Help!

[gipc]

Hi,
I'm new. My name is Jo. I acquired a pair of panther chameleons yesterday! I was also given a baby as well and the baby is not ok. Is there something I can do? It is very lethargic, seems to skinny to me. Can it be hand fed something with a dropper to help it get nourished? I am pretty sure it will die. Yes I am new to this species but will do whatever it takes to make them happy and be healthy.

 

[zlew]

Hi! Sorry to here your new baby isn't doing well. Fill this out and post a picture of him so we can give you more informed help.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

Also, since you are a new owner, take a look through this if you haven't already. It's the best info out there.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/panther/

 

[gipc]

help with sick baby

panther chameleons
just got them yesterday- handled the baby about 3-4 times so far. female 2x male not at all,doesn't like to be handled and he bites.
Dubai roaches is what came with them. some other types of worms cant recall name right now.
supplements given to me calcium with vit d and herptivite with beta carotene
misting with a misting bottle-saw all of them take a drink.
fecal - have yet to see this.
just purchased a breeding pair. adults look healthy and vibrant, alert, eyes good. baby which I was given, it is sickly as I was told beforehand but said ok i will try. male is about 2yrs female is 1.5yrs not sure how old baby is.
cages are open to air no glass. baby is a zoomed cage I think. the others are home made about 4 feet tall. I plan on replacing cages asap for adults. doing more research on them.
lighting that came with is reptisun uvb and basking lights are regular light bulbs it looks like to me. will be replacing these too.
unsure of temps but will be getting these in the am after work tonight to measure this and humidity.
plants that came with are corn plants and i cant recall the other name.
placement is in my living room for now until my daughter moves then they will be in their own room. ceiling fans on, always 70 in here, also own birds and other critters.
I live in Wisconsin.
baby is sick, lethargic, seems very "skinny", wondering if there is something I can do to help her(?) out and just feel better. I did see her drink. But maybe I can give her some other nourishment besides. I have not seen her eat anything. Looking for a vet as I'm writing this. If I can save her I sure would like to try!

 

[zlew]

So, for the baby, it is hard to get a feel for what might be ailing him. It could be that he is just unwell. That is what happened with my first chameleon we struggled for about 5 months until he passed away.
Your supplements are a little off. You will need to get calcium without vitamin D3 as well. The schedule should be as follows: Calcium without D3 every feeding, calcium with D3 once every two weeks, and multivitamin once every two weeks. As for the baby, fill out the how to ask for help form with just the baby's info, as detailed as you can, and post a pic of his entire setup and a pic of his entire body. I would also stop handling him from now on.

 

[laurie]

Ok on the baby, take some of the dubia, squeeze the insides out, put a tiny drop at a time in the babies mouth. No more than 3 drops at any one time and feed it 3 feedings about 3 hours apart. make sure it has warmed up so it can digest it's food. Let us know how it is going

 

[gipc]

panther chameleon - purchased yesterday - female?
3-4 times handled
I have not seen it eat anything - breeder was feeding dubai roaches
supplements given calcium with them - vit d and herptivite multivitamin- i have not given any as it looks old and will buy new products.
misting
fecal- have not found any as of yet.
dont know much- it is sickly as told before taking it home.

cage added a pic of it.
only a basking light came with
temps unkown as i have to purchase these in the am after my night shift is over
spike type plant and another i cant recall it name. came with.
in living room right now will move when it is available.
picture included to explain this. always 70 here as i have other critters and parrots.
in wisconsin.

 

[gipc]

Thanks so much for the info! I feel like a new mom up all night with a new baby. lol

 

[zlew]

Ok, so for now I would just let him/her settle in. Only go in the cage to feed/water. Make sure you get those supplements right, get a UVB light (reptisun 5.0 works best) and get those temperatures. I would get a probe thermometer/hygrometer and a dialogue one as well to measure ambient temperatures. You should also fill in the space in that cage a little more. Get some horizontal branches and some more foliage to help your baby feel more secure. Until she is comfortable in her new home, it may be hard to differentiate stress related problems (from moving to a new home) and long-standing issues.

 

[gipc]

So far the baby is still alive. I tried to feed her today and she spit it out 2xs so not sure what will happen. We got her a uv light. Ordered some stuff for all of them. The adult female seems to be adjusting well. She took the food from me today. Delighting my grandson. The adult male has hidden all day. I don't know if this is typical or not. I have not seen him bask today. He is in the same place. Though I did sleep for part of the day as I work nights. Thanks for the help. I am super excited about them! I've gone crossed eyed reading everything! I love all creatures even bugs. I get mad if you squish my spiders in the house...Yes I'm a weirdo.

 

[laurie]

So far the baby is still alive. I tried to feed her today and she spit it out 2xs so not sure what will happen. We got her a uv light. Ordered some stuff for all of them. The adult female seems to be adjusting well. She took the food from me today. Delighting my grandson. The adult male has hidden all day. I don't know if this is typical or not. I have not seen him bask today. He is in the same place. Though I did sleep for part of the day as I work nights. Thanks for the help. I am super excited about them! I've gone crossed eyed reading everything! I love all creatures even bugs. I get mad if you squish my spiders in the house...Yes I'm a weirdo.

No, no, you are not a weirdo. You are a cham keeper. That pretty much explains everything.

Just give the adults some time. They should be fine, it may take them a while to get comfortable in their new homes.

The baby is a concern. If he (must be male - he is already causing you grief.) won't eat the dubia, try cricket guts with a drop or two of pedalite. We will find something that baby likes.

 

[gipc]

The baby did eat yesterday. I fed her 2xs 3 hrs apart. Then I felt it was to late for another feeding as it was time for darkness. She seems to be moving around more now. We did get some small crickets and put one in her cage. She was watching it for a bit and she's been basking this evening. I also forced her to drink yesterday and today via eye dropper. I think that helped some. I also took a little warm warm water on my fingers and rubbed around her eyes and a gentle rub down. A mini massage. I'm hopeful she will make it.
I forgot to mention I also have 3 eggs Incubating. Also given from previous owner. The male is just gorgeous! I think that's what I'm going to call him! He also took food from me after I wrote the other post earlier. looking for better cage setups as these are homemade and are ok but could be better. So any ideas on making them or best purchased cage info is appreciated!

 

[gipc]

Update

Update: We lost the baby. Thank you to those that tried to help.

 

[laurie]

Crap!! I am so sorry you lost the baby. You gave it your best and that is all any of us can do.