Senior Cham Questions

[leezard]

I have a 6yr old male veiled cham. I am curious what signs of age I should be looking out for. He is already slower, eats less, and tongue isn't on point. I am assuming these are age related issues.
I have been searching the web for info on aging chameleons and cannot find any. Any info is helpful.

 

[jannb]

When my guys got older they showed all the signs you mentions above. Some of them got arthritis also and it caused them to fall so I had to put them on short trees (I free range everybody). They can get Adequan injections and Metacam for that and it helps allot. I also had one with high blood pressure, which caused his eyes to be puffy and hardening of the arteries and that caused him to have a stroke. They also get cancer. Basically they pretty much get everything that we do. It's important to have regular checkups, x-ray and blood work more often so you can stay right on top of everything

 

[leezard]

food

Since he cannot really target anything I have been giving him red peppers for some reason he loves them. Any other foods good for a old cham man. Also what is a normal age for a captive cham? When they are going to die do they act a certain way?

 

[SaintJimmy]

Since he cannot really target anything I have been giving him red peppers for some reason he loves them. Any other foods good for a old cham man. Also what is a normal age for a captive cham? When they are going to die do they act a certain way?

I've heard most of them are healthy but then slowly decline. Either that or they seem healthy but kind of lethargic and in pain and then they suddenly find a dead chameleon in their cage.

My dad's girlfriend's friend had a chameleon named Beau for a long time and he used to roam free around the house (no cats or dogs) and he was totally healthy and loved everyone. He was around 7-8 years old and then over the course of like two days he started slowing down a whole bunch and then one day they woke up and he was dead.

Usually they like like 5-7 years hopefully. Or even 9.

But I think it all depends on the cham (how they act near their "time").

I think you're doing a good job feeding him greens so he doesn't have to move around too much.

 

[sandrachameleon]

things I noticed with panthers over 6
Slowing down, less vibrant colours, unsteady or weakening grip, weight loss.

organs become less functional, muscle too

I suggest cup/bowl feeding, so that any disfunction with the tongue isn't an issue with eating. Becoming thin is common in older chams.

Make sure water is easily available. give lots of silkworms and some hornworms, and Inject other feeders with water if needs be to ensure hydration.
lighten up a bit on supplementation

 

[CLP]

I have an almost 6 year old male veiled that I rescued last year. He had spent his entire life in a dark, dank basement, so I'm excited to be able to show him real sunshine this summer!

He is definitely much slower than my 1 year old male, has fallen occasionally, and also has issues with his tongue. I have been using a shorter cup for cup feeding (only about 4 inches tall) which of course, doesn't work well for the crickets as they can jump out. When I'm giving him crickets, I usually put them in the cup 2-3 at a time and hold it in front of him for him to eat. I find if he can get his head really close to them, his "on target" rate is about 80%. And that way, I can catch any crickets that jump out before they get lost in the house. Also for other feeders like worms, I tend to hand feed. When he sticks his tongue out, I literally press my hand up to his face and stick the worm to his tongue Time consuming, but it works! He's a real sweetheart, but definitely has trouble catching his prey.