Rescued an adult male Veiled today, advice appreciated

[KLowery88]

I think he will brighten up wonderfully with some love and care. You can just see those spectacular colors hiding in there. Best of luck to both of you!

Thanks for the we'll wishes! He looks a little better every day. I'm still very worried about the lack of strength in his back legs, the left in particular, but we'll see what the vet says. I'm looking forward to taking him outside for some sun tomorrow.





The mineral oil swabs really helped with his vent.

 

[brownie64]

Hopefully he can tell you what is wrong with that eye. I hope it something that can be reversed. So he does alright aiming at his prey? He really is looking better you're doing great with him.

 

[kinyonga]

Wow...nice improvement in a short time!

 

[KLowery88]

Hopefully he can tell you what is wrong with that eye. I hope it something that can be reversed. So he does alright aiming at his prey? He really is looking better you're doing great with him.

I still haven't seen him eat, but I'm also concerned about his lack of mobility and eyesight. I had a cup of roaches in his enclosure yesterday but he tipped them over and I'm not sure how many he ate.

Tonight I worked up a cup feeder that I can secure on the wall of his enclosure tomorrow morning so hopefully that will help keep feeders secured in one spot for him. This weekend he'll have some hornworms, they due to get here Saturday.

 

[KLowery88]

He still hasn't eaten anything. Hoping it's just the new surroundings, but I'm pretty sure he has limited sight in the eye with the sunken turret. I've read some mentions of vit A deficiency causing eye issues in chams, but I'm not sure it applies to him.

Weighed him last night, he's about 120g right now, though he was a bit squirrelly on the scale and I'll probably retake that measurement today.

He'll get outside time today and I'll be talking to his vet, so we'll see what answers he has for me.

 

[jannb]

He looks so much better. It's really nice to see him turning around for you. Keep up the good work.

 

[KLowery88]

He looks so much better. It's really nice to see him turning around for you. Keep up the good work.

Thanks Jannb. This forum has been a big help and I'm grateful for all the encouragement and advice from everyone here. Fingers crossed that he keeps recovering.

 

[KLowery88]

Well I just got back from the vet and was able to get some answers. At Monty's last visit the vet felt a hard mass in his abdomen, and thinks that it's a large bladder stone or impacted fecal matter pressing on his insides which is causing him to be off food and probably also pressing against nerves that are messing with his back legs. I showed him some photos I took this morning which he confirmed shows some mouth rot.



The vet said that he will likely need surgery, and with Monty's list of ailments, he isn't sure if he will be able to recover from being put under and operated on. I'm dropping him off to get looked over on Monday so the vet can try and come up with alternatives. If he can't, we might have to put him down to keep him from suffering. That's not the outcome I want, so I hope he can come up with another method of helping Monty.

For now, I'll just keep offering food and water and make sure he's as comfortable as I can help him be, and we'll see how he does.

 

[brownie64]

Well that's certainly not the news we wanted. My prayers, and hopes are with you that something alterative can be done.

 

[wodesorel]

I'm so sorry. Crossing my fingers the vet can get creative and find a way to help.

 

[KLowery88]

Well that's certainly not the news we wanted. My prayers, and hopes are with you that something alterative can be done.

I'm so sorry. Crossing my fingers the vet can get creative and find a way to help.

It's very disappointing, especially since he seemed to be doing better. Thank you for the well wishes though, the little guy needs them.

 

[JaniP]

I'm so glad you took him in, he looks like he has a lot more pep in his step! I'm sorry the vet didn't have better news. I am thinking of him <3<3

 

[KLowery88]

Good news! Monty is doing much better than he was when the vet last saw him and the swelling in his abdomen has gone down. He had some very impacted sperm plugs that the vet removed, which should have him feeling better soon.

The vet gave him some fluids, antibiotics, and mineral oil and we're going to let him keep fighting. The vet said he's more optimistic after seeing his progress.

He even ate a roach when we got home, though I think he was more aiming to bite my hand. I'll take it though.

 

[absolutbill]

You are doing a fantastic job, and the love that you are giving him is showing through in his improvements! Taking on a rescue is never easy (I've never tried it, even after years of keeping chams), and to do as well as you are with your first ever chameleon really says a lot for your dedication. To me, his being a bit feisty is showing that he's feeling better, bit by bit. I'd keep him in the cage he's in now, until you are sure that his back legs will fully support him and he's in no danger of falling. After that then I'd upgrade to a 4' tall enclosure. Also, if you have a screened in lanai and have a ficus tree (or something similarly sturdy), you can put him on that for hours at a time. I know you were looking forward to warmer temperatures to do that - just make sure the lanai is secure from birds or other predators. I can't think of anything else that others haven't mentioned, but keep up the good work and the updates - we love a happy ending here on the Forums!

