2.5 month old Nosy be Panther, not eaing/ sleeping alot

update for everyone...

Well as soon as I figured out that the light is probably the problem, I made sure to keep it off. I am going to buy a new light today, but I probably wont use it on him till tomorrow. Would it be a good idea to move his cage outside for a few hours today, assuming that the weather is nice?

As of this morning, he hasn't opened his eyes up, and he is still sleeping. I will make sure to keep you all updated on his condition. If you have any other tips or ideas for me that would help him recover faster, or that will get him eating again, I am all ears!

Thanks again everyone!
 
Your Nosey Be Babe.....

If the temp is right I would stick him outside. Will his sunning cage provide some shade through mesh? He should be in partial shade. The fresh air might perk him up. If he does perk up and open his eyes, mist him so he can drink and maybe offer a cricket or two to see if he will eat :)
 
Hey everyone,
I just got back from the pet store. I got a new light set up. I have a Zoomed Reptisun 10.0 UVB, 15 watt bulb now. I just placed his cage outside to get him some natural sunlight. He is awake and movin around alittle bit. Hopfully I can get him to start eating. There is a good amount of crickets in the cage for him when he is ready. Ill keep you all posted.

If he doesnt start to eat, do you have any ideas of what I should do?

Thanxs!
 
You need to exchange it..........

Poor Dan.........I think at least three of us recommended the Reptisun 5.0 tube light. It's the right one for that cage size.......You are going to have to exchange the 10.0.........After all you have gone through with this little guy you want to get the right thing for him. Exchange the light, kick back and relax a bit with a favorite drink and snack. It's been a hectic and frustrating day. But tomorrow is a new day and your babe should start feeling and doing better :)
 
OK....SO....I exchanged the bulb for a 5.0. The reason I got reason I got a 10.0 was because the guy I always talk to at the pet store explained to me that when you place the housing on the screen, that th screen filters half up the light. So a 5.0 would really only be a 2.5, and a 10.0 would actually be a 5.0. regardless I went and exchanged it for the 5.0 that you all recommended. I had him outside all day, because it was a beautiful day out. He is back inside now with the new light on. However he is still sleeping/ hiding.

As for the type of light. it is still a florescent bulb I believe.

Hopefully he will start looking a little better tomorrow, and then start eating.

Keeping ya all posted....
 
Unfortunately my camera just broke, but I will ask my friends and see if I can get one to borrow, as soon as I find one I will post some pictures for all of ya.

If I don't see an improvement by tomorrow should I be worried?
 
I have to ASSUME you read the report regarding Compact Flourescents. Having done that , I have to ASSUME that you did not purchase another compact flourescent lamp and did purchase a linear tube flourescent Zoomed 5.0 and fixture.
 
I haven't seen him drink in a few days, but he seems to very shy. A lot of times he will stop whatever he is doing if he sees me watching him. I really don't think he has eaten in a few days. But for the same reason, him being so shy, I have yet to watch him actually catch and eat anything. However, the real reason I don't think he has eaten to much is because I haven't seen any droppings in the cage.

I am really worried....
 
As far as I know I got the linear bulb. If, by linear you mean simply that the bulb is a long tube.
 
yes a long tube....

BTW, for the sake of recovery, it would be adviseable to completely turn off the UVB source or at least , only run it for a few hours each day for the next week.

You also mentioned that your cham reacts shyly when it sees you watching it. That suggests that its vision is not completely damaged. This is good news.

Regarding its eating , if this doesn't improve within the next week, I would consider other factors that may be causing it. Again, a stool sample is cheap and can rule out a lot of possible causes. Doing one now, can save time , if this issue does not resolve. Dont let it go too long.
 
I'm worried that if I wait a week to see improvements, it might be too long. I have a lot of both fake and real plants and vines in his cage. Would it be a good idea to take a few of the fake plant stuff out so that he might be able to find the crickets easier?
 
update

well....I am sad to report that things have not gotten any better for my little guy. I took him to the vet today. She gave him some med to help if he has any parasites, and a side effect of the med is that it might stimulate his hunger. She also told me to put him in a very small cage such as a critter keeper with only a branch or two, along with a small plant thing for him to drink from. I put in 4 small crickets and 2 little worms, but I keep forgetting the name of them. If I don't see him eat today or tomorrow than I need to bring him back she said for force feeding.

As for the chameleon himself. He is still very lethargic, and keeps his eyes closed alot. He doesn't seem very stable on the branches, and he def is not eating.

I am hoping that with some help from the vet I can get him back to good health. I am bummed because I made sure to do everything right, or so I thought. I checked and rechecked everything.

Anyway...I will keep you all posted on how he is doing. I am keeping my fingers crossed that i will see improvements in the next few days because of the new light that you all recommended.

Keepin ya all posted...
 
You said you haven't seen any droppings in the cage...do you have a substrate in the cage?

I also didn't see any mention of supplements (or maybe I missed it since I only re-read the thread quickly)...do you use any supplements? If so, what brands and how often?

Do you mist the cage as well as use the dripper? (Again, sorry if I missed this.)
 
Yes, I havea substrate, it isthe Repto Liner. I also use a Calcium/ V D3 supplement for the crickets. I have a mister and a sprayer, that i use along side with the drip system.
 
If you use the D3 suppliment more then a few times a month, that could be your problem. He may be getting D3 overdosed. Just use straight Calcium without the D3. Use the one with D3, 2 times a month.
 
Your babe.........

Hi again Dan.......he won't drink at all if you mist his little cage? I would also make sure he is plenty warm (around 80 degrees day and night) until he recovers. The treatment your vet gave you only boosts the appetite if the animal had a parasite problem. Parasites cause loss of appetite. The treatment kills the parasite and then the appetite returns. You are right in your assessment that no poop means its not eating. At this point I think getting him to drink is your top priority. If he's dehydrated there is little chance he will eat.

I'm thinking you are now at the point where increased stress from fussing with him is necessary in order to get water into him somehow. Do you have a dropper or syringe (no needle)? I would try to put one drop of water into his mouth somehow (gently push it between his upper and lower jaw and squirt a drop out. It will seep through the teeth into the mouth.) and see if he will swallow it naturally. If he will, I would very slowly give him water this way one drop at a time. You don't want to do it any faster because he might inhale the water. If you can get him to drink some water this way, he may start drinking it when you mist.

If you can get him to drink than wait a few hours and then try to tackle the food issue. If you can get him to open his mouth you can pop a cricket in there with a small pair of tweezers. I pinch the head off first so it can't "pinch" your baby's mouth. Put the headless cricket into his mouth from the side, not the front. Putting it in from the front will often cause a gag reflex. If you put it in from the side and let him bite down on it he will probably eat it in a more normal manner. Just give him a couple of crickets and then let him rest. See how he reacts to the food and water. If he does not spit things up in a couple of hours get him to drink some more water. Then after awhile get him to eat another cricket or two. This is a slow and labor intensive process. But I think it's time. You and your baby are still in my thoughts........
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

ChamChom
I need help
Replies
13
Views
353
MissSkittles
MissSkittles
lallalaura
Rescued a chameleon
Replies
5
Views
363
MissSkittles
MissSkittles
Arabella2424
Not eating from a cup
Replies
13
Views
556
Arabella2424
Arabella2424
MegaMatt
New Panther Hatchling feeding
Replies
8
Views
449
Sonny13
Sonny13
sketchtone
reginald not eating much (again…)
Replies
7
Views
684
elizaann2
elizaann2
Back
Top Bottom