Please read.

My sweet Chryssa passed away this morning around 12:00. I feel like I should reiterate what generally happened so people can avoid the same mistakes.

First off, I bought Chryssa from Petco. I don't regret this because I got her out of terrible living conditions and I offered her a better life for the short time I had with her.

I went through a lot of trial and error when it came to the right feeders and calcium with and without d3. Make sure you are super thorough with your research, and honestly go to the Vet for the proper supplies; they are professionals and know best.

When she stopped eating for some time, I started a thread and talked to you guys. Although immensely helpful, if your chameleon stops eating, I would 100% say confidently to go to the vet, so they can test your cham for parasites. I held off on this because I was told it was probably just a hunger strike, or she was adjusting, or she needed a different feeder, etc. Don't wait. Period. A "probably" should not be trusted when it comes to the life of your chameleon.

Recently she started in strange behaviors, wouldn't open her eyes, and overall didn't have energy; after a brief period of eating normally, she COMPLETELY stopped eating. This is when I took her to the vet. This was on Friday.

I get there and they give her a calcium and water shot, as well as a liquid diet for me to feed her every day. Saturday morning I feed Chryssa her liquid diet and she began to move more and would open her eyes on occasion.

Sunday, I collect a fecal sample and bring it in upon request, and the test revealed she had parasites. They gave me the medication to start in the morning to get rid of her parasites.

This morning I gave her both the liquid diet and the parasite medication. She was more hesitant on opening her eyes, but had bursts of energy. Not even 2 hours later I check on her, and she was unresponsive. I rushed her to the vet but she had already passed.

The moral of this story is GO TO THE VET. If you're getting a chameleon for the first time, take the trip to the vet first thing to rule out any illnesses to begin with. This forum is a great place to connect with people and get great advice and learn about these wonderful Chameleons; but we aren't veterinarians. Please please please take the extra care of your chams, it's worth it. I'm heartbroken and I wish I could have done more.
 
I’m so sorry for your loss! Thank you for taking the time to post this...many new keepers (myself included) need to know this info. I also lost my first Cham due to lack of research and not recognizing obvious signs of illness. You did the right thing and I hope this doesn’t deter you from getting another tree dragon :) *hugs!!*
 
Thank you :) Chryssa was a really special Chameleon and had the most sweet personality ever. She loved being handled and was just the biggest friendly sweetheart ever. I don't know if another tree dragon is anywhere in my near future, but maybe one day :)
 
I am so very sorry for your loss. While I understand your frustration even looking back at your very first post this line was included in the feedback you received. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.

We are not Vets. We are wonderful for getting a review of basic husbandry. We can point people in the right direction for lighting, supplements, and well the basics.

I hope people come here and realize that while we can be a source of information we are not able to provide Vet care. All Chams should have fecals done to rule out parasites. I hope others learn from your situation and will see a Vet to rule out health issues. Because honestly when you throw in improper supplementation, lighting, temps and humidity levels it is really hard to figure out if it is in fact a husbandry issue or if it is a health issue like parasites.

What parasites did they tell you she had? This can make a difference when it comes to certain ones if you should get another Cham.
 
I am so very sorry for your loss. While I understand your frustration even looking back at your very first post this line was included in the feedback you received. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.

We are not Vets. We are wonderful for getting a review of basic husbandry. We can point people in the right direction for lighting, supplements, and well the basics.

I hope people come here and realize that while we can be a source of information we are not able to provide Vet care. All Chams should have fecals done to rule out parasites. I hope others learn from your situation and will see a Vet to rule out health issues. Because honestly when you throw in improper supplementation, lighting, temps and humidity levels it is really hard to figure out if it is in fact a husbandry issue or if it is a health issue like parasites.

What parasites did they tell you she had? This can make a difference when it comes to certain ones if you should get another Cham.
Thank you for your response. I'm not at all blaming you guys on here for her death, I'm just trying to create a bigger emphasis on how important it really is to go to a vet first thing. Sorry if it came across the wrong way. I'm not sure what type of parasites she had, I'm sure its somewhere in the paperwork. I would rather take today to mourn than research, though. I'll try to get back to you on this information at a future date.
 
Thank you for your response. I'm not at all blaming you guys on here for her death, I'm just trying to create a bigger emphasis on how important it really is to go to a vet first thing. Sorry if it came across the wrong way. I'm not sure what type of parasites she had, I'm sure its somewhere in the paperwork. I would rather take today to mourn than research, though. I'll try to get back to you on this information at a future date.
Ok well when you are ready hun. Look into what she did have. There are certain ones that you really have to toss everything to ensure they do not infect another cham. Sending you much love and hugs!
 
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