Juvenile Veiled Chameleon sick - Experts needed

[Chamfan82]

Hey Cham lovers!

I am in need of some expert advice!

I have a friendly male Chameleon named Norman who is becoming very challenging for me due to poor health!

My experience

• I have had a female Panther Chameleon that managed to live a full life without any issues. She passed away of old age.
• I also have an older female Veiled Chameleon, going through her teenage years and she is getting on just fine!

Problem
Norman, my 16 week old Veiled Chameleon seems to be really struggling to become the Handsome Cham I want him to grow up to be!

First issues:

• He only accepts water from a pipette, but refused this.
• He stopped eating causing vitamin deficiency.
• When he did eat, he didn't have the energy to use his tongue and therefore just poorly attempted to grab food with his mouth.
• He struggled to bite the food, I assumed due to lack of vitamins may have had soft jaw.
• Casque is less than a cm tall and is not straight
• Spent the entire day generally laying on the branches with both his eyes closed.
• No signs of dehydration.
• No signs of MBD - Too early to tell!
• One eye closed permanently, unless cleaned with water when it would then open.

With these issues developing very quickly over days, I took Norman back to the reptile store where I bought him. The lady who owns the store is a specialist and personally houses many different exotic reptiles including various species of Chameleon - She can be trusted with her advice! She sold us the set up and knows that everything is correct with that, I am not a naive Cham owner and had the temperature, Hygrometer, UV times etc. all to the correct specification. She couldn't understand any reason as to why there would be an issue. Next step - To the vet!

I found a specialist reptile vet about an hours drive from me and took him to see them. We filled in the required form honestly with all the information on the set up etc. and the specialist again was baffled as to why he is deteriorating this way. To try and boost him up all they could do was offer a vitamin boost in the form of an injection which of course we agreed too! We were then recommended to crush up wax worms and meal worms into a smoothie with the vitamins and water and force feed him to keep it up.

2 days later:

• He is starting to drink more through pipette watering, forced to begin with but then voluntarily opens up.
• Force feeding the food he just takes it like a man, getting a good portion down his gullet!
• Moving around the cage a little more, mainly to move up and down from the UV light, but this is a vast improvement.
• Today he has started to try and get bugs on his own again (maybe he has had enough of being force fed). He reaches his tongue out to a very little half a cm but then attempts to use his jaw as he still doesn't have enough energy to release the tongue, but again this is a good sign of improvement.

My concern:
Norman has a bad eye that I want expert advice on, the specialist vet said this is likely due to the vitamin deficiency and will open up after time but I am not confident in this response. Whilst I have only had him a short while, I know this is not due to the vitamins and it is something else. He has no shed skin on the outside of the eye, he often tries rubbing his eye against the leaves in his home and can be seen bulging his eye out in attempts to clean it. I use a cotton swab/ Q tip to try and clean it with lukewarm water that has water conditioner in it and this used to work, he used to open his eye. Now when I do this, it remains closed permanently!

I need to know advice of other ways to clean the eye so it will open, if I can succeed with this then I am sure he will pick up and be better in no time as his aim will improve with full sight! Any suggestions would be great as I know I am so close to having him return to full health if I can fix this. I can say that; he doesn't have any eye infections/ conjunctivitis as this has already been eliminated, I think there is something inside his lid that needs to be cleaned out! He has a check up next week booked in, if we cannot get this sorted.

Please experts, come and help save my boy so I can get him to adulthood and show him off!

Thanks!!

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Do you mist him?

I can think of several causes of his various symptoms, for us to narrow it down I need you to fill out this form, help us help you.

Please fill out the “how to ask for help” form and post your answers back here. Quality pictures will help us help you.


Chameleon Info:

◦ Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?

◦ Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?

◦ Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?

◦ Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?

◦ Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?

◦ Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?

◦ History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.


Cage Info:

◦ Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?

◦ Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?

◦ Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?

◦ Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?

◦ Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?

◦ Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?

◦ Location - Where are you geographically located?


Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


--------------


Please Note:

1 The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.

2 Photos can be very helpful.

 

[Chamfan82]

Yes I do mist him, 3 times daily and he has regular showers in the tub too.

Have you got more specific questions than just the form? Only reason is; I have taken him to both a reptile specialist and to a reptile specialist vet and they have already confirmed that I am doing everything correctly, with all the set up including the humidity and temperature.

Getting the food and vitamins inside him is what has caused most issues, and it may be the Vitamin A deficiency causing him to keep one eye closed, but I just feel there is something in it as opposed to a deficiency, mainly due to him cleaning it regularly.

Do you have any suggestions on cleaning the eye?

Happy to fill in the form if required, but a lot of it is hard to explain - Especially when he has not been eating...

Side note - Do you know if it is possible to delete the other duplicate thread? Didn't realise it went on twice, as I couldn't find it earlier and can now see it twice from your comments!!

Thanks!!

 

[Brodybreaux25]

If you want educated answers from us and not just guesses you need to provide detailed answers and pictures.

 

[Decadancin]

Side note - Do you know if it is possible to delete the other duplicate thread? Didn't realise it went on twice, as I couldn't find it earlier and can now see it twice from your comments!!

I don't see another thread. Nothing to delete .

 

[Mawtyplant]

If you want educated answers from us and not just guesses you need to provide detailed answers and pictures.

I agree, more information we god easy is gonna be to help! maybe you can try carnivore care and add calcium to it.. If you can fill the form (do your best..) and post some pictures/video?