Help! 911!!!

[spinwalker1]

I just started a new journey with chameleons about 2 weeks ago. I did research for about 3 months before I brought chameleons into my family. Long story short...I got 2 panthers and they are doing great. I went into the pet shop today and noticed they had a panther chameleon. I took a look. Omg...it looked like a skeleton. Its eyes were sunken in...and you could see the bones in its legs. An employee walked up to me and asked me if they could help. This employee happened to be the store manager. I let him have it. He said...that’s ok...I'll order you another one....and I'll just send this one back to the breeder..... and you can come pick up a new one next week.....I went off. That really ticked me off...severely. He was worried about making money and not that this poor thing was alomst dead. It fell off the vine that was in its cage...onto my hand...just by barely touching it. I walked out of there with a almost dead chameleon baby. It needs helps very bad. I know that it is dehydrated severely and malnourished. I need all the advice/help I can get.
So far...the only thing I know about this cham is it’s a panther...probably 3 months old. I do not know the sex....I'll call it a she for the post. It may be a boy because its really white....what do you think...anyways....

Right now she is doing a tiny bit better. I brought her home and put her in the shower for about 30 minutes with warm water splashing off the back wall. She still won't open her eyes...but now she can actually hold herself up now. I have a 1cc syringe with pedilyte...trying to get her to lap some up. I got a couple drops in her mouth. Right now she is in a cardboard box...with a huge potos plant....clinging onto the plant. I bought an extra basking lamp....uv lamp (tube...not the bulb)...and I have it above the box. I have the basking site at 85.6 and the other end of the box at 73. She is too weak to move...so I move her back and forth so she doesn't over heat. She is so weak...she doesn't even change colors. The humidity is at 64%...I bought a humidifier and put it in the room with her. I am planning on misting her....showering her...a few times to get her hydrated. I'm doing everything I can to help this little girl out. I know my first battle is the dehydration. I would appreciate any advice anyone can give me. I don't want this little girl to die. Also, I do not have any vets any where around here I can take her to get checked out. Please Please Please help me.

 

[alexbrock]

UVB Reptisun 5.0

or

Natural Sunlight

ASAP

Have you tried feeding? Any success? What are you feeding?

 

[Olimpia]

Is it night time where you are? I would leave her alone for the night. You've clearly done so much for her but she needs to rest. And then tomorrow morning continue with the warm mistings. She doesn't look too bad at least from the pic, but you're probably right that she's dehydrated. See if some nice showers tomorrow get her to open her eyes so she can eat something.

Good luck! Please update in the morning with how she's doing!

 

[sarah777]

Poor thing
Get it into the sunshine tomorrow with lots of mistings.
I would avoid force feeding because it causes too much stress.

 

[laurie]

With a bit of luck we can pull this little one through. Keep up the misting and watch to see if she will eat at all tomorrow. If not I will help you with bug juice for her. If she can't move to thermo regulate then don't have her where she could over heat. Keep her warm but not hot. Good luck.

 

[spinwalker1]

I haven't tried to feed her yet. She can't even open her eyes and i don't want to try to force feed her anything.

 

[kinyonga]

You could try touching a small cricket on her lips and see if she opens her mouth to eat it.

 

[stevie]

at the moment water is most important first drinking after that feeding time
good thing you saved her , butt the shop will do it again

 

[Gensen]

Same old story! Gerrr.....

Well, best wishes with her rehabilitation.... maybe when you get her healthy and strong you can take her in and show them what a "healthy" well cared for Cham should look like.... and tell them they should be ashamed of themselves... although that's the problem they have no shame or they wouldn't sell something they themselves do not know how to properly care for.

Also I hate the fact that most of the Chams Petstores sell are sooooo tiny & young....

Well again, on a more positive not the porr thing is a cutie and with a little TLC I hope you can nurse her to health! Best of luck & keep us posted!

 

[spinwalker1]

Help!! 911!! Update

After 2 very long days he is doing a tiny better. He can finally hold his head up and is no longer laying on the leaves of his plants but holding himself up. I have kept him at a constant temp of 80 with only my UV lamp. He does not have a basking light because he was not moving at all and I didn't want him to overheat. He is being kept in a cardboard box and being finely misted every hour with a spray or two. Twice a day I am force feeding him a turkey baby food and pedialite mix with a syringe. Last night I let the temperature where he was at to drop to 67. This morning after being warmed up, misted and fed with the baby food mix....he opened the very tiny slits in his eyes for a just a few minutes. They are closed again...but it was a glimmer of hope for me. I ordered some herpaid....should be here on Monday.... and found a vet within driving distance...so I am going to take him to the vet Monday. It has been a very long 3 days. I want to say thanks to everyone that gave me advice. As soon as he is healthy...I'm going to take him back to the pet store and show them what a healthy baby cham looks like! Especially Northeast Chameleons! Thanks Sandy and Elliot!!!

