Lil' Lady, not doing so well!

[LADYliberity]

I recently brought home a female Jackson's, I was told she is about 10mos old and thought to be gravid (pregnant?)* When I brought her home (abt 6hrs ago) She was NOT RESPONSIVE AT ALL, very dark in color, eyes shut and not moving! I thought she was dead, after warming her up a bit her color has improved but she is still unresponsive. She isn't walking, climbing, moving at all but she does hold on to branches. She isn't eating or drinking anything.....

She is one of 4 Jackson's that I bought & brought home this evening (I posted a more detailed thread) and I am worried about her. If anyone has any suggestions or advice that might help save her, it would be greatly appreciated!


*Sorry, I am working on my lingo! lol.

 

[sulfurboy1o3]

Welcome tot he forum and sorry about your stress. This girl might be a little different then the rest. Just keep her alone and out of sight of the others. Id offer food in a couple days and just keep misting lightly with baby warm water.

What have you been trying for food? Any pics of her and cage?

 

[sulfurboy1o3]

going by the info in your other post, id say she just isnt interested in what you have to offer. crickets are an ok food source for jackson...but the varied diet of roaches, silks and flies is better. Getting her to eat anything at this point is important, but the food items just arent all that healthy, esp mealworms.

Flies are like number one on their fav list. i catch some with net in a small field and also hatch out ones that are produced by other hobbyist.

 

[LADYliberity]

Thanks for the advice. Although, I can't seem to figure out how to upload a picture I can email them if you'd like. I've fed them crx just simply to get them to eat. The males are eating fine but my female wont eat at all! I tried offering her food again this morning with no luck! She has moved a bit through the night, she eyes are now open and she was browsing the branches just now... I am really worried that she isn't eating or drinking though.

 

[Hoj]

It can often take a few days for a new cham to settle in and start eating and drinking like normal.

 

[LADYliberity]

okay, that makes me feel a little better. Although, how long is "too long" for her to go w/o food or water!? She looks really skinny especially if she is pregnant. I dont want to assume that she is just "getting settled" and lose her. I am working on the "cage" situation now, trying to give them more room to get away from each other. They've got a decent size area just limited access to it because I've only got a med size ficus and a med piece of wood to climb on in there at the moment...

Thank you for your input guys. Im definitely more optimistic!

 

[laurie]

I don't understand, you are working on the cage situation, does that mean this sick little female is in with other chams? If so get any kind of bin, just a plastic tub, and some sticks, and get her away from the other chams. If one is a male, pick her up, Right now!! Even if you sit her in a dish tub or a trash can (clean them first) please get her away by herself. You can mist her with warm water and have a towel in the bottom, that will add humidity. Just keep her warm and figure out how to cage her TOTALLY by her self. That is the only chance you have to save your sweet little girl.

 

[LADYliberity]

UPDATE: I seperated the female from the 3 males. She is now on her own although she is still NOT EATING OR DRINKING ANYTHING! She just lays at the bottom. She will grab and hold on to a branch but she isn't very stable and seems very weak. At one point she was even dangling from her front legs in a pull-up position....
The local vets are closed and I am hoping she makes it through the weekend so I can get her in to see a vet.
ANY ADVICE or SUGGESTION WOULD BE GREAT!! :/

 

[sulfurboy1o3]

For you. Yea, let her be and go to bed. check her in the am. micromanaging every couple hours isnt really gonna tell you much.

just mist several times a day, genlty with warm water. spray slow enough as to where the water collects on her nose.

 

[Lovereps]

UPDATE: I seperated the female from the 3 males. She is now on her own although she is still NOT EATING OR DRINKING ANYTHING! She just lays at the bottom. She will grab and hold on to a branch but she isn't very stable and seems very weak. At one point she was even dangling from her front legs in a pull-up position....
The local vets are closed and I am hoping she makes it through the weekend so I can get her in to see a vet.
ANY ADVICE or SUGGESTION WOULD BE GREAT!! :/

Your female cham sounds like she is in dire straits and may be ill, had gotten too cold or is dehydrated.
Chams are very delicate compared to other lizards.
They aren't very adaptable--meaning you have to provide just what they need and do so right away--without delay.

To try to rehydrate her you can repeatedly mist her for several minutes at a time with warm water in a spray bottle. Jackson's often take several minutes of misting before it occurs to them that they should drink.
Once she starts drinking, keep misting her until she stops drinking.
just a few mistings a day won't be enough--see below for more details.


Their main requirements are:

1) Individual screen cages of adequate size for their needs-they need much more room than you'd expect for such small creatures. For each Jackson's figure 18 x 18 x 36 inches at the very least
They need to be several feet above the floor and out of view of both other chams, other pets and even away from mirrors (which they'll think are other chams.)

