Still having a few issues with Penelope :/

[PenelopeLove]

Yeah I fell into that "trust the shop guy" trap which is how Pennie got so sick in the first place..
I'm going to have to make her bug juice for breakfast cause she hasn't had anything in 3 days now.. With all the medicine going in I'd just like to get at least 5mls into her... She's so lethargic it's ridiculous! I'm hoping this will give her a little "pick-me-up"...

 

[NolaGirl]

Yeah I fell into that "trust the shop guy" trap which is how Pennie got so sick in the first place..
I'm going to have to make her bug juice for breakfast cause she hasn't had anything in 3 days now.. With all the medicine going in I'd just like to get at least 5mls into her... She's so lethargic it's ridiculous! I'm hoping this will give her a little "pick-me-up"...

You're doing all that you can. Just keep a positive outlook. Keep us updated on how she's doing. We're all rooting for her speedy recovery.

 

[NolaGirl]

How is your cham doing?

 

[PenelopeLove]

Hi Nola Girl
She's getting a little better each day.. I'm very proud of her!
I have found a urate each day the last few days which is a massive improvement and even found a poop that I can finally take in to the vet for a fecal test for parasites!!! I'm such a happy mummy!!! lol
She's still snoozing a fair amount during the day, but no where near as much as before and although she isn't climbing up to the higher spots in her cage she is moving around the cage and picking different spots during the day.. she wasn't doing this a few days ago.
My largest concerns at the moment are that she still isn't eating on her own (I haven't force fed for 2 days) and that she isn't using her hands to grip onto anything... I'm hoping as she gets more energy this will improve, but it's stopping her from moving around and climbing up because she's unable to grip anything with her hands.
But..... things are getting better, so it might take a little while longer to get 100% better, but as long as there is a little improvement each day, that's all that counts

 

[ChameleonMom]

Glad to hear your girl is doing a bit better. Have you received your supplements and UVB bulb yet? These items are SO incredibly vital to her health, besides keeping her hydrated - without them she won't survive. Also, have you gotten a laying bin ready for her? I know someone mentioned she may be nearing her sexual maturity so developing eggs won't be far behind....which in your case could cause additional problems if she's not getting enough calcium. Keep smiling though, you are doing a great job!

 

[PenelopeLove]

Hi ChameleonMom

Yes her supplements and UVB arrived last week thank goodness! I'm not using supplements yet as she is still on the liquid supplement from the vet.. As soon as she starts eating properly I'll start dusting her crickets.
I'm pretty certain she's drinking as I've found one urate each day, but I do offer a little when I give her vitamins and take her weight just incase she needs it.
I force fed 2 crickets today as she hasn't eaten in the last 2 days.. Now that she's finished with all the jabbing and antibiotics, I'm giving her a little space to settle and get her back into a routine with feeding, but after everything she's been through I don't want her to stop eating for too long after all the improvement she's made... Is this the right approach?
I'll get the laying bin sorted for her, I've been doing my research so I can keep an eye out on the signs for when she's ready..
Her coloring has improved 100% just 3 days ago she was still quite dark.. But now she's a lovely minty green (and sometimes almost white!) with her little yellow speckles.. I've also seen a little blue coming out on her back as well

Are there any other suggestions you might have? Anything I can do or try to help her a little more would be fantastic!!

Thank you everyone again!!

 

[rsepiphyte]

She has some muscle wasting that i can see in the musculature of her arms and legs. When was the last time she was deparasitized? Color looks off also. Do you have a reliable reptile vet that you can see? Ruth

 

[ChameleonMom]

Oh sorry, I didn't realise you were still providing vet prescribed supplements still - so yes, do hold off on the powders for now. I haven't gone back to re-read all the posts, but I do see that you are being extremely diligent in your care of Penelope, which is really great to see. I think you're doing a really great job and I have a feeling she's going to overcome this and be a happy little girl. My only suggestion for you at this time would be to change your avatar picture with perhaps a more healthy looking one of Penelope. Every time I see her I think she looks woefully sick and sad. Keep up the great work Mommy!

 

[PenelopeLove]

She has some muscle wasting that i can see in the musculature of her arms and legs. When was the last time she was deparasitized? Color looks off also. Do you have a reliable reptile vet that you can see? Ruth

Hi Ruth

Thank you for reading my post!

My profile pic is from the first day I got her (about 3.5 weeks ago).. I have seen a vet that specializes in reptiles and has experience with chams luckily.. I dropped off a sample for a fecal flotation test just this morning so should get a call about it tomorrow hopefully.. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for good news!

I'm actually quite glad you mentioned about her muscles as this has been a concern of mine.. Her back legs are actually doing very well and the grip in her feet is becoming stronger each day.. Her arms and hands are what I'm worried about. Although I have noticed a large amount of improvement with her arms as far as strength, her hands are still very weak. I have noticed that she is starting to close and open them more but it's almost like she has no idea how to hold on with them. I have tried to upload a pic from Thursday.. It would be great to see if you've noticed any improvement or have any suggestions?

 

[PenelopeLove]

Oh and I know she's dark in this pic lol.. She'd just been given her medicines and didn't really like me at the time!

 

[Julija]

The weak grip of the front legs can also be an indication of a starting calcium deficiency, which she is quite likely to have if she came from a pet store. As mentioned before, pet stores are not always aware of the special needs these wonderful creatures have.

So, does the supplementation your vet gave you have calcium in it? If not, you need to start dusting the insects with calcium powder at every feed (or add some powder to the mashed bugs if she is not eating herself yet). Calcium is crucial for a female, especially if she might be about to start forming her first clutch of eggs.
I am saying this based on my own very sad experience, when I lost a female due to me being very new to the hobby. It all started exactly with weak front limbs, but nothing too obvious, so I just decided that I was being too paranoid.

 

[PenelopeLove]

Hi Julija!

I'm very sorry to hear about your loss, but truely appreciate you sharing this with me.

The supp. she is on is Zolcal D which is a liquid calcium supp. with D3.

Do you think she is going to improve and be able to use her hands?

 

[Julija]

Hi Julija!

I'm very sorry to hear about your loss, but truely appreciate you sharing this with me.

The supp. she is on is Zolcal D which is a liquid calcium supp. with D3.

Do you think she is going to improve and be able to use her hands?

Hi again,

It sounds great with liquid calcium supp. and D3 vitamin, which they need to be able to uptake calcium properly. Normally, they produce enough D3 themselves (UV light is needed, among other things, to stimulate D3 production). So once your girl gets better, you will only need to add Ca+D3 couple times a month, using plain calcium powder without D3 the rest of the time.

It sounds like you are really doing all you can and if it's really caused by calcium deficiency, then you caught it early, so I would think you should be able to see improvement soon. I really wish you that!!!

P.S. Please post an update, when you can

 

[NolaGirl]

I'm glad that she is improving. You are doing a great job. Keep us all updated on her health. I wish Penelope the all the best and I hope that she makes a complete recovery.

 

[PenelopeLove]

Thanks Ladies
It is really nice to hear from others who care as much as I do!
I wasn't able to really spend time with her today and see how she is doing, but found 1 BIG urate in her cage.. will keep an eye out for a poop tomorrow
Still haven't heard from the vet on the fecal floatation but will post an update once I hear something...
Thank you for all the advice!