Eyes Closed, Mouth Open

[katpayne8]

My Cham is going on about two months old. She started off great eating mealworms and crickets without any problems. I have a humidifier and a spray bottle i use to manually mist her plant, and her cage is a combo of glass and screen. I have a double dome light with UVB & A heat bulb. I have a golden pothos in her terrarium as well as a couple sticks for her to climb on. Recently she has been keeping her eyes closed and sleeping but she also keeps opening her mouth extremely wide and she has not been eating. I'm extremely worried something is wrong and the nearest vet does not have cham experience. please help if anyone has any ideas to how i could help her!

 

[Lennoncham]

Mealworms arnt the greatest for chams because they have a hard exoskeleton and are hard to digest. They should really only be used as a treat once in a while.

Can you please fill out the info in the how to ask for help form so we can help better.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

 

[katpayne8]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Veiled Female, about two months old
• Handling - Every few days or if needed
• Feeding - Crickets and occasional meal worm
• Supplements - repti-vitamin or something like that. white container with a pink label, it's a calcium dust
• Watering - Humidifier and manual misting of plant.
• Fecal Description - Normal droppings with white attached to signal hydration

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Glass/Screen combo
• Lighting - UVB & Heat bulb in a double dome light fixture
• Plants - Live golden pothos and two sticks for climbing
• Placement - Corner of my room under a window
• Location - North East Louisiana

Current Problem - Sleeping a lot and not wanting to wake up, lack of eating, lack of drinking, and opening mouth a lot


Pictures are helpful

 

[JGspecial]

eyes are sunken in, doesnt seem you hydrate enough. the cage needs a soak down at least 2-3 times a day. you may never see your chameleon drink, i have a fisher that ive never seen drink and i know hes drinking by how hydrated he looks as well as his urates. im willing to bet if you got some sort of misitng system your cham would do better. would probably do better with a more varied diet. what do you gut load with? what are your basking and ambient temps? repti vitamin or something like that? please be more specific. does it contain d3? do you have a calcium supplement without d3 as well? you should also have a bit more stuff in there besides a pothos and 2 sticks, try to mimic nature a little more where thered be cover from heat or spots to hide or more to climb onto. who knows your cham may be stressed out and shutting down.

 

[JacksJill]

You will want to adjust your husbandry to be more like what is described in this link. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
Pay special attentions to diet, supplements, humidity and temperature especially for juveniles. You may need to get a thermometer and hygrometer to make sure you have the right temps and humidity for a young cham.
As mentioned above mealworms are junk swap them out for superworms they look similar but are a better feeder. You can get small ones.
If her eyes continue to look sunken you may want to try the shower method to get her to drink and hydrate.
Shower - Another method of providing water, especially to dehydrated chameleons, is by using a shower. Place a large plant in the tub, aim the shower head against the wall, and run the water so that only a fine mist reaches the chameleon. The water should be room temperature (not hot!). They may drink for up to 30 minutes. Make sure to supervise your chameleon at all times while using this method.
If she doesn't start eating soon you will need a vet. this link or @jannb may help you find someone in your area. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/veterinarian-resources.67/

 

[jannb]

Here's some vets in your state that see Reptiles.
http://thereptilereport.com/louisiana-reptile-veterinary-directory/

I've notice that young chameleons eyes can be very sentive to the lights. Try turning the lights off for a couple of days and see it that helps. Some outside time in the shade might help too.

 

[Lennoncham]

The sunken eyes could also be a sign of pain or other serious health issues.