A strange tale about a man and his cham

[Roa]

Well im in recovery after some very extensive spinal surgery (my spinalcord was broken 3 times in a car accident on duty as a firefigher) and my little very special little cham stod guard over me the first couple of hours after I return from hospital untill I was fitt enough to fend for myself, he simply climbed out of his cage and on to me and every one who came within 2 meters was warned and attacked. He is a very friendly cham & special due to the fact that he had his helmet removed in a life saving operation.
I spend a month or to nursing him back to life with daily contact, feeding and watering.

this is a photo of him guarding me:

And I know that this is very unnatural, but it was solely his choice.

He has been mine since i was 4 weeks old and the vet stated that we have a unusual strong bond and he is very impressed with the way I handles him. ( the vet is a danish specialist).

He is free to roam around the room where his cage is when Im at home and he normally finds a high spot behind me where he can watch what Im doing.

this well-being is my first priority in life, and I'm about to move so Im already trying to plan the perfect cage for him and is successors.
He seems happy, eating (alot) & drinking

I just wanted to share the story with you since I know that, Sir James, isn't a typical cham

 

[saltwaterguy02]

Doesn’t sound too friendly if he was attacking people coming within 2 meters. :^P But im glad your ok from the accident. Sounds like you have a very special friend indeed :^)

 

[Miss Lily]

Sounds to me like Sir James is one very special chameleon. I too had a very strong bond with my first chameleon (Lily) - there's just something about them that I cannot specify, but other people who have had the privilege of owning such a special chameleon will instantly understand what I mean.

I know that chameleons don't think like humans, but it really seems that he was repaying your kindness. You cared for him in his hour of need and so he has done the same for you in return! I totally understand what you are getting at. Sir James is such a special boy - you and him are very lucky to have found each other! I hope you continue to make a full recovery, and I am sure Sir James will keep your spirits up along the way too! I would love to see more photos of your special chameleon!

 

[draetish]

Very touching story, thank you for sharing. Get Well Soon!

 

[Nixehface]

He looks so sweet wrapped up in your hand

 

[Roa]

thanks for reading my tale

Thx for all the response

He is going to the vet tomorrow for at complete checkup and I've just heard that the vet have taken a lot of pictures of this operation for me which I also will poste if I can get his permission. and it will try to post some more pictures tomorrow

 

[boj3434]

That sounds very nice that he can feel for you. Im glad you are both ok

 

[Roa]

some pictures of Sir James

here are some pictures as requested

*this one is taken shortly after his operation and the whit suff is some antibacterial cream*

and

he sitting in one of his favourite plants with at uv/heat lamp above chilling out

 

[Miss Lily]

Aww! He's lovely! What happened to his casque?

 

[jannb]

Thank you for sharing your story and your pictures. These little animals can be VERY SPECIAL indeed. My two both free range and are incredibly smart. It's just amazing what all they can do when given the chance.

 

[luevelvet]

Jann,

Your free ranged chams are simply amazing.

Bjorn,

Congratulations on having such a bond. And I hope your recovery goes well!

Luis

 

[Roa]

actually I don't know, but it all started with some type of allergic reaction or something like that which had lead to an infection.
Within a half hour his helmet and head had swollen up to almost double size and I contacted his vet and within a hour he was on the operating table. where the vets, after talking to other eksperts in europe, decided to remove a part of this helmet to stop the infection from spreading ( I musthave broken all the speed limits one the way to the vet ) and after 3 days in the intensive care unit he was ready to come home and start the long recovery phase.

in the begining I had to forcefeed him (well The first 3 time I had to use a little bit of force, after that he willing open his mouth, so I could give him a special mix of water and high protein carnivor meat) after a couple of weeks he was well enough to hunt again, but still needed to be watered with at syringe slowly dripping on this nose. ( apparently he still likes it and the attention.

I am and always have been carefully watching my chams and know them very well- so well instantly will notice if anything has changed or is abnormal. Thas why I am certain that this swelling came so fast.

This first thing I do when I get up in the morning is checking up on him ( without stressing him) and I check him several times a day between feeding and watering - and the last thing I do before i go to bed is a final check.
I know it sounds like alot, but he seems to like the attention and when I was working sometimes he was very grumpy if he hadn't had his daily dose of attention.

My philosophy is: " he eats first because Im free to eat when ever i want too and he is in a cage and his life and well-being is in my hands, so thats why he gets a high priority"

Please forgive my poor English skills, its very late here in denmark and its been a long day
If you any of you ever comes to Denmark - look me up and I'll show you this wonderful country

Im hoping to get some more answers from the vet later today to share with you all.

 

[Roa]

thanks Luis

 

[Roa]

actually I don't know, but it all started with some type of allergic reaction or something like that which had lead to an infection.
Within a half hour his helmet and head had swollen up to almost double size and I contacted his vet and within a hour he was on the operating table. where the vets, after talking to other eksperts in europe, decided to remove a part of this helmet to stop the infection from spreading ( I musthave broken all the speed limits one the way to the vet ) and after 3 days in the intensive care unit he was ready to come home and start the long recovery phase.

in the begining I had to forcefeed him (well The first 3 time I had to use a little bit of force, after that he willing open his mouth, so I could give him a special mix of water and high protein carnivor meat) after a couple of weeks he was well enough to hunt again, but still needed to be watered with at syringe slowly dripping on this nose. ( apparently he still likes it and the attention.

I am and always have been carefully watching my chams and know them very well- so well instantly will notice if anything has changed or is abnormal. Thas why I am certain that this swelling came so fast.

This first thing I do when I get up in the morning is checking up on him ( without stressing him) and I check him several times a day between feeding and watering - and the last thing I do before i go to bed is a final check.
I know it sounds like alot, but he seems to like the attention and when I was working sometimes he was very grumpy if he hadn't had his daily dose of attention.

My philosophy is: " he eats first because Im free to eat when ever i want too and he is in a cage and his life and well-being is in my hands, so thats why he gets a high priority"

Please forgive my poor English skills, its very late here in denmark and its been a long day
If you any of you ever comes to Denmark - look me up and I'll show you this wonderful country

Im hoping to get some more answers from the vet later today to share with you all.

Finally the pictures are there, so check them out in this tread https://www.chameleonforums.com/my-veiled-chameleons-operation-warning-strong-content-38918

 

[laurie]

Bjorn, I am happy to hear you survived and I hope recovery is complete and fast. But we are all here to talk to you when you want company.

Your chameleon is wonderful to care for you like that. I have a male veiled who hates my husband if I am in the room. If I am not in the room, it is like he knows hubby is going to feed, clean, etc. and he doesn't hiss & lunge at him. They may not think like we do but they do seem to know who loves them.

I tried to see the pictures and so far no luck, but I will try again. I think what you did for your beloved chameleon is great.

 

[Roa]

thanks for the warm thoughts, Laurie
The link should be fixed now
and yes they are amazing creatures who defo can distinguish between ppl and I've found that they tend to have a very strong bond to only one person- my xwife ( who left me for my best friend when i was on the intensive care unit) had a good relationship to our first cham, but it preferred me and this one she was almost scared off because it did like her and defo did like her new boyfriend. it would chase him out of the house every time it had the chance.

 

[gabzzy]

thats so aspiring and heart warming, ur lil guy is indeed an angel and such a trooper, geez, my CoeChi likes to sleep with me in the same way, but isn't it priceless to have a bond like this? Gotta luv it.
BTW ur story moved me to tears,hope u have a speedy recovery and hug ur lil guy once for me, he is very special.

 

[Ellron]

Bjorn? Firstly, let me tell you I LOVE your name! Secondly, congrats on getting better and having a little chameleon by your side the whole time. Thirdly, great dedication in nursing him back to health! :^)

 

[beeze]

Glad to hear that you are both ok. Very touching story. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Roa]

thanks all for taking the time to read and comment on my story.

We are both getting better for each day or atleast he is

Right now he is sleeping on my chest right above my heart ( his favourite position), but I think he had an offday today - he was totally pissed of on everybody and everything - even hissing after his food before eating it.

the last thing he did before snuggling in to sleep was - while he was relaxing 200% on my chest - to lift his head and hiss and me. Just had to laugh of it because he was so lazylooking just laying there and he just felt like telling me whos the boss

@gabzzy it is... atm is the thing that makes me (regardless of how ill I am) get out of bed, so i can make sure that he's healthy and happy.

thanks Ellron, my name is an old Viking name meaning "Bear" in English. it stand for strength, courage and a wild fighting spirit. I'm a viking ( and a member of a Viking reinactment battlegroup called Fenris) and I believe in the old Norse gods, like Tor and Odin if you ever have heard of them