Nightshaded
Member
Greetings everyone.
I've been lurking on this site for awhile and this is my first post. Admittedly, this is a horrible way to say start off and introduce myself to the community.
I could use some advice, insight, or feedback as I have absolutely no idea what I did wrong and I'm hurting.
Today my one month old ambilobe panther chamelon "Zeus" passed away unexpectedly. For the last week he's been occasionally basking with his eyes closed, which looking back was a red flag. I was concerned so I immediately contacted the breeder I purchased him from online. They said that this is normal behavior for hatchlings, not to panic, and to keep an eye on his humidity levels. I kept an eye on him just in case and it appeared that he was doing fine otherwise. I thought he was in good health because I brought him to a reptile vet a couple weeks ago and they said he was perfectly healthy. His poop was also analyzed and no issues were found.
Yesterday he didn't seem himself. He seemed lethargic and uninterested in food. Normally he will lose his mind over wingless fruit flies, which I dust in calcium (without D3) and feed him using a cup. This time he looked at them and closed his eyes. I figured that he might've been a little bit stressed because my roomba accidentally bumped into his enclosure. Later in the evening, he sniped two extra small phoenix worms.
This morning his lights turned on and I walked over to check on him. His nose was up in the air and he was gasping to breathe. He was also extremely weak and lethargic. I immediately drove an hour for an emergency appointment at the vet. They confirmed he had a respiratory infection with a 50/50 chance of surviving. They gave him a shot of antibiotics under his armpit and made an appointment for me to come in the following day for a second shot. They said he was too tiny and fragile for oral antibiotics. I brought him home and put him on a leaf. He climbed on it and I observed him for an hour. It wasn't looking good. By this point I was exhausted from being up all night, so I took a quick nap. When I came back a couple hours later, he had passed away.
Needless to say, I'm devastated because I loved the little guy and he was my first Chameleon.
I feel like I failed him. It's killing me because I tried to do everything right, make him happy, and take good care of him.
Chameleon Info:
Cage Info:
Current Problem I don't know what caused his respiratory infection. I need to know what I did wrong. I want to purchase another chameleon eventually, but I feel like a failure and I don't want this to happen again, ever. Right now I feel unworthy to own such a beautiful creature. I did so much research before getting him and continued to read these forums for information. Here's some pictures of the enclosure. Anything from this community would be appreciated. If I did purchase another one, would getting a juvenile be better?
RIP Zues, my little buddy. You will be missed. I really did love you.
I've been lurking on this site for awhile and this is my first post. Admittedly, this is a horrible way to say start off and introduce myself to the community.
I could use some advice, insight, or feedback as I have absolutely no idea what I did wrong and I'm hurting.
Today my one month old ambilobe panther chamelon "Zeus" passed away unexpectedly. For the last week he's been occasionally basking with his eyes closed, which looking back was a red flag. I was concerned so I immediately contacted the breeder I purchased him from online. They said that this is normal behavior for hatchlings, not to panic, and to keep an eye on his humidity levels. I kept an eye on him just in case and it appeared that he was doing fine otherwise. I thought he was in good health because I brought him to a reptile vet a couple weeks ago and they said he was perfectly healthy. His poop was also analyzed and no issues were found.
Yesterday he didn't seem himself. He seemed lethargic and uninterested in food. Normally he will lose his mind over wingless fruit flies, which I dust in calcium (without D3) and feed him using a cup. This time he looked at them and closed his eyes. I figured that he might've been a little bit stressed because my roomba accidentally bumped into his enclosure. Later in the evening, he sniped two extra small phoenix worms.
This morning his lights turned on and I walked over to check on him. His nose was up in the air and he was gasping to breathe. He was also extremely weak and lethargic. I immediately drove an hour for an emergency appointment at the vet. They confirmed he had a respiratory infection with a 50/50 chance of surviving. They gave him a shot of antibiotics under his armpit and made an appointment for me to come in the following day for a second shot. They said he was too tiny and fragile for oral antibiotics. I brought him home and put him on a leaf. He climbed on it and I observed him for an hour. It wasn't looking good. By this point I was exhausted from being up all night, so I took a quick nap. When I came back a couple hours later, he had passed away.
Needless to say, I'm devastated because I loved the little guy and he was my first Chameleon.
I feel like I failed him. It's killing me because I tried to do everything right, make him happy, and take good care of him.
Chameleon Info:
- Your Chameleon - Ambilobe Panther. I received him as a hatchling on June 28th.
- Handling - Only when I move him outside to clean his enclosure (once a week)
- Feeding - Pinhead crickets, extra small pheonix worms, and lots of wingless fruit flies. Every day.
- Supplements - I dusted the wingless fruit-flies and crickets with Fluker's calcium (without D3). The crickets are also gut-loaded with Fluker's vitamin and diet feed and a calcium block. I gave him D3 twice last month.
- Watering - Dripper on top plus an exo-terra monsoon solo automatic mister. I would also hand mist as needed. He always drank water in front of me off of leaves. He was always well hydrated.
- Fecal Description - They looked perfect. The urea was always white and normal in appearance.
- History - None.
Cage Info:
- Cage Type - Reptibreeze Med. 24" x 24" x 48". I also purchased an XL dragon stand, but was saving it for when he got a little bit bigger. His enclosure was always very clean and well maintained.
- Lighting - Basking bulb: 100W. This was the only bulb that could get his basking temperature at 85 degrees. UVB: T5 HO 5.0
- Temperature - 85 for basking. Top of the cage was always around 75-80. Lower was 70. Temperatures dropped to 68 at night.
- Humidity - Between 40-65% depending on how often I misted
- Plants - One golden pothos in the middle as his main plant to drink off of and keep the humidity up. I also added two bromeliads in the front because they looked cool and I wanted to fill in his cage. Two sundews on the floor capture escaped fruit flies. He absolutely never went near the floor, ever. I washed each plant with soap and water and used organic soil before introducing them.
- Placement - In the corner by my kitchen table, which I never use. I guess this would also be considered my living room. I walk past his enclosure whenever I go into my bedroom. I added cardboard around his enclosure at night to prevent any lights from bothering or waking him up.
- Location - Michigan
Current Problem I don't know what caused his respiratory infection. I need to know what I did wrong. I want to purchase another chameleon eventually, but I feel like a failure and I don't want this to happen again, ever. Right now I feel unworthy to own such a beautiful creature. I did so much research before getting him and continued to read these forums for information. Here's some pictures of the enclosure. Anything from this community would be appreciated. If I did purchase another one, would getting a juvenile be better?
RIP Zues, my little buddy. You will be missed. I really did love you.
