EMERGENCY! I fear my Cham is failing...

[pantherlover]

Urate shows signs of dehydration.
Any shedding or tongue issues?
What exactly where you supplementing before?
A wrong ratio of nutrients over an extended period of time could cause big problems. You need to remember that d3 allows calcium to be absorbed. Vitamin A also plays a big role in a chameleons health. To little and you will see eye problems and shedding issues develop. Too much vitamin A will prevent d3 from doing its job or build up in the the kidney to the point of a toxic level. Its a fine line.
Review your supplements and gutload, try to see what you could have been giving too much or too little of. Some groups of keepers believe that some chameleons cannot convert beta carotine into vitamin a. If your vet does not believe this, It may not have even crossed his/her mind that a lack of vitamin a could be the issue here.
A reptisun linear 5.0 emits useful uvb for up to 12 months. I change mine every 9 or 10 months. I wouldnt trust a reptiglow for much past 6 months.
Compact bulbs have been known to cause blindness. Keep it safe and use a linear 5.0 and an incandescent housebulb for basking.
First physical signs of dehydration are sunken eye turrets and wrinkly skin then sunken fat pads.

 

[bugman]

just received new lights today man that took far to long! I have just replaced the bulbs in both my cham cages to Reptisun 5.0 UVB 15 watts T8 bulbs. Reduced both cages to a single 18" and they both have ZooMed Basking Spots in them.

The vitamin I was told to use by my vet but have not been able to get him to eat is Reptivite by ZooMed

Vitamins:
A, D-3, E, C, Folic Acid, B1, B2, Niacin, B6, B12, Biotin, Panthothenic Acid

Minerals:
Calcium, Phosphorus, Iodine, Iron,Magnesium, Copper, Maganese, Sodium, Zinc, Potassium

Amino Acids:
Many hard to read

 

[carol5208]

You are to dust your feeders with the vitamin, not feed it to the chameleon.

 

[pantherlover]

I agree with your vet. I think reptivite with d3 is a great product for chameleons. Ask your vet what their take is on a vitamin a deficiency... Also ask about a safe method for dosing vitamin a... Otherwise, I dont know what to tell you. Good luck

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Did you take that fecal in to your vet? That was a strange looking poop. I'd make sure he gets as many warm indoor showers and outdoor showers with the garden hose as possible. Are his eyes looking any better now that his bulbs have been changed?

 

[bugman]

You are to dust your feeders with the vitamin, not feed it to the chameleon.

LOL of course

 

[bugman]

Did you take that fecal in to your vet? That was a strange looking poop. I'd make sure he gets as many warm indoor showers and outdoor showers with the garden hose as possible. Are his eyes looking any better now that his bulbs have been changed?

Yes one of his eyes has vastly improved and he is opening it and recognizes me I will post a picture. I think the humidity and outdoor natural light is helping him a ton. I also added the two new lights outside because there is a lot of shade at periods of the day

 

[bugman]

Did you take that fecal in to your vet? That was a strange looking poop. I'd make sure he gets as many warm indoor showers and outdoor showers with the garden hose as possible. Are his eyes looking any better now that his bulbs have been changed?

The vet is off today I will call him in the morning I am keeping the fecal in a container in the fridge in hopes to keep it intact should there be any parasites or if he wants to run some tests on it

 

[ataraxia]

Cage:24x24x48' SCREEN cage lots of rope, vines and live plants if you can. live plants will help with the humidity. make sure you cover the soil with screen or large rocks. put cage as high up in the room as you can. not near any vents, fans or windows.

Lighting: 5.0 reptisun or reptiglo linear tube (length depends on cage size)/house hold bulb for basking. the house bulb watt will depend on how far your nearest branch is from the light and your ambient room temps.
***change UVB bulbs every 6 months.

Temps: basking temp around 90* for a male low 80's* for female / ambient temps 72* measure by digital guages.

Hydration: manual spray 2-5 minutes/2-3 times a day. provide a dripper.

Feeders: GUTLOAD VERY IMPORTANT! (24 hours before feeding) with fresh veggies and fruits and once a week with sticky tongues gutload. also check out sandrachameleons blog on the subject. Crickets, mealworms, silkworms, hornworms, dubai roaches, reptiworms, BB flies, butterflies, moths.

Supplements: repcal calcium w/o d3 every feeding, reptivite twice a month

DISCONTINUE your superworms. this is the source of the lack in appetite.

i noticed his parietal area is looking flat. this suggest that he is dehydrated and or malnourished. follow the care i provided above. here is a link to help you keep him hydrated. it will take him some time to get a full appetite back.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/ataraxia/454-dehydration-solutions-force-fluid-tips.html

 

[camimom]

Yes one of his eyes has vastly improved and he is opening it and recognizes me I will post a picture. I think the humidity and outdoor natural light is helping him a ton. I also added the two new lights outside because there is a lot of shade at periods of the day

What lights did you add outside? When I take my guy outside, I dont bring lights with me. I just put his cage outside in the sun. I take a towel and cover half his cage so he can get into the shade if he so chooses.
You shouldnt need any lights out there.

 

[kinyonga]

Have you looked inside his mouth at the gums along the teeth? With the lips separated slightly like that I'm wondering if he has mouth rot.

