help! one of my babies died :'(

[aksdgff]

Chameleon Info:

My Chameleon - Veiled chameleon, male, 1-2 months old. He was in my care for three days.
Handling - He was handled three times. once when i first got him from the pet store, once trying to get him to drink, and once by the vet.
Feeding - I hadn't seen him eat. I put 8-12 crickets in his cage the first night, and they were all still there the next day. all but one have disappeared today, but i added my second baby cham into the cage with a divider that crickets could get through. i think she ate them, not him.
Supplements - the crickets were dusted with some cheap-o reptical. they arent on a schedule yet, as i've only had them for a day or two and they havent eaten =/
Watering - I am misting the cage 3-5 times a day. i haven't seen him drink at all. but i've seen her drink a lot.
Fecal Description - n/a
History - bought him at repticon from a local aquarium and reptile show. their chams were kept in a 20? gallon glass aquarium with many others. the information that the pet store gave me was way off from any information i've researched or read on here.


Cage Info:

Cage Type - reptibreeze screen cage 16x16x30. split in the middle to house two chams separately.
Lighting - 12 hours of light. usually 8am-8pm. 50 watt zilla day white bulb.
Temperature - im still unsure of what basking temps should be. i've been keeping it in the upper 80s-lower 90s. measured with a digital thermometer.
Humidity - misting.
Plants - no live plants yet.
Placement - the cage is in a low traffic area, on the ground, not near fans or anything.
Location - maryland


Current Problem - Displayed many bad signs since i brought him home: sleeping during day, not active, blowing bubbles from mouth, not eating, not drinking, no grip, pale. I took him to the vet the next day. the vet said he hadn't seen a cham that young before. he said he didnt suspect it was an upper respiratory, shot him with fluids, and sent us home. he seemed to be more awake and active last night, but i found him dead when i came home from work tonight. :'(

 

[carol5208]

obviously your cham was purchased ill and nothing you could have done to cause his passing in three days. For the future thought you need a uvb light. You must have one for your chameleon to survive. your temps are too high for babies. You need to have the cage in the 70's and your basking temp around 80-82 max for that age. remove 50 watt and try 20 watt or no basking at all if you cannot get your temps lower

 

[aksdgff]

thank you. it's good to hear that his passing wasnt my fault. does anyone have any ideas of what killed him? and do you think my other baby is at risk? =/

 

[Meow Kitty]

thank you. it's good to hear that his passing wasnt my fault. does anyone have any ideas of what killed him? and do you think my other baby is at risk? =/

well when babies arnt well established before they are sold the new owner will most likely experience a lot of problems (i.e you)
that is why on here people wait till their chameleons are around 2-3 months old and are eating and drinking with no problem. I'm sorry for your loss, don't get discouraged from this experience chameleons are awesome and I recommend you retry if its in your budget.

 

[Mozart]

thank you. it's good to hear that his passing wasnt my fault. does anyone have any ideas of what killed him? and do you think my other baby is at risk? =/

Sounds to me I think a respitory infection :/ sorry to hear about him.

 

[aksdgff]

im not sure if it would help, but his little mouth was blue-ish purple and the tip of his tail was black when i found him =/

 

[carol5208]

do you have a uvb bulb for your other chameleon? Like I said most likely it was nothing in your set up that killed him and he was ill when you got him. Not having a uvb for 3 days would not have killed him but over time it will. Make sure you get one if you do not have one already.

 

[Meow Kitty]

im not sure if it would help, but his little mouth was blue-ish purple and the tip of his tail was black when i found him =/

as far as your other chameleon I wouldnt imagine it (since it does sound like RI) could spread to your other chameleon, but if your really worried disinfect the cage.

 

[aksdgff]

i have one, but it's the wrong size for the reptibreeze unless i leave it on it's side.

and they haven't been together since i've had them, but the pet store kept them all together in a maybe 20 gallon tank. and at repticon, they were in maybe a 5 gallon tank. my girl has been super healthy since i've had her. very active, drinking, eating, and seems to be very comfortable. today while she was drinking, she started to open her mouth similar to when lokni was blowing bubbles. she isnt blowing bubbles though. i was thinking maybe she was swallowing the water? hopefully it's nothing bad.

im going to be calling the vet monday and going back to the pet store on monday.

 

[DavidBuchan]

Sorry to hear about little Lokni. As people have said, there was nothing you could have done to help him. There is also no way to find out what was wrong without a proper autopsy (even then, the chances of certainty are very small).
It does sound most like an RI from here, but the only vet to examine him thought not.......

 

[MollyT]

I am so sorry to hear about little Lokni. I went through a similar situation with my baby veiled, Kush. I got him whenhe was just 3 weeks and he just never did very well. He died after 10 days with me. Most likely from being too young and stressed. Your littly guy might have already been stressed from being moved around for the reptile show and then all of the people. Then being moved into a new home. Maybe he was too young and just got too stressed. Either way, I do not think you are at fault. I wish you the best of luck with the female.

 

[aksdgff]

thank you all! you guys are great!

 

[Lathelia]

I'm not an expert, but I also think it wasn't your fault. He was just too young and shouldn't be sold at that age. IMO
Keep an eye on your girl, get a UVB, lower your temps and she should grow strong and healty

 

[squeekz1992]

To me it definitely sounds like a respiratory infection. Idk what to say about the vet.... most don't know what they are talking about unless they see chams alot more frequently... I'm sorry bout your little dude

 

[mcbdz]

If your girl is opening her mouth it could be a sign she's too warm so, make sure you lowered your temps and have plenty of shade she can go to.

 

[Ulrich]

Sorry to hear all this. But the treatment of the parents is most crucial to the development of the hatchling. He was clearly very young. And I admire you for the efforts you underwent to save his life. But if you don't know the reputation of the breeder, you cannot be sure if his husbandry of the parents were right (especially the female). This might have caused some weakness. You might not want to use basking spots for very young chams like this.

 

[aksdgff]

i've stopped using the basking lights. temperatures seem to be staying at 76 inside the cage now. she has eaten two pinhead crickets so far today and drank a lot last night.

right now, i still have the cage on it's side. this morning i moved the lamp to the right side, away from her leaves and wood. i turned the lamp on to provide a "daylight" with no place for her to bask. however, when i came home from work, she had climbed up the cage and set herself under the lamp.

i feel bad taking her beloved heat away, but i will do whats best for her!