I'll start with a basic overview of what is going on, and have the attached form filled out below. I purchased a young female veiled from a local pet store (We have named her Laurel). We built a screened habitat for her, purchased the needed equipment, and took her home. The store we purchased her from had another female in the same glass not much larger than a shoebox enclosure. Two days after purchase, I got a call from the store saying the other Chameleon that was in the habitat with her was at the vet (Her name is now Lucy). Lucy stayed at the vet for almost a week. She was diagnosed with Coccidia and pinworms, so Laurel was brought in and treated for the same problem. Laurel is healthy and doing well. Lucy on the other hand, is not. Lucy was originally brought into the vet because she was unable to open her right eye, and it was swollen, along with general lethargy. The vet diagnosed Lucy with an eye infection that had not been properly treated quickly enough, and said that she would be "disabled" her entire life due to the length of time she had coccidia and the eye infection, and a calcium deficiency. She was sent back to the pet store with the recommendation that she be adopted out and NOT sold.... So they begged me to take her, as the breeder wouldn't accept her back and they couldn't keep her at the store. She is currently taking the following medications: Flurbiprofen opthalmic solution (1 drop to right eye once daily for 10 days then as needed) Neopolybac opthalmic ointment (thin strip to right eye once daily as needed), Calcium glubionate (0.1 ml by mouth once daily for 30 days)
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
2 Female Veiled Chameleons, approx 10-14 months old (according to pet store). Laurel has been in our care for 2 weeks, Lucy for 3 days
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Laurel has been handled about every other day, and she eats crickets from our hands. Lucy has to be handled every day for medication administering.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Laurel is eating 4-5 large crickets a day, fed around 6pm every day. She eats them from a small glass cup or our hand. Lucy has not eaten yet (Vet had been sticking crickets in her mouth to get her to eat). Crickets are gut loaded with fresh vegetables
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
The supplements we have purchased and have been using are-Reptocal calcium and flukers reptile vitamin with beta carotene. After some extended reading on here, I realize that the Reptocal has D3 which the girls should not be getting every day, so I am going out today to get a PLAIN calcium dust. The crickets were dusted with it every feeding for 1 week for Laurel, and Lucy hasn't eaten yet, but is on a prescription calcium supplement from the vet. Flukers vitamin has been given once.
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
We have a homemade dripper consisting of a tupperware container, air tubing, and a valve that constantly drips onto a leaf. We mist the habitat at least twice a day until everything in it is dripping well. I have seen Laurel drinking from the dripper, but have not seen Lucy drink yet.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
Laurels droppings have been brown with white urate. Consistency seemed to be a good solid but not hard. Lucy hasn't defecated that I know of yet. They were both tested for parasites and were treated for pinworms and Coccidia.
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Laurel seems to be doing great after her 5 day cycle of meds for Coccidia. Lucy has had a very stressful two weeks, and was kind of shoved on me without much preparation. Please read my intro.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
We have a wood and screen enclosure that is 18x18 and almost 3 ft tall. It is screen on 3 sides with a sealed wood panel on the back, although the back panel has two holes in it covered with screen.
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
We have a UVB bulb in a t5 fixture that we special ordered, I'm pretty sure it is zoo med brand, but can't be certain. We started out with one zilla dome fixture with a exoterra 50w daytime heat bulb, but I purchased another one (with zoomed 50w daytime bulb) since we recieved Lucy. The basking lamps are on opposite sides of the top of the habitat, and both have a sturdy vine underneath to allow basking.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Cage floor is around 73, basking spot is 85-90. Lowest overnight temp is 70. Temps are measured with dial thermometers at the top and a strip thermometer at the bottom
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Humidity level stays between 30% at the lowest and 70%. We have had a difficult time keeping the humidity steady. We are misting the habitat a few times a day, using the dripper, have live plants, and have set a humidifier next to the cage to assist with levels. I am looking at purchasing a warm mist humidifier/fogger I found at walgreens that I think would help a lot.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
We have a large live pothos in the habitat, with the longer vines secured to different parts of the screen to create climbing areas. We also have two fake plants purchased from the pet store because they were the same they had in their first enclosure. We also have two fake vines twisted around the cage to allow plenty of climbing space, horizontal and vertical.
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?
Our cage is located in the living room corner, which isn't really a high traffic area. The top of the cage is 3 1/2 ft off of the floor. There are no air vents, but the sliding glass door is somewhat close to it, opened maybe 4 times a day and shut quickly. There are curtains over the door to prevent the cold air from flowing in.
Location - Where are you geographically located?
Virginia
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Laurel seems to be healthy and doing well. Lucy is taking her medication from the vet, but we cannot get her to eat, and cannot confirm that she has eaten in at least 5 days. She never opens her right eye, and the left eye stays shut most of the time, but she will open it every now and then, look around, and close it again. Lucy seems to be almost ashy looking, a greyish tint to her skin, not vibrant at all. She is very skinny. We have tried to hand feed her crickets, and she shows no intrest, even when she does open her left eye and see them. The vet wants to give me a liquid diet for her today so we can syringe feed her. Right now, they ARE in the same enclosure, but we will be getting a separate one for Lucy within two weeks. They have separate basking spots and plenty of places to keep away from each other, but we are seeing them sitting together under the same lamp, Laurel gripping Lucy's tail, with no obvious signs of upset. Laurel keeps going to sit near Lucy, and no colors flare up on either of them, no puffing of throats, nothing. They were in the same tiny enclosure at the pet store for 2 1/2 months.
