so i bought a veiled chameleon 2 days ago, sadly from the pet store as there are no breeders in my area. it was treated VERY poorly. i brought it home and made sure the cage was perfect. did not handle him and let him get settled. hes only 2 inches long hes still a baby. he would not eat or drink and his eyes are ALWAYS closed even when walking. he is so weak and this happened overnight (again was in horrible condition at the pet store also but the stress of moving him was teh straw on his back. long story short. he spits out any food i force feed him. hell take water with vitamins if it is force fed but i dont have $500 to take him to to take him to the vet. he is beyond saving i am pretty sure. i turned off his uvb light because it may have been to bright for his eyes. i mixed some vitamins into the water i have been forcing into his mouth. i tried feeding him crushed up insects through a syringe. earlier he ate a cricket i force fed him but now he spits it out or just is too tired to swallow it. i cant bring myself to watch this. the pet store said if i brought him in they have an on-site "Vet" and they would refund my money and i could buy him back when "fixed" (obviously bullshit) but what do i do? my conditions are very good i beleive but he falls when he walks and has no strength. wont open his eyes. wont eat or drink and its just very sad. what do i do? i physically DONT have the money for a vet i spent $500 on all the stuff for him and now it just feels cruel. it has only been 2 days but to keep stressing him out with failed force feeding attempts seems worse then just letting him fade out. please help me on this. i have him comfortable on a top branch under his basking light. he wont move until i mist the cage but then he falls off his vine since i think he is blind. even with his eyes open he does not respond to his surroundings. just "feels" around.
urgent veiled problem
- Thread starter rayman
- Start date
D
DavidBuchan
Guest
Hello, welcome to the forum. Sorry it's under such circumstances. The first thing I want to ask is about your light - what kind is it? Did he have his eyes open when you bought him?
Could you post a picture of him?
Could you post a picture of him?
Hi thank you so much for your response. i plan to be here for awhile i learned alot from this forum but hopefully you will have some tips, nothing will hurt him any more then he is already.
PICS:
http://imageshack.us/g/827/img0353rh.jpg/
i did not want to disturb him as it takes about 30 minutes to get him situated on the upper leaves. he climbs until he looses energy and this leads to falling to the ground. if you feel i should take a better pic and it will help i will gladly do it, just tell me what you will need. he is so stressed from all this handling and forcing and prying his jaws open. i just want him to be comfortable for now.
i know the setup is not the best but funds are limited, i spent quite abit on all this and was planning on upgrading in a few weeks but the conditions seem right. i have a heating pad on low under the tank. grated top. i have a little dripper not pictured its off since he was not using it and i have just been misting very often in small spurts. ive tried everything.
EYES:
his eyes were the same when we got him. one remained closed from the time we got him, i noticed it but thought we could bring him back to good health since that seemed to be the only problem. but then when we got home both were open for a bit and then closed. im not sure if he ever had full vision. he will not track my fingers but one time when the eyes were open he went into defense mode when my girlfriend quickly moved her hand towards him. since then he has made no signs of having any vision.
LIGHTS:
he has a 75 watt white spot for day time and red for night i have a very expensive uvb hooked up also. best one at the store but the people there are ignorant, i did my research but they told me to buy this one instead. i cant find the box but its a florescent screw in bulb that has 3 long u shaped tubes, not a spiral. not sure of the wattage, it is very bright but i turned it off the past day to avoid eye burns. currently only the white spot light is on.
