Panther Chameleon has been very sick for 4 weeks and no improvement with many vet visits.

Hello everyone,
SUMMARY OF ISSUES PAST 4 WEEKS -
My 1-year-old Ambanja Panther chameleon completely stopped doing his normal life and routine randomly about 1 month ago and started shutting his eyes during the day. As recommended people always say go to the vet if your chameleon is shutting his eyes a lot during the day so I did. the vet washed out his eyes and gave me some antibacterial injections that I gave him for a week or so with no improvement. I then went back and asked them to do a blood test and they said that they couldn't get blood out from him and it was then I realized this vet definitely has lied about knowing anything about chameleons. After that Vet visit I did a lot of research and then found a very good reptile vet about an hour away from me. they were able to do blood tests and a kidney/liver panel of some sort and said that they found no infections but that his calcium levels were low. which is weird because before he got sick I followed a very good dusting schedule. The vet then prescribed me an oral calcium gluco of some sort that I have been giving him once a day for the past week as well as they gave me a powder food formula to feed him three times a week to help with his nutrition as he has not eaten or drink on his own in 3 weeks. I have been doing everything for him and the only time he opens his eyes is when I bother him.

He has been sleeping all day for the past 2 weeks and has definitely not defecated as well. No eating past month besides 1 superworm and the powder food I have given him 2 times this week. I slowly drip water into his mouth in the morning after I give him his dose of the calcium gluco. one weird thing is that he hasnt shed in like 3 months.

His Husbandry is great.
I have great temps of 85-87 at basking and ambient temps of 71-77. Humidity levels stay very high in the room I have him in. 50-60 daytime and 80 at night. I have a T5 5.0 HO UVB elevated about 5 inches above the screen of his cage. before he got sick he was being very picky eating and would only eat superworms for a while before this.

I have no idea why he hasnt improved yet and I'm super worried about him and keep spending so much at the vet. do calcium deficiencies take awhile to fix? I am so worried that he just keeps his eyes closed all day and has been like this for multiple weeks.
 

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In a previous thread you said..."he isn't wheezing or gaping. He is sucking in his stomach very hard up against his ribs and when he is breathing out his gular/throat is puffing up with air"....I've seen this a couple of times but unfortunately I don't know what causes it. Is this what he's still doing (as well as shutting the eyes, etc)?
 
In a previous thread you said..."he isn't wheezing or gaping. He is sucking in his stomach very hard up against his ribs and when he is breathing out his gular/throat is puffing up with air"....I've seen this a couple of times but unfortunately I don't know what causes it. Is this what he's still doing (as well as shutting the eyes, etc)?
No the previuos post is completely seperate. honestly I think nothing was wrong before and he was just hanging at weird angles and doing something weird with his throat.
 
What supplements have you been using and how often for each lately?
What UVB light are you using now?
Please be specific.
 
What supplements have you been using and how often for each lately?
What UVB light are you using now?
Please be specific.
Since he hasnt been eating on his own he has only been getting the calcium gluconate for about 9 days now and I was able to give him calcium plus lod about 2 weeks ago when he ate the last bug he's had on his own but it was barely any. His UVB light is a T5 HO 5.0 REPTISUN BULB IN a ZOO MED FIXTURE. I also have a t8 zilla light but haven't heard good things about it so I have never used it. other than that he hasn't had many supplements the last month cause he's never active during the day anymore.
 
And the issue back in June only lasted a few days and turns out he was just on a hunger strike. this is something new. He was completely normal for the past 5 months or so and was eating well.
 
The only visible sign of sickness he is showing is his eyes closed. But he does not move around or do anything on his own. he is holding weight well and not dehydrated as I am giving him water and just started with this veterinary food formula.
 
Hello everyone,
SUMMARY OF ISSUES PAST 4 WEEKS -
My 1-year-old Ambanja Panther chameleon completely stopped doing his normal life and routine randomly about 1 month ago and started shutting his eyes during the day. As recommended people always say go to the vet if your chameleon is shutting his eyes a lot during the day so I did. the vet washed out his eyes and gave me some antibacterial injections that I gave him for a week or so with no improvement. I then went back and asked them to do a blood test and they said that they couldn't get blood out from him and it was then I realized this vet definitely has lied about knowing anything about chameleons. After that Vet visit I did a lot of research and then found a very good reptile vet about an hour away from me. they were able to do blood tests and a kidney/liver panel of some sort and said that they found no infections but that his calcium levels were low. which is weird because before he got sick I followed a very good dusting schedule. The vet then prescribed me an oral calcium gluco of some sort that I have been giving him once a day for the past week as well as they gave me a powder food formula to feed him three times a week to help with his nutrition as he has not eaten or drink on his own in 3 weeks. I have been doing everything for him and the only time he opens his eyes is when I bother him.

