Please help!

Shimpy45

Shimpy45

New Member
Hey all,

My charm Zem has been with me for about 2 1/2 years now and i gotten good advice for you guys befor when i first bought him from Cage,Food,Lighting, and so forth... and i once agen turn to you my friends for more of that advice you once offered.
Zem has been doing pretty good for those 2 1/2 years he has been climbing around his cage, basking in his heat spot and genraly injoying life... About 5 months ago i had feed him 12 cricks i nomaly feed him like 10 every other day and watered him realy well and left for camp for the weekend i also took his 60 wat heat house bulb out and replaced it with a 40wat for the weekend so he didnt cook bc i had no one to drop by to water him... i know stupid me... but ya so when i got home he seemed to be fine so i feed him his normal 10 cricks and i put his 60 watt back in and watered him he seemd to be fine the next day watered him,the next 10 cricks and water he seemed to be drinking less and less every day and i didnt know why...then the next day it looked like he was taking a poop and it got half way and stoped i thought maybe he was just taking a long time for him to go the hole way the next day it was still at the same place so i thought he might have been getting dehydrated but i watered him more and more bc he was drinking less and less but after like 4 days he finaly passed it.
But now he still drinks very little and when i mist him he its like he gets water in his one eye and it bulges up then he rubs it on his ropes or just blinks a few times and it comes out after awhile and when this happens he tends to not like to drink anymore and it happens very easly like every other time i mist i used both a normal hand mist spray bottle and i went out and bouth one of those weed poison sprayers that you pump then just pull trigger and it makes a fine mist bc of the size of his cage... but with both misters it still happens is this normal?? if not what should i do to help it i dont think i can buy something to make the mist even finer its pretty fine... and on top of that he seams to be losing energy he use to climb all around but after his inpaction he seems to not be moving around as much or very hungry anymore and when i mist him he will also stick his tounge into his chin and make his chin stick out...

Now just about 2 days ago i relized the same cricks i put in there where still in there the next day so i thought ok maybe he didnt see them they are his fav. by the way but anyhow i pick up the cup showed him he got stocked and went to get them he then opened his mouth to fling his tounge and it looked like it didnt wand to come out and he made the chewing motion even thow he didnt get nothing then he tryed agen and same thing so i tought maybe he was dry and needed more water so i'v been watering him like crazy and i showed him the cricks and his tounge came out and got one so i was alittle releaved but how can i stop that form happening i need to get him to drink more but when he gets water in the eye he stops drinking and it happens fast trust me...

Please help me and my poor zem monster... :( i cant stand seeing him this way...

P.S. on a side note how long are those UVB tube lights good for like when should you switch it out bc i have had his for more then a year now but it still comes on just i wounder if it still dose the job...

Thank you all,

Aaron Shimp & Zem
 
So sorry he is not doing well. I am not very experienced but I know they will need this filled out



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.


Pictures are helpful


Those lights are good for about 3 months even though they still come on the UBV is not enough anymore :( So I can say you need to replace that ASAP and possibly get him into real sunlight. Now I leave the rest for the very experienced members- good luck
 
It sounds like he's dehydrated, You might try some butter worms or wax worms. I've seen it suggested that pear baby food can help get the digestive system working better.

Most people here would tell you that the bulbs should be replaced every 6 months. I believe the box says every year (so, you should replace your bulb!).
 
Definitely change the UV light! This can affect his appetite and ability to metabolize calcium and gutloads.

Also, how do you measure the cage humidity? Even if you are dripping or spraying often, if the air in the room is dry (were you running an AC a lot this summer because of the heat??) the cage will dry out more quickly than you realize and he is getting dehydrated in between your misting sessions. He can lose ground over time and it is subtle. Rubbing his eyes can be a sign of this. A dehydrated cham doesn't eat well.
 
Ok i will deffenly change the UVB bulb asap when i get payed next fri. and i will go home and get all the info i need for that sheet tonight im at work at the moment so ill get it to you guys ASAP.

Thanks a million guys!

Aaron
 
Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - "Zem" Vaild Chameleon, Male, 3 years old, I bought him form the pet store when he was only 3 months old and i have had him the hole time since.

