cham rescue

[tdotcham]

so my friend started working at a local pet shop and they have a cham in the quarantine in the back that is sick.

the symptoms i saw when i checked in quick was... closed eyes during the day and he did open them when i was checking him out, probably underweight which is pretty evident by the lack of any fat padding on his head, and his back feet were resting on a vine.

they have been apparently orally administering repti-aid and calcium, however I dont have many details of what is going on. they offered to give him to me for free if he isnt improved in a weeks time... im hoping that I can get him and provide him the best care i can before it's too late.

im not sure about his eating or supplementation schedule as they document nothing as to feeding, all i know is he is definitely sick and i would love to give him a chance.

like most pet shops, they only mist the cages with zero to little foliage and provide a water dish which is useless.

ANY advice would be welcome, Im a student however and although I would love to have a full vet check up it's really not in my budget to spend alot of cash there. a fecal would be doable however.

 

[Lindsey]

The store should have a veterinarian check out the chameleon. I used to work at a pet store in high school and they had a vet come in twice a week to check out the new puppies/give shots/look at any ill animals/etc...

Also, you could ask the store if you could foster the Cham for them until it gets better. It will probably not get better in a pet store because there are just too many people working and not enough communication to take care of it properly. The store I worked at would let us foster a reptile if it was not doing well until it was back to good health.

Lindsey

 

[leo]

You should try to get them to let you foster hiim/her as soon as possible if it is to have any chance. I'll give you a list of what should be checked in order to proper house a chameleon, but let us know what type of chameleon it is as all have different needs and requirements.
-Lighting, should have preferably a linear uvb light bulb in order to protect his/her eyes.
-Foliage, plenty of it to provide protection, and allow for water consumption after misting.
-plenty of water/misting provided, can only be done if there is plenty of foliage.
-temperature and hummidity- dependent on chameleon species.
-feeding schedule
-It definately needs to get at least a fecal done to check for any parasites that could be affecting his/her health.
Let us know what happens, and recommend the store to have a vet check up on all of its animals before getting any more. Good luck!

 

[tdotcham]

i would be taking him in a week as stated... he would be mine and my responsibility from there on. i honestly doubt they have vets come in as its mainly a fish store and recently the chain added reptiles.

im ultimately looking for medication or anything i can do to benefit the chameleons health and save his life.

 

[jannb]

i would be taking him in a week as stated... he would be mine and my responsibility from there on. i honestly doubt they have vets come in as its mainly a fish store and recently the chain added reptiles.

im ultimately looking for medication or anything i can do to benefit the chameleons health and save his life.

Line up a vet visit. He'll need that first thing if he can make it for a week.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Did you notice if he had a heat source? Is his uvb light a coiled bulb? I'd check his temps in the enclosure he's currently housed in. He may be too cool or too hot depending on the wattage of basking bulb they are using. Is this a veiled, panther, jacksons...
When you say quarantine, is he in a room seperate from other animals? If he can see any other reptiles, snakes in particular that can be a huge stress factor. As snakes are a chams predator. We really need to see pics of the housing and the cham to be able to give any recommendations.

 

[pantherlover]

Without knowing much about the history, there isnt much advice that could be given. Once a cham starts closing its eyes, there isnt much time to correct any wrongs. There is no history? Im willing to bet they supplement every reptile the same. Id venture a guess that its been getting a multivitamin. Many stores also dont offer uvb as the goal is to move the animal as fast as possible with minimal cost. Its probably only getting crickets & mealworms. cal/phos ratio is probably way off. Just see what supps. they have open at the store. Youll probably have a good idea as to what went wrong. If your going to take it, get it a little pothos or something for the week. I commend you for wanting to take this animal in but buying a whole new setup for it will probably be a waste of money unless your planning on another cham one day,

Good luck.

 

[Carlton]

Once a cham starts closing its eyes, there isnt much time to correct any wrongs. If your going to take it, get it a little pothos or something for the week. I commend you for wanting to take this animal in but buying a whole new setup for it will probably be a waste of money unless your planning on another cham one day,

Good luck.

I agree. I've taken in some really far gone chams...some made it and some didn't. You don't need an entire screen cage setup for a cham this sick at first. Even a small bird cage or ventilated critter cage will do in a pinch. The expenses will come from the correct lighting (that you can't do without), the temp and humidity gauges, and the feeding supplies. If the shop is willing to give the cham to you great, its worth a try. Now if they wanted to sell it to you I'd walk sadly away. I would however be reluctant to buy the other supplies from the shop unless they offer you some kind of discount (or give you some of their own supplies temporarily) for the sake of the cham. The point to be made is...don't carry animals you can't house or care for properly and don't market them to uneducated buyers.

If the cham survives and the shop does seem open to learning their proper care I would reward them with your business...make the point and move on.

