New Chameleon, has some issues

[Renn]

Greetings I'm new to the forums and to chameleons in general. I have so many random tangents in this thread that I figured this would be the best place to put it.

On sunday we went to pick up some tarantulas a woman was looking to rehome and wound up bringing home some other reptiles she was rehoming too.

An Ambilobe Panther Chameleon and a Crested gecko. She was housing them together in this small cabinet. I wanted the other male crested but she said I'd have to take HIS housemate too so they live together and I didn't want a bearded dragon.

He was on the floor when she gave him to me, very cold, and very weak. He's not emaciated but he's thin maybe? He is very dry and has a growth on his right eye. I think it's a wart or cancer. But at his age a vet mentioned to have it removed would be pointless since he's so old. No point in doing biopsy since it won't be removed. Didn't think it's fungal or bacterial. I don't want to stress him anymore than he already has been. And he has a lovely temperament and I don't want to ruin that trust with him.

He seemed really dehydrated, he wanted non stop water from a sprayer forever it seemed.

Being housed with the crested I know he was likely VERY stressed out. She gave us this enclosure to put him in, an 8 foot tall mesh cage. But it's huge! And since he's not doing well I have him in a smaller enclosure so he can thermoregulate better. His grip is still weak but he's slowly improving. He's been moving around well today and is hiding in his leaves under his uvb bulb.

We have him in his enclosure, it has mesh on top and on the bottom. (I know it's not ideal but until he's better I think it's best for him so he doesn't fall and he can regulate better) We have a UVB 5.0 light and a 60 watt incandescent for heat. His basking is 90 degrees and his ambient is 80 degrees, with the floor being about 70 degrees. I have some branches and fake plants (fake for now) in there.

He has a hard time moving about, mostly being weak. Since we've had him, 2 days, his grip has improved a little and he's moving around a lot more today than he has been. He's been eating fine, we have calcium with D3 to dust his crickets with. He's been eating crickets and mealies just fine.

The thing on his eye seems to bug him, I saw him trying to rip it off on a branch yesterday. He sees ok though and hasn't had aiming issues.

My main concern is his age, and can we help him? I feel like all we can do is make him comfortable and hope he pulls through. He looks better already. I've been misting him several times a day and he's not looking dry and has been removing his shed.

He does weird things like hang upside down and let's his legs hang over branches, so I don't know if this is normal behavior or if it's because he's weak?

I knew barely nothing about Panther Chameleons on sunday and now I know a lot thanks to the interwebs and mostly this forum.

Thanks for listening.

This is him the first day we got him. I had him in the bottom of that huge mesh cage until I fixed up the other enclosure I had. (all the tarantulas were in enclosures with mites so I had to rehouse and quarantine everyone and bleach everything)


Here's his eye growth



This is him hanging upside down. But he can actually pull himself back upright now as opposed to sunday and yesterday when i had to help him.


A side picture, he's kind of dull colored. Maybe he'll brighten up? Do they lose color with age?


I'm very experienced with exotics, just never had a chameleon before but now I'm hooked. Once he's feeling better I'm getting him a mesh enclosure that's the right size. But I am going to keep the 8 footer outside so he can get some sunshine outside on the patio when it's warm and once I can find a tree.

 

[Carlton]

He is very dry and has a growth on his right eye. I think it's a wart or cancer. But at his age a vet mentioned to have it removed would be pointless since he's so old.

How old is he and how do you know?

No point in doing biopsy since it won't be removed. Didn't think it's fungal or bacterial. I don't want to stress him anymore than he already has been. And he has a lovely temperament and I don't want to ruin that trust with him.

He may not be showing you his normal temperament as he's so low right now. I think I'd get him rehydrated, build up his reserves, get him on the proper diet and supplement routine, and see how he does for a while. Then, reassess that eye. It must be very annoying and he could do more damage trying to get rid of it.

He seemed really dehydrated, he wanted non stop water from a sprayer forever it seemed.

The most important thing right now, as dehydration affects everything else.

He's been eating fine, we have calcium with D3 to dust his crickets with.

You don't want to dust with calcium D3 every day. Dust lightly with plain calcium daily, dust with calcium with D3 once every 2 weeks, and dust with a herp multivitamin every 2 weeks.

The thing on his eye seems to bug him, I saw him trying to rip it off on a branch yesterday. He sees ok though and hasn't had aiming issues.

A side picture, he's kind of dull colored. Maybe he'll brighten up? Do they lose color with age?

