Nursing veiled cham back to Health.

[SpinyFranky]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/veiled-chameleon-glass-terrarium-34881/

this is a link to my original thread about the potential rescue of a veiled chameleon.

Tonight I purchased the cham, his condition is worse than I thought.


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Problems:

No sign of dehydration obvious on body, Does have "the line" running down tail which I suspect means he probably is though.For safety water syringes began tonight.

However, obvious weakness in both front legs, specifically front left. Front left seems to be unable to support full body weight. Front right seems better.

besides weakness no visible deformity of bones or veil, has a strong grip and obvious will to live since he squirmed pretty strongly while I put the water in his mouth.
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Questioned Solutions:

Water syringing twice daily to prevent/ reverse dehydration.

Daily Sun bathing, supervised, for at least an hour or two.

To maintain steady weight gain as well as strength gain will supply with ten-twenty crickets a day ( as many as chameleon will eat (cup fed) within an hour sitting, offered multiple times a day ). Crickets gut loaded with carrots, kale, romaine and flukers cricket cubes. Crickets coated with calcium with D3 ( I am questioning to use d3 daily ( light powdering ) because of circumstances to support bone strength, but also because it would be paired with daily sun bathing )

Questioning the mix of both calcium powder and vitamin supp powder into one mixed powder to provide greater benefits. Normally this would never be done with a healthy cham, but again ... the circumstances.
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Cham is currently in a "nursery setup" with basking light and lots of branches and hiding spots. I offered him food, but it was already 9pm. Did not eat, so I removed the cup. Pending the chance of a full recovery ( in which the animal will not be in any pain ) I will of course purchase an adequate setup. Screen cage with basking spots and UVB. Essentially the same as my panther's enclosure.

How does this recovery procedure sound to you guys? I know some of you have been breeding these animals for 10+ years, and have no doubt probably had to nurse one or two back from the brink at least once. I respect your opinions, and would not come to any other place but here first. I just want the cham to recover and be healthy before I start thinking of him as "another pet".

However I already cherish him, I was there buying crickets the first day he arrived. I purchased this exact same cham once before ( the only male of the group ) ( prior to purchasing my verucosus or panther ) but returned him because I learned that my previous veiled chameleon's setup ( who was donated to a teacher for breeding ) had been sold at a yard sale. Knowing tonight that petco management was considering to "get rid" of him because he was confined to a cage with 4 other chameleons made my heart break. I purchased him right then.

Please help me help this chameleon stand a good chance for a happy normal life away from the abuses of corporate carelessness and greed.

I am setting up a vet visit to check for potential issues that my eye has not been trained well enough to catch. I will upload pictures tomorrow, hopefully when he is not so stressed.

S.F

 

[Carlton]

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Questioned Solutions:

Water syringing twice daily to prevent/ reverse dehydration.

Daily Sun bathing, supervised, for at least an hour or two.

To maintain steady weight gain as well as strength gain will supply with ten-twenty crickets a day ( as many as chameleon will eat (cup fed) within an hour sitting, offered multiple times a day ). Crickets gut loaded with carrots, kale, romaine and flukers cricket cubes. Crickets coated with calcium with D3 ( I am questioning to use d3 daily ( light powdering ) because of circumstances to support bone strength, but also because it would be paired with daily sun bathing )

Questioning the mix of both calcium powder and vitamin supp powder into one mixed powder to provide greater benefits. Normally this would never be done with a healthy cham, but again ... the circumstances.
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Cham is currently in a "nursery setup" with basking light and lots of branches and hiding spots. I offered him food, but it was already 9pm. Did not eat, so I removed the cup. Pending the chance of a full recovery ( in which the animal will not be in any pain ) I will of course purchase an adequate setup. Screen cage with basking spots and UVB. Essentially the same as my panther's enclosure.

How does this recovery procedure sound to you guys? I know some of you have been breeding these animals for 10+ years, and have no doubt probably had to nurse one or two back from the brink at least once. I respect your opinions, and would not come to any other place but here first. I just want the cham to recover and be healthy before I start thinking of him as "another pet".

However I already cherish him, I was there buying crickets the first day he arrived. I purchased this exact same cham once before ( the only male of the group ) ( prior to purchasing my verucosus or panther ) but returned him because I learned that my previous veiled chameleon's setup ( who was donated to a teacher for breeding ) had been sold at a yard sale. Knowing tonight that petco management was considering to "get rid" of him because he was confined to a cage with 4 other chameleons made my heart break. I purchased him right then.

Does he drink on his own? If so, I don't think you need to force the liquids. By providing regular water at all times during the day and proper general humidity he will gain back on his own. By forcing water you do risk him aspirating liquid into his lungs plus the stress.

That's probably too much food every day. It won't help him to gain weight any faster, and if he's eating on his own all you really have to do is provide good quality feeders well gutloaded. More small feeders rather than a few large ones will work better as they will have larger body mass/surface area ratios to hold supplements. Juvenile chams often look skinny...it is partially because their frame is growing rapidly.

Calcium WITH D3 every day is too much. You can overdo it. If he's getting real sunlight frequently you don't need it as much anyway. As long as you are not storing the vitamin and calcium dusts together mixing them on the feeders won't matter. But, you don't need vitamins every day...again you can overdo it. Rely on the ingredients of your gutloads for nutrition...dusts are really there to fill in the gaps over time.

Generally, if your new cham is drinking and eating, basking and active, he's not in dire condition. You might cause problems unintentionally by overdoing things. A slower "recovery" through improved husbandry will work over time.

 

[chamlover]

Hi,

I think it is really great that you've been doing your research and trying to find out the right thing to do for this guy. That being said. I agree, force feeding him water is dangerous. We've had reptiles for over 20 years and when i was sick my husband gave 1 of our sick beardies some water in a syringe. The next day i went to see him and i thought he was dead. He wasn't but he had aspirated and i immediately took him into the vet. If you dont know exactly what you are doing you can do alot more damage then good by force feeding liquids. If you are giving him a shower a day for an hour, it shouldn't take too long at all to rehydrate him. What color is his urates? If you could, i would also get him the screen cage now; it will reduce his stress which will only aid in his recovery. Also, make sure that water doesn't go cold on him and really an hour is way too long unless he has extremely orange urates and even then i wouldn't keep him in there anyl onger than a half hour. Again the more stress you put on him the more trouble he will have in having a full recovery. Stress does much more damage.