Cham just died

[RandD]

Hey guys, my chameleon Chamcham just died this morning.
No warning, just kicked the bucket.
I'm afraid it was something I did.
The enclosure met all the requirements of the suggested page.
Temps and humidity were right.
But this morning I found him and he was lying on his side on the bottom of the cage. I figured he might had fallen or gotten down there to sleep (not good signs) so I picked him up. He was responsive for a few seconds then his eyes closed and opened no more. I didn't even have time to get to the syrnge to give him water. After he went limp his mouth opened and his toung stuck out.

Last night he was spending a lot of time at the very top of his cage, as close to the lights as he could get. I figured this was because there was crickets there. But now I am worried it was a sign of something else.

I've only had him a few months. I got him from a guy who was moving and couldn't take him, he said he got him at a reptile show a year (before giving it to me). So I am not sure how old he was when he got him, or how hold he is now. But ever since I got him he has been kind of stick like.

 

[Juliaf3]

I went back and read your old posts. Found one where you were concerned about his anus. You gave a great description of his cage. One thing stood out to out to me. you were keeping His cage much to warm. An Adult should have 70-80F (21-26C) ambient, 82-85F (29C) basking . Your night temps were what your day ambient temp should have been. There's no need for a night heat source unless your home is getting below fifty. I'm sorry I did not see your posts sooner I would have suggested no heat source at night and lowering his day time temps. I'm so sorry he passed I'm not saying this is why, just could have played a roll. Also, with not knowing his age, he could have been an old man. Do you have any pictures? Average life expectancy for a jackson is 3-6 years. Again, so sorry to hear he passed.

 

[deathdealer91]

I'm sorry for your loss. Man that sucks.

 

[RandD]

Thank you for the condolences. It just feels bad because it makes wonder if you were the cause or if it was just nature.

Do you mean a picture of the cage or the chameleon?

 

[Juliaf3]

Thank you for the condolences. It just feels bad because it makes wonder if you were the cause or if it was just nature.

Do you mean a picture of the cage or the chameleon?

Well I meant your jackson, but both would be great.

 

[fleetwoodchams]

Hope this put things into perspective. I bought a Jacksonii from a local pet store about 5 years ago. They had him in a glass fish tank but he looked healthy. So I liberated him and brought him home for a better life. I had other types of reptiles so i figured it wouldn't be too hard to keep a chameleon.
I did all the hurry up research got the screen cage the UVB lighting and the supplements etc. He did well for about a month then he died abruptly. No long time sign of illness, just died. Still a beautiful green color when I found him in the morning. I don't know what they fed him at the store. I gave him crickets w/ calcium as I had read to do. I felt guilty for a long time about this until I joined the forum and understood how much the pet stores are faulty in the husbandry of the chameleons they sell. You may have gotten a cham that was already sick, not given the calcium he needed to survive under artificial light or even the basic lights or habitat he needed. They get disease and parasites too. I resolved to not ever buy a cham from a pet store again after this. And I learned a lot on chams and how to care for them. They are pretty unique when it comes to reptiles.
In more recent times I now keep 7 healthy and happy chams. I have never purchased another from a pet store but I learned a lot from that experience.
I am sorry for your loss. I can only hope you learn from it and get another friend.

 

[Daytoe]

I'm sorry for your loss. It really sucks to not know if it was something you did or not. I can relate, my Midori died yesterday. I totally thought it was my fault, then the vet did an autopsy and found she had ovarian cysts and was really necrotic and full of fluids on her inside. She looked great outside. This is obviously not what happened to your Chamcham, what I am trying to say is its very likely you did nothing wrong. (And I 'm not saying get an autopsy- my vet did it because I gave her to him because I couldn't afford to pay for surgery for her- she never made it to surgery).

 

[Dr O]

my condolences as well. Daytoe made an excellent point re: necropsies; they are generally very good about revealing the cause of death. that can be tremendously educational if it points to husbandry issues, and/or can be a tremendous relief/guilt reducer if it points to something that you would have very little control over, as in Daytoe's case.

should you (or any future reader of this thread) choose a necropsy, the most important rule is to NEVER freeze the body. it must be refrigerated ASAP (and kept cold if shipped). generally a few days can go by in that state and still have a successful necropsy, however the longer the wait the less likely supplemental tests (like bacterial cultures, histopathology) can be used as other bacteria began to grow after death and the organs begin autolysis.

dunno where you live--some exotic vets may do necropsies with no fee if they have the time and interest, particularly if they have an existing relationship with the patient.

bottom line--any and every human that dies w/o evidence of natural causes will have an autopsy (paid for by taxpayers in most cases); the same rationale can be applied to any animal (paid for by you, however).