need vet asap!

my male (im sure its a male confirmed by Dr. Briggs) veiled chameleon is acting sluggish, i thought it was a lack of vitamins because lately he has been refusing to eat, so i gave him a few drops of liquid vitamins this morning but he threw it up. he will come down and climb out of the cage but he is usually dark until i pick him up then he goes back to a happy green color and usually gets comfortable on my shoulder (stretches himself length wise) and uses my hair as a "his pillow" and goes to sleep. he is in one of those screen cages, i think its size is about 24Lx24Wx48H. i have 2 uvb lights on his cage one of the long ones and one of the smaller bulbs only because I didn't think the light from either by its self was reaching as far around his enclosure as it should be. i have a little dripper at the top. and a heat lamp with a regular heat bulb for the day and a ceramic bulb for when it gets cold at night. there is also a grow light but that is technically for the tree, i have a smaller hibiscus tree in the enclosure that he loves to sit in. i have a cricket keeper with a few superworms and Dubia roaches that i leave for him in the cage, i also add dusted crickets to it when they all die off. im worried about him mainly because after he thru up the vitamins this morning he sort of clung to me and didnt want to be put down, he will ussualy climb right in i basically had to pry him off of my chest to be able to go to work. anyone have any insights? and im looking for a vet around the area of 08701 (dr warren briggs is fully booked for at least the next 2 days)
 
If you want our help in trying to figure it out You can copy and paste this into your reply with photos of the chameleon and the entire enclosure including lights on top. What exact liquid vitamin did you give him?

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


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.

--------------

Please Note:

  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 
Just looked at another thread by you where he threw up after you gave him the liquid vitamins....are you squirting them into his mouth or easing them in?
 
  • Your Chameleon - veiled, male, approximately 2 years old, have had him for 1.5 years (bought at petco, he was on sale and was told he was too old for them to sell at full price)
  • Handling - about twice a week and when he comes down looking to come out
  • Feeding - i have offered him superworms, horn worms, waxworms, calciworms, silkworms, mealworm (no longer offer it after learning its not good for them), dubia roaches, house soldier larva, green bottle fly, phoenix worms (from joshsfrogs.com). he'll eat a few one day but refuse after that (almost like he doesnt like the flavor), usually offer food every morning, because he refuses to eat, cricket food blocks
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - i keep a regular room humidifier, every morning for about 10 seconds, occasionally
  • Fecal Description - regular brown "logs" with urate that is ussually white to yellowish with extra liquid. negative for parasites
  • History - has a benign bump by his eye and mouth that was checked by a vet, he took antibiotics for the bumps but they didnt improve so was considered not a worry

Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - screen 24x24x48
  • Lighting - t8 uvb bulb, zoo med reptisun 10.0 uvb compact, lights go on around 730am and off around 1030pm
  • Temperature - highest temp is 89ish lowest temp is 72 during the day depending on outside temp ,68, Have 2 fridge freezer temp monitors
  • Humidity - usually around 70% when i notice him start to shed ill up the humidity, regular room humidifier, monitor with a humidistat from petco
  • Plants - hibiscus tree, ficus pumila 'creeping fig' (from joshesfrogs.com)
  • Placement - on dresser in my bedroom in front of window with curtain always closed, covered vent under dresser, low traffic area, top is about 7-8ft from floor
  • Location - nj,usa

Current Problem - sluggish, thru up vitamins, clingy (if thats even a thing with veils)



hope this helps
 
Re feeding...at that age, he should only be fed every second or third day...4 or 5 crickets or equal value in other insects.

What do you feed/gutload the insects with?

Re watering...I would add a dripper that DRIOS at the rate of one or two drops per second for part of the day and mist twice a day.

Please post a photo or two of the bumps by th eye and mouth.

No need to up the humidity when they shed. This actually does more harm than good. They are dry shedders.

I would move the cage away from the window since you live in NJ.

Basking temperature should be about 80F...and it should be a white light that produces the light in that area. The UVB should be the reptisun 5.0 long linear tube light or the Arcadia 6% long linear tube light.
 
A member that no longer keeps chameleons, used this vet.
NorthStar Vets
Dr. Doolen
315 Robbinsville-Allentown Rd.
Robbinsville, NJ 08691

Here's a couple of NJ vets that other members here have used.

Advanced Care Small & Exotic Vet Hospital
1991 Route 22 West
Bound Brook, NJ 08805
Dr. Barry L. Stuart
(732) 764-9595


Dr.John Cataldi
10 Samuel Avenue
Clifton,NJ 07013
(973)472-8883


NJ Vets
Dr. Joe Filigno at the Blackwood Animal hospital in Blackwood, NJ
 
Re feeding...at that age, he should only be fed every second or third day...4 or 5 crickets or equal value in other insects.

What do you feed/gutload the insects with?

Re watering...I would add a dripper that DRIOS at the rate of one or two drops per second for part of the day and mist twice a day.

Please post a photo or two of the bumps by th eye and mouth.

No need to up the humidity when they shed. This actually does more harm than good. They are dry shedders.

