Help Regarding Young Veiled Chameleon Multiple Health Concerns

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Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Female Veiled Chameleon unknown age, probably under 3 months. In my care for 5 weeks
  • Handling - Daily for medication
  • Feeding -Hydei Fruit Flies, Small Crickets, and Silkworms, Unlimited, All Day, Carrots and Bee Pollen, Silkworm Chow, Fruit fly media from Josh's Frogs
  • Supplements - Calcium no D3 daily and Repashy Lo D on Sundays, Calcium syrup prescribed by the Vet one drop daily, One drop of Reptiboost daily (recommended by vet)
  • Watering - Spray enclosure before lights on and after lights on, sometimes in the middle of the night if I wake up. Room Humidifier. Dripper in the morning with lights on and in the evening around dinner time. Do you see your chameleon drinking? Yes
  • Fecal Description - I brought a Fecal to the vet, but they did not test it. She is having watery urates with a solid poop for a month
  • History - We bought her sick from Petsmart. We noticed after a few days she was coughing and stargazing. We took her to the Vet right away but they said she was fine. a week later she was puff breathing and having a hard time swallowing and breathing in large gasps. We brought her back to the vet and they did antibiotic IM injections 6 days a week for 3 weeks. When we got her from Petsmart, she was 6 grams and after antibiotics were done she was still only 6 grams. She eats a ton but doesn't seem to be growing.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Reptibreeze 18x18x36
  • Lighting - BR30 40 Watt Flood light in a clamp lamp with a T5HO 5.0 UVB linear fixture
  • Temperature - basking is between 82-86 Ambient is 70-73 during the day, 66-68 at night How do you measure these temps? Digital thermometer and a basking spot analog with wire
  • Humidity - Nighttime 70-90% How are you creating and maintaining these levels? Misting and room humidifier. What do you use to measure humidity? Digital Govee Device
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? Yes If so, what kind? Pothos, Prayer Plant, Money Tree and Dracaena
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? In my bedroom. Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? There is an air vent in the general proximity. At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? 7-8 feet
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? Maryland

Current Problem -

1. My Cham seems to have a lot of difficulty swallowing...she will spend a lot of time with her head up after eating and drinking it almost looks painful. She was treated for a RI and is not open mouth breathing, but sometime her chest looks very tight while eating/drinking. Normal? Worrisome? The vet did x-rays and says her lungs look clear.

2. While on Antibiotics, she started having milky white watery urates that splatter everything. They even coat her poop. She rubs her butt on her vines to clean it off and her butt is always white from it. She does eat some silkworms, but we did not have any the proper size for a few days and she was still having watery urates. She often gets an ashy look and falls asleep. When I notice she is like that, I will offer and she will usually take some water from a syringe and then perk up and go hunt or something. I keep reading watery urates are over hydration, but this is constant and I have to go in and clean it all up...all over the leaves and vines. I did mention this to the Vet and he was not concerned about it.

3. She has not grown much at all even though she eats all day, fruit flies and crickets free roam and I add a few very small silkworms on her pothos in the morning. I have a grams scale coming in the mail today to be able to weigh her. She was only 6 grams a week ago at the vet, the same weight she was when we got her.

We have 2 other thriving Chams and Multiple feeder colonies, so we are not total noobs, but this little girl has us so worried. Any advice?? I was thinking about finding a different Vet, but I kind of feel like I am over reacting and don't want to stress her out by more Vet visits. The last one, they made me leave her there all day and I was a wreck.
 

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Hi. I would suggest getting a second opinion from another vet. @jannb do you know any good vets in Maryland?

Yes, there’s a really good one on the Cape that has been seeing chameleons for years and then there’s the Odd Pet Vet. Let me get their info.

https://oceansideanimal.com/

https://www.newildlife.org/oddpetvet/

And then there’s Dr. Scott Stahl. Peoples drive for many hours to see him. He’s one of the best in the US.

Stahl Exotic Animal Veterinary Services
4105 Rust Rd.
Fairfax VA.22030
703 281 3750
 
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Can you post a couple of photos of her please so I can see all of her from the side without the screen in the way?
 

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I can see the video but really have no idea. I can only ask if she does that for every feeder she eats and if her feeders are small enough. Since @kinyonga can’t see the video, maybe @jannb, @JacksJill may have some input. Or could you use a different video platform such as YouTube and then link the video here?
 
I decided to give Reptaid a try. We are a few days in and she is hunting and stopped falling asleep during the day. She has also gained 2 grams! Her urates are not normal yet, but they are more creamy that watery. She is also having less difficulty swallowing. I’m hoping a full 10 days will put her on the mend. If she started to get worse again, I decided I will call the vet in Fairfax, VA someone up above recommended.
 
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