Vet Visit

[scs]

Hi everyone!
I'm taking my still-sort-of-shy male ambilobe panther chameleon who is about 8 months old to the vet for the first time. He settled into his new home a few weeks ago and I scheduled an appointment to check for any parasites. I lost my first chameleon to parasites and I hadn't gone to the vet with her before it was sort of too late. I want to be as proactive as possible but also keep the stress to a minimum, because that could have been what hurt Iggy the most. I had never handled her so...

I read a blog about 'taming' your chameleon and I've started to just sit next to his cage for a few hours at a time and also some hand feeding, but no actual handling yet... I'm not really sure how to go about doing this because I never handled my previous chameleon, much to my mistake when it came down to it.


So, do you guys have any tips for the first vet visit?
I'm going to try to find some fresh poop to bring... anything else? He shed a few days ago, should I bring any skin?

And how exactly should I either pick up or lure Sebastian onto my hand in order to put him in a box (any suggestions for that?) to take him to the vet?

 

[Scout]

You don't know how to pick up a chameleon....? O.O

 

[Carlton]

I'm taking my still-sort-of-shy male ambilobe panther chameleon who is about 8 months old to the vet for the first time. He settled into his new home a few weeks ago and I scheduled an appointment to check for any parasites.

I lost my first chameleon to parasites

It probably wasn't the parasites alone that caused death, but a combination of some other health issue that the parasite stress added to.

and I hadn't gone to the vet with her before it was sort of too late. I want to be as proactive as possible but also keep the stress to a minimum, because that could have been what hurt Iggy the most. I had never handled her so...

I read a blog about 'taming' your chameleon and I've started to just sit next to his cage for a few hours at a time and also some hand feeding, but no actual handling yet... I'm not really sure how to go about doing this because I never handled my previous chameleon, much to my mistake when it came down to it.

Handling a cham isn't complicated if yours isn't really aggressive (sounds like he isn't)

The simplest way is to put one hand in front of him and one hand behind, and basically let him climb onto you and hold onto you instead of the other way around. He'll probably hesitate which is normal. He might puff up a little to look bigger, may gape or give a quiet huffy hiss. Hard to predict as chams are individuals. Either of those reactions are largely bluffing. You can nudge his back feet to coax him onto one hand or even a hand held stick. Don't pick him up by the body, and don't cover his back or head (that's interpreted as an aggressive gesture). Most chams will just climb on.

To take him to the vet, get a closed in cardboard box, wedge a stick inside so its stable and gives him something to grip onto during the ride. Most chams just get sleepy and doze once they are in the dark. A short ride...that's all you need to do. In winter you can always warm up a water bottle and put it in the bottom of the box under a damp towel. In hot weather cool your car interior down before leaving.

Yes, take in the freshest fecal you have. No need to take skin.

 

[scs]

Carlton, thanks for all your help! I really appreciate it.

Scout, I'm just nervous and want to make sure I'm doing everything right. The last time I went to a vet for a chameleon I did not get good news, okay?

 

[jajeanpierre]

Hi everyone!

So, do you guys have any tips for the first vet visit?
I'm going to try to find some fresh poop to bring... anything else? He shed a few days ago, should I bring any skin?

And how exactly should I either pick up or lure Sebastian onto my hand in order to put him in a box (any suggestions for that?) to take him to the vet?

Find a fresh stool the day of the vet visit and put it in a plastic bag in the fridge (do NOT freeze). If you can't find a fresh sample the day of the visit, find one and take it in either before or after the appointment. I make one-hour trips to get a stool in to the vet fresh.

My only advice is to put your cham in some kind of a box that is taped shut with air holes. Put something on the bottom like twisted up paper towels. Keep the cham in a dark bag and don't take it out until the vet is going to look at it.

I weigh mine at home so the vet tech doesn't have to weigh them and stress them before the vet looks at them. If you don't have an accurate scale, you can weigh the whole box with the cham inside at the vet's, and then weigh the empty box when the vet does the examination. Then you can get a weight without taking the animal out twice. Although the vet techs always want the animal out to look at, I leave them in the box. They aren't vets. They can take my word for what I am seeing/worried about and they can relay that back to the vet before the exam if they want. I discuss my concerns in detail with the vet, and then at the very end, we look at the animal. I learned that lesson with big parrots. Nothing worse than trying to have a conversation with a vet when a bird with a four-foot wingspan and side-cutters for a beak is panicking.

 

[Scout]

Carlton, thanks for all your help! I really appreciate it.

Scout, I'm just nervous and want to make sure I'm doing everything right. The last time I went to a vet for a chameleon I did not get good news, okay?

I did not mean to come across as rude I'm sorry, I hope your vet visit goes well! Again sorry if I came across rudely. Not my intentions :/. Best of luck!

 

[JoeVet]

Nothing worse than trying to have a conversation with a vet when a bird with a four-foot wingspan and side-cutters for a beak is panicking.

And that is why I always hated birds. It very hard not to fling that $1000 bird against the wall when its clamped down on your finger. Yeah, sure its "just getting to know you".

