Please help with my veiled chameleon.

R

Rkillion08

New Member
Ok I'll start off by saying that I got in a little over my head when I purchased manny (my first veiled chameleon) but with a little trial and error I THOUGHT I had him in great condition. A week ago he stopped being as active that he usually is. All he does is sleep. Today he crawled down to the bottom
of his cage and slept. He is not active at all. Has sunk in eyes and has a few wart like bumps on his side along his rib cage. If he is eating, he is eating at night while I'm asleep. He is very thin and will not eat mill worms at all. The only thing he will eat are small crickets that i have dusted with calcium. WHAT IM HOPING, is that he is active at night and sleeps during the day but the sunk in eyes worry me. His uv bulbs are fine and his heating lamp that I keep on at night has the proper uv level also. Does anyone have any idea what might be wrong with him? He is showing no signs of mbd, he has a strong grip and no weak bones that I can see. His stool looks normal also. Any help would be awesome. Thanks
 
Sounds like he is dehydrated and pretty badly too. You'll have to take him to the vet and get them to re-hydrate him and soon coz it sounds like its gone quite far.:(
 
Please answer the following-pictures help too.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
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?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
 
enigmacell said:
Sounds like he is dehydrated and pretty badly too. You'll have to take him to the vet and get them to re-hydrate him and soon coz it sounds like its gone quite far.:(
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I have a drip system set up and mist it twice a day. I even have a bowl of water for him. Should I get a syringe and drip some in his mouth?
 
Rkillion08 said:
I have a drip system set up and mist it twice a day. I even have a bowl of water for him. Should I get a syringe and drip some in his mouth?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't keep the bowl of water because he won't drink from it and it can be a breeding ground for bacteria.

The vet at this stage is your best option as sunken eyes/closed eyes etc are a sign of ill health. There could be a few different reasons for it. However if money is holding you back then I would suggest getting some Hydra-life (t-rex make it) or something similar and force feed him as per the instructions. Also mist him with warm de-chlorinated water 3-4 times a day. At least he'll have a chance of recovery.

His drip system might not be in a place where he likes to drink from. Try and get the drops to drip onto as many plants etc on its way down. Also setup the drip before you turn on the lights and mist inside the enclosure as chams tend to lick the morning dew off the leaves.
 
Julirs said:
Please answer the questions above so we can best help you.
Click to expand...

Have to agree here. The more info you provide the more help you will be able to get. Some people here have encountered this problem first hand and might just have the exact remedy for you.
 
Please do not suggest too many options until we first find out how he is keeping the cham. Suggesting force feeding/hydrating is not a good idea usually.
 
Julirs said:
Please do not suggest too many options until we first find out how he is keeping the cham. Suggesting force feeding/hydrating is not a good idea usually.
Click to expand...

I totally agree but you know yourself by the time its noticeable that a cham is sick it means hes pretty far gone.
 
You said He won't even touch mealworms...all he'll eat is small crickets dusted with calcium... did anyone else catch this? He should be fed a staple diet of crickets with calcium w/o d3, with d3 twice a month, and a multivitamin once a month. Mealworms are only a treat and should be fed VERY sparingly. The tough exoskeleton of mealworms can cause reptiles to become impacted, which means they can't poop. I don't your chameleon and we haven't seen him, but has he pooped in the last few days? But as requested, please fill out the how to ask for help form.
 
I caught this too.. Sounds like you still dont know everything about them. People need to make sure they do MUCH MUCH research before jumping into getting a reptile they know nothing about. I made the mistake of getting ducky and not knowing much about them but the night I got her I did allot of research and corrected everything the guy who sold her to me was doing wrong.
But he sounds like he's in pretty bad shape.. Your best chance would probably be to take him to the vet ASAP :/

justjumpit621 said:
This is what I am talking about.
Click to expand...
 
How long have you had him? We really need you to fill out that form so we can get some idea of what is going on...and you don't have much time to figure out what's going on from this description....."A week ago he stopped being as active that he usually is. All he does is sleep. Today he crawled down to the bottom of his cage and slept" and "Has sunk in eyes"...these are bad signs.

You said... he "has a few wart like bumps on his side along his rib cage"....a picture would help as would the information in the form we asked you to fill out.

You said..."If he is eating, he is eating at night while I'm asleep" and "his heating lamp that I keep on at night has the proper uv level also"...normally chameleons should be sleeping at night but since you have a light on him all night, it must be hard for him to know when its day or night.

What brand and type of UVB light are you using? If its the wrong kind this may have something to do with him sleeping during the day.

In the meantime....here are some good sites to read...
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/20060502...rnals.com/vet/index.php?show=5.Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20060421.../index.php?show=6.Vitamin.D3.and.Calcium.html
http://chameleonnews.com/?page=article&id=102
http://adcham.com/
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
 
Also UV is not neccesarily UVB, most of the time it is UVA which is not beneficial to the cham. They need UVB to process their calcium and also D3 if your UVB light is not strong enough (strong enough would be the equivalent to living outside under the sun all day long).
 
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