Dehydration....Stargazing?

[gennifairy]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - female, a little over 2
Handling - Probably handle once or twice a month.
Feeding - Normally she eats mealies and phoenix worms, dusted with cal powder w/o D3
Supplements - cal without d3 and a vit a liquid drip
Watering - I can only assume misted daily and dripper used....she was a gift to an old enough niece who wanted a chameleon but sadly I think she did typical forgetful - which shocks me, considering at 16 you should be more responsible. *is personally livid*

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Screen, probably 4'height and 2x3 - however, just moved her to a 'hospital' cage, smaller in height due to the weakness
Lighting - normal lightbulb 60 watts and t8 10.0 reptisub
Temperature - between 80-90
Humidity - Naturally humid (florida) keep it up with misting
Plants - vines and such, plastic
Placement - in my reptile room - not near any suns or a/c vent. Cant see any other reptiles and is placed high
Location - North Florida

Current Problem - I know shes sick. I DO have a vet appointment set up Tuesday. I noticed a few days ago her eyes were sunken in...so I misted her. I fed a treat of a wax worm...she ate it. I went to feed her the next day....she hadnt touched food. Shes shown 0 interest in any food, at all. In a group I went ahead and asked while working on getting a vet (and ive been fighting with them here) I have been giving her water/pedaltye mixture. Went and talked to the vet since I couldnt get in, suggested repti-boost. Ive been gently trying to water/feed her.

This evening: At my desk near the desk lamp (for heat for her) was watering her. Shed spit some back up, which I didnt find weird, noticed her salvia is very thick. also noticed she sorta throws her head upwards - reminds me of stargazing in beardies?

While I try and get her to survive til Tuesday any suggestions to help?!

This is a pic of her 10/11 - she doesnt even open her eyes anymore!!! :'( This is my fault for thinking a 16 year old could be responsible.

 

[gennifairy]

Nevermind. I just went in there and found her on the ground, dead. I am so utterly heartbroken.

 

[Link]

So sorry. .

 

[cass737]

I'm very sorry for your loss.

 

[Chameleons4u]

Sorry for your loss

 

[jajeanpierre]

I'm sorry.

Please don't be too hard on your niece. Teenagers are just not all that responsible and that self centeredness really is a developmental stage.

Unfortunately, you really don't know why this animal died. Yes, she looks dehydrated, but dying animals look like that. Unless you have a vet do a necropsy, you just don't know. I just lost a couple of wild caughts. Both presented the same way. One had a reproductive infection through her whole body. When I opened the other up, I couldn't find anything so send what was left of her body to pathology because I had noticed a slight mottling of the liver. The pathology report came back with a bacterial infection in the gall bladder and the vet is confident that is the origin of her downward spiral.

When I saw your picture I debated posting that she looked like a chameleon that was in the process of dying, but decided it wouldn't help you at all and in fact would only cause you grief. I expected her to be dead very soon no matter what anyone did.

Honestly, you don't know your niece's care caused the animal's decline. All you know is that she might not have recognized the decline when it started. Please don't be so hard on for that. Not everyone can recognize animals at the start of a decline. She could have died from multitude of reasons that have nothing to do with the care your niece gave her.

 

[Chameleomom]

So sorry she didn't make it