 

[Scout]

And that is why I always hated birds. It very hard not to fling that $1000 bird against the wall when its clamped down on your finger. Yeah, sure its "just getting to know you".

Birds use their tongs for everything, they really are just trying to get a sense of what you are lol. Birds scared me before I went to Omar's exotic birds, I've played with a hyacinth macaw, the most rare macaw available, a 15k bird!! It's was a huge baby! It would climb to your shoulder and play with your hair lol.. I want a bird after getting to know them more.

 

[JoeVet]

There are two animals that really require personal experience in order to become a competent healthcare provider. One is birds, mainly to know how to handle them. Maybe with more time in a clinic with experience with birds one could get comfortable. When I was in practice it was more dog and cat with the rare bird so never got comfortable around them.

The other animal is the horse. They are very strong and very fast and you never know when that second neuron is going to fire. The other difficulty about horses is their owners have a completely different vocabulary which you learn when you own one.

 

[jajeanpierre]

There are two animals that really require personal experience in order to become a competent healthcare provider. One is birds, mainly to know how to handle them. Maybe with more time in a clinic with experience with birds one could get comfortable. When I was in practice it was more dog and cat with the rare bird so never got comfortable around them.

The other animal is the horse. They are very strong and very fast and you never know when that second neuron is going to fire. The other difficulty about horses is their owners have a completely different vocabulary which you learn when you own one.

Ah, you're talking to a horsewoman and a serious parrot fancier. Both parrots and horses are prey animals that rely on running/flying away to stay alive. Think of the environment from their perspective and a lot of the issues won't be there.

Birds aren't as difficult as you would think, but can certainly be intimidating. The trick with birds is to understand their body language. A bird sitting low on the perch with puffed up feathers that are puffed around its beak is a relaxed bird. That same bird, standing tall with slicked feathers is anything but relaxed. When you can read them accurately, you start to understand them and are more prepared.

The other thing is you have to know how to restrain them so no one gets hurt.

And, yes, they can do a tremendous amount of damage.

Bringing it back to chameleons, I was really surprised how much a chameleon bite hurt--and it wouldn't let go! This was a newly imported wild caught so might be stronger than your average chameleon.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Birds use their tongs for everything, they really are just trying to get a sense of what you are lol. Birds scared me before I went to Omar's exotic birds, I've played with a hyacinth macaw, the most rare macaw available, a 15k bird!! It's was a huge baby! It would climb to your shoulder and play with your hair lol.. I want a bird after getting to know them more.

You will never find me with a big macaw on my shoulder! Holy smokes, that is just not safe. I bet that Hyacinth WAS a baby, because a mature adult is not so forgiving. My own Scarlet just about crushed my ear one day when she flew up behind me and landed on my shoulder when I was gardening. The Red Fronted Macaw landed on the other shoulder. The Scarlet was so excited with jealousy, that she grabbed my ear and crushed it. And then wouldn't let go. Flinging her off, JoeVet, would have also removed my ear.

 

[Scout]

You will never find me with a big macaw on my shoulder! Holy smokes, that is just not safe. I bet that Hyacinth WAS a baby, because a mature adult is not so forgiving. My own Scarlet just about crushed my ear one day when she flew up behind me and landed on my shoulder when I was gardening. The Red Fronted Macaw landed on the other shoulder. The Scarlet was so excited with jealousy, that she grabbed my ear and crushed it. And then wouldn't let go. Flinging her off, JoeVet, would have also removed my ear.

That's a crazy story! Man I can't imagine the pain! The hyacinth was hand raised from birth, he was only 5 months old when they let people interact with him. He was sold at birth and was the sweetest bird ever. They let him go home at 8 months :/ very sad day at Omar's birds....

 

[Carlton]

That's a crazy story! Man I can't imagine the pain! The hyacinth was hand raised from birth, he was only 5 months old when they let people interact with him. He was sold at birth and was the sweetest bird ever. They let him go home at 8 months :/ very sad day at Omar's birds....

I've read that hyacinths are gentler than other macaws, but with such intelligent beings I'm sure its individual. Plus, what they are like as juveniles and what they are like as hormonally mature adults could be worlds apart. Now most cockatoos I've met didn't tend to bite their people just because they felt like it at the time. There had to be a very important reason! Now a toco toucan is a great option...even if they do bite you they can't do much damage. Hardly any jaw leverage. You do have to watch your eyes around wild ones though. They will jab instead.

 

[Scout]

I've read that hyacinths are gentler than other macaws, but with such intelligent beings I'm sure its individual. Plus, what they are like as juveniles and what they are like as hormonally mature adults could be worlds apart. Now most cockatoos I've met didn't tend to bite their people just because they felt like it at the time. There had to be a very important reason! Now a toco toucan is a great option...even if they do bite you they can't do much damage. Hardly any jaw leverage. You do have to watch your eyes around wild ones though. They will jab instead.

Omar's exotic birds had a bare eye cockatoo, and he was legit the smartest bird! If you were holding him, and someone else tried to pick him up from you, he would "fake" bite them. He would just lunge with his mouth open, ONLY because people were afraid!! And he knew this!! Legit he would LAUGH!!!! It was the funniest thing ever! His name was waka waka and he would yell WAKA WAKA all the time!! Everybody down here knows about waka. Very sad day when he was purchased :/

 

[JoeVet]

Bringing it back to chameleons, I was really surprised how much a chameleon bite hurt--and it wouldn't let go! This was a newly imported wild caught so might be stronger than your average chameleon.

