Very sick Veiled Chameleon

[Nic01]

My Veiled Chameleon (his name is clark) is very sick. We have had him for almost 4 years and this has never happened.

We keep him in a 3X3X5' aquarium, one half has sand and sticks and the other side has pineapple shavings with live plants. we feed him moths, superworms and crickets that are dusted with supplement powder. For the last few weeks he has sometimes been wondering at the bottom of his tank, which is really strange. We thought he was hearing superworms under the sand ( sometimes they escape from the dish). He has otherwise seemed normal.

When I came home from work last night he was crouched in the corner on the ground and his eyes were closed and sunk in. He was also very pale and limp. I took him and steamed him in the bathroom with the shower. I gave him water and pedilite with a syringe. This morning he did not look dehydrated, but still on bottom of tank and pale.

We took him to the vet this afternoon. They took x-rays and blood work, but we don't get the results until tomorrow. We were send home with a gel vitamin, antibiotics and hand feeding food. $620.00 later and he is still on the bottom of the tank. The vet said that it doesn't look good, but we have to wait for the blood work. Is there anything else we can do?

 

[laurie]

Where do you live? In some parts of the world chams are kept in screen cages, in other parts they are kept in terrariums. They are almost never in aquariums but it sounds like this has worked for you for a while. That is a large aquarium so maybe it worked. Some possibilities are he has eaten sand and it did not pass, so he is impacted. Another possibility is age. How old was he when you got him? If he was an adult or a wild caught, then he may just be at the end of his life. If he was going to the bottom of the tank for no reason that you are aware of he may be ill. Chameleons can hide being sick until it is too late to do anything for them.

Could you post a picture of him? That might help us see if we can spot a problem. Please let me know what you find out from the vet, hope it goes well.

 

[ataraxia]

Custom built aquarium? ive never seen that size before

xrays did not show a impaction?

please fill this form out.

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.


Cage Info:

Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

pics are helpful.

 

[kinyonga]

I hate to say it but it doesn't sound good for your chameleon.

Can you post a photo please?
What specific supplements do you use and how often for each?
What brand and type (compact, spiral, long linear fluorescent tube light) UVB light do you use?

 

[Nic01]

I am very sad to say that shortly after I posted this Clark died. I spoke with the vet today and he said that the results from the blood work came back, which revealed that clark had kidney failure.

I am so sad that we didn't catch this earlier. We thought it was strange that he had sometimes been going to the bottom of the aquarium, but like I said earlier, we thought he was hearing a couple of superworms under the sand that had escaped from his dish.

I am very upset that he is gone and feel awful that he suffered from kidney failure without us noticing.

Many thanks to the replies. This is a very supportive website.

 

[Bernie]

Very sorry to hear that news. I am sure you will miss him dearly. Unfortunately chameleons hide their illness/weakness very well and often its too late to help him/her. Obviously you did the right by taking him to the vets

 

[DavidBuchan]

Sorry to hear that, but I hope it's some consolation to know that if you had him for 4 healthy years then you have succeeded in keeping him very well.