Rescue Chameleon

Dubaroo

New Member
Hello everyone, about three weeks ago I rescued a chameleon who was really not taken care of well for about 8 months. He is about a year old- but small I’m sure due to the fact that he wasn’t taken care of properly. They had him in a 12x18 glass enclosure with one branch and no foliage and a water bowl. They did have a fogger and a heat lamp that also gave off UVA. he actually doesn’t look unhealthy to me. His colors brightened a ton after I got him under correct heat and UVB (Arcadia T5 12%, basking at 85) but here we are three weeks later and he’s not doing well. Is it possible I’ve overwhelmed him with the things that he needs but wasn’t getting for so long? too much UVB? Too much calcium/vitamins? I dusted with vitamins & D3 once and calcium every other time. He was eating 3-5 crickets every other day but it has been three days since he’s eaten anything. He is weak (not gripping his perches well, sometimes almost laying down on the vines/plants). I am trying to get him into the vet but they told me they are completely booked until the 13th but would let me know if anyone cancels. Please give me your thoughts.
 

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Id drop him to just calcium without D3. He looks good weight and bones look good. The powerful 12% and straight calcium should be fine for quite a while. And as you say, most of the time the problem is over supplementing vs under.

Id just keep a look out for the normal things, dehydration, sucken eyes, dirty vent. But he is an adult, so hes not going to each much, maybe a dozen grown crickets a week in his prime. its winter here and mine would eat half that. I might only get 1-2 full grown dubia in him a week.
 
Id drop him to just calcium without D3. He looks good weight and bones look good. The powerful 12% and straight calcium should be fine for quite a while. And as you say, most of the time the problem is over supplementing vs under.

Id just keep a look out for the normal things, dehydration, sucken eyes, dirty vent. But he is an adult, so hes not going to each much, maybe a dozen grown crickets a week in his prime. its winter here and mine would eat half that. I might only get 1-2 full grown dubia in him a week.
Thank you for your input. What about the fact that he’s almost falling off his vines? :( there must be something wrong.
 
Hi and welcome. :) It sounds like you’ve got a good idea of basic husbandry, but if you’d like we can do a full review and see if anything stands out. Answer the questions found here and we can do that. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/ It is possible that your guy has parasites or some other internal problem that will need a vet to find/treat.
Thank you will do that when I get home from work. I’m just so confused as to why he could be treated so poorly and be fine but then when I improve his husbandry he declines. I hope they can get me in soon and help him. I don’t want him to suffer anymore
 
Stress can play a huge role in a chameleon’s well being. Even though his care was horrible before, he obviously adjusted to it on some level. The stress of moving to a new home could have brought out a pre-existing problem that he was just barely hiding before.
 
Stress can play a huge role in a chameleon’s well being. Even though his care was horrible before, he obviously adjusted to it on some level. The stress of moving to a new home could have brought out a pre-existing problem that he was just barely hiding before.
I see
 
If you fill out the form this will help us to help you... Plus add pics of the entire set up. Could be an issue of the UVB since the 12% bulbs need to be about 12 inches from the basking branch. So you have to lift the fixture up off the cage 4 inches then 8 inches from screen to branch. This puts them in the correct UVI level at the branch.
 
Did you put him in a used cage? Was it cleaned out well after its last inhabitant left?

Can he see other animals? Are their other veiled chameleons in the same room with him?
 
If you fill out the form this will help us to help you... Plus add pics of the entire set up. Could be an issue of the UVB since the 12% bulbs need to be about 12 inches from the basking branch. So you have to lift the fixture up off the cage 4 inches then 8 inches from screen to branch. This puts them in the correct UVI level at the branch.
Oh- I thought it was 6-8 inches because the screen blocks some of the UVB.
 
Did you put him in a used cage? Was it cleaned out well after its last inhabitant left?

Can he see other animals? Are their other veiled chameleons in the same room with
If you fill out the form this will help us to help you... Plus add pics of the entire set up. Could be an issue of the UVB since the 12% bulbs need to be about 12 inches from the basking branch. So you have to lift the fixture up off the cage 4 inches then 8 inches from screen to branch. This puts them in the correct UVI level at the branch.
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Veiled chameleon. Male. Approximately 1 year old. I have had him three weeks.
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
I have handled him twice a week since getting him.
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
I was feeding crickets every other day. I did feed dubia twice. He would eat 3-5 crickets each time up until about three days ago- he hasn’t eaten since. I feed my crickets carrots.
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Reptivite with D3 once since getting him, calcium every other time
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
I mist 30 min before heat comes on in the morning and 30 min after heat goes off at night. I did see him go to the water to drink up until about three days ago.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
His first stool I saw was kind of yellow and dark brown. I saw two after that with no yellow/white and just brown. Since then I have only seen white urates. He has not been tested.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
He was kept in a 12x18 glass enclosure with just a heat bulb that gives off UVA (it looked very old, probably not ever replaced in the approx 8 months they had him). As far as I know, he never got any supplements. They fed him crickets and occasionally mealworms. He had a fogger but I am unsure of how they used it. He had no
 
Not sure why in the post above it keeps saying “Kinyonga said” as if it’s a quote from my post to you…all I asked you was…
“Did you put him in a used cage? Was it cleaned out well after its last inhabitant left?”
and
“Can he see other animals? Are their other veiled chameleons in the same room with him?”
You didn’t answer either of my questions.