I would move the cage away from the window since you live in NJ.

Basking temperature should be about 80F...and it should be a white light that produces the light in that area. The UVB should be the reptisun 5.0 long linear tube light or the Arcadia 6% long linear tube light.
i only leave the food so he has the option to eat when he gets hungry... when he was younger he didnt like eating when he was watched

i will go and get him the right bulbs as soon as im able to

ill try to see if i have a picture with me.,.. otherwise that pic will also have to wait

the little dripper seems to do drip for a little bit then stops

im going to try to move the cage over

i was gutloading with either the dry cricket food or the orange cricket cube things
 
You said...,i only leave the food so he has the option to eat when he gets hungry... when he was younger he didnt like eating when he was watched"...that's fine....but he should still only get 4 or 5 crickets every two or three days...so however you feed them to him he should only get a total of a dozen dpcrickets a week at the most.

You said..."i will go and get him the right bulbs as soon as im able to"... I'm he meantime, some direct sunlight would be good.

You said..."ill try to see if i have a picture with me.,.. otherwise that pic will also have to wait"... It's important that we can see the chameleon to help us to determine what's going on.

You said..."the little dripper seems to do drip for a little bit then stops"...use a deli cup with a tiny hole in the bottom so it drips at the rate of one or two DRIOS a second then...until you can get the little dripper working right.

You said...,im going to try to move the cage over,"...good!

You said...,i was gutloading with either the dry cricket food or the orange cricket cube things"...orange cube IMHO are not much good for anything. Fresh greens such as kale, dandelion greens, collards, endive, escarole, and veggies like zucchini, squash, carrots, sweet red peppers, sweet potato are much better options. You want the insects to be healthy.
 
i was actually thinking i wasnt giving it to him often enough... he gets it abt 2x a week
Right but that should not be the only supplement. Your overdosing him on D3 it should only be given 2 times a month. Your not providing plain calcium without D3 at the other feedings. And your not giving him a multivitamin twice a month.

Your husbandry is not spot on... This leads to health issues. The sluggishness is not a good sign. Taking him out and having him sleep on you is not something you want to do.

  • Your Chameleon - veiled, male, approximately 2 years old, have had him for 1.5 years (bought at petco, he was on sale and was told he was too old for them to sell at full price)
  • Handling - about twice a week and when he comes down looking to come out
  • Feeding - i have offered him superworms, horn worms, waxworms, calciworms, silkworms, mealworm (no longer offer it after learning its not good for them), dubia roaches, house soldier larva, green bottle fly, phoenix worms (from joshsfrogs.com). he'll eat a few one day but refuse after that (almost like he doesnt like the flavor), usually offer food every morning, because he refuses to eat, cricket food blocks. He should be eating every other day to 3 days a week depending on his weight. 3 feeders each time. No Waxworms or mealworms
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Must have proper supplementation. Calcium with D3 two times a month only. A multivitamin two times a month only. At all other feeding calcium without D3 to balance the phos to cal ratio of the feeders. Otherwise he will pull calcium out of his bones to compensate. Which is bad.
  • Watering - i keep a regular room humidifier, every morning for about 10 seconds, occasionally. Should not run a humidifier unless temps are below 67 degrees.
  • Fecal Description - regular brown "logs" with urate that is ussually white to yellowish with extra liquid. negative for parasites
  • History - has a benign bump by his eye and mouth that was checked by a vet, he took antibiotics for the bumps but they didnt improve so was considered not a worry

Cage Info:


  • Cage Type - screen 24x24x48
  • Lighting - t8 uvb bulb, zoo med reptisun 10.0 uvb compact, lights go on around 730am and off around 1030pm.. Both of your UVB lighting sources are incorrect. A T8 only works at a very specific distance and a compact bulb is the same. You have to have a linear T5HO fixture and a 5.0 UVB bulb for it. Then basking would be 8-9 inches below so he gets the correct UVI level he needs. Lighting should not be on for more then 12 hours.
  • Temperature - highest temp is 89ish lowest temp is 72 during the day depending on outside temp ,68, Have 2 fridge freezer temp monitors Too hot at basking. 85 max there. I am not sure what a freezer temp monitor is. But you want a wired temp probe at basking to know the exact temp.
  • Humidity - usually around 70% when i notice him start to shed ill up the humidity, regular room humidifier, monitor with a humidistat from petco Too high should be 30-50% max during the day. And you never increase humidity when shedding. They are dry shedders so it can take longer for them to shed if you make it even more moist.
  • Plants - hibiscus tree, ficus pumila 'creeping fig' (from joshesfrogs.com)
  • Placement - on dresser in my bedroom in front of window with curtain always closed, covered vent under dresser, low traffic area, top is about 7-8ft from floor
  • Location - nj,usa

Current Problem - sluggish, thru up vitamins, clingy (if thats even a thing with veils)


Pics of the entire cage and of the chameleon please.

Start reading.... https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
 
PXL_20210713_205431972.jpg
which one is better?
 
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