Need Help Please

[mrdad]

I was given my cam. and had not owned one prior. She is about 1 year old that I know. She did exelent the first month and now she has lost coordination of her limbs, stopped eating and drinking, and is a very light yellow/white color. I noticed she stayed at the bottom of her cage for to long a period of a time and was very cold to the touch. Am giving water by ciringe drop by drop and am scared she is to far gone. have absolutly no vet. help close. She has become a very important member of our home and we are very concerned and have no idea what to do. I have been very careful to make sure she had enough food water light heat and I dont know what I,ve done wrong. Please Help

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[summoner12]

Good luck and welcome!

From the looks of it you have Compact UV lamps. You need to remove those and get her Linear UVB lamps. The issue with her coordination has to do with her not being able to see properly. Read the UV guide web site and you will find out more about her UV needs and the condition she has. She most likely has"photo-kerato-conjunctivitis". It goes away with time when the UV lamp that caused the damage is removed. You can turn off the lamps for now until you get the proper linear tubes. You should purchase a linear ZooMed 10.0 Tube. The mesh of your cage is a bit thick and blocks UV from penetrating the cage more than a screen cage. Place a heat lamp (60w normal house hold flood lamp is fine) next to the UV tube fixture. provide a basking branch or vine for her to perch on for heat. The basking spot should be 85-95 degrees. She can move in or out of the lamp to regulate her temp. You need to have the perch about 6-10" from the two lamps. She will get the UV and heat she needs all at once.

Next you need to handle her laying needs. if she is one year old and has never laid legs for you before, now is the time. Get a 5 gallon bucket and fill it with organic dirt, can't have any pesticides or fertilizer in it. the dirt should be moist and be able to hold form while she digs. You don't want the dirt to cave in around her. Then you need to provide her with privacy. Place cardboard around the sides of her cage so she can't see you walking by or looking in. if she sees you she will stop digging. You should also provide some vines that go from the heat lamp down to the dirt bucket so she can easily come up to warm herself.

Keep her food intake a bit low right now, or watch how she eats, you don't want crickets jumping around her nest while she digs. be sure to mist her well while she is laying and after she lays. egg laying will dehydrate her immensely! Giveing her a shower after she lays is a good idea as well. what kind of misting system do you have?

Read up on female veiled care at Brad Ramsey's site.

Read up on the UV guide site as well for a better understanding of UV needs for reptiles.

Welcome to the forum feel free to ask more questions, there is a helpful bunch around.

 

[BocaJan]

I agree. You need to get the basking light on the top of the cage and not have the light shining in her eyes. What is that thing up at the top of the cage with the clip on it. Is it a fan or something else. Perhaps the black thing on top of the cage is the UV linear lighting. Please be more specific on these issues. Also, be sure that you read Brad's site about Kitty. It is a excellent informative site that covers all area of husbandry for chameleons. I am so glad that you care enough about your new friend to ask the forum for help. Keep those questions coming.

 

[kinyonga]

What's in the black hood on the top of the cage?

All we can do on the forum is speculate as to what might be wrong in many cases. She really needs to see a vet ASAP.

Its possible she is becoming eggbound if she isn't already (based on the size/shape of her and what you said about being on the bottom of the cage,etc.)

The lack of coordination could be due to a lack of calcium or inability to use the calcium in her system...but there could be other reasons for it too.

She really needs to see a vet....she can't wait for the help.

 

[jannb]

Where do you live? Maybe this link will help you find a vet. She needs one ASAP. http://www.herpvetconnection.com/

 

[summoner12]

Where are you located Mr. Dad?

 

[ciafardo 4]

from the looks of that pick shes gravid all the lighting problems aside im 99.9% sure she is egg bound she is to far gone to lay on her own get her to a vet asap