Handling - When i first bought him i had alot of time to handle him as my job changed that time became less and less i use to bring him out about 3 times a week i now bring him out like once a month due to my hextic schedule i know it no exscuce but what can you do have to pay bills...:(

Feeding - I feed zem just crickets bought straight from the pet store i use to feed him wax worms and super worms but he seemed to be having problems digesting them and passing them so i stoped now its just crickets he eats about 10 every other day to every 2 days... but now he is bearly eating any if not 4 every other day...:( I gutload them with "Green Bottle" Fluker's High Cal Crix Diet and "Blue Bottle" Fluker's Crix Quencher and i put some cotten balls socked in water for more hydration and that is it for gutloading...

Supplements -I use all "Rep-Cal" products i was dusting them all with "Pink Phosphorous Free Cal with Vit D","Green Cal no Vitamin D",and "Blue Hertivite MultiVitamins" and i noramly do... Cal-D3 "3" cricks,Cal-"no"D3 "4" cricks,Multi-Vit "3" cricks once a month, and i do "10" Cal-"no" D3 cricks like every other feeding, and just plane cricks the other "every-other feeding"...

Watering - I used luke warm water... i use to use the simple dollar store plastic spray bottles but now i went out and bought one of those De-weed spray bottles "NeverUsed" the nosle will go all the way to a very fine mist,I normaly mist him for 15-20 min in the morning around 8am when his light comes on i also soak the hole cage down too... Then agen for about 15-20 min in around 4pm my girlfriend mist him for i am at work... I noramley seen him start drinking about 5 min into misting but now he will only drink a few galps then stops he also seems to have a problem with getting water in his right eye he closes it when it happens and his eye bulges out then back in "ill try to get a pic" but its like he is trying to push it back out then it normaly dose go back to normal but when it happens he stops drinking and i mist from a distance and its all-ways supper fine mist it just happens when the water builds up on him and all around his cage... so now he only drinks about 8 gulps a day when he use to drink the hole time... should i go back to the hand held plastic bottle mister or??

Fecal Description - Brown/Black white tint of yellow and its about once to twice a week. No he has never been to a vet.

History - He was Compacted once atleast i think that is wat it was it was like he pooped half way and stoped and it took about a week to pass it and meny watering sessions it seemd to dry to his skin so i soaked it with warm water with a mister and wiped the sides that where drying to the skine with tolet paper and he did pass it after a week it was brown/black on the other side and was big compared to his other dropings.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Its Black pet-safe Screen on all 4 sides and alumium screen on the bottom and top pet-safe sealed. it is 5'10" tall, 3' 1 1/2" wide, 3' 2" Deep this can be seen one my profile on this site.

Lighting - Exo-Terra Repti Glo 5.0 Lamps, 40 watt house light for heat. 12hours on 12 hours off

Temperature - This is the Temp. for dead smack middle of the cage High - "82.9f", Mid - "73f", Low - "66f" i messure this with a exo terra digital thermometer hygrometer combo

Humidity - High "88%", Mid "56%", Low "33%" and once agen a exo terra digital thermometer hygrometer combo

Plants - Yes i have two hanging vine plants i for get there name it starts with a "P" i think i know i talk to you guys befor about them and they are safe, and one Palm tree that you guys deamed safe too but it is about to be replaced with something better... any advice on a good plant that gose from bottom of cage to top any suggestions? u can see these plants on my pofile pics...

Placement - I had the cage in front of the window for the summer then i move it to more of the middle of the inside wall with no windows or vents for winter i figured he would like the light while he could the room he is in is also where my cat uses his litter on the oppiset side of the room and away from the cage and my ferret also lives in this room with my crested geckos they all are deamed there own corners of the room once i move the cage form the window i put a back drop tarp up on the back and 1/4 the sides to catch water while misting and i tuck it into the Diper i made from a tarp on the bottom of the cage then drain out the bottom...not too much traffic and the cat pays the cage no mind i dont think he can see zem lol... the cage sits up on a new build stand about 1 1/2 ft. off the ground...

