FireJackson8
New Member
Chameleon-Female Jackson about 3-4 months. I received her on Dec. 20, 2013. She was shipped overnight from Florida to Ohio, where I live. I ordered a male and a female from Underground Reptiles. Upon their arrival, the male was already dead, and I am in the process of working through getting a replacement. The female appeared exhausted, and lethargic. When she opened her mouth, her saliva was thick, but clear. She did not appear to have any other issues at the time.
Handling-I did not handle her at all for the first week. Now I handle her only to feed, which is currently once a day. I do not want to overdo it.
Feeding-For the first 6 days, she would not attempt to eat. I tried both cup feeding, and free range with crickets. Underground Reptiles claimed she ate tons of crickets prior to shipment. After showing no interest in eating, and appearing to get worse in her health, I became worried, and frustrated. I chose to remove her from her cage and force her to eat crickets from my hand. She ate 5 per day on day 6 and 7. On the 8th day, I attempted to allow her to eat on her own without any luck. Yesterday, being the 9th day, I forced her to eat 5 crickets again. Today, day 10 of having her, I am currently trying to allow her to eat on her own. I have moved on to superworms, and mealworms, but she still shows no interest. I have gutloaded the feeders with Flukers cricket feed, and also feed them on oranges and apples.
Supplements- Only once so far, I have dusted the crickets with RepCal Calcium with D3.
Watering-I have a drip system, which runs through a gallon a day. I also mist her everyday for about 30 seconds about 4 times a day. I do not see her drinking on her own. Again, the only was she has had, has been what I have given her through a syringe. I have not done that as often though.
Fecal Description-She pooped 4 times on the first evening I got her. Once the next day. Then she went 5 days without any droppings, until the day after I fed her the crickets on day 6. The droppings appear solid, and brown, normal according to what I've researched. I have only notice one urates, which was mostly white, with small amounts of orange. I have not had her feces tested yet.
History-I am not aware of any history. I was told she was healthy and eating properly. The only significant history I know is what i mentioned above about her arrival. The temperatures during transport were around 45 F degrees. She was shipped with a heat pack, but it was not secured to the top of the package. I am convinced that was the cause of death to the male, as he was placed directly on top of the pack. Also, I noticed the FedEx delivery man walking up the driveway, tossing the packing into the air, despite the "Live Animal" markings on the package. This happened several times before I could get to him to make him stop.
Cage Info
Cage Type-I have a ReptiBreeze screen cage with a foam rock background. It is 18"x18"x36".
Lighting-There is an 18" ZooMed 5.0 UV striplight, and a basking bulb. Both lights are on a timer from 6a-6p.
Temperature-The temp ranges from about 85F to 75F during the day, and drops to 65F to 70F at night. She mostly hangs out in the 70F range and never goes to the basking bulb where it is 80F+. I measure with a therm/hydrometer combo.
Humidity-The humidity ranges from about 60% at its driest, and sometimes up to 90% after misting. They are maintained by misting about 4 times a day as mentioned above.
Plants-I have artificial vines, and real branches.
Placement- The cage is in a relatively low traffic area. She can see us in another room through the doorway however. Our house is quiet a majority of the time though, as it is just my wife and I. The cage sits on a table top about 3 feet from the floor. There is a cool air return near the ground, but nothing in the area that creates airflow.
Location-I am in Columbus, Ohio. We have been through some pretty drastic weather changes for the past week or so with outdoor temps ranging from 15F up to 60F within days.
Current Problem-My current problem is much of what I have already mentioned. She does not show interest in eating or drinking. She only eats what I force her to which requires me to make her extremely upset to where she will open her mouth and I place a cricket into her mouth. She doesn't have any issues eating or digesting after that point. The only reason I resort to forcing her to eat is that she sleeps throughout the day with her head on the branch. She will also be somewhat sideways on the branch, appearing very weak. After feeding, however, she seems to have plenty of energy for about a day or more and explores the cage, with good color. Her eyes have only seemed slightly sunken, which was prior to me forcing water. Her grip is good, and she has good strength in her tail. The times that I have removed her from her cage to feed, I have allowed her to free roam the house while it was quiet, and under close observation, but allowing her to feel free. Again, I am worried because she has made no attempt to eat from a cup, and has also never used her tongue to eat, although it appears normal when she opens her mouth. I am torn between continuing to force her to eat to sustain the health she is currently at, and allowing to decline to the point where she might eat on her own, risking her to starve herself. I am in contact with a manager at the local Petsmart, who breed chameleons at home, and is very knowledgeable. I have tried his suggestions without any luck, and am seeking any other advice. Anything helps!!
