really sick

[jmdavis]

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - 2x2x3 screen cage
* Lighting - Reptisun 5.0 and a standard house bulb for heat
* Temperature - Daytime temps are 85 to 90 with about a 10 degree drop at night
* Humidity - From about 40 till i spray the cage then it jumps to around 85
* Plants - Schefflera and jasmine
* Placement - cage is in a bedroom with a fan and the ac vent doesn't blow directly on it
* Location - Rockledge, Fl


Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - Its a male veiled. I have had him about 1 week. hes around 10 months
* Handling - not often at all
* Feeding - he was fed with crickets that come gut loaded from the pet store. He would usually eat about 5 every other day?
* Supplements - Rep cal calcium with D3, regular calcium and herptivite
* Watering - spray bottle for about 4 min at least twice a day. he only drinks when your not in the room
* Fecal Description - the last i seen were light brown and mushy

Okay here's the story. This cham was given to me by my roommate about 2 weeks ago so all the information i filled in up top is correct to the best of my knowledge. He was given to me because my roommate cant have him at the place hes moving to. He has had problems with this guy since day one, he was never really a big eater from the beginning and never grew at all. My female veiled is 4 times the size and shes 2 months younger then him. Around 2 weeks ago he shut his eyes and stopped eating completely. Ive started to put him in the shower on a plant to help him drink and it seems to be working. I still cant get him to open his eyes or eat on his own. I plan on taking him to the vet but i just can afford it right now but in a week i should be able to. I guess im just looking for suggestions on what to do till i get him to the vet?

 

[chambabysitter1]

If you call your local vet and ask to do a payment plan or to defer the payment for a week or two, they will usually let you do so. Well some do anyways.

Good luck to you and the new buddy.

 

[ChameleonAyer]

Remember when you take him to the vet to take a stool sample with you so they can test for parasites.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

What does the inside of his mouth look like?

-Brad

 

[jmdavis]

his mouth is clean, looks normal

 

[Carlton]

Well, sounds as if he didn't get great care before you got him or there is some nutritional or genetic defect going on that stunted his growth. There are lots of inbred veileds around. If it was lack of good nutrition he is still young enough to make some of that up. But, more immediately, I think your showers will help. If his eyelids aren't fused with discharge (indicating an infection) I'll bet he's dehydrated. A dehydrated cham's eyes bother them so they sit with them closed much of the time. They won't eat either. The AC in the room is probably drying the cage air out pretty quickly after you spray. Check the humidity level frequently after you spray to see just how fast it dries out. Chams lose a lot of body moisture just through respiration in dry air. A little test you can do is to check his skin for "tenting". Gently take a skin fold between thumb and finger, lift it slightly and release. If the skin stays folded after you release it, he's dehydrated. This can show up before a cham shows the sunken eyes or collapsed casque.

Some tips to keep the humidity up include really filling the cage with live foliage and draping plastic sheeting on the back and/or sides of the cage. The more surfaces to receive spray the longer it will take to dry out again.

How old is the UV light? If more than 6 months get a new one. If he's in a spot where there is a lot of activity or he can see other animals, these are stressing him out too.

 

[jmdavis]

since he has been in my care i have been free ranging him out on my screened in back porch. i live in Florida so i figured the humility would help him out. The uv light is about 2 months old and hes getting the morning sun because hes outside. Im going to try the skin test in the morning

 

[jannb]

This guy needs a vet ASAP. There's a really good chameleon vet in Orlando.....Dr. Alfonso.