's having that much trouble defecating. Again, hydration is the key to try to add as much liquid to the poop as possible. I've seen some people give pear baby food to help soften the poop too. The vet could try an enema if he cant get this one to pass. If you can get him well hydrated an keep the poop soft he might be able to pass enough to keep him from getting impacted. Unfortunately though if he can't pass anything that's not compatible with life and you may not be able to do anything about it.

I talked to the vet today to give him an update. He told me when there is something wrong with the liver a certain chemical is given off which turns teir mouths yellow. My chams mouth is quite yellow so that is why he suspects the liver but couldn't say for sure how n'a it is without the blood work. I told him how he has been doing. He said he was happy with what I said. The 2 things that concerned him was the possible constipation and that he doesn't seem to be using his back legs very much. He said if those continue till tomorrow I should consider a blood test.

He said becuase there is some small amount of liquid coming out his vent but not full waste I shouldn't need to treat for constipation yet and just keeping him hydrated could help him pass. He also said when he checked him on Saturday he didn't notice any impaction/constipation then so the constipation could have just happen.

 

[vangarret2000]

When making bug juice about how much pedialyte an how many bugs should I put in a batch? I put in 6 crickets and 3 or 4 super worms and a small dipping sauce sized cup of pedialyte. It was way more then I needed but I had to have more just to get it too blend. Not sure what the ratio-pedialyte actually was.

I heard giving them liquids like that can asphyxiate them. Any way to do it to be more cautious? He dis seem to take big breaths after each squirt.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Okay...your vet is talking about icterus caused by bilirubin. He is correct that is a sign of liver disease...EXCEPT in panther chameleons! Well, except in reptiles and birds in general really. They don't actually make detectable amounts of bilirubin. That's a mammal thing. Panther chameleons always have yellow mouths. That is totally and completely normal for them. It's not true of Jackson's chameleons, iguanas or a lot of other species that have pink mouths. Although I want to say bearded dragons also have yellow mouths. So that is something you can let your vet know. Yellow mouths in this species is very normal. Chameleons make tricky little patients if you don't have a lot of experience with them!