UPDATE:
now he cant even support his own weight and hasnt opened his eyes in hours. i think its an eye infection. he pulled the eye into his head and started scratching it on the leaf. only did this once. i may be wrong about the eye infection. i thought it was vitamin A deficiency but after loading him with a good amount of vitamins, still no change, basically got worse. any at home remedies for eye problems? the only exotic vet in my area will cost $600 just for exam and diagnosis.
hes completely blind even with open eyes. now he is even worse. i bathed him in warm water. pulverized some crickets and tried feeding with an oral syringe to no success. i am taking pics now. i have 1 of the setup. humidity 80% temp on cold site is 70 degrees now and the spot on the other side. he opens his mouth when he is too hot so i know its not cold i just raise the light now. i have a stand but now i have it set on boxes for easier adjusting. he almost ate another cricket but it was halfway down his throat and after 8 minutes he was coughing so i had to pull it out and he would not continue to swallow. but he is still allive and just crawls to whatever is infront of him. even if it is air. sorry for all the typing but i hope with this info you may have some tips. i have bupenorphine on hand (i heard opiates are good for euthanizing) but i would not even think of doing anything without somebodies recomendation. but i have to say there is no way to take him to a vet because of funds, i was thinking of maybe dropping him off inside and just praying they do something.
PICS:
http://imageshack.us/g/827/img0353rh.jpg/
i did not want to disturb him as it takes about 30 minutes to get him situated on the upper leaves. he climbs until he looses energy and this leads to falling to the ground. if you feel i should take a better pic and it will help i will gladly do it, just tell me what you will need. he is so stressed from all this handling and forcing and prying his jaws open. i just want him to be comfortable for now.
i know the setup is not the best but funds are limited, i spent quite abit on all this and was planning on upgrading in a few weeks but the conditions seem right. i have a heating pad on low under the tank. grated top. i have a little dripper not pictured its off since he was not using it and i have just been misting very often in small spurts. ive tried everything.
EYES:
his eyes were the same when we got him. one remained closed from the time we got him, i noticed it but thought we could bring him back to good health since that seemed to be the only problem. but then when we got home both were open for a bit and then closed. im not sure if he ever had full vision. he will not track my fingers but one time when the eyes were open he went into defense mode when my girlfriend quickly moved her hand towards him. since then he has made no signs of having any vision.
LIGHTS:
he has a 75 watt white spot for day time and red for night i have a very expensive uvb hooked up also. best one at the store but the people there are ignorant, i did my research but they told me to buy this one instead. i cant find the box but its a florescent screw in bulb that has 3 long u shaped tubes, not a spiral. not sure of the wattage, it is very bright but i turned it off the past day to avoid eye burns. currently only the white spot light is on.
UPDATE:
now he cant even support his own weight and hasnt opened his eyes in hours. i think its an eye infection. he pulled the eye into his head and started scratching it on the leaf. only did this once. i may be wrong about the eye infection. i thought it was vitamin A deficiency but after loading him with a good amount of vitamins, still no change, basically got worse. any at home remedies for eye problems? the only exotic vet in my area will cost $600 just for exam and diagnosis.
hes completely blind even with open eyes. now he is even worse. i bathed him in warm water. pulverized some crickets and tried feeding with an oral syringe to no success. i am taking pics now. i have 1 of the setup. humidity 80% temp on cold site is 70 degrees now and the spot on the other side. he opens his mouth when he is too hot so i know its not cold i just raise the light now. i have a stand but now i have it set on boxes for easier adjusting. he almost ate another cricket but it was halfway down his throat and after 8 minutes he was coughing so i had to pull it out and he would not continue to swallow. but he is still allive and just crawls to whatever is infront of him. even if it is air. sorry for all the typing but i hope with this info you may have some tips. i have bupenorphine on hand (i heard opiates are good for euthanizing) but i would not even think of doing anything without somebodies recomendation. but i have to say there is no way to take him to a vet because of funds, i was thinking of maybe dropping him off inside and just praying they do something.
Elizadolots
New Member
I think you take that option. I suspect you are right that the baby will not be fixed, but that's also true if you keep it. This way, he has a small chance of being restored to health and you getting to buy him back.
But the more likely scenario is that you get a refund to use for something else.
If I thought it was probable that you could save this baby without going broke, I'd be supporting an effort to do that, but I just don't think that's true.
I suspect you know that's the case.
SarahcoadunatioZac
New Member
Sorry to hear about your cham 
Just noticed, for future reference. They don't need a red light at night, if you need to heat up the room he is in at night, ceramic heaters are the best. Also, most use reptisun 5.0 linear hood lamp/bulb.