He has been sleeping all day for the past 2 weeks and has definitely not defecated as well. No eating past month besides 1 superworm and the powder food I have given him 2 times this week. I slowly drip water into his mouth in the morning after I give him his dose of the calcium gluco. one weird thing is that he hasnt shed in like 3 months.

His Husbandry is great.
I have great temps of 85-87 at basking and ambient temps of 71-77. Humidity levels stay very high in the room I have him in. 50-60 daytime and 80 at night. I have a T5 5.0 HO UVB elevated about 5 inches above the screen of his cage. before he got sick he was being very picky eating and would only eat superworms for a while before this.

I have no idea why he hasnt improved yet and I'm super worried about him and keep spending so much at the vet. do calcium deficiencies take awhile to fix? I am so worried that he just keeps his eyes closed all day and has been like this for multiple weeks.
I’m sorry for just jumping in like this, but what was your supplement regime before the problems? How did his urates look?
 
I’m sorry for just jumping in like this, but what was your supplement regime before the problems? How did his urates look?
his urates were very white but sometimes would have slight orange at the end but nothing too unusual as he would drink a lot every day.
before he was sick I use mineral outdoor calcium with every feeding. and repashy calcium plus every 2 weeks.
 
his urates were very white but sometimes would have slight orange at the end but nothing too unusual as he would drink a lot every day.
before he was sick I use mineral outdoor calcium with every feeding. and repashy calcium plus every 2 weeks.
Did someone review your husbandry?
 
If they can´t find anything, my guess would be over-supplementing him with something. Chameleons can react very heavily on ´vitamin overdoses´, could share your exact supplementation and regime.

I´m no expert on this and leave it to the experts, however this is just gut feeling reading through posts.
 
How old is the UVB light? Can you check with a solarmeter that it's still putting out sufficient UVB? I've gotten a dud bulb before from Amazon.

What about your supplements? Think they're older / need replacing?

Just thinking if his calcium is low from his bloodwork those would be things that I'd look into if he were my chameleon. Supplements and light.
 
Also the T5 5.0 should rest directly on the screen. 10.0 you need to lift to prevent exposure to high UV levels but not 5.0. So I'd try that too.
 
How old is the UVB light? Can you check with a solarmeter that it's still putting out sufficient UVB? I've gotten a dud bulb before from Amazon.

What about your supplements? Think they're older / need replacing?

Just thinking if his calcium is low from his bloodwork those would be things that I'd look into if he were my chameleon. Supplements and light.
I was thinking the same thing about the light and just bought him a new bulb 2 days ago. a solarmeter is the only thing I don't have should I get one? I know they are expensive but I will do anything for my little guy. The calcium LoD is pretty new but the mineral calcium I have is about 8 months old and I may have left it open once or twice if that matters. should I get some new calcium powder for when he starts eating again? one of the problems is that he wont eat on his own so the only calcium he's getting right now is from the calcium gluconate and a small amount is in the powder food the vet gave me.
 
I was thinking the same thing about the light and just bought him a new bulb 2 days ago. a solarmeter is the only thing I don't have should I get one? I know they are expensive but I will do anything for my little guy. The calcium LoD is pretty new but the mineral calcium I have is about 8 months old and I may have left it open once or twice if that matters. should I get some new calcium powder for when he starts eating again? one of the problems is that he wont eat on his own so the only calcium he's getting right now is from the calcium gluconate and a small amount is in the powder food the vet gave me.

I feel like the solarmeter is a good long term investment or if you have multiple reptiles because you can save on bulb costs. So up to you!

Regarding feeding, I hear you. He needs to eat in order for the powder to work. I think keeping him fed and getting to a place where he'll eat bugs w supplements is the first priority...

Others will have better advice on that front I am still a newbie! @Beman @kinyonga @DocZ any advice on getting this beautiful panther nutrition and supplements and getting him on the mend?
 
Did the vet say anything else about the blood work? Or do you have the results available to copy on here for people to look at?
I am going to call them and try and get the results as a pdf and more info so I can post it here. The results were studied by a lab at Oregon State University and she mainly told me he was calcium deficiant with a ratio of calcium to phosphorus of 1.5 to 1
 
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