As a kid I would catch wild chameleons. They were fierce and would give a good bite. On top of that they lived in densely branched shrubs with thorns right outside our front door. I'd get torn up catching an angry chameleon. It didn't take them long to calm down though. I get a kick when folk post about their chameleons puffing up with mouth open in their cages. The wild ones can move pretty quickly through the shrubs when they want to.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I've read that hyacinths are gentler than other macaws, but with such intelligent beings I'm sure its individual. Plus, what they are like as juveniles and what they are like as hormonally mature adults could be worlds apart. Now most cockatoos I've met didn't tend to bite their people just because they felt like it at the time. There had to be a very important reason! Now a toco toucan is a great option...even if they do bite you they can't do much damage. Hardly any jaw leverage. You do have to watch your eyes around wild ones though. They will jab instead.

I've heard Hyacinths are "gentle giants," too, but the ones I've worked with have not been very nice birds nor have they been particularly smart. I think that "gentle giant" line was a sales job to get people to fork out the kind of money they were asking for them. All hand-raised baby parrots are sweet and cuddly. A macaw doesn't reach maturity until about seven years. Few people even keep their macaws to maturity. To have a mentally well-balanced macaw, it needs to be housed with a buddy. They are not the sweet pets they were as babies when sexually mature and paired with a friend. They are a completely different (and better) bird than a psychologically damaged single bird that wasn't raised by its parents.

And, yes, there is always a reason a bird bites. The trick is finding it before your bird escalates to a bite. Some birds are very quick to communicate with their beaks.

I've never worked with Toucans. They sure are pretty, though. Crows and ravens are incredible, but just too smart to keep confined. They are brilliant.

 

[chelsea0872]

I'm so glad I now read never to cover a chameleon as I do so & got bit pretty hard.
Good luck with yours
I'm new to this also but have had mine on my hand

 

[Carlton]

I think that "gentle giant" line was a sales job to get people to fork out the kind of money they were asking for them.

Sounds logical to me! Pretty much everyone I hear talking about how sweet their parrot is is talking about a juvenile. I love how all the "rehome" pleas for parrots are mostly for birds that just hit breeding age.

All hand-raised baby parrots are sweet and cuddly.

Yep, so all the ads for them claim. But just wait!

A macaw doesn't reach maturity until about seven years. Few people even keep their macaws to maturity. To have a mentally well-balanced macaw, it needs to be housed with a buddy. They are not the sweet pets they were as babies when sexually mature and paired with a friend. They are a completely different (and better) bird than a psychologically damaged single bird that wasn't raised by its parents.

I would never want a hand-fed parrot of any type. As you say they are emotionally damaged and frustrated. Never learned they were birds or how to exist without their human mom/mate every second. So sad. My last cockatoo was taken as a wild fledgling and knew she was a bird. Humans were a big part of her life, but she knew who she was and how to amuse herself quite well. Had her 19 years.

And, yes, there is always a reason a bird bites. The trick is finding it before your bird escalates to a bite. Some birds are very quick to communicate with their beaks. I've never worked with Toucans. They sure are pretty, though.

I had a rehomed Swainson's toucan for about 8 years. He was a wc import sold to newbies who believed the seller's lies, so he wasn't handleable, but once he settled down and knew the daily house routine he was pretty approachable and a complete clown. Noisy and a huge mess maker (their GI tract must be about 6" long...never seen a bird eat or poop so much in one day). Swainson's can be huge...consider a big raven with a 10" beak! Now a manageable option to the big toucans are the aracaris. Hand raised they are amazingly sweet even as adults. Smaller, quiet, will snuggle with just about anyone, can't do much damage so no iron barred prison cages, don't get neurotic or mutilate themselves like parrots do.

Crows and ravens are incredible, but just too smart to keep confined. They are brilliant.

I know. Corvids are so tempting but I'd hate to see one frustrated, bored, and lonely unless it could be with me all day investigating the world. Many times the more intelligent something is the worse pet it makes. I also kept a pair of motmots (my avatar) and loved them. They are non-migratory so no desire for big open habitat ranges, they are not the sharpest knives in the bird drawer so easily contented, not strong enough to hurt if they bite, pretty quiet, and just interesting odd little guys. Dithery silly little tanagers, finches, owls, poultry, and raptors have their advantages!

 

[scs]

Sebastian made it to the vet and back with minimal fuss! The vet said that he looked healthy and we will get the fecal test results back tomorrow!
Cross your fingers!

Thanks for all the help and funny (yet somewhat scary) stories!

 

[jannb]

Sebastian made it to the vet and back with minimal fuss! The vet said that he looked healthy and we will get the fecal test results back tomorrow!
Cross your fingers!

Thanks for all the help and funny (yet somewhat scary) stories!

Glad that all when well with Sebastian's first vet visit. Fingers crossed for a negative fecal.