At this point, what can I do to help Lucy heal? What am I looking at life long for her? What are the immediate concerns, and what are the long term ones? How can I make sure these two girls are healthy, happy, and well taken care of?
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
2 Female Veiled Chameleons, approx 10-14 months old (according to pet store). Laurel has been in our care for 2 weeks, Lucy for 3 days
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Laurel has been handled about every other day, and she eats crickets from our hands. Lucy has to be handled every day for medication administering.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Laurel is eating 4-5 large crickets a day, fed around 6pm every day. She eats them from a small glass cup or our hand. Lucy has not eaten yet (Vet had been sticking crickets in her mouth to get her to eat). Crickets are gut loaded with fresh vegetables
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
The supplements we have purchased and have been using are-Reptocal calcium and flukers reptile vitamin with beta carotene. After some extended reading on here, I realize that the Reptocal has D3 which the girls should not be getting every day, so I am going out today to get a PLAIN calcium dust. The crickets were dusted with it every feeding for 1 week for Laurel, and Lucy hasn't eaten yet, but is on a prescription calcium supplement from the vet. Flukers vitamin has been given once.
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
We have a homemade dripper consisting of a tupperware container, air tubing, and a valve that constantly drips onto a leaf. We mist the habitat at least twice a day until everything in it is dripping well. I have seen Laurel drinking from the dripper, but have not seen Lucy drink yet.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
Laurels droppings have been brown with white urate. Consistency seemed to be a good solid but not hard. Lucy hasn't defecated that I know of yet. They were both tested for parasites and were treated for pinworms and Coccidia.
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Laurel seems to be doing great after her 5 day cycle of meds for Coccidia. Lucy has had a very stressful two weeks, and was kind of shoved on me without much preparation. Please read my intro.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
We have a wood and screen enclosure that is 18x18 and almost 3 ft tall. It is screen on 3 sides with a sealed wood panel on the back, although the back panel has two holes in it covered with screen.
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
We have a UVB bulb in a t5 fixture that we special ordered, I'm pretty sure it is zoo med brand, but can't be certain. We started out with one zilla dome fixture with a exoterra 50w daytime heat bulb, but I purchased another one (with zoomed 50w daytime bulb) since we recieved Lucy. The basking lamps are on opposite sides of the top of the habitat, and both have a sturdy vine underneath to allow basking.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Cage floor is around 73, basking spot is 85-90. Lowest overnight temp is 70. Temps are measured with dial thermometers at the top and a strip thermometer at the bottom
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Humidity level stays between 30% at the lowest and 70%. We have had a difficult time keeping the humidity steady. We are misting the habitat a few times a day, using the dripper, have live plants, and have set a humidifier next to the cage to assist with levels. I am looking at purchasing a warm mist humidifier/fogger I found at walgreens that I think would help a lot.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
We have a large live pothos in the habitat, with the longer vines secured to different parts of the screen to create climbing areas. We also have two fake plants purchased from the pet store because they were the same they had in their first enclosure. We also have two fake vines twisted around the cage to allow plenty of climbing space, horizontal and vertical.
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?
Our cage is located in the living room corner, which isn't really a high traffic area. The top of the cage is 3 1/2 ft off of the floor. There are no air vents, but the sliding glass door is somewhat close to it, opened maybe 4 times a day and shut quickly. There are curtains over the door to prevent the cold air from flowing in.
Location - Where are you geographically located?
Virginia
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Laurel seems to be healthy and doing well. Lucy is taking her medication from the vet, but we cannot get her to eat, and cannot confirm that she has eaten in at least 5 days. She never opens her right eye, and the left eye stays shut most of the time, but she will open it every now and then, look around, and close it again. Lucy seems to be almost ashy looking, a greyish tint to her skin, not vibrant at all. She is very skinny. We have tried to hand feed her crickets, and she shows no intrest, even when she does open her left eye and see them. The vet wants to give me a liquid diet for her today so we can syringe feed her. Right now, they ARE in the same enclosure, but we will be getting a separate one for Lucy within two weeks. They have separate basking spots and plenty of places to keep away from each other, but we are seeing them sitting together under the same lamp, Laurel gripping Lucy's tail, with no obvious signs of upset. Laurel keeps going to sit near Lucy, and no colors flare up on either of them, no puffing of throats, nothing. They were in the same tiny enclosure at the pet store for 2 1/2 months.
At this point, what can I do to help Lucy heal? What am I looking at life long for her? What are the immediate concerns, and what are the long term ones? How can I make sure these two girls are healthy, happy, and well taken care of?