Kam is sick again :(
- Thread starter serenitystarlite
- Start date
serenitystarlite
Established Member
I wasn't quick enough with the camera when she ate the first time, because I was so excited that she was actually eating on her own. Then a little while later, she looked like she wanted another cricket, so I grabbed my camera and got a few shots of her.
and this is how she looked when I got home from work:
My friends who have owned more chameleons than me think she's really old. They thought she would have died by now. She seems to be doing better but is still very skinny and could very well just be old. She was full grown when I got her, so I have no idea how old she is. I'm not sure what to think at this point, but part of me thinks she doesn't have a lot of time left
and this is how she looked when I got home from work:
My friends who have owned more chameleons than me think she's really old. They thought she would have died by now. She seems to be doing better but is still very skinny and could very well just be old. She was full grown when I got her, so I have no idea how old she is. I'm not sure what to think at this point, but part of me thinks she doesn't have a lot of time left
serenitystarlite
Established Member
Well on the bright side, she ate again today on her own and is up to 44 grams! She was down to 41, so that's a good sign that she's gaining weight. The only thing I'm worried about is that she isn't using her tongue very well. She is walking right up to crickets and eating them like she's having trouble extending her tongue. Her tongue is only extending to about half of what it used to and she missed a couple times. Not sure if it's because she hadn't eaten on her own in about a month or if there's something else wrong. I really hope I didn't hurt her tongue when I was force-feeding her, I would feel so awful. She's such a sweetheart. You would think she would hate me or be terrified of me by now from force-feeding her and from giving her medicine, but she doesn't seem to. She's such a nice girl, I really hope she's feeling better.
She's such a sweetheart. You would think she would hate me or be terrified of me by now from force-feeding her and from giving her medicine, but she doesn't seem to. She's such a nice girl, I really hope she's feeling better.
hallenhe
Avid Member
This sometimes happens in older chams (and younger ones as well). My panther stopped using his tongue properly at ~ 4.5 years old (a few months ago); a friend who's experienced the same thing was able to "retrain" his cham to use the tongue by starting with prey near the mouth and holding each prey item progressively further out (bringing it in to meet the tongue if necessary). Mine and the others I've heard of get frustrated and give up quickly if they miss one or two times, so if she'll hand feed, you may just have to hold her food up before her (I find I can hold a cricket by a hind leg, and it will still move around enough to get a cham's attention) and be ready t let go as soon as she latches on.
serenitystarlite
Established Member
My poor Kami is refusing food again and looks awful
She was doing so much better for the past couple months and was up to 58 grams but now seems to be worse and is back down to 51. I had another fecal done and they found nothing. Same symptoms as before. I think this might be the end.
I have a bottle of Reptaid on the way (hopefully it should be here tomorrow) and I'm going to try that and see if it helps her at all. I've been debating whether or not to take her to the vet again because I feel like I should maybe just put her down. I hate seeing her like this, especially after seeing her do so well for the past couple months
I don't know what else to do, I'm scared that she's old and it's just her time. I have no way of knowing how old she is since she was wc and she was full grown when I got her.
I know it's hard to talk about, but can anyone share how their chams were when they were old before they died? What are common symptoms in old age?
She was doing so much better for the past couple months and was up to 58 grams but now seems to be worse and is back down to 51. I had another fecal done and they found nothing. Same symptoms as before. I think this might be the end.
I have a bottle of Reptaid on the way (hopefully it should be here tomorrow) and I'm going to try that and see if it helps her at all. I've been debating whether or not to take her to the vet again because I feel like I should maybe just put her down. I hate seeing her like this, especially after seeing her do so well for the past couple months
I don't know what else to do, I'm scared that she's old and it's just her time. I have no way of knowing how old she is since she was wc and she was full grown when I got her.
I know it's hard to talk about, but can anyone share how their chams were when they were old before they died? What are common symptoms in old age?
jannb
Chameleon Enthusiast
They fall because they loose their grip. My daughter has an old guy that I'm keeping right now. I would keep her as comfortable as you can for as long as you can. Here's his pic (Vega). Last time I kept them for her she had two old ones but Lula got the gout really bad and is no longer with us. https://www.chameleonforums.com/christmas-pictures-34484/
serenitystarlite
Established Member
Her grip is still strong enough for her to still hold on, but not as strong as it was and she's kind of shaky when she walks. Her feet are also kind of different now from everyone else's feet, like they seem curled up more almost like she has athritis. Do chams get arthitis in old age like people? Another thing I've noticed is that she hasn't shedded in awhile, like maybe a few months ago.
ChameleonAlley
New Member
My poor Kami is refusing food again and looks awful
She was doing so much better for the past couple months and was up to 58 grams but now seems to be worse and is back down to 51. I had another fecal done and they found nothing. Same symptoms as before. I think this might be the end.