2)Humidity. They need enough humidity in their envirnment and this requirement is, at the very least, a constant 50% humidity in the air for a Jackson's.

3)Lots of places to hide---they need to be able to escape being viewed or they will be very stressed Live plants are fantastic for helping to keep humidity up and provide hiding places but must be washed with soapy water first and then rinsed thoroughly to remove pesticide or fertilizer residues. Your cham will be drinking from the leaves, after all.
Plastic plants are far better than a lack of hiding places.
Vines are also a good idea to add to these.
They do not appreciate being handled, especially when adjusting to a new environment.

4) Proper temperature--Jackson's, unlike many chams, come from cooler, but not cold--mountainous areas. Ambient temperatures or basking temperatures that Veiled or Panther chams would thrive in, will lead to the death of Jackson's.

Here is a good basic outline of Jackson's care:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/amanda509/581-basic-care-jacksons-chameleons.html

I have no idea where you are located but if outdoor temperatures are warm enough (or cool enough, depending on where you are) natural sunlight is very beneficial to chams.
I would not put your girl outdoors in the sun at this point, as she sounds quite weak and possibly dehydrated. Basking in the sun or in dry air will only make dehydration worsen.

Signs of dehydration include sunken in eyes and as it gets worse; wrinkled skin, lethargy, weakness and discoordination.
Dehydrated chams have a yellow or orange or pinkish colored urate, instead of pearly white urate when they go to the bathroom. The brown poop stays the same color whether or not they're dehydrated.
Automatic misting systems are a godsend to Jackson's owners especially. I love the Mistking system and several of the forum sponsors carry them:
http://www.joshsfrogs.com/misting.html http://www.mistking.com/ http://www.pangeareptile.com/store/humidity-and-misting.html

I really hope that she recovers with your loving care.

 

[LADYliberity]

Thank you Lovereps- I have her in her own cage, it is 12x12x18 though. She actually has burried herself in the "mossy substrate" I am assuming because she is too weak to actually climb the branches and STAY put... I do fear she is dehydrated (I have continued to mist her cage) but not sure if I should actually get her out to do so (I dont want to cause more stress, but if I continue to mist the entire cage it will be soaked if not flooded!)
I live in Southern California and day time temps do get pretty warm, but they also get kinda chilly too. I wouldn't want to risk putting her outside....
Honestly, I feel helpless. She was basically lifeless when I got her home, she perked up a bit once she got warm but now she just lays there at the bottom of her cage. She wont eat or drink and barely opens her eyes (which do seem more sunken in at times) I haven't been able to see any uriate or stool... Im trying the best I can, preparing for the worst but hoping for the best!!

 

[carol5208]

she sounds too sick too eat. Gravid females usually will not eat anyways, but she sounds like she is very ill. For future for your other chams, no substrate in your cages. No moss, mulch, etc. Taking on 4 chameleons is alot for a person with no knowledge or care. We can get you on the right track. There are lots of Jackson's owners on here. Main thing is to get them all seperated and hydrated. hold her in your hand and get an eyedropper and drip water on the end of her nose.

 

[Lovereps]

she sounds too sick too eat. Gravid females usually will not eat anyways, but she sounds like she is very ill. For future for your other chams, no substrate in your cages. No moss, mulch, etc. Taking on 4 chameleons is alot for a person with no knowledge or care. We can get you on the right track. There are lots of Jackson's owners on here. Main thing is to get them all seperated and hydrated. hold her in your hand and get an eyedropper and drip water on the end of her nose.

I second all that Carol has said.
Your poor girl truly sounds terrible.
Her only likely chance is prompt treatment by a vet with plenty of chameleon experience.
A good cham vet can administer fluids subcutaneously and would be a far better judge of her issues than we can.
One SoCal vet recommended on this forum is Dr Stein.
It doesn't appear as though this vet sees patients on Sundays but they state that they are open 24 hours 7 days a week, so they make take emergency cases
http://www.vcahospitals.com/mcclave/our-team
Another good vet, (no Sunday hours listed) is Tom Greek
http://tomgreek.com/about/dr-tom-greek
A few more are listed and searching the posts within this thread may yield more SoCal vets:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/search.php?searchid=2255977
At the very least, calling these places could result in some recommendations as to where to get her immediate care or how to best help her in the interim.

Assuming it is dehydration, you can try to rehydrate her by putting her in a slightly warm shower in which the water is not directly aimed at her, but instead bounces off the wall of the shower to create a mist.
This will benefit her by saturating the air and will encourage her to drink.
Even so, Carol's eyedropper suggestion may also be necessary.
Of course you'll have to stay with her so she doesn't inadvertantly drown.

Lastly, it can't be overemphasized that all the chams need to be separated, etc., as detailed in my previous post.

Wishing you success, as you undoubtedly care enough to get her to a good vet.