Help!

[Eddie Ridgeway]

Veiled Chameleon, Not sure of exact age but around the juvenile stage. Male, had him for about 3 and a half months

I handle him a lot, usually around twice a day but haven't handled him almost at all in the past week since he has been ill and I don't want to do anything to tweak him
.
I feed him Medium-large crickets. (the ones in the boxes that say "have wa-foo inside". you all know what I'm talking about). I put them in there whenever needed, I gut load them with "Flukers cricket quencher Calcium Fortified"

No Supplements aside from the cricket gut loading stuff

I use a Repti-Rain mister and he has a Fountain thingy to drink from at the bottom of his cage.

His poop is brown and white as usual

Mesh cage, X: 1FT 4" Y: 2FT 6" Z: 1FT 4"

Has 100-Watt heat bulb and a UVB bulb (not sure of wattage). Heat bulb on at all times and UVB is turned off at night.

Humidity at 65. Reptirain is my only source of humidity. I use a thermometer

He has a Ficus Tree, that's the only live plant in his cage

His cage is on top of a shelf. the VEEERY bottom of the cage starts 2FT 7" off the ground.

The main problem right now is that he's very sluggish, which I know is not a good sign for reptiles at all. My mom is friends with an exotics specialist and got a text as I'm typing this and said I should stop handling him and try giving him silkworms. if there are any other things I should be doing I will be more than happy to be notified of what they are.

 

[kinyonga]

Please answer the questions in this thread so we have more precise information. Be specific about things...brands, etc.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

Please post some recent photos too.

 

[Jevin]

First off, you need a phosophorous free calcium without D3, a phosphorus free calcium with D3 and all lights should be twelve hours on, and twelve hours off. Fountain should be removed as it can be a bacterial breeding ground which can harm your chameleon. I would also recommend getting a hand mister as the reptirain, from my experience is not sufficient enough to maintain humidity effectively. A larger cage is needed and you need to clarify on the UVB bulb.

Kinyonga sent a link to a form. Please fill it out.

 

[carol5208]

Heat bulb I am assuming gives off light? They are not to have lights on at night. They need darkness to sleep. No heat needed at night unless your house gets below 50 degrees or something. We need to know specifically what your uvb bulb is. Silkworms are a good feeder.

 

[kinyonga]

No photos???

You said..."Veiled Chameleon, Not sure of exact age but around the juvenile stage. Male, had him for about 3 and a half months" how do you know it's a male?
.
You said..." I gut load them with "Flukers cricket quencher Calcium Fortified" No Supplements aside from the cricket gut loading stuff". That's not a good gutload. I recommend a wide assortment of greens and veggies and a little bit of fruit....dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, escarole, carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, berries, pears, apples, melon, etc. for a gutload/feed If you want to keep your chameleon healthy you need to feed it healthy insects...and provide good husbandry. It's recommended that you dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon with a phosphorous-free calcium powder at almost every feeding to help make up for the poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous found in most feeder insects. It's recommended that you dust twice a month with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving it to get the rest from its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues. D3 produced from exposure to the UVB light won't build up as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it at will. It's also recommended that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources will not build up in the system like prEformed sources can so it's safe. Some people also give them this powder once a month and for the second time give them one with prEformed vitamin A.

You said..."I use a Repti-Rain mister and he has a Fountain thingy to drink from at the bottom of his cage" ...I would add a dripper. It can be a tall deli cup with a tiny hole in the bottom so it drips at the rate of one or two drips per second. I do not recommend fountains. They're hard to keep clean.

You said..."Has 100-Watt heat bulb and a UVB bulb (not sure of wattage). Heat bulb on at all times and UVB is turned off at night"...is the heat bulb white? It should not have any light at night. Unless the room goes down to the low 60's at night you don't need heat.

You said..." I use a thermometer"...so what's the temperature?? The basking temperature should be in the low to mid 80's F at that age.

You said..."He has a Ficus Tree, that's the only live plant in his cage"...I would get rid of the artificial plants...veileds eat vegetation at times. You don't want it to eat fake plants. Make sure thenmplants are non toxic and well washed...both sides if the leaves. They can also be fed some of the things I listed as gutload.

