Diinomos
Member
Hello everyone!!! I've grown very trustworthy of this forum page as well as different reliable chameleon youtube channels (i.e. Neptune the Chameleon) and I would just like to share a concern from my first experience at the closest exotic vet near me. They had good yelp reviews and I was convinced to give it a go since it was my first time taking my 7 month old veiled cham. The staff was nice and all but I wanna focus on the doctor himself. I took my cham to the vet because his poop smelled very stinky from far which I know can be a bad thing and may be caused by some bacterial infection. Along with that, some of his poop would have undigested pheonix worms (I know it's pheonix worms bc they look exactly like the ones I feed her and they're not moving). I let the doc know that I feed her a mix of dubias, pheonix worms, very little mealworms or wax worms as a small snack (i know these two aren't the best feeders which is why I feed in moderation) and that I gutload them with kale, apples, and carrots the night before. He told me not to feed so many because there could be an imbalance of nutrients or something like that, and recommended me to feed her Earthworms, Mealworms, and Crickets (my first concern came here, I heard earthworms aren't the best for chameleons, mealworms are like snack so shouldn't be fed often or in large quantities, and Crickets aren't the best feeders?) And I let him know that I feed calcium everyday by dusting them and Vitamins with D3 twice a month, and he told me to not feed her Insects with calcium everyday but 2 to 3 times a week bc it can be poisonous (which I know but that's why I dust the Insects lightly and not leave them like white powdered donuts) and he kept reiterating how D3 is very dangerous even for humans, which, I am aware of as well (not the human part, but the part of dusting too much vitamin with D3). Another thing was, when he checked my chameleon, he squeezed her sides on the part of her ribs and as uncomfortable as I was him doing that I tolerated it bc it's the doc and I assume that's what's necessary for a proper check up. After my Cham got a lil angry at him, hissed, and nearly bit his finger causing him to jolt his hand back, he said she's dehydrated and then later recommended me to spray her directly for 3 days straight (another concern because I read everywhere that spraying chameleons directly is not a good thing as they can get stressed from it, also I can't entirely tell how this is any better than giving water-rich Insects like hornworms which I asked if I can feed her hornworms instead for hydration but he insisted to spray directly). I was confused about this because i didnt really go in the vet thinking she was dehydrated especially since her urate looked perfect (white, short, slightly shiny/wet without orange spots). Then they weighed my chameleon and again, very uncomfortable seeing the nurse grab her on the sides of the head while her mouth gaped and she hissed at him. They took the fecal sample I brought and will send me results later and want me to bring her next week for a check up which I am very hesitant for as, after my chameleon was done, she became aggressive with me when I tried putting her back in her cage back home (very heartbreaking to see but honestly expect it when your chameleon is being handled by new people who are under time constraints from other animal appointments). One final thing is the doctor prescribed Baytril and to feed 0.3ml directly on her mouth everyday. All of this costed around $141. I feel absolutely terrible having to see my poor chameleon being handled that way but again, I am hoping it is just the way of veterinarian standards to perform under the time limits of having other appointments to attend to. With that said, I would love to get everyone else's responses as to what your thoughts are with the insect recommendation and hydrating recommendation. Thank you all for taking the time to read this and I look forward for your responses!
Last edited: