New Baby Chameleon is dying I think.

[Sanababit]

Well first let me say that from the pics it looks like it is a she, second, what you can do also is take it to the shower along with its plant or some stick stand and turn on the warm water and direct it to a wall so it can get a little bit wet from the splash and the warm vapor, this might trigger a faster drinking response and will help it poop along the way, that is what i do with both my chameleons and works like a charm, good luck

Sana

 

[Mike Fisher]

We decided to slightly lower the temp of the basking lamp and also the uvb for now.

I'd turn the UVB back on. Unless you want it to sleep more.

 

[carol5208]

I agree, I think it is a female by the thin tail base.

 

[Lovemycham]

During the misting he/she looks all puffed up. But sleeps through the whole time. Doesn't seem to drink. The uvb light is on. We put in a .05 and it's been on all day.

 

[Lovemycham]

Another picture from during a misting. Sorry the pics are sideways.

 

[Mike Fisher]

Poor thing needs a vet. I don't think you are doing anything wrong with your setup. The good thing is it doesn't appear to be dehydrated, and has good body weight, but the constant sleeping is a bad sign of something not right.

 

[Lovemycham]

I agree. Calling the vet asap. Hoping to get some answers there. Thanks again.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Lovemychams,

I'm pretty new to chameleon keeping, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt.

I might be wrong, but I get the impression that you are maybe doing things that are stressing it. Some animals just shut down when stressed. You mentioned that he was closing his eyes when misting--that to me is a pretty normal behavior.

I'm not saying that there aren't problems with your little chameleon, but I would think you want to reduce as much stress as you possibly can. Stress is a huge contributing factor to chameleon deaths. Your baby just had some big stresses in his short life. A new home, even a better home than where he came from, in itself is a big stress.

I suspect hydration is the biggest issue with newly acquired chameleons. Can you set the mister on for an hour several times a day?

You don't want to force fluids or food into him. Aside from adding more stress (and stress will kill a chameleon), it is quite easy to aspirate them if you don't know what you are doing. Their throat structure is not like a mammal's--the opening to the trachea is at the front, well before the opening to the esophagus. If you are forcing the mouth open, you also have to be very careful handling the dewlap because their tongue is down there. Their tongue has a bone structure to it.

Here's a link to a picture and discussion of the throat structures. Go to Page 3, midway down:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/warning-all-chameleon-owners-80201/index3.html

You also don't want to put your hands into his enclosure if you can help it. Even a captive bred thinks you are a predator. This animal knows if you are looking at him. Imagine how you would feel if a tiger was staring at you or poking you? You are a predator and will always be viewed as a predator. These are not animals that are going to develop an emotional attachment to you. They are not social with their own species except to breed, why would they develop a social relationship with a predator?

I absolutely understand your natural desire to pick it up and check it regularly. I'm fighting the same thing--I've just received a wild caught from a shipment that was pretty banged up and loaded in parasites. I want to look at it, weigh it, etc., but that is not what my poor boy needs right now. What he needs is for me to leave him alone, not even look at him, and just make sure he has lots of mistings.

One other thing, I think most baby chameleons look pathetic even when they are healthy--big head, big eyes, skinny wavering little arms. They look so very vulnerable the way a newborn baby does.

Good luck with your baby.

 

[Lovemycham]

Jajeanpierre, thanks for your input. We have mostly left him/her alone yesterday and today the only times we put our hands into the enclosure was to put crickets in and the to remove those that weren't eaten. We added a drip so he/she (not sure if it's male or female) can use that to drink. It's not that it looks pathetic, it's the closed eyes and all day sleeping that's got us worried. But we plan to stay the course. Leaving him alone and just making sure we offer food and that the environment stays right and constant. Thanks again.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Closed eyes is not a good sign.

Can you get him in to a reptile vet tomorrow? Make sure you mist a lot. Try to mist so that only a very fine foggy mist falls on your cham.

Good luck. Not a fun introduction to chameleons.

Jajeanpierre, thanks for your input. We have mostly left him/her alone yesterday and today the only times we put our hands into the enclosure was to put crickets in and the to remove those that weren't eaten. We added a drip so he/she (not sure if it's male or female) can use that to drink. It's not that it looks pathetic, it's the closed eyes and all day sleeping that's got us worried. But we plan to stay the course. Leaving him alone and just making sure we offer food and that the environment stays right and constant. Thanks again.

 

[Lovemycham]

We have a vet appointment wednesday morning. It was the soonest we could get in. In the meantime we are leaving her alone except to offer crickets and misting. We set up a dripper for water but she hasn't seemed to notice. Thanks again for everyone's help.