Thank you for reading, and for any advice you might have!!
Handling-I did not handle her at all for the first week. Now I handle her only to feed, which is currently once a day. I do not want to overdo it.
Feeding-For the first 6 days, she would not attempt to eat. I tried both cup feeding, and free range with crickets. Underground Reptiles claimed she ate tons of crickets prior to shipment. After showing no interest in eating, and appearing to get worse in her health, I became worried, and frustrated. I chose to remove her from her cage and force her to eat crickets from my hand. She ate 5 per day on day 6 and 7. On the 8th day, I attempted to allow her to eat on her own without any luck. Yesterday, being the 9th day, I forced her to eat 5 crickets again. Today, day 10 of having her, I am currently trying to allow her to eat on her own. I have moved on to superworms, and mealworms, but she still shows no interest. I have gutloaded the feeders with Flukers cricket feed, and also feed them on oranges and apples.
Supplements- Only once so far, I have dusted the crickets with RepCal Calcium with D3.
Watering-I have a drip system, which runs through a gallon a day. I also mist her everyday for about 30 seconds about 4 times a day. I do not see her drinking on her own. Again, the only was she has had, has been what I have given her through a syringe. I have not done that as often though.
Fecal Description-She pooped 4 times on the first evening I got her. Once the next day. Then she went 5 days without any droppings, until the day after I fed her the crickets on day 6. The droppings appear solid, and brown, normal according to what I've researched. I have only notice one urates, which was mostly white, with small amounts of orange. I have not had her feces tested yet.
History-I am not aware of any history. I was told she was healthy and eating properly. The only significant history I know is what i mentioned above about her arrival. The temperatures during transport were around 45 F degrees. She was shipped with a heat pack, but it was not secured to the top of the package. I am convinced that was the cause of death to the male, as he was placed directly on top of the pack. Also, I noticed the FedEx delivery man walking up the driveway, tossing the packing into the air, despite the "Live Animal" markings on the package. This happened several times before I could get to him to make him stop.
Cage Info
Cage Type-I have a ReptiBreeze screen cage with a foam rock background. It is 18"x18"x36".
Lighting-There is an 18" ZooMed 5.0 UV striplight, and a basking bulb. Both lights are on a timer from 6a-6p.
Temperature-The temp ranges from about 85F to 75F during the day, and drops to 65F to 70F at night. She mostly hangs out in the 70F range and never goes to the basking bulb where it is 80F+. I measure with a therm/hydrometer combo.
Humidity-The humidity ranges from about 60% at its driest, and sometimes up to 90% after misting. They are maintained by misting about 4 times a day as mentioned above.
Plants-I have artificial vines, and real branches.
Placement- The cage is in a relatively low traffic area. She can see us in another room through the doorway however. Our house is quiet a majority of the time though, as it is just my wife and I. The cage sits on a table top about 3 feet from the floor. There is a cool air return near the ground, but nothing in the area that creates airflow.
Location-I am in Columbus, Ohio. We have been through some pretty drastic weather changes for the past week or so with outdoor temps ranging from 15F up to 60F within days.
Current Problem-My current problem is much of what I have already mentioned. She does not show interest in eating or drinking. She only eats what I force her to which requires me to make her extremely upset to where she will open her mouth and I place a cricket into her mouth. She doesn't have any issues eating or digesting after that point. The only reason I resort to forcing her to eat is that she sleeps throughout the day with her head on the branch. She will also be somewhat sideways on the branch, appearing very weak. After feeding, however, she seems to have plenty of energy for about a day or more and explores the cage, with good color. Her eyes have only seemed slightly sunken, which was prior to me forcing water. Her grip is good, and she has good strength in her tail. The times that I have removed her from her cage to feed, I have allowed her to free roam the house while it was quiet, and under close observation, but allowing her to feel free. Again, I am worried because she has made no attempt to eat from a cup, and has also never used her tongue to eat, although it appears normal when she opens her mouth. I am torn between continuing to force her to eat to sustain the health she is currently at, and allowing to decline to the point where she might eat on her own, risking her to starve herself. I am in contact with a manager at the local Petsmart, who breed chameleons at home, and is very knowledgeable. I have tried his suggestions without any luck, and am seeking any other advice. Anything helps!!
Thank you for reading, and for any advice you might have!!
