Worried Sick

[reptilegirl777]

I have a male Jackson's chameleon who I have had for five months. I keep him in a screened 16x16x24, with one basking lamp (100 watt) and a UVB Reptisun light. He has fake plants and real sticks to climb around on, and I feed him a dozen crickets every three days. I water him with misting and a drip system. He seemed to be doing quite well until these last few days; I had fed him some mealworms (I was told to vary the diet to make him healthier) and he gobbled up four before throwing them up. He hasn't eaten since. Now he stands low on one of the branches with his eyes closed. I rarely handle him, but today I did to make sure he was ok; he kept his eyes closed, even when I picked him up, and just stayed there perched on my hand. Usually he crawls around. What should I do?

 

[Carlton]

I have a male Jackson's chameleon who I have had for five months. I keep him in a screened 16x16x24, with one basking lamp (100 watt) and a UVB Reptisun light. He has fake plants and real sticks to climb around on, and I feed him a dozen crickets every three days. I water him with misting and a drip system. He seemed to be doing quite well until these last few days; I had fed him some mealworms (I was told to vary the diet to make him healthier) and he gobbled up four before throwing them up. He hasn't eaten since. Now he stands low on one of the branches with his eyes closed. I rarely handle him, but today I did to make sure he was ok; he kept his eyes closed, even when I picked him up, and just stayed there perched on my hand. Usually he crawls around. What should I do?

First, we need to know your exact husbandry details so read the forum sticky note about "how to ask for help". Can't do much until we know a lot more. Generally, mealworms are not a great feeder for chams because they are not very nutritious and high in chitin (shell). A belly full of worms might be hard to digest and might well end up being regurgitated.

 

[reptilegirl777]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Jackson's, male, nine months old, had him for five months.
Handling - I seldom handle him
Feeding - I feed him a dozen large crickets from Petsmart every three to four days
Supplements - I dust with Flukers Calcium with Vitamin D3 every other feeding
Watering - I place an ice cube on top of the screen twice daily so there are water droplets on the leaves. I mist him four times a day with a spray bottle
Fecal Description -I just cleaned his cage before this started happening so there haven't been any feces since his behavior changed; usually he's a good pooper? He's never been treated for parasites
History -I do not know of any previous health problems

Cage Info:
Cage Type -I have a 16x16x24 ReptiBreeze aluminum screen cage
Lighting -I use ZooMed lighting; a 100 watt backing lamp and a 5.0 UVB compact fluorescent (Reptisun)
Temperature - The over night temps are room temperature, so never lower than 65. Floor temp is 73, basking temp is 85-90 degrees
Humidity - I use a spraying system (spray bottle four times a day) and a Petco humidity reader
Plants - Flukers fake vines and branches with real cotton wood branches, bark removed
Placement - My cage is in a shelf 2.5 feet from the ground. Not in direct sunlight, not near vents or traffic
Location - Boulder, Co. Foothills of the Rockies
Current Problem - Cato is looking really lethargic (eyes closed, not hanging on with all his limbs, leaning on the vines). Usually he's really energetic, but within the last few days he's slowed down until today where he's not moving at all. I cleaned his entire cage this weekend, and fed him some mealworms, which he threw up. I'm really worried because he doesn't look good at all

 

[Elizadolots]

I think your basking temperature might be a bit warm. I would say 80-85 would be better for a Jackson's. I also think your supplement schedule is off. In general this board recommends calcium without D3 every day, D3 twice a month, a multi-vitamin twice a month. With Jackson's many would say to cut back on that.

It's possible that an over abundance of D3 is contributing to the problem. I would stop using the calcium you have on a daily basis. If you have a reptile store near you should be able to find plain calcium, you might even find it at Petco. If you have to order it online, don't worry about it taking a few days to get to you, your chameleon will be fine without calcium for a couple of days.

 

[Cheyenneohhh]

I agree^^^
Petsmart and petco have calcium without d3.
Also if you can't find it your local herp vet will most likely carry sample sizes you could ask for.
We got several from ours.

 

[Trippy]

I think your basking temperature might be a bit warm. I would say 80-85 would be better for a Jackson's. I also think your supplement schedule is off. In general this board recommends calcium without D3 every day, D3 twice a month, a multi-vitamin twice a month. With Jackson's many would say to cut back on that.

