Urgent! Please help!

[vladdimir26]

Hello everybody! It has been a while since I have posted anything on chameleonforums since everything was going smooth. My chameleon hasn't had anything to eat for 2 weeks and a half. I realized way too late to that I needed to buy new feeders and before I knew it, i was out of crickets to feed him. I ordered them and they said it would only take a week to deliver, but then there was a mix up and it took TWO WEEKS for the crickets to get here. They just finally arrived here yesterday and I tried to give him about 10 crickets. The poor little creature could barely even eat them. He seemed weak with no strength. He could barely shoot his tongue with with power, and when i tried to take him out of the cage to hand feed him closer I noticed that his grip was pretty weak and he looked skinny. He did eat all the 6 crickets but he barely ate 3-4 today. I dont know what to do! I feel like a horrible owner because of my own moronic stupidity to realize I needed to buy him more crickets before it ran out.

 

[carol5208]

couldn't you have gone to a pet store and bought some crickets to hold you over? Or what about going out and catching some wild caught insects? I cannot understand letting an animal go two weeks without food. It makes no sense to me.... sorry

 

[ataraxia]

Agree with carol but at the same time how does a animal fall into the category of skinny in two weeks>? Something aint right here...We need you to fill out the how to ask for help form and please provide some pics.

 

[Baby Lobie]

hmmm... Petsmart sells crickets.. so does Pet Co.. Im sure they have one of those where you live.. FYI for the next time.. I dont think theres much you can do at this point but try to feed him the best you can.. think of it like this.. what if someone starved you for 2 weeks? your stomach would shrink but im sure you would eat as much as you possibly can as soon as someone gives you food.. but since your stomach shrinked.. you are not going to eat as much as you did before. and yea.. id imagine he's weak.. that'll take a while for him to get his strength back.. it wont happen over night. especially if just barely yesterday was when he got his first meal in 2 weeks.. hope you get better little guy..

 

[pigglett79]

I don't understand either. It's not possible that you couldn't find some feeders either at the pet store or outside. I hope your chameleon recovers, but I think you are going to have a hard time getting the response you are looking for. Do keep trying to hand feed and make sure your chameleon is drinking.

Edit: I say post a picture and I am feeling like this is a troll post. Who would go 2 weeks without feeding their pet?

 

[FrankTheTank]

wow.....................just wow

 

[FrankTheTank]

I'm sorry...I shouldn't have posted anything unless I was going to be helpful.

I would make sure your cham is fully hydrated. Have you been misting/dripping water frequently these past 2 weeks?

 

[Kate]

You have another problem here as no food= no calcium= no extra d3 I hope you have uv.

 

[Alexl]

The poor little creature could barely even eat them. He seemed weak with no strength. He could barely shoot his tongue with with power, and when i tried to take him out of the cage to hand feed him closer I noticed that his grip was pretty weak and he looked skinny.

How old is your chameleon? If it is adult, it should be able to stay for two weeks without food without any problems. Then the health issues may have another reason which you should get checked by your reptile vet immediately. If your chameleon is only a couple of month old, it would be in trouble after two to three weeks without food (lack of enegery, calcium and vitamins while growing). I would take a younger one showing the signs you described (can't shoot, weak grip) under intensive veterinary care, too. "He looks skinny" is no sign of illness. They always look skinny, you always can see ribs, the hip, the column etc. But the other symptoms should be taken seriously.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Not sure where you ordered from but the only shipping options offered when I order is overnight or two day delivery. Never a week. Half the crickets would be dead in that time. So that part doesn't smell right to me...sorry.

And if he's over a year old (you posted he was 4 months old when you got him in December 2011) two weeks without food would not cause starvation or weakness. If he truly is acting that way and it has only been two weeks since he ate then there is something else going on. Please fill out the husbandry questionnaire so we can evaluate everything and post a picture of him.

 

[FrankTheTank]

Not sure where you ordered from but the only shipping options offered when I order is overnight or two day delivery. Never a week. Half the crickets would be dead in that time. So that part doesn't smell right to me...sorry.

well sometimes, like with mulberry farms, they wait till tuesday to ship orders over 500 crickets. So if he ordered tuesday afternoon he might've had to wait a week. I don't know if that's the case but it's possible

 

[Psychobunny]

You mean they only bulk ship once a week??
That alone sounds like good enough reason to buy from someplace else

 

[Elizadolots]

I think the idea is that they won't ship if there's a chance that the package might not get delivered because of the weekend. Most places I've bought from ship Mon-Wed only. So, yes, if you order past the last shipping day (or even late that day because there is processing time) your order will hold until the following Monday.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

It's true most places only ship during the first half of the week. That's still only like 3 or 4 days though. Not 7, and certainly not 14. If there was an error during that first week's shipping time, they should have been able to get the next one out during normal shipping times I would think so it got there faster.

Regardless, he should not be weak or ill just from not eating for 2 weeks. There is something else going on.

 

[FrankTheTank]

You mean they only bulk ship once a week??
That alone sounds like good enough reason to buy from someplace else

yeeaaaah....that's one reason I won't be ordering from them again. I already found another place that is cheaper. Stupid me for not shopping around first

 

[sandrachameleon]

I dont know what to do! I feel like a horrible owner because of my own moronic stupidity to realize I needed to buy him more crickets before it ran out.

What to do = feed and water it properly from now on. Take it to a vet if the animal is in bad shape.

Is the chameleon drinking?
Was it at least provided with vegetation to eat (I am assuming this is a veiled, based on your picture)?
Has it lost 10% of more of its weight since you started starving it?
Have you considred breeding at least one type of insect, or learning how to walk to the nearest New Hampshire petstore so that you dont face these issues in future?

 

[Psychobunny]

yeeaaaah....that's one reason I won't be ordering from them again. I already found another place that is cheaper. Stupid me for not shopping around first

Have you tried Ghann's Cricket farm?
I am trying to raise my own, but that's where I get them when I have to order.