 

[KLowery88]

You are doing a fantastic job, and the love that you are giving him is showing through in his improvements! Taking on a rescue is never easy (I've never tried it, even after years of keeping chams), and to do as well as you are with your first ever chameleon really says a lot for your dedication. To me, his being a bit feisty is showing that he's feeling better, bit by bit. I'd keep him in the cage he's in now, until you are sure that his back legs will fully support him and he's in no danger of falling. After that then I'd upgrade to a 4' tall enclosure. Also, if you have a screened in lanai and have a ficus tree (or something similarly sturdy), you can put him on that for hours at a time. I know you were looking forward to warmer temperatures to do that - just make sure the lanai is secure from birds or other predators. I can't think of anything else that others haven't mentioned, but keep up the good work and the updates - we love a happy ending here on the Forums!

I'm definitely glad for his feistiness. The vet said that he's been a fighter all his life, which has probably saved him.

As for the cage, I've been looking at the Dragon Strand cages and will probably go with one of those. It's a shame that I had to settle for a smaller cage that was about the same price as a much nicer and larger Dragon Strand, but at least he is kept closer to food, water, and light with his lack of mobility. I look forward to setting him up in a bigger cage once he's steadier.

I have a little tree that I took him out in to get some sun, but unfortunately no screened in lanai or porch. I'll continue taking him out as long as weather and work permits, but I just have to sit right next to him.

Updates will definitely keep coming! This forum's members and collective knowledge have helped me so much. I look forward to sharing his progress and will no doubt have more questions as time goes on. Hopefully Monty keeps improving and stays feisty for the rest of his years.

 

[KLowery88]

Well he seems to be eating. So far the roaches and superworms in his feeding cup are disappearing. I still haven't seen him eat though, and he won't take anything from my hand, even hornworms. I'm pretty sure he ate some greens that I offered too.

Found a small poop last night, which is good. Hopefully a larger one will follow after he digests what he's been eating.

His back legs are getting a bit stronger and he's using more of his cage instead of staying still in one spot.

Now that he's feeling better, he's shown high aggression towards hands being reached into the cage. Since one of the things the previous owner told me was that he had to get Monty out of his cage by grabbing him and pulling him off branches, I'm not surprised. For now I'm not too worried about it and I want to focus on making sure he's eating and drinking well. He still has a few weeks of quarantine left before I think about moving him into the office where the other reptiles are, but hopefully then I can start trying to get him more used to friendly people. He'll probably never be a social chameleon, but I can't blame him for that after what he's gone through.

 

[wodesorel]

Oh, that poor guy. I think mine was treated the same way, but the MBD left her so weak she never put up a fight. I think I sort of lucked out in that she was so hungry she would take whatever I gave her in any situation. She sees me pick up that feeding cup now (4oz Solo cup the supers came in from the store) and she goes straight to her feeding spot. I'm starting to lure her out of the cage with it so I never have to grab her for any reason in the future. Yesterday was the first time and I got one foot on my finger! Maybe once you figure out what Monty's favorites are, he'll do the same? It's not about socializing so much as them not being as terrified during cleaning or vet trips.

 

[KLowery88]

Oh, that poor guy. I think mine was treated the same way, but the MBD left her so weak she never put up a fight. I think I sort of lucked out in that she was so hungry she would take whatever I gave her in any situation. She sees me pick up that feeding cup now (4oz Solo cup the supers came in from the store) and she goes straight to her feeding spot. I'm starting to lure her out of the cage with it so I never have to grab her for any reason in the future. Yesterday was the first time and I got one foot on my finger! Maybe once you figure out what Monty's favorites are, he'll do the same? It's not about socializing so much as them not being as terrified during cleaning or vet trips.

Yeah I'm not expecting him to be as gregarious as a beardie or anything, but I would like him to see hands not as things that pull him from safety, but things that bring tasty treats. Right now he's feeling stronger so any attempt to add feeders to his cup or adjust his dripper are causes for hissing and lunging (though it seems to be a lot of noise and bluster). It'll just take time I'm sure. If I can approach him slowly from underneath and he gets his feet on my hand, I can get him out without effort, but reaching, especially from the side with his good eye, is met defensively. I've mostly just been leaving him alone to rest up and heal. I'm glad your girl is making progress though.

One thing that's odd, is while I've never seen him eat, he's tongue-shot at my hand twice now when I haven't had any feeders on it. Has anyone had this happen? It's been while he was being defensive and posturing.

 

[KLowery88]

Monty continues to do well. I've found a method of spraying that he likes and will drink from, and the last poop I found had a nice white urate. By January I'll be able to get him into a properly sized cage, which I'm sure he'll appreciate, and I'll like having an easier time organizing it.

 

[wodesorel]

He looks fantastic. I can see why so many go with males!