dwarf transgendered veiled chameleon?

[chamelisa]

This forum is setup in a way that allows a new user (or older members) to determine if someone is credible or not. There are reputation blocks up at the top right, your post count and the date you joined the forum is displyed AND you have the option to read someones public comments on their profile, you can also read their profile to get a feel for the person AND we have signatures where a lot of members share what types and quantities of the species they keep. That helps you understand if the person might have a clue if you are asking about a specific species. This all can tell you with an easy quick look if someone's post is credible or not. When I read a post, the FIRST thing I do is look at their post count and date joined. This preps me for thier understanding of the hobby. YES, people with a low post count and recent membership aren't morons... I understand we all start somewhere, and not everyone started here.

Should I post more?

 

[chamfreak24]

ok first off i could give a crap what any of u ppl think , so i don't even no why im responding to this. but did i ever ask if he was in bad health? no i didnt, cuz i knew. i got him from the pet sore. that pic was taken the first day i got him. and to make judgments like that from one picture is complete crap. i have been caring for him for almost a week now. and feeding him twice a day about 20 crickets and misting his cage five times a day. hes gotten fatter, and is on the way to being a perfect cham. i didn't ask if my chameleon is "severly dehydrated and malnurished" i asked why he's so small and what his sex is. i appreciate all your concern, but you new pretty much nothing of the situation and to act like some of you did was pathetic. are you on this forum to help people, or to make jerks of yourself, and agrivate other people? i know most of you were trying to help the chameleon. but this isnt the way to do it, because now im pissed and never coming back to this site.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Well that is your perogative chamfreak. But from the posts i read no one was rude or mean to you. The people on this site care about one common theme. That is the proper care of captive chameleons. So when we see one that is obviously showing major complications people are going to respond. You posted those pics not us. Chris and others simply pointed out the reasons why the cham was so small and growing at a severely slow rate. You need to listen to others advise and stop with the angry responses and start thanking other keepers with more exp for their help.

 

[chamelisa]

Oh come on, it wasn't that bad. Everyone here is really nice. We all have different ways of communicating. You're really lucky to have experienced keepers just a few key strokes away to help you out.

As I offered in PM, you're welcome to call if you want some pointers on rehydration and other things you can do to get him stable.

 

[Chris Anderson]

Chamfreak,

You are extremely defensive for absolutely no reason. You asked his sex and why he is so small and I answered and gave you suggestions as to how to fix it. Being extremely emaciated and dehydrated will result in a lack of growth. I never once indicated it was your fault or that you should be ashamed of anything because I knew you just got it from the petstore. Your attitude and response to everyone is completely uncalled for. The only person who acted like a jerk was you.

Chris

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Chris, I hope this type of behavior doesnt stop you from posting and giving advice to others. We need exp. keepers like you on this board.

 

[tkilgour]

chamfreak, from the picture your chameleon is a male. IMHO, he looks very dehydrated. It sounds like you are taking the right steps to getting him back to health. I wouldn't take Chris Anderson's comments the wrong way, he is very intellingent and just helping you. Best of Luck to you and your chameleon.

EDIT: Oh, I just read through this entire thread and see chamfreak never wants to come back to the site. That is unfortunate because Chris Anderson seriously is just pointing out facts because he is very smart and can help. I think maybe the OP is a little defensive due to the stress of seeing his poor chameleon in such bad shape.

 

[morpheon]

I would add to what Chris said a little thing: If you have a friend coming to you for any reason, and he seems in very bad shape, will you point it out? I may be strange ( i know i am!), but if any friend is in a very bad shape, i ll suggest this person to go see a doctor or whatever he needs to do to get better.

People here care about you, and care about your chameleon. We wont keep something quiet just in case you didnt knew. Chris and nobody else never said it was your fault, and even if it was your fault, we would still be here to help you out. At the end, you are obviously here to get help, and so we are trying to do it.

As for judging by only one picture, there are things that nobody can judge, but there are other things that can be judged by one single picture. Here, it was possible to have that kind of easy diagnosis because it is very obvious. If you want a metaphor, its like if you showed up a picture of a broken arm with some bone coming out of the skin. You dont need to be a doctor to know that the arm is broken.

Now, if you need other help, we are still here and I, for myself, will try to help you the best i can. I also wish you and your chameleon the best of luck and the health possible.