Location - Irwin, PA 15642

Current Problem - Like i sead the hole eye bulging thing when watering also causing him to not want to drink so he is drinking less and less. He went to go stick his tounge out to get a crix on 2 diff occations and it didnt come out and he made the chewing motion even thow he didnt get anything but after watering the tounge worked agen... and now just resently he was on the floor of his cage he wasnt hurt just standing in the corner and iv seen him climb up and down the sides befor but he just never on the floor... so i picked him up and put him back in the top of his cage the next day i went to see how he was doing and he was hanging by one arm with his feet clasped together and his other hand clasping his feet "cliff hanger" style so i picked him up and he seemed releaved to take the tention off his one arm but still had his other 3 limbs grasping one another i didnt want him to jab himself and cause injury bc his grip was tight so i ran the hot shower and held him in for a min and he finaly let go of his grip and got his footing so i warmed him up a bit and put him back in the cage the next day he was hanging on the rope upside-down and i figured maybe his ropes where to thin and was not supporting him so i took him out the cage and re-enforced his ropes by wraping other ropes around them to make them thicker after all he has grown since he was a 3 month old... do to my lack of handling he also gets angry when he see's me he sticks his tounge into his chin and puffing it out he dosent bite though just makes himself rather realy skiny and hides or puffs up but as soon as he is on my hand he calms down... just not as much as when i first got him and handled him all the time... He is also losing appitie he is eatting less and less and drinking less and less... on a side note my UVB bulb is 1 year old :eek: i know needs changed.

please help sencerly,

Aaron & Zem monster
 
I think its time for a visit to the vet. Might be MBD and the vet can runt tests to confirm it and treat it to stop it. As well as it being treated, its necessary to make husbandry changes to prevent it from happening again.
 
I talk to the vets it will be $58 to get him looked at i get payed this up coming fri ill will then get a new UVB bulb and schedule an appointment to be checked out i went to feed him agen today and he went like he was going to stick his tounge out to get the crix from the cup but it didnt come out and he made like the motion like it came out then he just started chewing on nothing... :confused: so i figured he was dry mouthed so i let him chill in the warm shower steam for like 20 min put him back in his cage up by his basking spot went to give him a crix by hand and stuck his tounge out just a little bit so i got the hand mister and every time i would go to give him a crick he would open his mouth stick tounge out a little so i moved a bit closer so he could grab it and he did so i watered him while he was chewing hoping for him to get some water i repeated this prosses for 4 crixs besides that he is refusing mist do to water getting in his eye and he shuts his eye and it bulges and he then trys to rub it on his rope/vines so i mist very lightly now and carefully so i dont overwelm his eye so he dont shut it and start rubbing this worked a-bit befor i came into work today i also notesed that when he opens his mouth its like he is blowing a spit bubble or its like a clear gew spit kind of deal can that tell you something?? im just worryed..

Thanks,

Aaron & Zem
 
Shimpy45 said:
..... befor i came into work today i also notesed that when he opens his mouth its like he is blowing a spit bubble or its like a clear gew spit kind of deal can that tell you something?? ......
Click to expand...
This suggests potential respiratory infection......not a good thing. Antibiotics probably needed, so vets urgent I think.....can't be sure and all that, but keep humidity up, and I'm also thinking the vit schedule probably needs looking at. Gutloading too, where's the fruit and veg? seeds, nuts, etc.
 
This Fri. i will be getting payed and i will take him to the Repti. Vet here in pittsburgh any suggestions what to transport him in for i dont want him getting stressed out on the way out and back? :confused: :( O ya do you think this would be good for Zem's cage http://exo-terra.com/en/products/fogger.php, and i cant get Zem to eat Fruits or veggies he never has in the 2 1/2 years i owned him let alone nutts or do you mean guttload the crixs with this kind of stuff then feed him the crixs...?

Thanks alot agen,

Aaron Shimp
 
Hey guys i checked those pics i posted for you guys yesterday and they all came out small as a stamp so i guess you cant see much about what i was talking about so i barrowed a labtop and now i fixed the pic albums so now when you click on the pic it becomes much bigger so let me know how you think zem looks as far as MBD and how his cage set up is... is there anything im missing??
Zem - https://www.chameleonforums.com/members/shimpy45-albums-zem-2011-2.html
Zem's Cage - https://www.chameleonforums.com/members/shimpy45-albums-zem-s-cage-2011.html
Thanks,

Aaron Shimp
 
All looks well from here :). You need a vet if you are worried about him, it seems like you are doing everything ok............
 
Last edited:
Hello Mate.. i hope he's doing better. i know some chamz dont like to get spray'd directly by your spray bottle, no matter how fine the mist. Try just misting only the foliage in your setup. He'll drink the droplets. Maybe he will respond better to that.. Live plants seem to keep water droplets longer then artificial plants. Good Luck Mate, Hope he pulls through

ST
 
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