Old Chameleons Behavior

[marta]

My Chameleon (a carpet cham) is very old, 7 and 1/2 yrs. He has progressively become weaker and can not hold on as tightly. According to my vet, this is normal for an old chameleon. He is well taken care of: vitamins, husbandry, love, vet visits.

I was curious about what to expect as he nears the end of his life and if anyone has good tips on making him comfortable. I recently reduced the size of his cage, padded the floor with soft towels and re-designed the branches to be low (so falling would not hurt him). He is really loved and enjoys being out out of the cage and in my hand (especially since he has gotten older, I think he loves the warmth of my hand).

thanks,
marta

 

[DavidBuchan]

Hello, and welcome - first, well done on getting him to 7 1/2 years . I've only kept one Chameleon before now, and she died at about 2 1/2 to 3 years old.........Maybe someone else can offer tips, but it sounds to me like you must have done everything right

 

[Carlton]

I agree. Really well done to have a carpet this age! I bet some true sun basking would be a pleasure for him if it's not too hot or if it doesn't stress him too much to be moved. I had an old wc verrucosus who just slowed down, had a little more trouble aiming and shooting at fast moving feeders, but not much else was wrong. He died peacefully while basking outdoors. He was in his outdoor cage on a branch, started losing his grip, so I laid him on my hand where he just passed away.

 

[laurie]

I am in the same satiation as you. I have a 7 1/2 year old panther. Today he shot at a silkie and got the tweezers as well. I actually saw his tongue wrap around the tweezers. After that I put the worms close to him but he still had a bit of trouble getting them. Some days I just don't know what to do. Arnold does still have a good grip, but not like it used to be. I have ladders (for birds) and stuff so he is pretty safe. so far he is still in his big boy cage. He is slower but still going.