Uribe is not well, dehydration?

[Uribe]

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Screen enclosure 24x24x12
Lighting - Reptisun 5.0 for UV - clamp lamp with 75 watt heat bulb - 6am - 630pm
Temperature - Temp varies from 90 at highest basking area to low 80's towards the lower portion of the branch - the lamp is located on the left of the cage, so the right half remains around room temp (70-75) lowest at night would be 68. Measured with an analog thermometer and digital w/ probe at basking spot.
Humidity - 40-60% up to 80 during mistings - analog hygrometer used to measure
Plants - Ficus and pothos - fake vines
Location - Cage is in my bedroom atop my dresser - not a ton of traffic, humans will enter and exit that room about 8-10 times per day, no fans/vents - the dresser is about 4' tall. Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Ambanja Panther - Male - about 5 mo. in my care for 2 months
Handling - only handled him twice in the first 1.5 mo. Since he had right eye issue and was prescribed drops, i've been handling him twice a day to administer drops, as prescribed.
Feeding - staple of crickets - also feed mealworms, phoenix worms, occasionally a wax worm by hand for a treat - he hates me now, so that doesnt happen often. - eats 6 crickets 5 days a week - 3 days a week i offer 3 or 4 mealworms or phoenix. feed in the morning after first mist about an hour after lights come on, gutload crickets with flukers orange cube or real orange slices
Supplements - Miner-all O, Repcal w/d3 and repcal herptivite - dust 4 or the crickets at each feeding - 4x per week with herptivite, every other week i use the miner-all and d3, alternating weeks
Watering - Mist 4-5x a day, have a little dripper with an extra hole poked in the bottom for 2 drip spots. I seldom see him drink, however, he does know where and how to do it, I HAVE seen him do it. Misting about 2 min each time
Fecal Description - Moist looks like theres a jellylike membrane - sometimes the white part its sort of orange, which I've understood to be dehydration. Never tested.
History - I took him to the vet about 3 weeks ago for an eye issue - vet gave a bit of vit A and salined the eye - prescribed drops to apply 2x a day for a week. The symptoms that led to the visit were: Slightly sunken and Closed right eye a few times per day and bulging it out, almost like he were licking the inside, the outer eye was also kinda crusty, it was sparkly, almost like dried saliva (gross). Vet thought it was most likely dehydration or could have been an irratant in the eye. He was very happy with Uribe's over all health - grip, muscle tone, color, didnt seem that concerned too much about his eye.
Current Problem - the right eye has improved for the most part, but now the left eye seems worse than the right did. sunken eyes, left eyelid misshapen and wrinkly around the turret. Also noticed a few of his scales toward his back are black. It is only really noticeable when he lighter color. Another thing that makes me uneasy is: he climbs in the screen alot, clinging with his claws, especially when I mist and to get away from me removing him to give eye drops. He has actually lost two nails on one toe which i understand do not grow back?

Please help. I will be monitering this post all day, so i will respond to questions right away.

Thanks guys,

Ian

 

[Uribe]

Also, what are some good methods of rehydration? Provided you feel that this is the issue. Ive been reluctant to try puting water in his gaping mouth because I heard something about a breathing hole that you need to avoid. Any one know how to do this properly?

Thanks again.

Ian

 

[WelshOneEmma]

Hi Uribe,

I'm just a newbie at Cham ownership so I'm afraid that I don't know what is causing the problem as such. However all the information I have been given / found says that you should mist for at least 5 mins per session because they are not the quickest at recognising rainfall.

I know it doesn't seem much but it might help.

 

[Chamero]

Hey there, yea the best way to hydrate your chameleon is actually through its food. Make sure to Gutload your feeders with high moisture veggies and fruits that should take of most of his hydration. Then, try misting at certain parts of the day. My cham will always drink if I mist about 30-45 mins after his lights on time. Then after that, he would rather eat then drink, so I think timing is kind of critical. Then mist later on in the day, but like said above, make sure to always make it rain for at least a good five mins.

If you fear there is still needs for hydration, you could put him in the shower room while the shower is on to collect steam and water through his lungs. Dont put him directly under the water, but just close enough to get some water spatter on his plant.

Also, you may want to lower all his temps by like 3-5 degrees. They may be a little hot and could be contributing to his dehydration. Happy T-Day!

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

Greetings. Sorry to hear about your cham's problems. Can we get a photo?

Here are a few things I would recommend. For a panther cham, we keep the basking area at about 85 degrees, especially in winter time. We use 50w basking lamps this time of year. So, yes, your temps may be a few degrees high.

I am guessing your uvb lamp is linear, not coil? Coil or compact style is not good, and can cause the eye problems you describe.

When you mist him, I would try to get some of that mist onto his eyes each day so he will be able to perform routine eye maintenance. Even if he tries to run from it. How is the water temp you are misting with? The mist is much cooler by the time it reaches the chameleon, so we mist with very very warm water. Most of our guys like it once they get used to the routine.

We use the shower method for rehydrating chams. But I have never showered a 5 month old cham, or any cham that was not an adult. For slight dehydration, we place them in a shower, with indirect spray (spray directed to bounce off the shower wall) for at least 20 minutes. You will need to observe the cham while he is in the shower, to be certain he doesn't do something crazy and hurt himself. Most chams will just sit quietly on a branch and enjoy the warm spray, but a 5 month old cham is more fragile and will be very unpredictable. The temp of the water should feel pretty warm to you. If he is too small or too energetic for the shower, then you can do it by misting him heavily with good warm water, for at least 10 minutes, maybe more than once a day if he is actually dehydrated. Is his skin wrinkled or "tenting"- forming folds? Are his eyes sunken?

Sometimes 2-3 minutes of misting is not long enough. When I was hand misting our guys, I used a pump mister and misted between 5 and 10 minutes, until the cham settled down (they will often run away at first) and began to drink. If you try longer misting, you will probably observe your guy settle down and drink and begin to perform eye maintenance. The time of day I would do this was usually 1 hour after their lights came on in the morning.

Your supplement schedule is confusing. Are you saying you dust with a vitamin supplement 4 times a week, and miner-all (I) with D3 once every other week, and then when do you use the miner-all (O)?

I think vitamins 4 times a week is thought to be too often. Many keepers dust with vitamin supp once a week for young animals, or once every 2 weeks for adults.

Below is a link to one thread mentioning supplement schedules, but there are others:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/truth-about-dusting-crickets-15750/

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

I'm also concerned about those black scales on his back. May be a burn? Would love to see a photo.

 

[Julirs]

I am thinking your cage is way too small for a 5 month old Panther. 24" of anything puts your cham way too close to lights and I also worry about the black marks. If you do have a coiled UVB I am in fear that this is what is causing your eye issues. Can you post pics of your cham and the cage. Is it planted enough that he can hide and stay off the screen? I just had a fun expensive Vet bill due to a pulled toenail and infected toe, so keeping them off screen is a good idea!