Jacksons Chameleon acting sick - please help

[carol5208]

I am sorry he is ill. You might want to consider taking him back. There is also the possibility of parasites. Stress plays a huge factor with these guys also. I would take him out in the sun as much as possible. It surely cannot hurt. As far as the bulb there are combo bulbs that do have both uvb and uva so hopefully that is what you were sold.

 

[Mom]

Update on my chameleon... He has died. I went inside to call the pet store about uvb bulbs and came outside to see him dead in his plant. Thank you everyone who tried to help.

 

[leedragon]

the thing you did wrong was you keep him too hot, you had too few branches so he probably could not get to a shady place so the light irritated his eyes and thats probably why he keep them close, he went to the bottom of the cage because heat moves upwards to the cooles part would be at the bottom, you had too lite ventilations, you either go for a terrarium with front ventilations and all screen top or a whole screen cage.
you need to feed the crickets before giving them to the chameleon, and never ever have waterfalls inside his cage due they can cause bacteria breeding grund that can harm them.
also vitamins powder and calcium with D3 should only be giving once a month( I dont know how you did this) but plain calcium every other feeding.

keep in mind this things if you are going to be getting an other one

here is something that may help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKTbUaOQ0aA&list=PL4HFX9PBYVY2eIWT0v3ZgYSk-r76SEujI&index=1

 

[johnnyev]

I wouldn't mind betting he was WC & sick before he was purchased.

 

[Mom]

the thing you did wrong was you keep him too hot, you had too few branches so he probably could not get to a shady place so the light irritated his eyes and thats probably why he keep them close, he went to the bottom of the cage because heat moves upwards to the cooles part would be at the bottom, you had too lite ventilations, you either go for a terrarium with front ventilations and all screen top or a whole screen cage.
you need to feed the crickets before giving them to the chameleon, and never ever have waterfalls inside his cage due they can cause bacteria breeding grund that can harm them.
also vitamins powder and calcium with D3 should only be giving once a month( I dont know how you did this) but plain calcium every other feeding.

keep in mind this things if you are going to be getting an other one

here is something that may help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKTbUaOQ0aA&list=PL4HFX9PBYVY2eIWT0v3ZgYSk-r76SEujI&index=1

Thank you for the advice. I actually have some real plants that offered more hiding places and shade. I have a schefflera arboricola and another plant in his cage and removed them because he was acting sick shortly after I placed the plants in his cage. I thought that may have stressed him out and I removed them. The waterfall system also has a filter, but I can definitely remove it out of his cage. I also had a Jackson chameleon two years ago that I bought from a reptile expo and he was pretty hardy until he died choking on this substrate called coconut earth (the breeder from the expo recommended that), but I never fed the crickets before i fed him. He also had less branches and vines, but his cage was an all screen cage. But he never gave me problems like I experienced with this chameleon. Also, if he was overheating would he have moved down to the ground? For the most part he didn't move from his spot at all when he started looking ill. And he usually sat on the branches towards the middle/upper part of his enclosure.

 

[leedragon]

Thank you for the advice. I actually have some real plants that offered more hiding places and shade. I have a schefflera arboricola and another plant in his cage and removed them because he was acting sick shortly after I placed the plants in his cage. I thought that may have stressed him out and I removed them. The waterfall system also has a filter, but I can definitely remove it out of his cage. I also had a Jackson chameleon two years ago that I bought from a reptile expo and he was pretty hardy until he died choking on this substrate called coconut earth (the breeder from the expo recommended that), but I never fed the crickets before i fed him. He also had less branches and vines, but his cage was an all screen cage. But he never gave me problems like I experienced with this chameleon. Also, if he was overheating would he have moved down to the ground? For the most part he didn't move from his spot at all when he started looking ill. And he usually sat on the branches towards the middle/upper part of his enclosure.

thats is possible but he did open his mount and that terrarium seem too hot, you mentioned too that in your house the temperatures didn´t got anycooler at night, jacksons need a cool night in order to trive

 

[Bush baby]

Update on my chameleon... He has died. I went inside to call the pet store about uvb bulbs and came outside to see him dead in his plant. Thank you everyone who tried to help.

Wow! Sorry to hear this. He was definitely sick before you bought him, the stagnant heat in that plastic container just accelerated the process. There's usually a 7-10 day guarantee on animals purchased from pet stores, see if you can take him back. The pet store should not be making money off of selling people sick animals.

Next time purchase a cham from a breeder, so you know it's not wild caught. And like others have said, use a screen cage.

 

[Carlton]

I have a schefflera arboricola and another plant in his cage and removed them because he was acting sick shortly after I placed the plants in his cage. I thought that may have stressed him out and I removed them.

He was stressed by other things, not the live plants. Possibly he felt too confined and too hot in that initial setup. Generally they prefer thicker foliage so they can hunt and sit out of sight, but in a very constricted space he couldn't get far enough away from the heat even if he did go to the bottom of the cage.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

I just saw your post in the other thread, sorry for your loss. Yes, your cage and temps most likely contributed to his demise. Like others have said, that cage is not acceptable for any animal. It is a hard lesson to learn, but the employees at pet stores do not know about chameleon care. They want to sell you dry goods, most unnecessary. I would ask here before you buy anything and we can help you get the best product at the best price, which is not in a pet store.

My advise would be to do a lot of research before trying it again. If your last chameleon died from impaction, how come there is substrate in the new cage? I am only asking to clarify this before you attempt again.