Negative symptoms in panther cham??

[ChamomilleCame]

Hi everyone, hope you are all well. My male panther chameleon has been looking very strange recently. He sleeps during the day (recently, the time periods he sleeps during the day have increased), he can't use his tongue from far away; he just misses the insect and has to go really close to eat, his appetite is going down, and his feces is runny. I'm going to take him to the vet on monday to check for parasites and any kind of deficiency that might have caused him to lose coordination with his tongue. Anything else I could do? I'm kinda freaked out, I don't know what I did wrong I've done all I can to try and keep him healthy, but this month was when I could clearly recognize all these symptoms.
Any help is appreciated, thanks guys.

 

[kinyonga]

It's good that you are taking him to the vet's.

Please answer the questions in the how to ask for help thread at the top of the health forum so we can help you better.

It could be a calcium issue in part but we don't have enough information to know.

Since he isn't shooting his tongue I think I would hand feed him until you get to the vet's to cut the risk of worse tongue problems.

 

[ChamomilleCame]

I was too late I just found my chameleon dead. I can't believe I couldn't take him to the vet on time. I feel horrible just thinking about it. Thank you for your willingness to help though, I really appreciate it.

I'm still posting the sticky just to see what I had wrong. I don't want this to happen again. I don't want him to die a day before the vet visit. I don't want it to die suffering like Camelpie.

Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Panther, male, he was just a year and 3 months. A year in my care.
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? Around 4 times a week. I had been hadling him more because i had to feed him by hand.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Crickets. I gave him whatever he wanted to eat. Gutloaded with oranges, red peppers, arugula, just any vegetable or fruit i found was good for them.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Absolute calcium (regular calcium) every day. RepCal Herptivite multivits once a week, Flukers calcium w/ D3 once every 2 weeks.
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? I use a big manual mister. Yes i see him drinking. I spray until the cage is completely wet.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? His poop was just kind of cream colored and runny. I was gonna test him on monday, but other than that I had never taken him in.
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. All I can say is that he just went downhill from the time i got back from camp in August. Parents took care of him the same way stated here (or at least that's what they claim)

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? Screen, pvc homemade. 40"h,20"L,20"W
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? ExoTerra Reptile UVB100, I think a 60-65 watt incandescent bulb, and a 5000K bulb for lighting purposes (although it does get a little warm under it)
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Cage floor around 80 degrees, basking around 85. Nighttime lowest probably 75 (it doesn't get cold here :/ )
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? It's always a little humid here. I don't measure humidity, I don't have the tools for that. I did spray his cage a lot. I always saw him drinking and he always had his eyes bulged out.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Live plants. 2 scheffleras and a few pothos.
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? It's around 3 feet off the floor. It is next to the patio window, so he did sometimes see birds and lizards around the patio.
Location - Where are you geographically located?San Juan, PR

 

[Lovereps]

I am so very sorry for your loss and you are wise to make sure there was nothing wrong with his care.

I don't see anything in his care that is off except for giving multivitamins 1x a week rather than just 2x a month.

Why did you have to feed him by hand? Was he unable to shoot out his tongue at bugs after you got back home?

Do you replace the UVB bulb every 6 months?
I ask because if you don't, the bulbs still give off a lot of visible light but stop giving off enough (invisible) UVB after about 6 months.

Parasites are a possibility, as you already know.

 

[ChamomilleCame]

Yeah, he couldn't shoot his tongue at all. and yes, I had changed the UVB bulb in February I believe.