***HELP*** Chameleon Dying!!

Emperor

New Member
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - I have a 4-5 month old (I think) female veiled chameleon. I have had him for about one month now.
Handling - I do not handle her very much, maybe twice a week.
Feeding - I try to feed her pin-head crickets, but she won't eat and seems like she's losing a lot of strength and weight.
Supplements - Reptivite with D3, once a month, however since she hasn't been eating she cannot receive this.
Watering - I mist her cage for about a minute or two, about three or four times a day. I see her drinking on occasion, usually she just wants to get away from the water.
Fecal Description - Black and white-ish yellow, she has not been tested for parasites, at least under my care.
History - I bought a pair of veiled chameleons from LLLReptile about a month ago, the male is doing fantastic, eating a ton and moving around a lot, however the female is not eating at all. When I first got her, she was eating and seemed to be doing okay, however it seemed as if the male was always much more active.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Homemade, wire mesh 4' x 2' x 2'.
Lighting - I use a normal, 100 watt basking bulb and an Exo Terra Reptile UVB 150 Compact Flourescent (I know that compact fluorescents are bad, however I did my research and this model is reported safe by numerous people, I also have it in a reflective fixture, so it's not as direct.) She usually is around 8"-12" under the UVB bulb. It's about 12-14 hours on, 12-10 hours off.
Temperature - Cage floor is probably around mid to low 70's, the top/basking area is usually around 78F. Average nighttime temp is around the mid 60's. I measure the temperature/humidity with a digital thermometer/hygrometer.
Humidity - The humidity is generally around 40%-55%, sometimes as high as 60% after a long misting. I also have a warm-mist humidifier, which is on during the daytime in the room.
Plants - I have a nice 3 foot schefflera in her cage.
Placement - The cage sits on the floor, and is in front of a window, however the window is not drafty at all.

Current Problem (As of a few days ago) - My female veiled chameleon will not eat. I'm concerned she might have eaten some substrate which I have on the bottom of the cage, I'm in the process of replacing it all with rocks. I don't see how she could have eaten any substrate though, because she spends all of her time at the top of the cage. I also cup feed her, but to do that I take her out of the cage. I do see her drink every now and then after I mist. She seems to be losing more and more strength every day and I'm very concerned. I haven't seen her eat in nearly a week now. Her eyes are also just about always closed, and I am very concerned.

Update: I increased her basking temperature in her cage to mid to low 80's. She seemed to be improving after that, until yesterday. In the morning, she looked dead. I immediately got her out of the cage and made her a smaller make-shift cage in a small plastic container with a heating pad under half of it and a UVB bulb and basking light above. She will not eat at all, as of yesterday I have started force feeding her. She is so small, I can only get what seems to be her lip down and squirt a mix of fruit flies, mealworms, crickets, water, and vitamins in her mouth. She barely gets any in to her. I've seen her swallow it a few times. I'm afraid she might not make it through the night and I need all the help I can get. I cannot afford to take her to the vet. Honestly, she doesn't seem "all there." It almost seems as if she has suffered some sort of brain injury.

Pictures of her a few days ago:
8d3Ms.jpg


8d3NU.jpg


8d3X3.jpg



Pictures of her now (This is right after she "ate", she seems more green than earlier):
8fVto.jpg


8fVun.jpg


8fVvh.jpg


8fVx1.jpg


8fVyy.jpg


8fVzs.jpg



Pictures of her cage (which as of yesterday she no longer lives in until she recovers):
8d3Yv.jpg


8d404.jpg



Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks!
 
first of all, I'm sorry you are going through this.. :(

She obviously looks pretty dehydrated, and in your description of her stools being yellow would be a good indication of that.

Her dehydration issue is clearly because she is not consuming very much, if anything, by mouth as of lately.

I'm sure you are aware that eyes closed during the day is a bad sign as well. :(

If you can't get her to a vet, it is likely she may not make it with as young and fragile as she is. We can't afford to play guessing games or play doctor at home when they are this young.

I'm not trying to be negative nancy, just stating facts.

In regards to substrate, I personally would remove it. None of my enclosures have substrate and the potted plants have rocks covering any exposed potting soil. Better safe than sorry.

Also, perhaps contacting the company you purchased your veilds from. They may have given you a sick chameleon, considering you've only had them for a month and she isn't in as best a condition as the male, it may be possible.

I really hope everything works out, I could only imagine the stress you and your baby are going through. Best of luck to you.
 
Back
Top Bottom