Sick / spasm with video

GrandJean

GrandJean

Established Member
Hi,

I am having issues with my parsons. Both were really thriving but something happened in the last 2 week, I’m not sure what it is but both have stopped eating and are Hiding all the time.

I am due for my follow up vet visit for parasites Friday the 23rd.

I have a feeling this is the issue , I moved them out the cage for a while the other day to clean and make some changes with the lighting. They seemed stressed after so I let them be. Following week they were more timid than usual but still eating. Now they have stopped for about 5 days.

Male no longer follows his morning routine and female sleeps earlier than usual (not during day but a few hours before closing time)

All this I can handle until the vet visit, but now female refuses even water and I’m alarmed cause when she sees food or water, her belly has a spasm. I know she wants to eat and drink but turns away after the spasm.

We aren’t in a death spiral yet but I suspect we aren’t that far away.

Please see video, I have only observed 5 spasm, they only happen when food or water is around. This one is the least violent of the 5 and the only one I got on video.



Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Chameleon history on this thread:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/parsons-chameleon-long-term-thread.186948/
 
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - sub adult WC Parsonii Parsonii female

  • Handling - To clean and take outside on occasions

  • Feeding - Only accepts crickets, was eating 10 -15 a day
  • Supplements - Repcal w/o d3 every feeding, with d3 and reptivite every second week
  • Watering - auto mister, big dripper and direct
  • Fecal Description -brown normal shape, no smell, white with slight orange hue
  • History - WC
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Screen 48 » x 48 »
  • Lighting - 2 100w powersun / messing 4.0 at basking point 2 higher end of cage, 0.5 mid cage
  • Temperature - 24c lower end 28 higher
  • Humidity - 60%
  • Plants - live, chameleon safe
  • Placement - Downstairs, has a hepa ventilation system
  • Location - Québec
Current Problem - Not eating, spasms, no longer drinking.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 
Here is a different angle, you can see the Chameleon showing first signs of interest in food movement but then has a few contractions.

 
DonKeesh said:
Parsons are slow drinkers, while you wait for the vet can you give her some long mist sessions around 30 min? If the mist collects on her face eventually she will start drinking but it could take the entire 30 minutes.
Click to expand...
Im trying to set a emergency vet appointment, but trustworthy chameleon vets are rare here and I have the best one in the province but he is in demand, I will see if they are open to viewing the video link.

I took the day off, I put her outside this morning in natural sunlight, her coloration is definitely better and her eyes are aren't as sunk in. Still no interest for food or water.

I am going to let her warm up naturally into the afternoon and monitor her, then set up the mister and give her a 30 minute outdoor shower see if it helps. I see her drink all the time usually. Im also gonna set up the fogger for heavy fogging at night, to ensure she stays hydrated.

She had a poop on friday and it was pretty perfect, so I dont think its impaction. Im leaning towards lung infection or some sort of stress induced bacterial/parasite post treatment rebound. They both had a heavy pinworm load on arrival, vet gave me a light treatment to see how they reacted. After treatment they became voracious eaters and full of energy, but now a few weeks later, its like they are worst that before.
 
GrandJean said:
Im trying to set a emergency vet appointment, but trustworthy chameleon vets are rare here and I have the best one in the province but he is in demand, I will see if they are open to viewing the video link.

I took the day off, I put her outside this morning in natural sunlight, her coloration is definitely better and her eyes are aren't as sunk in. Still no interest for food or water.

I am going to let her warm up naturally into the afternoon and monitor her, then set up the mister and give her a 30 minute outdoor shower see if it helps. I see her drink all the time usually. Im also gonna set up the fogger for heavy fogging at night, to ensure she stays hydrated.

She had a poop on friday and it was pretty perfect, so I dont think its impaction. Im leaning towards lung infection or some sort of stress induced bacterial/parasite post treatment rebound. They both had a heavy pinworm load on arrival, vet gave me a light treatment to see how they reacted. After treatment they became voracious eaters and full of energy, but now a few weeks later, its like they are worst that before.
Click to expand...
Watching thread , just did vet check with my mail wild caught . He has a low count of pinworms was given medicine to treat all three . Was gonna start this weekend now I’m concerned .. I don’t have the name with me could you tell the name of the medicine used for deworming ?? Do you think may have something to do with The deworming?
 
Just caught her upside down with mouth open, though she was dead had no reaction to me

CAA5BA1E-00FF-4E0D-8806-C97946454F5A.jpeg
 
Nooo, this can't be true.....I'm so sorry, really sorry for the both of you.
How's the male doing in the meantime?
 
Last edited:
crosscutts said:
Watching thread , just did vet check with my mail wild caught . He has a low count of pinworms was given medicine to treat all three . Was gonna start this weekend now I’m concerned .. I don’t have the name with me could you tell the name of the medicine used for deworming ?? Do you think may have something to do with The deworming?
Click to expand...
No it doesn’t have any link with the deworming, they thrived after it.
 
Ok,

What a day. I decided to bolt out for a emergency vet since my vet turns out is on vacation and no one else « recommended » was available. What made me freak out this morning is that she walked down her tree with her mouth open and didn’t have enough energy to walk on the floor, looked like she was having a seizure or something, her eyes where gone, not reacting to anything.

After 3 hours of driving and 2 hours in the emergency room, I met an exotic vet.

She wasn’t a chameleon specialist but had good general reptile knowledge. When things can’t get worse, turns out their CT scan machine was broken, so no lung scan. She wasn’t willing to give me more than an educated guess, (it’s not her fault the scan is broken) so after discussion and watching the videos a few times, I decided to treat for Lung infection, vitamin A deficiency and electrolyte imbalance.

Later this evening I finally saw what I needed to see (see pic)

44EABE49-616D-4204-AB5D-7687EF186BDA.jpeg


It’s not good news, it’s very bad news, but, at least she has been injected with the proper antibiotic. Survival over the next 72 hours is crucial. I will do everything I can to try and save her.

To clarify, she received the following

- 0.02ml ceftazidime injection
- 2 ml saline solution injection
- vitamin a boost in mouth (back order on injections)
 
Last edited:
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