KaitNChaCha
New Member
Chameleon Info:
Cage Info:
Current Problem: My chameleon recently went to the vet (as in yesterday July 2nd 2020) and was diagnosed with gout (not mentioned if articular or visceral) and renal failure. His life expectancy is not going to be that long apparently and treatment is expensive and likely not going to work - said the vet. I worry now about his eyes - his pupils are dilating without a change in light.
- My Cham: Male Veiled Chameleon who is 7 months, 2 weeks old. I have had him for almost 7 months (will be seven on the fifth).
- My Handling: I handle Charles Crayon V, almost every other day, as he enjoys being outside. I didn’t realize it was a “no-no” to handle him, until about a month ago, but by then he had grown accustomed to going outside.
- Happy Hour: I feed my chameleon dried mealworms, dried crickets, the vegetable for reptiles mix (though he often doesn’t consume it) and super worms. I give him the opportunity to get his own food (it sits in a small metallic bowl) so he eats, on average, two to three super worms a day. I really don’t have a set schedule - as I try to set the fresh worms out in the morning (which varies based on what time I get up) and I had never heard of gut-loading before this, so I do not do that?
- Vitamins: I give him the D3 with Calcium, but I didn’t realize you shouldn’t be administering it every day - also the D3 with Calcium was from Petsmart.
- Watering: I use manual misting every three to four hours, and the water is cleared to be used for reptiles (with the cleanser thingy) and it is usually a little warmer because he doesn’t appreciate the cold water. I also use the little dripper, and have a small rock bowl thing to catch the water he doesn’t drink. He is really weird though because he’s been drinking the standing water, which I know isn’t good. So I change the water daily.
- Fecal Description: He hasn’t been tested for parasites, but I recently noticed that his presents were only coming out as white - which means he’s only been urinating. Which confused me because his kidneys are failing yet he excreted that, and not the poop. This got me thinking that he might have been backed up too.
- History: He was hatched 11/20/2019.
Cage Info:
- Cage Type: Screened Cage, who’s height is taller than the width and length. I purchased it again at Petsmart, as they came “highly suggested”. So I think it is 2’x2’x4’ or 1’x1’x4’.
- Lighting: It was a zoomed reptile lighting set. It came with a nighttime bulb, and a daytime UVB bulb. I also purchased a red basking bulb. My daily lighting schedule is a little off at the moment, because I was recently on vacation (for the weekend) and unfortunately no one was home for the lights. I usually have the daytime and basking bulbs on for twelve to fifteen hours, and then the nighttime bulb on for the remainder of the time.
- Temperature: The temperature of the cage remains anywhere from sixty-five to ninety degrees Fahrenheit. His lowest (on the reptile carpet ground) remains typically in the low seventies, as he climbs higher, the top stays at around eighty-eight. I measure these temps every three to four hours (when I mist) utilizing a tool known as the Laser-Temperature-Regulator.
- Humidity: I used to use this tool that measured both temperature and humidity and then it broke. That was around two months, and I never got a chance to rebuy the humidity gauge, but I followed the instructions for how often I should mist. I mist the leaves and the cage every three to four hours.
- Plants: I use fake plants and I wish I didn’t - I literally see him sometimes trying to chew on the plants. I thought it was because I had just misted them, but he kept trying to chew on them - it has made me rethink having fake ones in there.
- Placement: I have the cage situated in a corner, in between my bookshelf (one of three and filled with children’s books) and my dresser/vanity. This is not a high foot trafficking area, and I situate him about three feet off the ground, and then the cage height is four feet and so basically it is seven feet (minus a couple of inches since he doesn’t rest at the top of the cage outside) off the ground.
- Location: I am located in western Pennsylvania, where the summers are as humid as the ones in Florida, but the winters are frigid like the New England states up north.
Current Problem: My chameleon recently went to the vet (as in yesterday July 2nd 2020) and was diagnosed with gout (not mentioned if articular or visceral) and renal failure. His life expectancy is not going to be that long apparently and treatment is expensive and likely not going to work - said the vet. I worry now about his eyes - his pupils are dilating without a change in light.
