Hydration and tounge emergency help

[sandrachameleon]

have you taken the animal to a vet yet? any tests done to determine calcium levels etc in blood? or are you shooting in the dark not really knowing for sure what the problem is?

Does the chameleon get magnesium? Vitamin A (if what form)?

Have you completed the how to ask for help questionaire (if not please do, if yes please copy it to this thread)

Using the built-in search feature of this forum, I was able to find a reference from Dave Weldon that said in part
"...Calcium glubionate at 10mg/kg of body weight, given orally once or twice a day.... It may take months to get calcium body contents back to where it needs to be...."


Jim (Chameleon Company) said " Here is a link for a liquid calcium solution that I use. 2 drops per 50G of chameleon every 10 days. 3 drops for females preparing to breed or gravid, or which laid in the 30 days prior. http://shopping.yahoo.com/s:Nutritio...ionate%20Syrup"

Kinyonga posted
"The quickest way to treat the chameleon would be for the vet to give it calcium injections and when the blood calcium levels are high enough, give it a shot of calcitonin which rapidly draws it back into the bones. THIS NEEDS TO BE DONE BY A VET BECAUSE IF THE BLOOD CALCIUM LEVELS ARE NOT HIGH ENOUGH WHEN THE CALCITONIN IS GIVEN TO THE CHAMELEON THE CHAMELEON'S BLOOD WILL LOOSE TOO MUCH CALCIUM AND LEAD TO THE DEATH OF THE CHAMELEON"

Several other members like JannB appear to use liquid calicum. Perhaps you should PM her or Kinyonga or Jim or make use of the search function. Better yet, get the chameleon to an exotics vet.

 

[chameleoman]

im working on getting vit. a pills and putting it on crickets and i will post my old how to ask for help i made him a new cage well my dad and it looks pretty good i dont know the temps but im working on getting a temp gun ill post pics of where the light fixture is if requested

chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - veiled chameleon, male, 10-11 months. for 10 months since he was 3 weeks old
Handling - at least once a day
Feeding - crickets, silkworms, hornworms, 5-7 crickets a day(large), gutloading with chamalot chameleons king cricket feast
Supplements - using rep-cal d3 twice a month, vit. twice a month, calium every other feeding getting vit. A
Watering - ice cube and misting, i mist till evrythink is wet, i see him drink
Fecal Description - poop is black pee is white, never been tested for parasites
History - none

Cage Info:
Cage Type - cage is all screen, 2x2x4
Lighting - i have a repti sun 5.0, i have a zoo med basking, he gets up at around 7:30 and bed at around 9:00
Temperature - i dont know the temps if wanted ill post pics to see where the light is
Humidity - i dont know the humidity levels but i spray 2-3 times a day and gunna put live plants in his new cage
Plants - one huge live pothos and others are fake im thinking about putting a hibiscus but last time i put live plants i had alot of natts or somethin
Placement - im my room
Location - east Los angeles its really hot right now (cooling down) when it gets really hot i turn the light off

Current Problem - his tounge isnt functioning right and he grabs his tail with his legs sometimes

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

ive fed them at night for a really long time with no problemo and i dont turn the lights off right after i turn them off after a few hours so know one knows how to give liquid calcium?

It doesn't seem like you're not having any problems with how many threads you have...(also you said you were feeding at 8 and then say his lights turn off at 9. Thats not much time to fully digest a bug.) I'm not saying that is the cause of everything but what if it's contributing? They don't digest well without basking for a good period of time so what if he's not absorbing as much calcium because of it? If it were me I would be trying to do whatever I could to help, and that includes giving him ample opportunities to digest his food fully so he is getting the full nutritional value of the food you're offering. Jmo.

You definitely need a thermometer to measure temperatures. If the temps aren't what you think he may not be digesting well if he's not warm enough.

 

[chameleoman]

ok whats a good time to feed him? im trying to do what ever it takes to get hime healthy again after all i had him when he was a new born the idiots who sold him to me gave him to me at 3 weeks old and he didnt have a crown yet it was flat and shiny i thought he looked more like a week old in my opinion

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

The morning is best because it gives them all day to bask and digest. If you want to feed again I would do it at lunch time or at the latest in the early afternoon (probably no later than 4pm).

 

[chameleoman]

sandrachameleon i seroiusly have no money for a vet

 

[sandrachameleon]

Thanks for taking the time to provide the questionaire info.
Your husbandry doesnt look too far wrong. What's in that gutload you are using? Does dandelion grow where you live? If so, consider giving some of that to your crickets, along with some sesame seeds and a smashed/ground almond. If you eat sushi, rip up a sheet of the seaweed and give a little of that to the crickets too. This will help ensure there is sufficient magnesium, iodine and B vitamins, to go along with the calicum supplement and the vitamin A supplement (when you get it). You could use the calcium (without D3) on just about every feeding, especially every cricket. Refer back to the links I provided earlier regarding gutloading and tongue troubles.
IMPORTANT to know the temperature range is good, as temperature plays a big part in digestion. A digital temp guage can be bought for $20 while you wait for your temp gun.

