New & Inexperienced!

[carol5208]

Well, sorry to hear that Amanda but not too surprised by the pictures you posted. Hopefully you can help him out now that he is in your care and atleast now know what to do so his condition will not worsen. Keep us posted! You are a good person! There is a reason he came into your life!

 

[Amanda1801]

Thanks

He got such a reception at the vets and he was really easy to handle, and very happy to be handled too which is good!

Luckily my vet, although he isnt a reptile specialist (although he does have a "special interest" in reptiles, just not the qualifications), he is very happy to continue treating him, so that should keep the costs down - and obviously between us, we will do everything possible!

 

[Carlton]

Well - Colin went to the vets today - agreed with MBD, and to determine exactly how bad he is, poor old Colin is going in tomorrow morning to have x-rays....

Can see this being one expensive little man!

Oh, sorry, didn't anyone mention that a cham's goal in life is to make sure you spend all your money on them? Well, now you know!

 

[Amanda1801]

Ha ha - I heard no such thing! I thought that was just the responsibility of every other animal I own!

 

[Bokaru]

Welcome to the forums! You will definitely get a lot of good information here!

For your thermometer/humidifier situation, I would suggest This. It is very cheap and handy to have as well as being easy to get. I use one with my little guy. It seems to be water resistant as far as I have seen. I have sprayed it a few times, but usually keep it right outside my cage and place it in to run inner info at least once a day. The best part is the Max/Min button that allows you to make sure your night time temps, or any time you aren't watching for that matter, are in good condition.

It's surprising how much the inside and outside weather of a screened cage can be!

 

[Amanda1801]

Welcome to the forums! You will definitely get a lot of good information here!

For your thermometer/humidifier situation, I would suggest This. It is very cheap and handy to have as well as being easy to get. I use one with my little guy. It seems to be water resistant as far as I have seen. I have sprayed it a few times, but usually keep it right outside my cage and place it in to run inner info at least once a day. The best part is the Max/Min button that allows you to make sure your night time temps, or any time you aren't watching for that matter, are in good condition.

It's surprising how much the inside and outside weather of a screened cage can be!

Yep, gonna get one of these little gadgets, gonna have to be Sunday though, as little man has the vets tomorrow and im at work all day saturday. Also gonna stock up on everything else I need for him, then hide from the bank manager!

Everyone's been so kind here really grateful for all the support, particularly as a virgin chameleon owner!

One thing i cannot believe though - is that I'm allergic to him!! He was out and about on my hands today and i came out in a huge rash - and there was me thinking that some kind of reptile would be a pet that I wouldn't be allergic to!

 

[Bokaru]

Yep, gonna get one of these little gadgets, gonna have to be Sunday though, as little man has the vets tomorrow and im at work all day saturday. Also gonna stock up on everything else I need for him, then hide from the bank manager!

Everyone's been so kind here really grateful for all the support, particularly as a virgin chameleon owner!

One thing i cannot believe though - is that I'm allergic to him!! He was out and about on my hands today and i came out in a huge rash - and there was me thinking that some kind of reptile would be a pet that I wouldn't be allergic to!

Allergic?!? That sucks! Im sorry to hear that. I know I have seen some people with what almost looks like avian gloves on here with bigger chameleons. You might look into some sort of coverage.

So sorry to hear that.

 

[pssh]

Are you sure you're allergic? Their nails can leave some funky red marks that (on me) resemble hives. Also, I would be careful about the crickets and other insects as many people are allergic to their frass (poop.)

 

[Gensen]

Keep us posted!

Sorry to hear, but happy to know he is in the hands of someone who is getting him proper treatment! So forge ahead... good luck with him... and praise to you!

 

[Amanda1801]

Yep, it's definitely an allergy! It's the same kind of reaction that I get from my digs, rabbit, guinea pigs and hamsters...and every other animal that I come into contact with on a daily basis - great for someone who's going to be a vet! Glutton for punishment I guess!!

Anyway me and Colin are up a bit earlier than normal to get him warmed up and fed before we go to the vets - hopefully he'll sit still enough that they won't need to gas him for x-rays!

 

[Elizadolots]

I'm sure it is an allergy, but I bet pssh is right: it's the crickets. Not that this knowledge changes much, but cricket poop is a very potent allergen. The crickets are in the cage, they poop all over the place and the chameleon walks all over the place so picks some poop up. As their nails are sharp, they scratch a bit and the poop gets into the scratch...voila, an allergic reaction.

You might try an antihistamine cream (like Benadryl) before handling him. Let it soak in.

Gloves are not a bad idea at all, but you shouldn't need anything really huge as you aren't concerned about bites. You could probably get away with little white evening gloves if that's what you wanted to wear (and, what a picture that would make!).

I'm betting he'll be still as can be for the x-rays.

Thank you for taking care of him.

 

[Bokaru]

I'm sure it is an allergy, but I bet pssh is right: it's the crickets. Not that this knowledge changes much, but cricket poop is a very potent allergen. The crickets are in the cage, they poop all over the place and the chameleon walks all over the place so picks some poop up. As their nails are sharp, they scratch a bit and the poop gets into the scratch...voila, an allergic reaction.

Heh, Chameleon Scratch Fever

 

[kinyonga]

I've heard of veiled claws leaving red marks and bumps on people quite frequently. That makes me think that its not an allergy....but I don't know what it is. There is something about veiled claws that does that though....since I don't hear about it happening with panthers, jackson's, etc.

 

[Daguerreotype13]

My male vieled used to leave red scratch marks on me, but that was just from his nails. It was not an illergic reaction, this i can assure you. He was just very large and very strong and his nails were very sharp. My ambilobes leave no marks on me, however neither of them are as large, as old, or as strong as my male Vieled.

 

[Amanda1801]

I had a big rash that spread up my arms (he had only been on my hand) that was red and itchy, and where the rash was, my hand/arm swelled - this is a fairly typical reaction for me when i come into contact with any of my animals!