My chameleon is weak

[Jak-x-]

yesterday I went to hand feed my chameleon a cricket and when she shot her tongue out she missed and hit my finger. I noticed that she couldn’t pull her tongue back in after. She had to basically push her face into a leaf to force it back into her mouth. I tried with another cricket and the same thing happened. I watched her try to move in her tank and she was moving very uncoordinated and like she was drunk. She wouldn’t come out of her tank yesterday but I managed to pull her out today, she normally hisses and fights me to get her out, this time she just turned her normal angry colours and didn’t fight me. I put her on my table and she seems to be walking very close to the ground, almost like she can barely hold herself up. Her eyes look a little sunken in which I know is a sign of dehydration, so I misted her.

Details: she’s a year old veiled chameleon, her tank is about 3 feet tall, 2.5 feet wide and 3-4 feet deep. She is placed across the room from a window and across the room from the door to go outside. She’s across the room from any vents in my house, she has a dripper plant to drink out of.
I went on a trip for a month and left my chameleon in the care of a friend. I helped him set her up so during her stay there she was in a similar place as she in my house. The only thing I can think is that he didn’t feed her or mist her when he had her. Here is a picture of her, she’s angry because I pulled her out.

 

[Jak-x-]

I don’t think the first picture posted so here’s another

 

[Wowbango]

To start, your chameleon is very sick. You NEED to take it to a vet asap! Sunken in head/eyes are a very bad sign and she appears to be very dehydrated. Not being able to shoot her tongue correctly is usually a sign of MBD due to lack of correct supplementation. Also while you're at it, please fill out this questionnaire. It helps us determine any possible causes for symptoms.

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.

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Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Wow is correct. Just so we’re clear, your first priority is getting her to a vet ASAP. The husbandry fixes are secondary and meaningless if she doesn’t get to the vet now.

 

[JacksJill]

Weakness and poor coordination in chameleons is often because of low calcium levels in their bodies. There are other causes but this is the most common.
You should try to get a vet appointment ASAP and in the mean time hand feed her calcium dusted crickets, make sure her UVB bulb is less than six months old and try to get her some unfiltered sunlight.
Then you should answers the questions in the post above to see if there is a husbandry problem that could help her in the long run.

 

[Wowbango]

Wow is correct. Just so we’re clear, your first priority is getting her to a vet ASAP. The husbandry fixes are secondary and meaningless if she doesn’t get to the vet now.

100%. I should have been more clear about it. Get her to the vet to get her treated, then we can fix the other issues which I'm sad to say, probably exist.

 

[JacksJill]

Yes call a vet first then everything else.

 

[Jak-x-]

I figured it was dehydration...Any way I can handle her dehydration level without a vet?

Her poop looks normal, she has fake leaves and branches in her enclosure. She has a heat lamp and the other kind of bulb she needs. I give her exoterra multivitamins and calcium powder in gut load that i feed her crickets. Sometimes she gets horned worms as a treat. I mist her a couple times a day or in a worst case scenario every second or third day, and she eats every few days.

 

[Wowbango]

I figured it was dehydration...Any way I can handle her dehydration level without a vet?

Her poop looks normal, she has fake leaves and branches in her enclosure. She has a heat lamp and the other kind of bulb she needs. I give her exoterra multivitamins and calcium powder in gut load that i feed her crickets. Sometimes she gets horned worms as a treat. I mist her a couple times a day or in a worst case scenario every second or third day, and she eats every few days.

Dehydration is just a part of the problem. If it were just that and NOT the tongue as well, then it's a possibility you could rehydrated without a vet Visit. She needs a Vet, end of story.

Additionally, she should NEVER go 2 or 3 days without mistings.

 

[Jak-x-]

Any idea how much a vet appointment for this will cost?

 

[JacksJill]

You can mist her more often and longer. 5-7 minutes at a time 3-5 times a day. Does she ever get any supplement with D3?

 

[Jak-x-]

I’m not sure what D3 is...

I’m wondering, if she’s still hunting and it appears that crickets I put in the tank are disappearing, is a vet still necessary? I’m not against taking her, I just don’t want to put out 500 dollars to find out she needs more water. If its more than just lack of supplementation, that’s different, but I put crickets in, they’re gut loaded with multivitamins and calcium powder and she’s eating them, she would be getting what she needs to get better wouldn’t she? If I were to add some multivitamins and calcium powder in the water I use to mist her with, would that help as well?

 

[JacksJill]

Your supplement schedule should be feeders dusted with calcium daily 6 days of the week on the 7th day you should have a supplement with D3, a vitamin used by the body to absorb and make use of calcium. It should be given once every 2 weeks. A multi vitamin should be given once every two weeks on the alternating weeks. Read you supplement labels and see if you even have any.
I would look for a vet and make an appointment you can always cancel if she miraculously improves but reptile vets are hard to get into and if she gets worse you won't be able to get help in time. If her body has lost so much calcium she is wobbly she is at risk.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

You are wasting time! A VET VISIT IS REQUIRED, not optional!

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I’m not sure what D3 is...

I’m wondering, if she’s still hunting and it appears that crickets I put in the tank are disappearing, is a vet still necessary? I’m not against taking her, I just don’t want to put out 500 dollars to find out she needs more water. If its more than just lack of supplementation, that’s different, but I put crickets in, they’re gut loaded with multivitamins and calcium powder and she’s eating them, she would be getting what she needs to get better wouldn’t she? If I were to add some multivitamins and calcium powder in the water I use to mist her with, would that help as well?

D3 is a mineral she requires to absorb calcium correctly. Since you don’t know what it is that is probably one of the reasons she is showing signs of MBD.

 

[Syreptyon]

You do not supplement chameleons by adding supplements to their cricket's food.... You supplement by dusting the crickets, themselves.

Please bring your chameleon to a vet ASAP and then maybe consider actually researching the highly sensitive animal you brought into your home without educating yourself on how to care for it first. Poor chameleon.

 

[JacksJill]

An other option for hydration.
"Shower - Another method of providing water, especially to dehydrated chameleons, is by using a shower. Place a large plant in the tub, aim the shower head against the wall, and run the water so that only a fine mist reaches the chameleon. The water should be room temperature (not hot!). They may drink for up to 30 minutes. Make sure to supervise your chameleon at all times while using this method."

 

[Jak-x-]

I’ll book a vet appointment ASAP. For a vet visit like this, what kind of cost am I looking at?

Also, not to be defensive, but I did a fair amount of research on chameleons before I bought one. I never saw anything about not being able to add vitamins and calcium into gut load, I was actually told by a number of people that it was ok to do that. Please don’t treat me like I just went and bought it without knowing what I was getting into. I was miseducated and I’m trying my best to fix it. Be constructive and help me, or don’t comment. Thanks.

 

[Jak-x-]

Thanks jacksjill. I’ll try the shower method. I’m still waiting on an answer to one of my questions though..can I add vitamins and calcium to her spray bottle and mist her with it?? Or will that not help?

 

[Jak-x-]

This is the multivitamins I give her