 

[Jamelon]

After 2 very long days he is doing a tiny better. He can finally hold his head up and is no longer laying on the leaves of his plants but holding himself up. I have kept him at a constant temp of 80 with only my UV lamp. He does not have a basking light because he was not moving at all and I didn't want him to overheat. He is being kept in a cardboard box and being finely misted every hour with a spray or two. Twice a day I am force feeding him a turkey baby food and pedialite mix with a syringe. Last night I let the temperature where he was at to drop to 67. This morning after being warmed up, misted and fed with the baby food mix....he opened the very tiny slits in his eyes for a just a few minutes. They are closed again...but it was a glimmer of hope for me. I ordered some herpaid....should be here on Monday.... and found a vet within driving distance...so I am going to take him to the vet Monday. It has been a very long 3 days. I want to say thanks to everyone that gave me advice. As soon as he is healthy...I'm going to take him back to the pet store and show them what a healthy baby cham looks like! Especially Northeast Chameleons! Thanks Sandy and Elliot!!!

Congrats! I really hope he pulls through! let us know what the vet says after you get back

 

[laurie]

Good news indeed! Hope it is a sign of things to come.

 

[albert the veiled]

Poor little guy!! Keep doing what you're doing and get his strength back up. Don't forget to get him hydrated and keep the little guy warm!! GOOD LUCK!! Thanks for saving him from those EVIL petstores that don't have a clue how to care for Chameleons...Please keep us informed!!!

 

[spinwalker1]

Doing better...I think.....whats up with the colors?

I've had this chameleon since Friday. I rescued him from pet store where he was 24 hours from death. He is doing a little better. He can hold his self up and he moves a few steps every now and then. He still won't open his eyes. I have been feeding him turkey baby food and vitamins with a syringe. Keeping him hydrated and misted. Humidity is around 60% Temps around 78-85. When I first got him he could not change colors. He was just a very pale pink color. Just today he is starting to change colors. It is very weird patterns. It’s not like my other panthers. The pet store said he was a Nosy Be. I've attached pictures. Let me know what you think is going on....is it good or bad. . The first picture is him laying in my hands.

 

[laurie]

I don't know about the colors but could you drop saline solution in his eyes? it bothers me a lot that he has not yet opened them. Washing his eyes several times each day could help remove what ever is keeping him from opening them. He really needs to see a vet if those eyes don't open within a day. If he were mine he would be on the way now, jmo.

 

[spinwalker1]

I called the only vet in the area that looks at chams and they are not in until tomorrow. I do try to flush his eyes with warm RO water...but I don't want to pry his eyes open. I can see his little eye balls moving under his eyelids.

 

[laurie]

You are doing the correct thing, don't ever force his eyes open. maybe a vet can but I personally would never do it. I'm glad tomorrow is Tuesday, I had forgotten you said the vet wasn't available until tuesday. Such a tiny sweetie, I sure hope he makes it for a long happy life with you. Let me know what the vet has to say.

 

[cantgetagoodsn]

hey what ever happened to this little guy?

 

[PrettyInInk87]

Yes PLEASE! I read the whole thread just to get to the end and not have a recent up-date. Please let us know how he is doing... I'm sure he's doing well with all of the care you were giving to him. Pictures PLEASE!

 

[CarmaChameleon]

I had a similar situation here recently. I had bought a baby panther and noticed that 3 days after bringing her home- she had very loose stools... I called the store ( first mistake was buying her from a store- I usually go with breeders) the owner stated to wait a couple more days as it was probably
just stress. Needless to say- not stress but held me out long enough for his warranty to not be good!!! I took the little angel to the vet- she was put on antibiotics until the fecal test came back. In the mean time I was having to force feed her baby mix. She was put on meds for parasites as the test came back positive for an amaebo. She was weak, eyes closed, then the vomitting started. She has humanily put to sleep by the vet as she had even started "star gazing" which is a sign of the parasite effecting the central nervous system- or so my vet said It is heartbreaking to see a little one so weak and utterly helpless- my heart goes out to you- good luck