Chameleon emergency kit

dodolah

dodolah

Retired Moderator
Hey guys.. i was wondering if some of you expert owners can shed a light on things or meds needed for such case where emergency vet service are just not available right away.

I am assembling my own emergency first aid kit for my veiled chameleon.
Think of it as things that you would like to have readily available for you to minimalize the risk of death be4 the help is coming.

I realize many of the unfortunate posts seem to speak the same situation, such as:
"I cannot go to the vet as he/she is __________." (fill in the blank with things like: out of town, on vacation, etc etc).

1 of the horror as a pet owner is to see your pet in agony while waiting for the help to arrive. So, I want to be at least prepare before things like this happened.
After all, we do not exactly have an E.R Service for a chameleon.

thank you.
at the end of the day, i can assemble one and put it in a box, list all the
meds and kits, and post the pictures for you guys if y'all are interested.

But b4 that, i need your advice.
Thanks!
 
hey there,
well I am a little new to this. But I would think a liquid calcium supplement would be a good thing, along with a very small syringe to administer both water or the liquid calcium.
A reference book probly would be a good idea. Something that references symptoms and treatments for chameleons.
Maybe tweezers incase you need to force feed your chaameleon.
An extra UVA/UVB light bulb and an extra heat lamp bulb are always good to keep on hand.
Thats about all I can think of, hope that gives you a good start.
 
so here goes:
1. syringe
2. tweezers
3. liquid calcium (i'm guessing 4 MBD, yes?)
4. a reference book 4 cham's disease (anybody knows a good one?)

what else?
 
You gotta go to Tijuana to get the meds that really work (Baytril, parasite drugs etc)... You can't usually get them from a vet unless there's a reason you need them, and they cost about 10 times as much in the US as they cost down there. Keep in mind, most medications expire pretty quickly, so to have all drugs on hand all the time will be expensive, unless you make a yearly trip to Mexico.
 
More ideas...
Flamazine (for burns and wounds..won't hurt the eyes or mouth if it does end up there by mistake)
Neosporin/polysporin
Betadine
K-Y jelly (for keeping prolapses moist)
Saline solution
Cotton balls
Q-tips
Latex gloves
Syringes
Heat packs (if you live in cold climates)
Pet pal (to carry chameleon to the vets)
"Bird tape" (don't know the proper name for this, but its tape that only sticks to itself)
"Cat catheter" (again, don't know the proper name, but its a long thin tube, thinner than a straw that widens at one end so it will fit on the end of a syringe...great for flushing wounds out)
Spatula (the kind used in the kitchen....but don't use it for that, of course!...great for opening mouths or keeping them open)
 
I could recommend two topical ointments:
Silvadene Cream
Zymox
An eye cream:
Neo-Poly-Bac
Eye drop:
Gentamicin
I know some people on the forum have mentioned OTC versions of eye drops (???) and ointment (Terramycin).
 
My Recommendation: Fluker's Repta Aid(buy thru Internet)

Excellent for anorexic, malnorished, and dehydrated candidates. Make sure you get the one formulated for Chameleons. Stuff also has quite a long shelf life since it comes in a powder form that you reconsitute with water.
I see immediate results within 2-3 hours when I administer the liquid with a syringe to my Chameleon and he loves the taste.(He has needed it at least 3-4 times already). In my Chameleon's case, just one dose when he's "under the weather" is enough for him to actively start eating again!

Christine


.
 
Awesome!

Great Responses!
Please see if there are some more that I should include, or
if there are some meds that i can go without (there might be some meds that have the some function in the tool kit).

so here's the update:
Tools:
1. syringe
2. tweezers
3. Cotton balls
4. Q-tips
5. Latex gloves
6. Heat packs
7. Spatula
8. Bird Tape? Kinyonga, what exactly is it for?
9. Cat Catheter


Meds:

Skin, wounds, etc:
1. Flamazine (for burns and wounds)
2. Neosporin/polysporin
3. Betadine
4. Silvadene Cream
5. Zymox
6. Terramicin

Stomach:
7. K-Y jelly (for keeping prolapses moist)
8. Saline solution
9. mineral oil.

Eyes:
10. Neo-Poly-Bac
11. Gentamicin
12. Bausch and Lomb Sterile Eye Wash

Dehydration, anorexia, and MBD issues:
13. Fluker's Repta Aid for chameleon
14. Liquid Calcium
 
Last edited:
Wow.
Now the question that comes to my mind:

Do you have this complete of a first-aid kit in your home for you and your family?:)

-Brad
 
Brad Ramsey said:
Wow.
Now the question that comes to my mind:

Do you have this complete of a first-aid kit in your home for you and your family?:)

-Brad
Click to expand...

lol..
good question!
I do have first aid kit for my family and I...
but I don't know whether it's complete or not..
the cool thing about being human is we can go to the hospital and get an emergency services without having to worry about the availability of a doctor to treat us. :D
 
dodolah said:
lol..
good question!
I do have first aid kit for my family and I...
but I don't know whether it's complete or not..
the cool thing about being human is we can go to the hospital and get an emergency services without having to worry about the availability of a doctor to treat us. :D
Click to expand...

...Unless we ourselves are not able to attain the transportation to get to a hospital. hehe.
 
dodolah asked..."Bird Tape? Kinyonga, what exactly is it for?"...you can't really use bandaids or adhesive take on chameleons...so this tape sticks to itself and not to the chameleon so it can be wrapped around (a tail for instance) so that it covers a wound.
 
what's a styptic pencil or powder does?

Umm.. I'll start collecting some of these things and we'll c how much it cost.
and uhh.. my friend is going to Tijuana soon.. Is buying these meds there and bring it here illegal?:confused:
I want to make sure that i won't cause my friend trouble from trafficking drugs for chameleons :D.
 
dodolah said:
what's a styptic pencil or powder does?

Umm.. I'll start collecting some of these things and we'll c how much it cost.
and uhh.. my friend is going to Tijuana soon.. Is buying these meds there and bring it here illegal?:confused:
I want to make sure that i won't cause my friend trouble from trafficking drugs for chameleons :D.
Click to expand...

Are they walking or driving across? I had to go down there for work a bunch of times. If you walk across you are more likely to get searched because they scan your bag like at the air port when you come back into the US... so if they see something they don't like or want a better look, they will open your bag. If you drive... they just ask you 50,000,000 questions... and if you stumble or look like a criminal they will pull you over and search your car. So if ya just say you were in Mexico because you wanted some authentic Mexican tacos... they will probably just flag you through.

Now is it illegal to bring back those kinds of drugs without a prescription? probably...
 
Where is a good place to purchase all these goodies at? But will be affordable at the same time lol.

David
 
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