not doing well!...

[kelzi]

well, as some of you know I recently had problem with dehydration with my 5 year old male veiled, and I figured he was doing much better. Well... he hasn't eaten in 9 days, which is really off from his regular eating schedule. As well, I've noticed that he's not drinking very much either. I haven't seen him drink since last week, my mom said she sprayed him monday and he drank, but that's only once. Some people told me when I asked about the dehydration that my cham might just be getting old. So, what are the typical signs that your cham is getting old and probably passing? I really hope this isn't the case, but I fear it might be... help please!

 

[casidonacid]

i would take him to the vet. if there is something slightly wrong i take mine to the vet because they can hide illness very well

 

[chamlover]

If he hasn't drank in days i would get him to the vet. If not he may die, and that would be horrible if it was something else that you could have fixed!! Was he ok before this? How old do you think he is?

 

[Zoey]

Try giving him a shower and set up a vet appointment. You'd better be safe then sorry.

 

[nateboston78]

Are there physical signs of dehydration? or behavioral differences beyond not eating and drinking. Are your temps good?

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

Oh- yes- I agree, too, that giving him a shower is a great idea. Do it today, if possible. In a standard shower this is how it's often done- place a tree in the shower, run the shower with the shower head directed at the wall of the shower so that the water hits the tree indirectly. Then get the temperature nice and warm (gauge it against your wrist the way moms do when testing a babies formula temp). It should be nice and warm but not hot. Then place your cham on the tree in the shower. Twenty minutes would not be too long. Repeat the shower at least once a week.

I read in your previous thread that you recently installed a drip system for your boy. Previous to that he was watered from the bottom of his cage. Once you installed the drip system he improved. Though he drank from the drip system initially (when he was dehydrated), it may be possible that it is not enough to trigger his drinking reflex on a regular basis. We have an automatic misting system, but the chams we have that are stubborn drinkers get hand misted. Apparently when your Mom hand misted him he drank. I would recommend someone hand mist him twice a day. The morning misting should be long enough that his drinking reflex kicks in, and then continue for a few minutes until he stops drinking. The misting later in the day would be to hydrate him and humidify his cage.

What drip system are you using? To my knowledge a drip system is not always accepted as the single/best source for providing water/humidity to a chameleon's habitat. Do you have a humidity gauge in the enclosure?

I know it is frustrating when our little guys suddenly change a long-held habit. It is a mystery to me why a cham who cup-fed for months will suddently refuse to, or why a cham who flipped over silkworms will suddenly disdain them. Your little guy apparently drank from the bottom of his enclosure for some time, and then stopped. Don't be discouraged. We all go through this. When they suddenly give up a habit, we struggle to come up with a new way to meet their need. Sometimes it takes time to develop a new successful strategy. Also, with veiled chameleons, they will sometimes refuse to eat their regular food, but WILL eat something new when offered to them. Have you tried offering him a different type of feeder insect or silkworm?

Sick chams require extra water. It is possible that older chams do, too. I would do that misting twice a day. Keep the drip system available for him. Offer him a new kind of food insect. And see how he does. Are there any signs of illness in your cham? Lethargy? Falling/stumbling? Itchy eyes? Puffy eyes? Clicking or gurgling sound when breathing? Bubbles in his throat? If he shows any signs of illness I would take him to the vet. If he is simply not eating, and not seen drinking, and hasn't eaten in 9 days, then, if you take him to the vet and there are no outward signs of illness- the vet will want to draw blood- and his bloodwork is likely just going to show that he hasn't eaten in 9 days. Although, if he has an infection of some kind, the blood work will show that.

Also, another note- chams will often lose their appetite when dehydrated. It is possible that the lack of appetite is related to the hydration.

Another strategy we have used is this- if he opens his mouth to gape or hiss at you, you could try slipping an insect in there. Sometimes feeding them will prompt their appetite to kick in.

 

[Justin Carl]

I agree that he made need a shower.
My chameleons drink like fish when they are put in the shower.
Give it a shot for two or 3 days.
I also agree with gesang, misting your chameleon a couple times a day for extra water is needed.
Water running down his casque into him mouth will trigger a drinking response.

 

[kelzi]

thankyou everyone for you suggestions.
to answer a few questions; he is 5 years old, the drip system is a bucket that is filled 3 times a day that drips every two seconds out of 3 holes onto plants and into a fountain that he used to drink out of, but I thought with the age he may not have the energy to go up and down to it.
On a good note! he has eaten about 5 crickets since I last wrote on the forum, but it is still a huge decrease in his eating habit, which is what was worrying me.
I am misting him about 5 times a day now for about 5 minutes. Even then, he's not really drinking but I'm spraying him anyways (I've always directly sprayed him, and he's never had a problem with it)
About the new type of food thing, I'm having a really difficult time getting food other than crickets right now with my supplier, and considering I have 40cm of snow on the ground right now lol I can't just go outside and get an insect. I know he loves silkworms so I'm hoping to get him some when they come in. I'm calling them almost everyday and still nothing.
I think I'm going to do the shower thing, though I'm a little nervous because he's never had it before but everyone has given me really great info about it so I'll see how that goes.
And the lower food want being related with dehydration makes alot of sense so I hope that that is the cause...
I'll keep everyone posted and thank you again!