It's possible that an over abundance of D3 is contributing to the problem. I would stop using the calcium you have on a daily basis. If you have a reptile store near you should be able to find plain calcium, you might even find it at Petco. If you have to order it online, don't worry about it taking a few days to get to you, your chameleon will be fine without calcium for a couple of days.

I agree with everything you said! The temp for Jackson’s needs to be less than most other chameleons. I try not to let my basking spot get over 80 for my Jackson because he really is easily heat stressed. I have noted that when the temps are over 80 he will become lethargic, stop eating and very quickly go down!!!!!! Try reducing his heat ASAP and ensuring that helps drinking well to remain hydrated. You did not mention if you use a substrate in his cage? I ask because if it is possible he may have developed a blockage, this can cause vomiting, failure to eat and steady decline in health, this would have to be dealt with by a vet?

 

[ataraxia]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Jackson's, male, nine months old, had him for five months.
Handling - I seldom handle him
Feeding - I feed him a dozen large crickets from Petsmart every three to four days
Supplements - I dust with Flukers Calcium with Vitamin D3 every other feeding Jacksons are very finicky to supplements. D3 used frequently is not s good thing for these guys. Too much supplemented d3 in any animal cause some serious health issues.
Watering - I place an ice cube on top of the screen twice daily so there are water droplets on the leaves. I mist him four times a day with a spray bottle
Fecal Description -I just cleaned his cage before this started happening so there haven't been any feces since his behavior changed; usually he's a good pooper? He's never been treated for parasites Puking is typically a sign of parasites, complete organ failure or he may have engorged himself. I would take his next dropping in for analysis to rule parasites out.
History -I do not know of any previous health problems

Cage Info:
Cage Type -I have a 16x16x24 ReptiBreeze aluminum screen cage
Lighting -I use ZooMed lighting; a 100 watt backing lamp and a 5.0 UVB compact fluorescent (Reptisun) 100 watt bulb is packing some heat wit hit. Jacksons typically dont need anything above a 40 watt and even at that it needs to be a distance from the basking perch.
Temperature - The over night temps are room temperature, so never lower than 65. Floor temp is 73, basking temp is 85-90 degrees I would suspect your temps are much higher than this. A digital therm with a probe you can buy at walmart or at any home improvement store will work great. The probe should be placed direct on the perch where he would bask under the light.
Humidity - I use a spraying system (spray bottle four times a day) and a Petco humidity reader What does the humidity gauge read typically?
Plants - Flukers fake vines and branches with real cotton wood branches, bark removed
Placement - My cage is in a shelf 2.5 feet from the ground. Not in direct sunlight, not near vents or traffic
Location - Boulder, Co. Foothills of the Rockies
Current Problem - Cato is looking really lethargic (eyes closed, not hanging on with all his limbs, leaning on the vines). Usually he's really energetic, but within the last few days he's slowed down until today where he's not moving at all. I cleaned his entire cage this weekend, and fed him some mealworms, which he threw up. I'm really worried because he doesn't look good at all

Overall, I think he is acting this way from the use of d3 in excess. Too much of this stuff causes jacksons hardships. At this point stop the use of this supplement and buy plain calcium. Give him LOTs of water, dripper, mistings, shower chamber, cool mist humidifier, etc. This has not been tested to see if it actually works in chameleons. Milk thistle is a herbal kidney detox. I do use this stuff in my gut load so i know it is safe using it in this fashion but have never tried giving them this directly..

If his condition worsens. If your chameleons were mine an this is completely experimental. So do this at your own risk.. I would take a very small pinch of this and mix it in about .5cc of water. He is needing the extra water at the moment in an attempt to help flush this out of his system. i would first drop a drop on the tip of his nose to see if he will drink that way. If not, i would force fluid but becareful with this as he is not feeling well and animals in this condition can aspirate easily if not done right. The key is to give literally a drop at a time, let him drink, give him a little time between the last swallow and your next administer. BE PATIENT

 

[reptilegirl777]

Thanks guys. I moved the basking light up and got D3 and anything else free calcium, but I think I'm too late. He's laying on the floor and stuff because its like he's too weak to hang on to vines. I'm not sure what else to do. I don't know if he's going to make it...Will he just eventually bounce back? If I took him to the vet would there even be anything they could do? He looks so bad and I feel absolutely awful.