Need some serious advice

[Wolfywoo]

okay I know this is wrong, but I've had a baby panther chamelon for the past 3 weeks now he's not active, has only eaten once and isn't pooping. Just unrate. The people at the local pet store who took some baby's themselves have shown me how their babies are growing fast and my morty is staying tiny. I'm afraid I've gotten the runt or maybe just a sick baby. The pet store offered for me to bring him in and exchange for a different baby. So should I go and get a different one? Or stick with morty. I'm afraid I'll loose him and I'll be really upset to deal with that. I'd much rather get a healthy baby but then I have to go through the whole sexing thing again which is often hard to do

 

[Wolfywoo]

okay I know this is wrong, but I've had a baby panther chamelon for the past 3 weeks now he's not active, has only eaten once and isn't pooping. Just unrate. The people at the local pet store who took some baby's themselves have shown me how their babies are growing fast and my morty is staying tiny. I'm afraid I've gotten the runt or maybe just a sick baby. The pet store offered for me to bring him in and exchange for a different baby. So should I go and get a different one? Or stick with morty. I'm afraid I'll loose him and I'll be really upset to deal with that. I'd much rather get a healthy baby but then I have to go through the whole sexing thing again which is often hard to do

Anybody? What would you do??

 

[el chamino]

Don't think I could do a trade in. Unless you think that they have a better chance nursing him back to health. Have you filled this out?

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

I would double check my husbandry, and make sure everything is good, whatever you decide. The big concern is the little guy.

 

[carol5208]

Fill out the ask for help form so we can atleast see if there is anything in your setup causing him not to eat. My other concern would be a parasite. The chameleon in my avatar was very tiny when I got him and refused to grow also. I named him PeeWee for this reason. The breeder I got him from assured me that all the other siblings were growing just fine and maybe he was just a little runt and would hopefully catch up. He ate very little, but he did eat. Anyways, I finally decided to get a fecal done on him, and he had a parasite called Coccidia. I had to treat him and once I got rid of the parasite, he began to grow and now just turned 3 yrs old and you would never know he was a little runt as a baby. I know it is difficult for you to get a poop if he is not eating. I am thinking he has had to eat something as a baby would not be able to go without food for 3 solid weeks. A healthy adult yes, but a baby I doubt. Are you positive he is not eating? Are you keeping track of the feeders? And I would not give up on him just yet!

 

[kinyonga]

From your thread "baby panther chameleon help" you said...
"Ambient in the cage is 70 and the basking area is 75" and "I raised his temp to 80 in the basking spot today, waiting to see if it effects anything."...the low basking temperature could be the reason for it not eating and pooping and going down hill.

If you think they can save it then it might be best to take it back ...however, if you get another one and don't provide the proper husbandry you might end up with problems all over again.

 

[Wolfywoo]

I've raised a baby veiled fine and all I used was a uvb and I just always assumed there was enough heat coming from that in the basking spot. My veiled is a full grown adult and healthy. I didn't realize until I checked basking temps that something was wrong with my baby panther. I'm not sure if I can save him that's why I'm being paranoid I'm not sure if he can come back from somthing like this? I mean he's not like severely ill, he looks healthy.... but I've only witnessed him eat once and there's been no stool except for the day after I brought him home




Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Nosy and amobile cross, 2 months old I've had him for two weeks
• Handling not often maybe once a week
• Feeding - Pinheads, waxworks, tried blue bottle flys. He's eaten 3 pinheads and 2 waxworms
• Supplements - Breeder told me not to supplement him until he was 4 months old because he's so tiny, but I dust once a week
• Watering - Comstant dropper, mister goes off every hour for 20 secs
• Fecal Description - first day I brought him home it was skinny and dry but white and black so he wasn't dehydrated. Since then it's only been small urates every other day
• History - n/a

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - screen exo terra small, raised the bottum up so he has about a foot by foot
• Lighting - 5.0 uvb, 75 watt heat bulb (got yesterday)
• Temp- 70 in his overall. I just raised his basking to 82 from 75
• Humidity - stays in upper 60% I have plastic wrapped on a couple of the sides to keep it in
• Plants - Only one is live out of the fake. It's a pothos
• Placement - it's on my desk near my window so he can get some natural light but where I'm at it's summer time now it's warm so I don't think it's an issue. Cage won't stay there when winter hits.
• Location - Baltimore MD

thabk you guys for your input I appreciate all the help

 

[jamest0o0]

Veileds are masters of survival. You need basking lights and to read the care sheets posted on here. What we strive for is not for surviving animals, but thriving. People often find that chameleons 'look' healthy and all of the sudden die within days. It is probably the main reason for them being considered more difficult by most people.

You should be dusting with calcium, they are growing and need it.

20 second misting isnt enough, i would do a long 5-10 minute misting when lights on, then a couple more 2-3 min mistings at least before lights out.

Basking spot should be above eye level.

 

[Wolfywoo]

All I wanna know is can he come back from not having heat for 3 weeks? Will his metabolism get going and him go back to a normal cham or will he stay like this? And even more, should I take him back to the breeder and let him fix him and get him on the right track and me just essentially start over the 100% right way and no more assuming.

 

[jamest0o0]

Weird, youd think you'd want to know how to provide proper husbandry, you know, the thing that keeps these issues from arising

 

[Wolfywoo]

Weird, youd think you'd want to know how to provide proper husbandry, you know, the thing that keeps these issues from arising

I already know what was wrong and fixed it.