Can U Help Please?

[Yaymus]

Hey ladies and gentlemen, glad to be a part of your site. Being a little new maybe some of you can help me out. I recently got my first Chameleon, He is a Veiled Chameleon, and he is only 2 months old. He got an eye problem, I applied ophthalmic ointment for three days and it was clearing up on the second day. I think that he stopped eating and was looking for some advice on possibly force feeding, I put crickets in his cage as well as mealworms, a 20 gal high, 75wat heat bulb, and a 10 uvb, water drip, temps in the mid to upper 80s, and humidity at least 60% +. He has ribs showing, and I’m getting worried, should I maybe try crickets and jumpstart mixed together, and giving him a little? Any advice would be great!
Thanks
Jameson

 

[Julirs]

What kind of UVB bulb are you using? Compact coiled bulbs are known to cause eye issues. Do you kknow what your temps are? A 2 month old should really be no higher than 80-82 degress and a 75 bulb will heat up a tank quickly. You will need a screen cage very soon.

 

[Murrdox]

You put in some of this info, but try and fill out the remainder:

My first questions would be how long has he had the eye problem, and for how long has he stopped eating. Is he drinking?

Ribs showing on a chameleon isn't really that unusual, pictures would help. A better demonstration of the chameleon being malnourished or dehydrated are sunken eyes and loss of fat pads around the head and arms.

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
* Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
* Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
* Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
* Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
* Location - Where are you geographically located?


Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
* Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
* Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
* Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
* Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
* Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
* History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
* Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.

 

[Dunnigan]

Reptaid is available from www.chameleonsnorthwest.com

I had an issue with my female veiled not eating when she was small and i administered reptaid for 10 days and halfway through the course her appetite came back.

As far as force feeding, it really depends on how long he has not been eating. If it comes down to it you can use a needle less syringe and drip water on his mouth to get him to drink and for eating use something small and soft, i have heard of people using a thin guitar pick and gently open his mouth and put a cricket in.

Where did you get the ointment from? Do you know any of the side effects? If it came from a vet give him a call and ask some questions, if it is an over the counter ointment, i would still contact a vet and ask some questions. A good vet will answer questions over the phone so a visit may not be necessary, but still its not a bad idea.

 

[YogiGirl]

I (sadly) had to force-feed my 3 mo old cham a while back when he had parasites. It was difficult to say the least, but this is what I did and it did work as he's all better now:
fill a needle-less syringe with a high protein baby food and holding his body in one hand, try stroaking the sides of his mouth with a finger until he opens it. Sometimes that would work, but other times, he would just open his mouth out of anger and I'd use the opportunity to squirt some of the food in really quickly. If that happens though, you just have to be reallly careful not to squirt the food too far into his mouth so that he doesn't accidentally inhale it when he's trying to hiss at you!

Bottom line is, if you don't HAVE to force feed him, don't. It causes a LOT of stress for the cham and you! But if they absolutely won't eat anything on their own, it IS definitely worth doing because they won't have the energy to recover from other ailments if they don't eat.

Good luck, and hope your cham gets better soon!

 

[laurie]

I completely agree that you should conside force feeding after everything else. My vet told me to take a thumb and finger and put over his nostrils, just above his mouth, only for a few seconds and he will open his mouth. Be very gentle.

I would see a vet first of all. Good Luck.