ReneeCham
New Member
Hello, I have been the happy owner of my male Jackson chameleon Claude for going on two years now and suddenly he has been displaying some strange behavior. In the past few weeks he has gone from his usually yellow green color to a consistent black. He has also stopped moving around his tank during the day and has begun dwelling more towards the bottom of the tank. I have no idea what might have caused this sudden change in his behavior in what seems like such a short frame of time.
Here is some background on Claude. As I previously said I have had him for going on two years now come the end of this moth. I have great interest in reptiles and have owned many, including a female senegal chameleon prior to him. I found him when he was around seven months old suffering in a tiny enclosure in my local main brand pet store. According to the employee I talked to, when they received him he was in pretty bad shape and they slowly nursed him back to health. According to my vet, he did not get proper calcium when he was younger, which has stunted some of his growth, and from just looking at him he used to have visible soars and scars from his previous suffering.
I keep Claude in a 16 x 16 x 24in high tank with plenty of vines for him to climb on. Near his basking spot it is always 90ºF and towards the bottom it is around 75ºF. At night I use a black light that keeps the upper part of the tank at 80ºF. I have a waterfall for him to drink and I spray his tank at least three times a day. Currently he has a 13 watt, 5.0 UVB basking light which we change every six months. He eats two to three crickets each day dusted in phosphorus free calcium powder.
Recently I noticed that he started rubbing his right eye a great deal and that his vision has significantly worsened in his right eye. After taking him to my vet he proscribed Ciprofloxacin 0.3% base eyedrops to be dosed daily in both of his eyes. I have been doing this for two weeks now and he does not seem to be getting any better. The vet also proscribed a weekly multivitamin that I have been giving Claude; this also does not seem to have improved his mood. Claude has also been opening his mouth and breathing in for long periods of time. He has not been pooping as often and he seems more interested in the water when I spray it than drinking on his own.
I am really at a loss as to what is wrong with my little guy. The only time he brightens up is when I am either in the room, when I feed and handle him, or when he sleeps. Every day when I get home from school he is black and I don't know what to do. Any suggestions anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated!
Here is some background on Claude. As I previously said I have had him for going on two years now come the end of this moth. I have great interest in reptiles and have owned many, including a female senegal chameleon prior to him. I found him when he was around seven months old suffering in a tiny enclosure in my local main brand pet store. According to the employee I talked to, when they received him he was in pretty bad shape and they slowly nursed him back to health. According to my vet, he did not get proper calcium when he was younger, which has stunted some of his growth, and from just looking at him he used to have visible soars and scars from his previous suffering.
I keep Claude in a 16 x 16 x 24in high tank with plenty of vines for him to climb on. Near his basking spot it is always 90ºF and towards the bottom it is around 75ºF. At night I use a black light that keeps the upper part of the tank at 80ºF. I have a waterfall for him to drink and I spray his tank at least three times a day. Currently he has a 13 watt, 5.0 UVB basking light which we change every six months. He eats two to three crickets each day dusted in phosphorus free calcium powder.
Recently I noticed that he started rubbing his right eye a great deal and that his vision has significantly worsened in his right eye. After taking him to my vet he proscribed Ciprofloxacin 0.3% base eyedrops to be dosed daily in both of his eyes. I have been doing this for two weeks now and he does not seem to be getting any better. The vet also proscribed a weekly multivitamin that I have been giving Claude; this also does not seem to have improved his mood. Claude has also been opening his mouth and breathing in for long periods of time. He has not been pooping as often and he seems more interested in the water when I spray it than drinking on his own.
I am really at a loss as to what is wrong with my little guy. The only time he brightens up is when I am either in the room, when I feed and handle him, or when he sleeps. Every day when I get home from school he is black and I don't know what to do. Any suggestions anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated!
