Eyes stay closed and won't eat, help!

[CLFblackhawk]

Just recently within the two days my female carpet cham doesn't look like she is doing too well. First off she always has her eyes closed. Unless I spray her down or take her out of her cage she will just sit there with closed eyes and sometimes they will be cracked and her pupils will be rolled back and you can only see white. Also she is very weak. She can barely hold herself up and she wont eat at all, she hasnt eaten in 5 days now. I am thinking of force feeding, but have no idea how to and really dont want to screw it up. At first I thought it might have been dehydration, but im keeping the humidity up in the 70's and mist her several times a day.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Furcifer Lateralis Lateralis, wild caught, Female, I've had her for almost 2 months.
Handling - Twice a week tops.
Feeding - Pakistanian roaches fed with vegetables and fruit. Also store bought crickets.
Supplements - Reptivite w/out D3 once a week and T-rex 2:0 calcium w/ D3 twice a month.
Watering - Humidifier and misting a few time a day.
Fecal Description - Fecal is normal and urate is white and normal.
History - No

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Screen 16x16x30
Lighting - Reptisun 5.0 UVB and 40 watt basking bulb.
Temperature - Hottest basking spot is at 80, mid 70's everywhere else in the tank, low at night is 69
Humidity - 70-80% from humidifier and misting, measured by a humidity gauge.
Plants - Pothos
Placement - High on a dresser, not next to any windows
Location - Las Vegas, Nevada

Thanks for any input!

 

[pssh]

I dont know enough about carpet chameleons to help much, but a healthy chameleon can go for a few weeks without eating, so I doubt you'll have to force feed for a while.

 

[CLFblackhawk]

Well thats good, im steping up the hydration and hopefully she will get up the strength to eat on her own. Im just hoping its not some serious problem thats causing her to keep her shut her eyes all the time.

 

[CLFblackhawk]

Also, right now she is sleeping, but instead of being curled up like usual, she is just laying on a vine, not even gripping it, just laying and she is pretty stretched out. I think she is just too weak it seems.

 

[pssh]

Vet visit time! Start calling now if you can so you can set up an appointment for tomorrow before it's (possibly) too late. They go down hill fast.

 

[OldSkoolxReasons]

Have you taken her to the vet since you got her 2 months ago? it is generally a necessity when gettting a wild caught chameleon because they more often than not have parasites. Most can be treated fairly easily but if you let them go too long without treating them they can cause pretty serious complications and eventually kill your chameleon. Get her to a vet asap! Good luck.




Justin

 

[OldSkoolxReasons]

Also use a dipper so that she can get enough water. Misting alone is almost never enough water for my chameleons because it drys up too quickly. If you poke a pinhole in the bottom of a plastic cup or old pop bottle and let the water drip fairly slowly she will be able to get all the water she needs.

 

[CLFblackhawk]

Well its sad to say, but when I got home from work today she was deceased. I was hoping she could last longer because I was going to take her to the vet after I got home from work, but her decline was very fast. I did get her urate from yesterday however and it looked hydrated so Im thinking that wasn't the problem, she was drinking alot. It must have been something more complicated, I just wish I had the chance to find out so I could save her. She will truly be missed.

 

[OOOst16]

have a autopsey done....you can figure out the issue that way....it will truley help, so you know for the future

 

[pssh]

I'm sorry about your loss. Sometimes wild caught chams just can't handle the stress and parasite load...

 

[Carlton]

Sad to hear this! As she was wc a short time ago, possibly gravid? Possibly a ruptured egg follicle? A necropsy might tell you something.