Some do, but he's had poor care and may not be able to show you his normal color range. I bet that will change as he recovers.

But I am going to keep the 8 footer outside so he can get some sunshine outside on the patio when it's warm and once I can find a tree.

Real outdoor sun will help a lot! Just watch the temps so he doesn't overheat. He might be more susceptible while he's compromised and less mobile.

 

[Cait0420]

Hello and welcome! I would only use the calcium with d3 a couple times a month. You want regular calcium at almost every feeding. I hope he keeps improving for you!

 

[oblgobl]

Not sure if I missed it but you don't say his age so not sure what you mean by old. With good care I'm sure he will recover thank goodness you rescued him as I doubt he would have lasted long in that womans care. I know someone with an 8 year old panther, their lifespan isn't as short as some people think (5-7 years on average). Once he recovers I would reconsider getting that lump removed even if he is an old gent I'm sure he'd live the rest of his days happier without it.

 

[Renn]

Thanks for your responses

Because that thing on his eye looks so uncomfortable I will be getting a second opinion, even if I need to travel.

Right now though I just really want to get his health on track as that's the thing I'm most worried about.

I thought I mentioned his age I'm sorry.

Kabuki, I'm told, is 5 years old. But is he really? Who knows? She said she rescued him from someone else, so I'm not sure of his true age.

I'll pick up some normal calcium tomorrow when I got get crickets for him.

 

[Renn]

Quick question.. What's the best way to rehydrate?

I mist the tank a couple times a day and made a dripper, but he doesn't seem to be drinking much today.

I have a couple empty syringes I managed to get from a clinic but I don't want to force his mouth open.

I know with dehydrated varanids we'd do a soak in water and pedialyte so their vents would absorb it. Does this work for chameleons as well.

Ideas/advice?

 

[junglefries]

Kinda depressing what she did to that beautiful guy. Good luck with him, and if you can always try to help. Vet kinda sounds as bad as the original owner. Always try to improve an animal's care. Even the most perfect care for an animal, can still be improved. They are not children and cannot tell us what is troubling them. It is our duty to try and anticipate any and all needs of our pets with minimal input from them. Usually just how they visually look. Good luck and thank you for trying. I am sure your cham thanx you also, and probably understands someone actually cares about him for the first time in his life. You will be rewarded.

 

[Renn]

I've gotten attached to the lil guy, I don't want anything bad to happen to him. I hope we can help him.

 

[oblgobl]

You can gice them showers with slightly warm water. You could place him on a plant and spray the shower on the wall so the water bounces on the plant and him so it would be like a really long misting. They don't always like to drink while being watched so if you have seen him drink even a little as long as his poops are good (or improving in this case maybe) and his eyes arn't sinking in he's probably ok.

 

[Carlton]

I know with dehydrated varanids we'd do a soak in water and pedialyte so their vents would absorb it. Does this work for chameleons as well.

Ideas/advice?

Varanids soak naturally correct? Well maybe not the ackies. As chams are arboreal they would not use soaking as a natural way to rehydrate themselves. It can be very stressful for an animal that may already be in trouble. The safer way to rehydrate a cham is to provide a long gentle shower or mist, and raise the cage humidity level. Provide dense foliage that holds water droplets for a longer time so the cham can drink as long as it chooses.

 

[Renn]

He seems to be hydrating ok. When I spray his cage he starts drinking off the plants and I just keep spraying until he seems done.

Today he gave me a scare.

We just fed him some crickets, probably about 10 of them, and he went to bask in the heat lamp.

We're watching TV and I notice I don't see him and run over and he's curled up in a ball on the floor of the cage. I thought he was dead. I picked him up and he woke up and went back onto the branches...

Why would he fall like that? He doesn't seem dehydrated, I was so scared he'd died. Now he seem irate with me for waking him up.

 

[Renn]

This is how I have his cage right now.

The leaves are normally covering him more but I moved them when I found him on the floor because I panicked and there's a towel on the floor now in case he falls again.

I know it's not the 2x2x3 he needs, but I thought it'd be easier for him to recover in a smaller tank for now since I can regulate the heat and humidity better for him. I am trading in the 7 foot mesh cage he came in to get him a bigger cage on sunday.

What do you think?

Would it be better if I hot glued the sticks along the cage in a horizontal manner? Or are they ok as they are? His grip isn't the best and he just rest on the branches, doesn't stand.

I think..he might have MBD. But he has a UVB light now and we have the supplements he needs that y'all recommended.

He is mad at me because I woke him up