 

[summoner12]

ok first off i could give a crap what any of u ppl think , so i don't even no why im responding to this. but did i ever ask if he was in bad health? no i didnt, cuz i knew. i got him from the pet sore. that pic was taken the first day i got him. and to make judgments like that from one picture is complete crap. i have been caring for him for almost a week now. and feeding him twice a day about 20 crickets and misting his cage five times a day. hes gotten fatter, and is on the way to being a perfect cham. i didn't ask if my chameleon is "severly dehydrated and malnurished" i asked why he's so small and what his sex is. i appreciate all your concern, but you new pretty much nothing of the situation and to act like some of you did was pathetic. are you on this forum to help people, or to make jerks of yourself, and agrivate other people? i know most of you were trying to help the chameleon. but this isnt the way to do it, because now im pissed and never coming back to this site.

I think this is more your loss than ours.

As chris said, I don't think anyone really jumped on you for the cham being sick. People did suggest ways of getting him better, which is now your responsability. But it sounds like you are taking that responsability, which is good for the cham.

 

[drink soy sauce]

because now im pissed and never coming back to this site.

This is a little dramatic. But yeah, most of the post in this thread are off subject, pointless, and basically just members attacking each other.

 

[chamfreak24]

ok, i read over post, and i must admit i did overreact. its just i truley love my animals and i was already stresssed out about how he was doing. and when he said it was malnurished and stuff i took it defensive because it was somthing i already new, and was getting pretty stressed out. and then when ppl started saying i didnt kow how to care for chams and that i dont have the next million dollar chameleon it pissed me off.. mainly cuz i was stressed about the chameleons health. i no i could have taken the advice a bit differently, and im sorry. btw the chameleon is doing pretty good. eating and drinking lots. and btw i will also admit i have a lot to learn about chameleons. like i said above i love my animals, and the chameleons health already had me stressed so ya..

 

[morpheon]

It's alright.

Now, if you want some help again, feel free to post some follow-up pictures of him. Also, if you have any questions, do not hesitate! We like to help people, but we also like to know how chameleons are doing after a while!

 

[chamfreak24]

stress+being 14=being niave somtimes

 

[chamfreak24]

mk, will do.

 

[FroggtheCham]

We are all human and we are not perfect. I'm glad the cham is doing well. For me, it would have been nice to know the pic wasn't recent. I'm glad you decided to hang around. Please keep us updated on your cham and we LOVE pictures!!! Good luck!!

 

[Chris Anderson]

Chamfreak,

I'm glad you came back and were able to see that we're just trying to help. It sounds like you're trying to make sure he gets plenty of food and water, which is the best first step. Keep that up and hopefully he will continue to improve. You might still consider seeing a vet with chameleon experience, however. He may have caught parasites while at the petstore, which could also explain him being so thin. A vet will be able to tell from a fresh fecal sample.

Chris

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome back! We do come off a bit rough at times, but we all really have the best interests of the chameleon in mind.

 

[Berg]

Updated pics?

 

[chamfreak24]

reptile room lights are off.. so pics tmmrw.

 

[SpinyFranky]

First off....

Why members here constantly have to flame each other in public postings is getting somewhat ridiculous. Either keep it to yourself, send your quarrels through private messages, or find some other way to keep your internet rampages off of public parts of this site...

The Entire Eliza + Summoner conversation was ridiculous, as a senior member (summoner) and as a long time poster (Eliza) I kind of expected more than that from both of you.

Secondly, to the OP.

You overreacted big time in your last few posts, though I know it was kind of granted with the stupid "million dollar chameleon quote". But understand that most of the time when you have a sick/injured chameleon and talk about it on these forums its going to get you some heat, no matter the situation.

Also, you said your 14. Time to start writing like you should be. I would ask that you type legibly and clearly, your last few posts make very little sense, and do little to actually help the animal, they really only give off a sense of you being "pissed off".

Regarding this original topic,

The animal is most likely small because it was never fed very much, especially if it was kept in a cage with brothers and sisters that it constantly had to compete with for food. Most likely it was the "runt" of the liter, only made worse by the fact that it had to compete for its nutrition.

On top of that it is dehydrated, which you can see from the sunken head pads and eyes. I am blaming none of this on you, I am saying this because to answer your question, you do not have a "micro cham" or a "dwarf" you have a severely malnourished animal that needs help right away.

Misting will accomplish little if the animal is not drinking, so make sure that you see it drinking.

It also does not matter how much the animal eats if you are not gut loading properly. 5 well gut loaded crickets are much more beneficial to it than 20 poorly gutloaded ones. A quick search on the forum will pull up some great gutloading tips, and paired with a lot of feeders (well gutloaded) and a lot of attempts at rehydration (aka showers and forced drinking) I see no reason why the animal will not have a good shot at a normal life.

S.F