Good luck!
Just noticed, for future reference. They don't need a red light at night, if you need to heat up the room he is in at night, ceramic heaters are the best. Also, most use reptisun 5.0 linear hood lamp/bulb.
Good luck!
MollyT
New Member
This sounds a lot like what happened with my first chameleon. I know firsthand how heartbreaking it is to watch a little baby wither away. It took mine 10 days of starving himself to finally pass away, and I tried everything I knew to save him. He was just too young and got so stressed out from the trip home. I think the best thing might be to take him back to the pet store. That way, at least you get your money back. If you decide to get another one, I would get one from somewhere else. I got my second cham from a breeder on here and it has been a world of difference from the first sickly one. I'm sorry you have to go through this. It is so hard to watch and you just feel so helpless. I wish you the best and I'm glad you found this site, even under such awful circumstances.
D
DavidBuchan
Guest
I'm going to have to agree with the other advice to take him back to the store as soon as you can. There is very little anyone can do for him. Never buy sick babies, they don't often get better.
I think your uvb light might be too powerful for a young cham. As mentioned a 5.0 tubular one is most often recommended. Also, chams have a parietal eye which is why we never use lights at night. Even when they have eyes closed a red light can disturb sleep.
Pet stores are always giving out poor information. Here is a great basic caresheet for Veileds - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html
I think your uvb light might be too powerful for a young cham. As mentioned a 5.0 tubular one is most often recommended. Also, chams have a parietal eye which is why we never use lights at night. Even when they have eyes closed a red light can disturb sleep.
Pet stores are always giving out poor information. Here is a great basic caresheet for Veileds - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html
biochemnerd808
New Member
I'm so sorry! I agree that bringing him back and hoping their vet can nurse him back to health is the best option. The way things are right now, he probably won't make it, but he MIGHT be able to be helped by a vet...
BTW, force feeding crickets is not always idea, they don't "slip" - mealworms work better, and then stroke the cham's throat to induce swallowing. If the mealworms look very large, you can cut them in half. My special needs cham doesn't hunt, so I have to feed him every day by hand. He's gotten used to it, but at first it was stressful for him.
Good luck!
BTW, force feeding crickets is not always idea, they don't "slip" - mealworms work better, and then stroke the cham's throat to induce swallowing. If the mealworms look very large, you can cut them in half. My special needs cham doesn't hunt, so I have to feed him every day by hand. He's gotten used to it, but at first it was stressful for him.
Good luck!
HolyToledo
New Member
welcome to the forum! sorry you had to start this way though.
i,too, advise you to take the baby back. starting out with a sick baby is probably a sign of things to come in the future. and if you think you don' t have the money for vet care now, wait until he gets older! it can be overwhelmingly expensive to take care of sickly chams.
it is better to start out with something healthy coming home to the right setup. and, make sure the stuff you have is right by reading stuff on here that applies to babies. they need the exact right light or it can be hard on their eyes. and no night light. so if the place you got him told you that stuff is what you need then that is probably what they are using so it is their fault he is sickly and you should make them deal with it. hopefully they will.
sorry.
i,too, advise you to take the baby back. starting out with a sick baby is probably a sign of things to come in the future. and if you think you don' t have the money for vet care now, wait until he gets older! it can be overwhelmingly expensive to take care of sickly chams.
it is better to start out with something healthy coming home to the right setup. and, make sure the stuff you have is right by reading stuff on here that applies to babies. they need the exact right light or it can be hard on their eyes. and no night light. so if the place you got him told you that stuff is what you need then that is probably what they are using so it is their fault he is sickly and you should make them deal with it. hopefully they will.
sorry.