What brand and type (spiral, compact, long linear tube, etc.) UVB light were you using?

 

[bugman]

Cage:24x24x48' SCREEN cage lots of rope, vines and live plants if you can. live plants will help with the humidity. make sure you cover the soil with screen or large rocks. put cage as high up in the room as you can. not near any vents, fans or windows.

Lighting: 5.0 reptisun or reptiglo linear tube (length depends on cage size)/house hold bulb for basking. the house bulb watt will depend on how far your nearest branch is from the light and your ambient room temps.
***change UVB bulbs every 6 months.

Temps: basking temp around 90* for a male low 80's* for female / ambient temps 72* measure by digital guages.

Hydration: manual spray 2-5 minutes/2-3 times a day. provide a dripper.

Feeders: GUTLOAD VERY IMPORTANT! (24 hours before feeding) with fresh veggies and fruits and once a week with sticky tongues gutload. also check out sandrachameleons blog on the subject. Crickets, mealworms, silkworms, hornworms, dubai roaches, reptiworms, BB flies, butterflies, moths.

Supplements: repcal calcium w/o d3 every feeding, reptivite twice a month

DISCONTINUE your superworms. this is the source of the lack in appetite.

i noticed his parietal area is looking flat. this suggest that he is dehydrated and or malnourished. follow the care i provided above. here is a link to help you keep him hydrated. it will take him some time to get a full appetite back.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/ataraxia/454-dehydration-solutions-force-fluid-tips.html

WOW! Thanks!!

 

[bugman]

What lights did you add outside? When I take my guy outside, I dont bring lights with me. I just put his cage outside in the sun. I take a towel and cover half his cage so he can get into the shade if he so chooses.
You shouldnt need any lights out there.

I took both his lights basking and UVB he is in the shade most of the day and only getting a few hours of sun and on an overcast day like today with the air temp this morning at around 68 I thought a little warmth would help

 

[bugman]

Have you looked inside his mouth at the gums along the teeth? With the lips separated slightly like that I'm wondering if he has mouth rot.

What brand and type (spiral, compact, long linear tube, etc.) UVB light were you using?

Yikes if he does have gum rot what can I do?

 

[bugman]

He looks like he is getting better...

I know this will be a long road but he is showing great signs of improvement after one day. Things I did...

Force hydrate with Pedilite
Moved environment outdoors
Changed 18" Fluorescent to Reptisun 5.0 UVB
Changed Basking to 75 watt basking light
Removed some of his structures in his environment so I can get access to him otherwise there were so many vines I was having a tough time getting him out.

 

[camimom]

I took both his lights basking and UVB he is in the shade most of the day and only getting a few hours of sun and on an overcast day like today with the air temp this morning at around 68 I thought a little warmth would help

You can put him in the sun. What I do is put my cage in the sun, then get a towel and cover half his cage with it. so if he wants he can go in the shade or go in the sun. And you can still get uvb rays on overcast days.

 

[kinyonga]

If he does have mouth rot you will have to have it cleaned out, a culture and sensitivity test done and the appropriate antibiotic given to him by a vet.

 

[bugman]

The vet recommended a swab of listerine around the gums. We are going to treat him for worms and he is testing his fecal today and if any parasites are found I will take him in to see him today.

Also continuing to hydrate with syringe loaded with pedialite and purried bug juice along with a dusting of vitamins.

 

[OrangeCrush]

I hope he turns around soon for u. Feeding super worms is not a good idea at all. I have heard from many of people that super worms if not chewed properly can actually chew on the lining of a Cham stomach. This clearly not a good thing to happen. Have you tried waxworms at all? My Cham loves them so much, but I still only feed them as a treat as they have a little bit of fat but are high in protien and very high in moisture. You should really try and get him off the super worms it better to be safe than sorry. Wax worms and silk worms are pretty easy to breed and costs very little. You might want to give it a thought there are a lot of other feeders out there that are much better for your Cham than supper worms. Well good luck and I hope u the best.

 

[bugman]

I hope he turns around soon for u. Feeding super worms is not a good idea at all. I have heard from many of people that super worms if not chewed properly can actually chew on the lining of a Cham stomach. This clearly not a good thing to happen. Have you tried waxworms at all? My Cham loves them so much, but I still only feed them as a treat as they have a little bit of fat but are high in protien and very high in moisture. You should really try and get him off the super worms it better to be safe than sorry. Wax worms and silk worms are pretty easy to breed and costs very little. You might want to give it a thought there are a lot of other feeders out there that are much better for your Cham than supper worms. Well good luck and I hope u the best.

Thanks for your wishes, he seems to be much better his face and eyes are looking better his two pillows on the back of his head are filling out again and I am taking him to the vet today. I am sure now that he has mouth rot in his mouth I applied Listerine while I wait to have his mouth flushed by the vet I am sure they will have to draw blood because I can't get a fecal from him at all but hope that changes as the time draws nearer to his appointment. I think his dehydration, unwillingness to eat and eyes shut stem from his mouth rot. All of this has been a great help I hope it helps others that may be plagued with a similar problem. The bigger question is how did he get mouth rot?