jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
Many people find this forum when they are faced with a gravely ill chameleon. We've all seen these posts. Often the animal hasn't a chance, even if it were in the hands of the best reptile vet in the world.
When an animal is in a crisis and crashing, what it has been fed, supplemented with, its caging, gut loading and lighting are of no relevance to saving that animal. It doesn't matter that the animal got into this state because of poor husbandry. Correcting bad husbandry will not save a critically ill animal.
The immediate problem is that it is critically ill and in a crisis. That acute crisis is what needs to be addressed. The past doesn't matter to how it needs to be treated. A chameleon in a crisis needs to be stabilized first.
I wish members with little to no experience working with acutely ill animals would not chime in with questions about the lighting or supplements or gut loading. It does not help the person with the ill animals. Someone coming on here with a gravely ill animal wants help from people who have some experience with successfully bringing animals back from the brink. They (and the people who do have the experience) don't want to wade through the advice that won't help and might actually hurt the animal.
Also, sunken eyes do not necessarily mean dehydration. MBD is not always caused by poor nutrition (lack of calcium) and improper lighting. Animals with snowy white urates can be deathly ill with kidney failure. Chameleons do not die for no reason just because your vet can't find the reason even with a necropsy.
Vets have limits and the less experienced the keeper the harder their job. My vets count on me to tell them what I've been seeing and where to look. Sometimes I'm wrong, but at least they have a starting point. There is very little that can be done with crashing chameleons other than supporting them. People also need to understand the role stress (handling) plays in the decline of an already very ill animal. Sometimes what you think will help will actually hasten their demise.
Off my soap box!
When an animal is in a crisis and crashing, what it has been fed, supplemented with, its caging, gut loading and lighting are of no relevance to saving that animal. It doesn't matter that the animal got into this state because of poor husbandry. Correcting bad husbandry will not save a critically ill animal.
The immediate problem is that it is critically ill and in a crisis. That acute crisis is what needs to be addressed. The past doesn't matter to how it needs to be treated. A chameleon in a crisis needs to be stabilized first.
I wish members with little to no experience working with acutely ill animals would not chime in with questions about the lighting or supplements or gut loading. It does not help the person with the ill animals. Someone coming on here with a gravely ill animal wants help from people who have some experience with successfully bringing animals back from the brink. They (and the people who do have the experience) don't want to wade through the advice that won't help and might actually hurt the animal.
Also, sunken eyes do not necessarily mean dehydration. MBD is not always caused by poor nutrition (lack of calcium) and improper lighting. Animals with snowy white urates can be deathly ill with kidney failure. Chameleons do not die for no reason just because your vet can't find the reason even with a necropsy.
Vets have limits and the less experienced the keeper the harder their job. My vets count on me to tell them what I've been seeing and where to look. Sometimes I'm wrong, but at least they have a starting point. There is very little that can be done with crashing chameleons other than supporting them. People also need to understand the role stress (handling) plays in the decline of an already very ill animal. Sometimes what you think will help will actually hasten their demise.
Off my soap box!