Oh, BTW, there are several things you can do for this cham without a vet at first...and they just might be enough to save it...correct the lighting, temps and humidity, proper nutrition and support until it starts eating on its own.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Good post Carlton. I agree with that assesment. But not to take up for the store. Just being a devils advocate here. It could be something as simple as using an old cfl bulb. Since we have no pics theres no way of knowing how far gone this animal is. Or the reasons for these syptoms.

 

[tdotcham]

let me first address this as I understand the needs of husbandry and have kept my ambilobe without any issues for almost a year.

the rescue is an ambilobe which does display beautiful orange and yellows... I would be getting him for free however the shop wont give him up for another week.

Currently he is stationed in a small tank with a vine in the back room.. yes there are other animals around them and no he has no visual dividers. The issue is I cant enter the store and go into the employee section as when I was back there with my friend who works there I was asked to leave.

The knowledge I have is that he has been in quarantine room for a week... apparently he had been going good and his UVB source burnt out and went un-noticed. He looked dehydrated when I first saw him, and that is all I know. As for supplementation I believe they only do calcium... w/o d3 or with I have no idea, and they do not record any feeding or supplementation AT ALL. right now his tank has a heat source which he pretty much stays under on his vine, as his tank is small and he doesnt look like he has enough strength to move around. He is being administered repti-aid and calcium orally is the only thing which I am being told.

My friend did try to pick him up and take a picture for me today but he said that the cham was aggressive and fired and he was nervous he was going to get bit so he left him alone.

As for a setup, I figure something small that will have proper foliage to utilize a dripper/misting to keep humidity. The rest of the stuff I can get no worries. As for a home, I'm considering building a small temporary enclosure, or I also have some spare fish tanks I can clean and use. Ill be doing the enclosure on the weekend and praying he will be good.

 

[ataraxia]

you have a friend that works there right? can you give your friend proper care instructions? i think that is a first step. if the shop owner/manager is not giving proper care then as a employee he should be able to care for him with your verbal help. tell him to put cardboard up atleast between the cages. then find a screen cage and put him in it. then get him a uvb tube. then a normal house light bulb basking spot of 90-95 degrees. then hydrate the pisss out of him. since we know he has not been getting the correct supplements and they are force feeding at this point have him draw up a correct does of reptaid in a syringe and mix up 6ml pedialyte, a small pinch of herptivite and some bug guts. then draw the mixture up in the syringe and feed. if he is aggressive force feeding should be very easy.

 

[tdotcham]

the problem is that my buddy just started and really cant just do that. Apparently the guy is doing his best to take care of him so I can only hope that he does well and the little guy makes it and that I can give him the best support I can.

Getting him into a mesh cage isnt ideal... I dont live in Cali, its winter here. Something small is perfect as he doesnt move and his back legs are very weak and he doesnt seem to be using them.

 

[pantherlover]

Sounds like you really wanna give it a shot. Goodluck man.

 

[ataraxia]

i just dont get it but ok.

 

[tdotcham]

what dont you understand?? i came here looking for advice from people with experience and knowledge so that I could absorb some before I hopefully receive him.

I cant go to the store and make demands when firstly i am not a customer of theirs and secondly am trying to get a sick animal for free. try going to your local petsmart and telling them that they need to change their setups exclusively for the chams and see how well that goes over

if anyone has any advice then for sure pass it on. For now I'm thinking of purchasing a clear bin that I can have him in a temporary setup. It will help keep humidity in this dry period and Im not going to be building a new adult cage for a sick animal who is stationary

 

[Jimturner]

Three cheers for trying! hope it works out for the cham and you. good luck!

 

[pantherlover]

The bin will be just fine. I know you've researched supps. And everything else. Tpm could be right that it could be something as simple as temps and lights. Feel it out. Honestly they shuold be able to tell you diet and supp. Shedule. I'd be willing to bet every animal gets cal with d3. If that's the case, I'd give cal only for a week or so then go to the regular schedule.

 

[ataraxia]

ive tried in petsmart so i know it is a no go. how they care for animals is shitty clear down to the fish. that is why i dont go to petsmart period. when you say shop i personally dont think of a petsmart as a shop. i assumed wrong.

basically i cant fathom how a employee cannot care for an animal. my wife worked for a chain pet store and she brought home sick animals frequently.

 

[tdotcham]

for sure. but what can you do..

im hoping that he is still kickin and I can regain his health!

 

[tdotcham]

got a spare aquarium/mesh lid to house him in... hoping i can get him tomorrow. he is still kickin

my buddy updated me and told me that he saw him moving around a bit and poured water over some fake foilage (as i instructed him) and he drank alot. he then misted the cage well.

fingers crossed. will be looking for any help once i get him