First Check Up

[rkgardner2003]

I took our 10 month old male panther for his first check up earlier this week and I have to say although the vet was very nice I didn't feel that he was really knowledgeable. I really only wanted reassurance that he looked healthy and that I've been doing everything right. My concerns came from him asking me if I knew if it was male or female, now I am new to panthers but I was pretty sure at that age its easy to tell. I also asked him if he could show me how to open his mouth should I ever need to...he pulled down on the skin under his chin and had a finger on his nose to try and get him to open up. I thought I had read somewhere not to do that? Any thoughts would be appreciated, he was off the list for reptile specialist. I have since called the closest reptile store that I really like and got another recommendation from them. Any thoughts? Am I just overreacting?

 

[deadhd5]

I don't like your description of how he showed you to open your cham's mouth. I would be skeptical too.

I don't really think it is worth the money or stress on the cham to bring them to the vet for check ups (unless they do house calls). Folks on here can look at pictures and offer advice on the general appearance of your cham. Most vets will do fecal tests sight unseen, and that is the only check up I recommend.

I don't have a vet I trust in my area and I only utilize their services when my chams fall ill and need prescriptions.

 

[rkgardner2003]

I agree with you, when I called them to ask if they were experienced with panthers, they wanted to see him and suggested 1x a year visits...I had only planned on the one visit anyway. Didn't really think I needed to put him through that annually. I just wanted someone I can trust if he gets sick or hurt..

 

[Decadancin]

It is a good idea to have an experienced vet nearby if possible, or know where to go if you have a problem. You don't have to bring your cham to the vet to have a talk with them. You can usually tell a lot about their experience within a few minutes and the more detailed they are interviewing your husbandry techniques the better off you are! Ask them how many chameleon clients they have. If they are asking you questions that just don't seem right then you likely should keep searching. I know the time to locate a vet is not when you have an emergency, but when you are first starting out.