Poorly Chameleon

ClaireLou88

New Member
Hi, I have a 6 month old female, she has bin unwell over the last two days, not able to climb or eat and drink. There are no reptile vets close to me. What can I do?
 
Hi ClaireLou and welcome to the forum. I’m sorry to hear your chameleon isn’t doing well. If you could fill out this help form and provide pics of your chameleon and enclosure, it would help to try and determine what the problem may be.

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


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.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 
She 6 months old, had her since July, she is in a medium terrarium,
Lights 100w heat, 0.5 uvb
Night light 100w
Dripper system and is sprayed on a regular basis
I am in the UK, wallasey area,
She has been fine since I got her, then over the last two days she has bin lying on the floor unable to climb
 
Her temp is 110 at the top and between 80 and 70 in the middle, the humidity is between 80 and 90.
I use eco-terra bulbs
i use nutrobal every other feed and calci-dust on every feed.
 
Her temp is 110 at the top and between 80 and 70 in the middle, the humidity is between 80 and 90.
I use eco-terra bulbs
i use nutrobal every other feed and calci-dust on every feed.
I’m sorry to hear about your chameleon. At this point, you’ll have to find a vet—your chameleon needs medical assistance.
 
She 6 months old, had her since July, she is in a medium terrarium,
Lights 100w heat, 0.5 uvb
Night light 100w
Dripper system and is sprayed on a regular basis
I am in the UK, wallasey area,
She has been fine since I got her, then over the last two days she has bin lying on the floor unable to climb

please can you take some time and fill this you barely answer so we can barely help :( sorry for your Cham at this point and from what I read will need a vet but from what I read, your humidity is too high, your bulb is probably not ok for uvb and your night temperatures are too high (depending if you have veiled ou panther your day temp at basking is too high too
when this is all started and do you have picture from last week?

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.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 
Doesn't Nutrobal have D3?

This will be either:
-eggbound
- D3 overdose
-calcium deficiency causing loss of motor control(depending heavily on Nutrobal D3 content and UVB type)

All of which will require a vet visit ASAP. Your detailed help form is still needed.
 
•veiled Cham, 6 months old, had her since July
• Don’t really handle her much because she doesn’t like it and I don’t want to stress her out.
• crickets,locusts, mealworms. Guy loaded with Druid, veg and bug jelly pots
•Cali-dust every feed, nitrobal without D3 every other feed.
•dripper system, sprayed 3-4 a day
•poo is brown with white bits, not tested for parasites
• mesh cage, 16x16x36
• lighting 100w heat bulb, 0.5 uvb bulb, daytime light between 8am-8pm, night lamp needed as my home is very cold at night
• basking spot 90-100F measured by a thermometer
• night temperature between 60-70F
Humidity 40-60%, water sprayed
Fake plants at the moment
Cage is up high, she was in the window but due to weather getting colder she has bin moved to a better area away from the cold
 
I have made her cage smaller so she is closer to the uvb light as she is unable to climb, I have been told that her uvb isn’t good enough and that I should change it for a T5 model
 

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You need way more Foliage, she doesn’t feel safe. Don’t let her see you see her dig because she will abandon the hole. Cut out the mealworms they do nothing for your Cham.
 
Your are correct in that you have the wrong uvb for her. She needs the linear T5HO fixture with a 5.0 uvb bulb. Looking up your supplements, you are not giving her any vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is needed to be able to use the calcium and comes from either uvb, unfiltered sunlight (uvbwon’t pass thru glass) or dietary supplements. You have some other issues with your husbandry...temp is too high - should be 80-85*. A drop in nighttime temperature is fine and desired, as long as it doesn’t get below around 50-60*. Ideal daytime humidity is 30-40%. There’s a few other things, but I feel these are the most important corrections to make. However, if she is not eating, not able to climb and is laying on the floor, she needs to be seen by a veterinarian ASAP.
Mealworms are not a good source of nutrition and can be hard to digest.
 
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There’s two different regimens of supplementation.
-phosphorus free calcium without D3 on every feeding. Phos free calcium with D3 one feeding every other week, alternate with one feeding with a multivitamin.

- Repashy brand Calcium with LoD with every feeding. No other supplementation is required.
 
Ok, I will change the light tomorrow, and get more plants, this is meant to be a temporary cage for her, she is getting a new one built, I was told not to put her in a bigger cage till she is bigger so that’s why she is still in this one, what are the best live plants to get?
 
I was told to use these, the cal-dust every feed and the other one every other feed
 

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Ok, I will change the light tomorrow, and get more plants, this is meant to be a temporary cage for her, she is getting a new one built, I was told not to put her in a bigger cage till she is bigger so that’s why she is still in this one, what are the best live plants to get?
Pothos, also known as devil’s ivy is the best. Dracaena (all types), Schefflera and hibiscus are safe.
Have you made a vet appointment? Making the suggested changes is for maintenance and will not help with whatever her current health issue is.
 
I spoke to the vet yesterday, she didn’t have much knowledge on chameleons and told me to try and give her some water from a syringe and to mush meal worms up to feed her. I am going to phone round tomorrow to find a vet that knows about chameleons
 
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