You said..."The main problem right now is that he's very sluggish, which I know is not a good sign for reptiles at all. My mom is friends with an exotics specialist and got a text as I'm typing this and said I should stop handling him and try giving him silkworms. if there are any other things I should be doing I will be more than happy to be notified of what they are"... If you're under 14 please show what I've written to your Mom. It may be sluggish if the cage is too cold...if it's not a male and it's old enough it might need to lay eggs...it might be getting calcium deficient/getting MBD...we need to see photos and know the temperature, etc to know.

 

[Eddie Ridgeway]

No photos???

You said..."Veiled Chameleon, Not sure of exact age but around the juvenile stage. Male, had him for about 3 and a half months" how do you know it's a male?
.
You said..." I gut load them with "Flukers cricket quencher Calcium Fortified" No Supplements aside from the cricket gut loading stuff". That's not a good gutload. I recommend a wide assortment of greens and veggies and a little bit of fruit....dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, escarole, carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, berries, pears, apples, melon, etc. for a gutload/feed If you want to keep your chameleon healthy you need to feed it healthy insects...and provide good husbandry. It's recommended that you dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon with a phosphorous-free calcium powder at almost every feeding to help make up for the poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous found in most feeder insects. It's recommended that you dust twice a month with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving it to get the rest from its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues. D3 produced from exposure to the UVB light won't build up as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it at will. It's also recommended that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources will not build up in the system like prEformed sources can so it's safe. Some people also give them this powder once a month and for the second time give them one with prEformed vitamin A.

You said..."I use a Repti-Rain mister and he has a Fountain thingy to drink from at the bottom of his cage" ...I would add a dripper. It can be a tall deli cup with a tiny hole in the bottom so it drips at the rate of one or two drips per second. I do not recommend fountains. They're hard to keep clean.

You said..."Has 100-Watt heat bulb and a UVB bulb (not sure of wattage). Heat bulb on at all times and UVB is turned off at night"...is the heat bulb white? It should not have any light at night. Unless the room goes down to the low 60's at night you don't need heat.

You said..." I use a thermometer"...so what's the temperature?? The basking temperature should be in the low to mid 80's F at that age.

You said..."He has a Ficus Tree, that's the only live plant in his cage"...I would get rid of the artificial plants...veileds eat vegetation at times. You don't want it to eat fake plants. Make sure thenmplants are non toxic and well washed...both sides if the leaves. They can also be fed some of the things I listed as gutload.

You said..."The main problem right now is that he's very sluggish, which I know is not a good sign for reptiles at all. My mom is friends with an exotics specialist and got a text as I'm typing this and said I should stop handling him and try giving him silkworms. if there are any other things I should be doing I will be more than happy to be notified of what they are"... If you're under 14 please show what I've written to your Mom. It may be sluggish if the cage is too cold...if it's not a male and it's old enough it might need to lay eggs...it might be getting calcium deficient/getting MBD...we need to see photos and know the temperature, etc to know.

I know he's a Male because he has spurs on his back feet, from what i read that means its a male.

I also have "Zoo Med Reptivite Reptile Vitamins With D3" to dust crickets with, and if thats not enough i have "Repashy Superfood Calcium plus LoD

I will start turning off hit heat bulb at night, seeing it doesnt get too cold in my house. lowest temp at night will probably be around 65 - 70.

The exotics specialist said that the basking should be around 91... we put tinfoil around the top part of his cage to keep it warm up there, he can go down to get to a cooler area. Rest of his cage usually gets around 75 and below i think it gets a bit cooler than that, seeing no heat bulb or anything is down there, aside from a heating mat UNDER the cage.

He doesnt have any "artificial" plants. the closest thing to it is the 2 tiny branches on his fountain that have artificial leaves on it.

Thank you

 

[Eddie Ridgeway]

Heat bulb I am assuming gives off light? They are not to have lights on at night. They need darkness to sleep. No heat needed at night unless your house gets below 50 degrees or something. We need to know specifically what your uvb bulb is. Silkworms are a good feeder.

Here is the UVB Bulb i use: https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-2515...d=1511187242&sr=8-3&keywords=reptile+uvb+bulb

 

[CJ's Exotics]

I know he's a Male because he has spurs on his back feet, from what i read that means its a male.

I also have "Zoo Med Reptivite Reptile Vitamins With D3" to dust crickets with, and if thats not enough i have "Repashy Superfood Calcium plus LoD

I will start turning off hit heat bulb at night, seeing it doesnt get too cold in my house. lowest temp at night will probably be around 65 - 70.

