I went to the swap-meet this Saturday with my boyfriend where we saw a tall screen cage. Naturally, I asked the guy if it was a chameleon and he said yes. I asked what kind and his answer was "a flaphead chameleon." I had no idea what that was so I asked to see it. Turns out, it's an adult veiled in really bad condition. The little thing was in a shaded area with a tiny stick and plant that may (or may not) be toxic. It had no basking or UV lights. I was outraged and saddened because it had a lot of leftover shed and flakiness and it's helmet was really flat.
He said he'd sell it to me for $45 but I got away with $36. He said it was male and told us "make sure you put a branch in the cage." I got mad at his stupidity and told him the poor thing was sick and he reacted defensively telling me "no it's not. It eats." I took "him" to the petshop I shop at for Tootie (my first veiled) and the guy confirmed he is a she and that she is underweight. He said she'd be ok but I realized right away there is something really wrong. She won't eat and drinks a lot more than Tootie. She also isn't as responsive as I'm used to. By that I mean that she doesn't puff up when she gets made like Tootie does.
So, I took her to the vet yesterday. The vet pretty much confirmed that she is suffering from severe dehydration and that her skin is flaky and stuff because the humidity she was in was inadequate. They gave her some shots with vitamins and did a tube feeding since we don't know when or what she's been eating. They also gave her liquids to hydrate her. The vet warned me that if she doesn't get better within a few days they will need to do a blood test to check for kidney failure. I really hope she is ok but to be honest, I'm a little worried. I've only seen her eat one cricket and a superworm since Saturday. She doesn't look for food and seems to wait for it to come to her. She can hold her weight and the vet said she's clear of MBD but her helmet kind of worries me.
I kind of feel torn about buying her because I feel like I'm supporting the stupid guy who was selling her but at the same time I feel like she wouldn't have made it if I didn't. All I'm doing now is waiting and watching her for progress.
Oh, I showered her today and she loved it. Her personality is starting to show through so I hope that's a good sign. We decided to name her Hercules because we want her to be strong and healthy when she recovers =)
I will post pics as soon as I can.
He said he'd sell it to me for $45 but I got away with $36. He said it was male and told us "make sure you put a branch in the cage." I got mad at his stupidity and told him the poor thing was sick and he reacted defensively telling me "no it's not. It eats." I took "him" to the petshop I shop at for Tootie (my first veiled) and the guy confirmed he is a she and that she is underweight. He said she'd be ok but I realized right away there is something really wrong. She won't eat and drinks a lot more than Tootie. She also isn't as responsive as I'm used to. By that I mean that she doesn't puff up when she gets made like Tootie does.
So, I took her to the vet yesterday. The vet pretty much confirmed that she is suffering from severe dehydration and that her skin is flaky and stuff because the humidity she was in was inadequate. They gave her some shots with vitamins and did a tube feeding since we don't know when or what she's been eating. They also gave her liquids to hydrate her. The vet warned me that if she doesn't get better within a few days they will need to do a blood test to check for kidney failure. I really hope she is ok but to be honest, I'm a little worried. I've only seen her eat one cricket and a superworm since Saturday. She doesn't look for food and seems to wait for it to come to her. She can hold her weight and the vet said she's clear of MBD but her helmet kind of worries me.
I kind of feel torn about buying her because I feel like I'm supporting the stupid guy who was selling her but at the same time I feel like she wouldn't have made it if I didn't. All I'm doing now is waiting and watching her for progress.
Oh, I showered her today and she loved it. Her personality is starting to show through so I hope that's a good sign. We decided to name her Hercules because we want her to be strong and healthy when she recovers =)
I will post pics as soon as I can.
