My Buddy is Sick

[Carlton]

Try giving him triple cod liver oil as an emergency vitamin a source. Only give him like half a pill though, it really helps. You can get it at Walmart. I do it every two to three weeks.

I would not suggest this especially as we don't really have a clear diagnosis. A big pulse of vit A could easily overwhelm an already sick cham or mask the true problem. It's not formulated for reptiles anyway.

 

[anarchy13]

Yipeee!!!! He's still alive this morning. Gets another shot of baytril today. Everyday for the next 4 days. Still waiting on results from the sensativity test from his lip to come back from the lab. Here is the sore on his lip (see pic) not looking so good it even looks worse on the inside of his mouth where it is all swollen up!!! The vet didnt give me nothing for this yet just the shots, but I beleive thats what they are for? The Baytril Shots?

P.s. I will leave the cod liver out of this for now but thanks for that tip

 

[anarchy13]

The best way to determine what wattage bulb to use is to measure the temperature at the basking spot where the cham will sit. If the resulting temp at that spot is correct, the bulb is OK. If the temp is too low, either move the bulb closer to the basking area or use a slightly higher watt. Don't bump the wattage up too high without checking the resulting temperature carefully or you could burn him if he can't move easily...and he doesn't need this on top of everything else.

But the basking bulb does keep the cage the right temperature, i was wondering if the UV bulb is putting out enough rays? I have a Exo Terra Repti Glo Bulb (5.0 or 10.0 not sure what the difference is and cant remember which one i have) UVB 26Watt Terrarium lamp. And it has been replaced not long ago so is it ok?

 

[anarchy13]

You said..."Where she gave him a a shot he has a big black spot now the size of a big pimple"...its normal for the area where a shot was given to change color. Also...if she didn't clean the area on the mouth out where the infection was, the bacteria may not be killed by the antibiotics.

Your vet said that the chameleon doesn't have MBD yet wants it to be in the UVB as much as possible?? Why??

Carnivore care is likely high in protein and likely has D3 and prEformed vitamin A in it...so I'm not a big fan of it.

She wants him under UVB as much as possible because she says
reptiles take a while to get over stuff and to make sure to keep him nice and warm that will help speed up the process, thats why i imagine she wants to leave the lights on ALL THE TIME! Ridiculous huh? She is the only small animal vet in the area and has been around atleast 15 years. I dont know what to beleive anymore...

 

[ibdragons]

Good luck on him .ill say a prayer for him

 

[anarchy13]

Good luck on him .ill say a prayer for him

Thanks!!!

 

[Elizadolots]

But the basking bulb does keep the cage the right temperature, i was wondering if the UV bulb is putting out enough rays? I have a Exo Terra Repti Glo Bulb (5.0 or 10.0 not sure what the difference is and cant remember which one i have) UVB 26Watt Terrarium lamp. And it has been replaced not long ago so is it ok?

It's important to know exactly what bulb you have. I believe the 10.0 is intended for desert dwelling reptiles. The 5.0 is probably the better choice. There is also a 2.0 but that should not be used alone because it has a very low UVB output. One thing you have to remember about UVB: it can cause burns. In humans, it is the cause of the most damaging burns, so too much UVB can be dangerous.

If you do have the 10.0, I would suggest moving it up some. According to their site it penetrates up to 20 inches. I don't think you want the UVB penetrating more than 6 to 8 inches. You want your chameleon to be able to get out of the UVB without coming down low in the cage. They like to be near the top and that desire will be greater than their sense that they are getting a burn.

 

[Carlton]

But the basking bulb does keep the cage the right temperature, i was wondering if the UV bulb is putting out enough rays? I have a Exo Terra Repti Glo Bulb (5.0 or 10.0 not sure what the difference is and cant remember which one i have) UVB 26Watt Terrarium lamp. And it has been replaced not long ago so is it ok?

Check the ends of the bulb itself..it should be marked and tell you which you have. I'd use the 5.0 if it is less than 4-5 months old. Remember, even if you had the proper lighting the lack of proper minerals and vitamins would still cause these problems. It will take time to correct the deficiencies you are seeing. Yes, Baytril would be given to fight his mouth infection. But, in his weakened state both the drug and the infection are going to be very hard on him...just so you know.

 

[anarchy13]

Update:

Just payed $100 to find out what bacteria they could find on Hugo (My Chameleon) and what you see on the top right (of the attachment below) are the 3 types they found. And the highlighted Marbofloxacin in the middle of the page is the recommended Anti-Biotic we have switched to. And on the lower left of page they show Candida a fungus that has been detected.

The vet also cut the sore off his lip today so he can close his mouth again but its bleeding like hell!!! Hes not doing much better. He still will not eat by himself so I feed him the protien with vitamin shake ( Carnivore Care stuff - posted pictures in this thread already ) twice a day from a syringe. He is still weak and lays around with his eyes shut alot and since 2 days hes even had his mouth open.

Well this is the latest update.
I try to keep him in real sunlight whenever I can and have even bought a new UV bulb. IM TRYING TO DO ALL I CAN!!!

KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED I KNOW I AM!!!

 

[Ulrich]

I really hope you can save him. All the best. Keep fingers crossed.

 

[anarchy13]

I really hope you can save him. All the best. Keep fingers crossed.

Thanks for you SUPPORT ALLLL!!!!! Me and Hugo sure appreciate it