Since I didn’t ask you the things you have marked as “Kinyongia said” I leave it to you to clarify who you’re asking.
 
Oh- I thought it was 6-8 inches because the screen blocks some of the UVB.
No with a 12% T5HO bulb in a single bulb T5HO fixture you need 12 inches to the branch for a 3 UVI level at the cham. With a 6% T5HO bulb in a single bulb T5HO fixture you need 8-9 inches to the branch for a 3 UVI level at the cham. This is why most of us will use a 6% bulb instead so you do not have to lift the fixture off the top.

At 6-8 inches under a 12% he would be in overexposure levels that are higher than levels they would experience from the sun in the wild.
 
No with a 12% T5HO bulb in a single bulb T5HO fixture you need 12 inches to the branch for a 3 UVI level at the cham. With a 6% T5HO bulb in a single bulb T5HO fixture you need 8-9 inches to the branch for a 3 UVI level at the cham. This is why most of us will use a 6% bulb instead so you do not have to lift the fixture off the top.

At 6-8 inches under a 12% he would be in overexposure levels that are higher than levels they would experience from the sun in the wild.
Okay thank you for the clarification! Could this be the cause of his weakness or probably not? Something worth mentioning to the vet anyway?
 
Okay thank you for the clarification! Could this be the cause of his weakness or probably not? Something worth mentioning to the vet anyway?
If the cham is in levels that are not natural on earth then yes... This can cause issues. Granted this has not been extensively studied but a few inches with these bulbs especially a 12% on the cage top changes the UVI quite a bit and you can double the UVI level just going up a few inches. When we talk about safe levels we are speaking to anything below a 6 UVI level. These bulbs easily produce 4 times that amount as you get up to the bulb.

So this would be a husbandry correction... But I would go ahead and get a fecal done as well to rule out parasite issues.

If the falling was happening when you first got him then I would say lack of correct lighting and supplementation. But my understanding is it is happening after having him under the 12% bulb for the last few weeks. Then with the distance being 6-8 inches this tells be he would be in overexposure levels. So I am linking the issue to the UVB lighting not being the correct distance.

Supplements should be calcium without D3 and then a multivitamin with D3 and A given 2 times a month say the 1st and the 15th. You could use repashy calcium plus LoD version or Reptivite with D3 for the multivitamin.
 
Hello everyone, about three weeks ago I rescued a chameleon who was really not taken care of well for about 8 months. He is about a year old- but small I’m sure due to the fact that he wasn’t taken care of properly. They had him in a 12x18 glass enclosure with one branch and no foliage and a water bowl. They did have a fogger and a heat lamp that also gave off UVA. he actually doesn’t look unhealthy to me. His colors brightened a ton after I got him under correct heat and UVB (Arcadia T5 12%, basking at 85) but here we are three weeks later and he’s not doing well. Is it possible I’ve overwhelmed him with the things that he needs but wasn’t getting for so long? too much UVB? Too much calcium/vitamins? I dusted with vitamins & D3 once and calcium every other time. He was eating 3-5 crickets every other day but it has been three days since he’s eaten anything. He is weak (not gripping his perches well, sometimes almost laying down on the vines/plants). I am trying to get him into the vet but they told me they are completely booked until the 13th but would let me know if anyone cancels. Please give me your thoughts.
Went to the vet Wednesday. He checked for parasites and that came back negative. He passed a huge urate and dry poop after that (after 4 days of not eating). No sign of respiratory infection. Dr gave fluids and critical care and told me to see how he was in a couple days. He’s still lethargic and laying down on branches, but did eat two crickets last night. I haven’t seen him drink.
 
Went to the vet Wednesday. He checked for parasites and that came back negative. He passed a huge urate and dry poop after that (after 4 days of not eating). No sign of respiratory infection. Dr gave fluids and critical care and told me to see how he was in a couple days. He’s still lethargic and laying down on branches, but did eat two crickets last night. I haven’t seen him drink.
 

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Yes. He’s still really week though :( I called the vet but they haven’t returned my call
Can you please post a full pic of the enclosure lights down to the bottom for me and pics of the cham from today? Also can I see pics of the labels of the supplements your using just to double check them?
 
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