Hi all, thanks for the help but sadly he didnt make it :/ i did what i could and im glad he died when he did when we took him out of the tank to go to the pet store since even though they would not do anything really but let a vet look at him i could not stand to see him like that and nor could i euthanize him myself or afford a proper one. well he died right when we were going and i am VERY happy about that, sad moment but better than him suffering for any longer.
i will be buying a new one, i spent even more money on a bigger all mesh cage, new lights, better vines, coconut dirt for the floor and new food. i decided to buy a juvenile veiled from FL chams, i live in NY and am nervous about getting him shipped though. all the pet stores treat theres like crap, one has absolutely NO lights on one and with almost no humidity control. and with no breeders in my area this seems like the only option. is FLchams a good supplier? will it arrive in good health? i will most likely post another thread on this but just wanted to give an update for those who responded. i greatly appreciate it!
i do have money to take him to the vet but not 2 days after spending $500 on a setup, i am fully prepared to take care of the next one and pay vet visits but i felt this one was a lost cause they treated him very badly in the store. in the new thread ill post some pics of the setup and see if all is good before ordering, i never took the advice from the petstore i did weeks of research to get the right setup so im pretty sure mine was ok but now i have an even better one im just afraid it may be TOO big now for a juvenile.
i will be buying a new one, i spent even more money on a bigger all mesh cage, new lights, better vines, coconut dirt for the floor and new food. i decided to buy a juvenile veiled from FL chams, i live in NY and am nervous about getting him shipped though. all the pet stores treat theres like crap, one has absolutely NO lights on one and with almost no humidity control. and with no breeders in my area this seems like the only option. is FLchams a good supplier? will it arrive in good health? i will most likely post another thread on this but just wanted to give an update for those who responded. i greatly appreciate it!
i do have money to take him to the vet but not 2 days after spending $500 on a setup, i am fully prepared to take care of the next one and pay vet visits but i felt this one was a lost cause they treated him very badly in the store. in the new thread ill post some pics of the setup and see if all is good before ordering, i never took the advice from the petstore i did weeks of research to get the right setup so im pretty sure mine was ok but now i have an even better one im just afraid it may be TOO big now for a juvenile.
D
DavidBuchan
Guest
I've heard lots of good things about FLchams (in fact they are a site sponsor) so that sounds like the best plan. Sorry to hear about your first cham, I hope you can still get something back from the pet store that sold him in such bad condition.
Djturna4thakidz
Established Member
Shipping is no big deal. Done it numerous times, never had a problem
HolyToledo
New Member
sorry your baby didn't make it. you tried hard and he was loved until the end and i'm glad you are gonna try again.
you might want to do a bit more studying about the dirt. my miss piss choked on the dirt from her cage bottom two days before i was going to take it out. needless to say, i am not a fan of substrate besides dealing with the bacteria it holds and how quick it can get moldy. i used to take it out and rinse and bake it dry every week or so and it was a pain
hoping for good times for you and your new baby when you get it.
you might want to do a bit more studying about the dirt. my miss piss choked on the dirt from her cage bottom two days before i was going to take it out. needless to say, i am not a fan of substrate besides dealing with the bacteria it holds and how quick it can get moldy. i used to take it out and rinse and bake it dry every week or so and it was a pain
hoping for good times for you and your new baby when you get it.
ChameleonMom
New Member
you might want to do a bit more studying about the dirt. my miss piss choked on the dirt from her cage bottom two days before i was going to take it out. needless to say, i am not a fan of substrate besides dealing with the bacteria it holds and how quick it can get moldy. i used to take it out and rinse and bake it dry every week or so and it was a pain
I am sorry to hear of the passing of your little baby. Hopefully he's in a better place and knew love for a few days while in your care. Good luck on your next little one, BUT...I too was going to advise against substrate (coconut or otherwise) in your cage. It is never a good idea to have it there as the chams may eat it, even if they NEVER do...it'll be the ONE time he does that a problem occurs. We had a member lose a Jackson's a couple weeks back due to it eating some deadfall off a branch. The deadfall ended up obstructing the intestines and it eventually made its way through the skin of its leg. Needless to say, it was painful to see and I'm sure, painful to watch.
Good luck and again, sorry about your little one.