The exotics specialist said that the basking should be around 91... we put tinfoil around the top part of his cage to keep it warm up there, he can go down to get to a cooler area. Rest of his cage usually gets around 75 and below i think it gets a bit cooler than that, seeing no heat bulb or anything is down there, aside from a heating mat UNDER the cage.

He doesnt have any "artificial" plants. the closest thing to it is the 2 tiny branches on his fountain that have artificial leaves on it.

Thank you

I would not have a heat mat under the cage. He needs to relieve himself from the heat every once in a while. I have heard some negative things about Reptivite with vitamin a, but I am not sure.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

Here is the UVB Bulb i use: https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-2515...d=1511187242&sr=8-3&keywords=reptile+uvb+bulb

For his size enclosure, I would use a 5.0

 

[Eddie Ridgeway]

First off, you need a phosophorous free calcium without D3, a phosphorus free calcium with D3 and all lights should be twelve hours on, and twelve hours off. Fountain should be removed as it can be a bacterial breeding ground which can harm your chameleon. I would also recommend getting a hand mister as the reptirain, from my experience is not sufficient enough to maintain humidity effectively. A larger cage is needed and you need to clarify on the UVB bulb.

Kinyonga sent a link to a form. Please fill it out.

How much bigger do i need his cage to be? i cant really afford anything bigger right now, the actual chameleon is just about 5 inches from the tip of his nose to vent.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

How much bigger do i need his cage to be? i cant really afford anything bigger right now, the actual chameleon is just about 5 inches from the tip of his nose to vent.

When he is older, he will need a 24x24x48 minimum. He should be upgrading soon, they are not very expensive.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

As @kinyonga said, please upload a picture, it is ESSENTIAL to see what might be going on.

 

[Eddie Ridgeway]

I would not have a heat mat under the cage. He needs to relieve himself from the heat every once in a while. I have heard some negative things about Reptivite with vitamin a, but I am not sure.

ok, i will turn off the heat mat immediately. what dusting stuff should i use on my crickets, and should i use the same stuff on silkworms?

 

[Eddie Ridgeway]

As @kinyonga said, please upload a picture, it is ESSENTIAL to see what might be going on.

Heres pictures of pretty much everything going on in his cage:

 

[CJ's Exotics]

He is extremely dehydrated. He needs some longer misting sessions. Give him a shower. Put a branch in the shower, put him on it, and face the shower head against the wall, so that he gets mist. Make sure the water is lukewarm, not hot, not cold, just warm. You could also use a pressure mister. Do you need a picture of what it should look like? Is the red bulb the heat, and white UVB? He needs some water, he does not look very good. He looks to be in bad shape, hopefully he will be okay. He needs more foliage.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

Has he been eating? He does not look like he has been eating much. How much do you feed him?

 

[Eddie Ridgeway]

Has he been eating? He does not look like he has been eating much. How much do you feed him?

i put crickets in his cage whenever they are needed, like i said today or tomorrow (as soon as i can get them) i will switch him to silkworms. and i dont know how to get him to drink? i usually dip his nose in his fountain thing to see if he will start drinking and he hasnt been. im sure he wouldve passed away by now seeing hes been like this for about a week, unless hes right on deaths door and hasnt been eating or drinking at all for a week. should i try putting the food infront of him with forceps/tweezers? and how can i get him to drink. i will try forcefeeding if necessary.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

i put crickets in his cage whenever they are needed, like i said today or tomorrow (as soon as i can get them) i will switch him to silkworms. and i dont know how to get him to drink? i usually dip his nose in his fountain thing to see if he will start drinking and he hasnt been. im sure he wouldve passed away by now seeing hes been like this for about a week, unless hes right on deaths door and hasnt been eating or drinking at all for a week. should i try putting the food infront of him with forceps/tweezers? and how can i get him to drink. i will try forcefeeding if necessary.

Force feeding is extremely stressful, so wait and see other members recommendation. Like I said, give him a shower, and mist him and his enclosure. He needs hydration.

 

[timw1]

Eddie, that setup is all wrong, it looks like you are cooking him in there. He looks severely dehydrated as stated by CJ.

 

[Eddie Ridgeway]

Force feeding is extremely stressful, so wait and see other members recommendation. Like I said, give him a shower, and mist him and his enclosure. He needs hydration.

Thank you. I forgot how bad stress is for them. i set his mister to go for 1 minute instead of 15 seconds every hour. i pick up the nozzle and spray his whole cage and him. is there anything else i should be worrying about at this moment?