I have a bottle of Reptaid on the way (hopefully it should be here tomorrow) and I'm going to try that and see if it helps her at all. I've been debating whether or not to take her to the vet again because I feel like I should maybe just put her down. I hate seeing her like this, especially after seeing her do so well for the past couple months
I don't know what else to do, I'm scared that she's old and it's just her time. I have no way of knowing how old she is since she was wc and she was full grown when I got her.
I know it's hard to talk about, but can anyone share how their chams were when they were old before they died? What are common symptoms in old age?
I've been using the ReptAid for about 3 days now with Ziggy, and he seems to be perking up some. I kind of feel like I'm in the same position as you here, as I've been hand feeding him for about a week and have yet to see him eat on his own. For you to see her shoot a cricket on her own is a really good thing. I think that they get weak so quickly that just eating on their own takes so much effort. How is her drinking?
serenitystarlite
Established Member
Her drinking is normal and her urates are very white. She drinks from me and on her own. I've been force feeding her again which I hate doing and giving her baby food mixed with water and pedilayte (she'll also drink this on her own), so she's been hydrated this whole time. Her eyes are pretty sunken though
ChameleonAlley
New Member
Her drinking is normal and her urates are very white. She drinks from me and on her own. I've been force feeding her again which I hate doing and giving her baby food mixed with water and pedilayte (she'll also drink this on her own), so she's been hydrated this whole time. Her eyes are pretty sunken though
Hmm, that is weird. As animals that want to strive to survive, she is drinking on her own but not eating. This is what I have been dealing with myself. He drinks freely, but will not eat his own food. Though she's looking a little sunken, I think she will be fine as long as you continue to make sure she is getting nutrients. Hopefully, the Reptaid will work for both of us and strike their appetites back up again. How old is she?
serenitystarlite
Established Member
The pics I have up are a couple months old. I haven't taken any pictures of her lately. I'm not sure how old she is, she was full grown when I got her and was wc. I've had her almost a year now.
Elizadolots
New Member
I remember a thread about dealing with an elderly chameleon...I think for the last months the chameleon spent most of it's day on a cushion...but the big thing I remember was that the owner made sure that if the chameleon fell it wouldn't fall far and would land softly....so, lots of netting added to the environment. I'll see if I can find that. It's not exactly applicable because it was a free range chameleon and quite large...but it might give you some ideas. Hopefully someone else will recall the thread and be able to locate it faster than I can (I remember the title was {chameleon's name}'s life as a dog...sadly, the search engine won't search for dog).
serenitystarlite
Established Member
I remember that post. I'm thinking about moving her to a smaller cage and setting it up like that.
I gave her a dose of reptaid earlier and then tried to feed her. Unfortunately she threw up the crickets, so I'm not sure how much reptaid is left in her system. I'll give her another dose tomorrow so I don't overdose her. I think it was my fault, I probably fed her too much and too quickly
You can check her out on the chameleon cam today.
I gave her a dose of reptaid earlier and then tried to feed her. Unfortunately she threw up the crickets, so I'm not sure how much reptaid is left in her system. I'll give her another dose tomorrow so I don't overdose her. I think it was my fault, I probably fed her too much and too quickly
You can check her out on the chameleon cam today.
jannb
Chameleon Enthusiast
hallenhe
Avid Member
My first panther showed his age by losing his grip/falling; conversely, having an unremittingly tight grip on things like his own front feet and ankles (again, causing him to topple); reduced ability to shoot accurately (at any greater distance than ~ 2 inches). In his final few weeks, he largely stopped moving - he'd stay where we put him until we put him somewhere else (on the Chameleon Condo for water, on a pillow with heat pad [so he could look out the window, and wouldn't fall when he was sleeping]). He was not terribly old for a panther cham - 4.75 years - but had had an infection, some kidney problems (under treatment with vet consultation for both) and a long, long winter.
I'm sorry to hear about Kam; sounds like it very possibly is just age.
I'm sorry to hear about Kam; sounds like it very possibly is just age.
serenitystarlite
Established Member
She's been straining a lot when going to the bathroom, but then it's white urate and runny poop and sometimes a little blood. Is this common as well in old age? I've been feeding her small crickets and baby food mixed with pedialyte. Is there anything else that could cause her to have a hard time with the bathroom? When this happened earlier this year, the vet said she thought it was parasites and couldn't find anything else wrong with her. Kami seemed to really perk up after the medicine.
There is some good advice in that post. I'll try increasing her supplements a little to see if that helps at all.
There is some good advice in that post. I'll try increasing her supplements a little to see if that helps at all.
