Sick male chameleon

Pollyjoe

New Member
Hello! I have a male chameleon. I checked on him this morning and saw him at the bottom of his cage, at around 5 pm I noticed he was still at the bottom and was weak and unable to move. I moved him closed to his heat lamp, and have now been force feeding him water and trying to force feed him crickets. With the crickets he leaves them in his mouth. He is extremely weak and his body was cold. There are no vets that can see him at this time and now I am unsure what to do. Please help me because it feels like I am waiting for him to die with the resources I have now.
 
Hello! I have a male chameleon. I checked on him this morning and saw him at the bottom of his cage, at around 5 pm I noticed he was still at the bottom and was weak and unable to move. I moved him closed to his heat lamp, and have now been force feeding him water and trying to force feed him crickets. With the crickets he leaves them in his mouth. He is extremely weak and his body was cold. There are no vets that can see him at this time and now I am unsure what to do. Please help me because it feels like I am waiting for him to die with the resources I have now.
Do you have a pic you can share of him right now?
 

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I’m no expert especially on veileds but I suspect you have a female full of eggs and needs a vet asap. I will try and tag someone more experienced. If that’s a girls she is looking for a laybin (hanging at the bottom)
 
I’m no expert especially on veileds but I suspect you have a female full of eggs and needs a vet asap. I will try and tag someone more experienced. If that’s a girls she is looking for a laybin (hanging at the bottom)
Thank you
 
Hello, you definitely have a girl, and she has color's indicating that she had gone receptive at some point. Due to eye closed and how sunken they are I'd say you need to get to a reptile vet asap, especially if she is eggbound. Here is our vet list
https://www.chameleonforums.com/attachments/chameleon-forums-vet-list-2024-u-s-a-pdf.354451/

Alongside that here is a link to a blog about how female chameleons lay eggs, I suggest reading it as it has a lot of very important information like how to make/set up a lay bin. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/veiled-chameleon-laying-101.2488/
 
I feel so horrible. I believe she has passed. I’ve had her for years and the pet store I bought her from told me she was a male so I was completely unprepared for this. Now that I know,I have found eggs in her cage in the past but I didn’t know that it was an egg at the time. I just thought it was a weird shaped poop. I never did any of the proper things to help her lay eggs and I feel horrible knowing I could’ve prevented her passing if I only had been more informed and had noticed something was wrong quicker. Thank you all for your help
 
So sorry for your loss. Keep her in your heart.

How many years did you have her?

It’s so sad that the pet stores can’t tell people when they have a female…especially when it’s an easy one to sex, like a veiled. I wonder often if some of the stores know that most people want a male rather than a female and telling the potential owner would stop a sale from happening.

Again, sorry for your loss.
 
I feel so horrible. I believe she has passed. I’ve had her for years and the pet store I bought her from told me she was a male so I was completely unprepared for this. Now that I know,I have found eggs in her cage in the past but I didn’t know that it was an egg at the time. I just thought it was a weird shaped poop. I never did any of the proper things to help her lay eggs and I feel horrible knowing I could’ve prevented her passing if I only had been more informed and had noticed something was wrong quicker. Thank you all for your help
I'm so sorry for your loss, unfortunately pet stores often are full of misinformation and lots of story's are like this. Don't blame yourself to hard as you did your best on what information you were given. She was a beautiful girl; may she rest in peace. ❤️

If you ever decide on adopting another chameleon, we are here to help you. Sending hugs 🫂
 
I feel so horrible. I believe she has passed. I’ve had her for years and the pet store I bought her from told me she was a male so I was completely unprepared for this. Now that I know,I have found eggs in her cage in the past but I didn’t know that it was an egg at the time. I just thought it was a weird shaped poop. I never did any of the proper things to help her lay eggs and I feel horrible knowing I could’ve prevented her passing if I only had been more informed and had noticed something was wrong quicker. Thank you all for your help
Don't beat yourself up too much. Of any reptile I've ever seen, chameleons are the most misunderstood regarding husbandry. You worked with love and care with the information you DID have. You took the best care of your cham that you could. Do your best to not feel guilty about what happened. Sending love and condolences. Losing your pet is never easy. Please don't be too hard on yourself.

And as said above, you're welcome here anytime! If you think you might want to get another one, we're here to help you get the information you need. Hugs!
 
I’m so sorry for your loss. Please remember you were given incorrect information right from the start so do not beat yourself up. Your family and little cham are in my thoughts, and if you do decide to try again please come back right to this forum and we will do our best to make the next experience enjoyable and healthy for all. Sending a hug.
 
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