Im sorry you havent the money for a vet. Its usually best not to own a pet if you cannot afford vet bills, but I know you are trying to do your best for him.

 

[Elizadolots]

You know, things don't get fixed immediately. Do what has been suggested diligently for a week and see how things go.

You've been given a lot of good advice, so follow it and stick with it and give it a chance to make a difference.

 

[chameleoman]

ill start evrything 2marro starting with liquid calcium oh and how often do i give it to him i dont think anyone has told me that oh and my moms getting me the vit. a 2marro so thats good

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

You know, things don't get fixed immediately. Do what has been suggested diligently for a week and see how things go.

You've been given a lot of good advice, so follow it and stick with it and give it a chance to make a difference.

Important to remember! Reptiles move slow, digest slow, and heal slow. Their metabolism is about 7x slower than that of mammals, and MBD is a chronic deficiency so it is going to take time (weeks to months) of being diligent with good gutloading and supplementation to see a noticeable difference. If things become worse during that time you may need to go to a vet for quicker stabilization so start saving up now just in case. you are not going to see a change in the next few days though.

Give the liquid calcium at every feeding.

 

[sandrachameleon]

ill start evrything 2marro starting with liquid calcium oh and how often do i give it to him i dont think anyone has told me that oh and my moms getting me the vit. a 2marro so thats good

Um, I believe I did, actually:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/hydration-tounge-emergency-help-66232/#post617790

and the Zilla spray bottle also has instructions on it, right?

 

[clarkrw3]

Do you live close to the I10? If so I am driving over to the beach from AZ this friday and can give you a digital Therm/ humidity gauge.

 

[chameleoman]

Do you live close to the I10? If so I am driving over to the beach from AZ this friday and can give you a digital Therm/ humidity gauge.

???? wheres that at i live in east la in ca

 

[Elizadolots]

You're a kid who doesn't drive, aren't you?

Adults who aren't around non-driving kids forget that they have no clue where things are.

I 10 is Interstate 10 which is sort of the main conduit for East LA.

 

[chameleoman]

yes im a kid and dont drive i do know the 10 free way if thats what you mean

 

[Elizadolots]

That's what I10 means: Interstate Freeway 10.

I hope I didn't offend you by saying "you're a kid who doesn't drive". My 16 year old daughter is a kid who doesn't drive. Because she's the size of an adult people assume she has a clue where things are, but in reality, she never looks out the window when we're in the car. Her nose is buried in a book, so she really has no idea what freeways are around or even where her favorite stores are in relation to our house.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

I offered him a (they are always free ) housecall. He's checking with his parents to see if it is ok. I've got some time off this week so I can squeeze-in a chameleon visit . I've got free spare liquid calcium and the usual supplies and equipment. Sometimes it just takes another set of eyeballs to spot what else needs to be changed to turn things around.

 

[clarkrw3]

That is awesome that you are offering to head out there Dave!!! BTW Yes I was talking about the 10 freeway.


Dave we are staying in Hermosa Beach this weekend getting there Friday until Monday. If you are heading out to east LA between then I can give you the therm/humidity gauge to take to him. Also would love to see your chams while we are out. I think we are staying on 29th close to the strand. Also would love to pic your brain on starting the SBCK because I would love to start something similar in AZ

 

[Elizadolots]

Yay, Dave Weldon! That is, indeed, awesome.

 

[Dave Weldon]

...Dave we are staying in Hermosa Beach this weekend getting there Friday until Monday. If you are heading out to east LA between then I can give you the therm/humidity gauge to take to him. Also would love to see your chams while we are out. I think we are staying on 29th close to the strand. Also would love to pic your brain on starting the SBCK because I would love to start something similar in AZ

Howdy Rob,

Hermosa Beach! Hard to get much closer. Yep, I'm mostly around the house the rest of this week (taking time off for a few days to work on hobbies etc.) so if you want to stop by just give me a jingle . I'll toss you a PM with my ph# in a minute.

P.S. You'll be somewhat dissappointed with my chameleon collection . My wife has me winding down my chameleon keeping so that we can be pet-free and travel with less worries. I think she just hates handling insects when I'm on business travel . As they age-out, they have not been replaced. My final chameleon is a Veiled and he is 8.5+ yrs-old. He may still have many, many months to go though .