HELP!!! i think my cham is dying --please help asap!!!!

[superstiney]

just under a year old

 

[Justin Carl]

how long have you had him?

 

[superstiney]

since june i believe

 

[Justin Carl]

well just hope for the best.
get him that light as well.

 

[Dave Weldon]

...they said its 50-50...

Howdy,

If he makes it, you'll want to add UVB from a Reptisun 5.0 linear (not compact coil) tube and fixture to his lighting.

What part of the world are you located?

 

[superstiney]

i am in florida

good news- Rafiki came hoem today they said he was pretty bad off however he can get better from where he is now. i have to just give him meds anff force feed him..plus a shot every 3 days!!
and i am going today to get the uvb bulbs and get him fit and health again!
thanks again for everyones input!

 

[Justin Carl]

hurray! that is great news. keep us updated

 

[dectr6]

Glad your little guy is doing better! Hope he makes a full recovery. If you can fill out the info found at the beginning of this forum tiltled "how to ask for help" everyone can help you with your setup and care. This was probably caused by more than one thing that wasn't done correctly. If you don't get everything corrected, he may not make a full recovery or just get sick again. Lights are the first and most important thing you can do...be SURE you get the correct lights. Most all of us use the repti-sun 5.0 long flourescent tube. NOT the flourescent bulb. This is the most common mistake. People listen to what the pet shop tells them and get a bulb that wont work and can actually cause damage. You may have to call around to get the right one. Let us know. David

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Petco (not petsmart) usually stocks the zoomed repti-sun linear tubes in my area.
Do get repti-SUN over repti-GLO if at all possible. It is a superior light and I'm thinking your guy needs the best he can get right now!
5.0 is the one to buy.

-Brad

 

[Jeweledchameleons]

well i just get back from the vet- they are keeping him over night putting him on a dripp and giving him calcium along with doing blood work
he seems to be dehydrated and the vet believe he could have been sick from birth. so i am just waiting around now for the call and update... they said its 50-50 b/c chameleons are so fragile...

They are not fragile!
Your animal was dehydrated... that was it.
Lack of h20 is also going to affect it's ability to metabolize it's minerals.
but supplements aren't required if you provide h20 and it wasn't seriously malnourished also.

Misting doesn't work on adult animals well at all
and even little ones shouldn't be
forced to rely upon daily misting when they can instinctively
drink from a glass of water.
Much of the advise that is out there isn't what I would give
many of the over simplified care instructions I first read aren't the
best advise nowdays (imho/ ymmv).

Between the symptoms and behavior I saw he was instinctively going down
groundside under the brush to find a place with increased humidity.
Closed the eyes to prevent what evaporation he could and prevent his falling
from being in a weakened state.

My first option would have been to take him over to the sink
stick his nose in the flowing tap and let him gaze at the sparkling water of life.
If they're thirsty, they'll lap it up like a dog.
Just don't let him drink ice water ... warm it up a bit (ok?)

I learned early on that a properly blunted medicine dropper is a great way
to hydrate your young chams and get them used to associating you and your
"hand of fearful death" with "good things".

I'm not discounting some type of genetic problem or whatever. But if you
think about it... this animal has lived for how many months outside the egg?

If there was a true problem it would show itself as lethal within the
first few weeks time before you got it.
I've always found it to be an excuse of sorts to have anyone say they're fragile when they die.. especially from a vet.
it's simply not true and often the result of improper care and or BS.

UV and heat lamps are not automatically the problem, unless it IS THE PROBLEM
Remember: More UV isn't better UV and saudi arabia isn't sand dunes
they have lush areas too where these reptiles live.. reflective hoods included.

My advise is to take a shot glass or tumbler (wide mouth drinking)
fill it up with tap and set it at the base of one of your plants
it must have nice light on it and present a "sparkling" look of fresh water
They'll start licking the sides as if it's dew
then discover it's the INSIDE that holds the goodies.

both you and he will be much better off for it.. 100% hydration and easy cleaning.

good luck.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Jeweledchameleons,

This chameleon had NO UVB at all.
That needs to be corrected, regardless of what you have assesed the problem to be.
I agree with what you have posted about hydration and I agree that these animals are not "fragile".
However, to diagnose the problem so neatly with no pictures or real information is rather cavalier in my opinion.

-Brad

 

[joefarah]

I have been keeping many types of herps (successfully I might add) for 20yrs + and I would call chams "fragile" compared to many other reptiles out there.

By this I mean that they have very specific care requirements and are very sensitive and intollerant of conditions that are not just right. The "fragile" thing is relative and many popular reptile species can deal with much greater ranges of captive conditions than chameleons without problems.

This is why most people consider them to be advanced level herps that are not suited for beginners or kids with no experience, resources, time, ect...

 

[Jeweledchameleons]

Brad, Alright seems like I missed the NO UV part
Thanks for pointing that out. - my bad.

But I did say that UV "are not automatically the problem, unless it IS THE PROBLEM"
in this case... yes, no winter UV would kill the animal. pict or no.

joefarah
Chams are listed as an intermediate species
they're not a drop and forget pet. it's true
Yes, I agree that little johnny and julie grade schooler
should not have one to keep unless it's actually mom doing the work.

If you can give them what they need
they're actually capable to doing very well.
I'm not talking about 24 hour misting systems,auto feeders
and a rainforest soundtrack playing in the background.

I'm talking about really a basic UV, 40/60 wat lamp (regular bulb/heat)
a screen cage w/ plants and food/dusting.
(4 elements and a $3.00 timer from home depot)

Granted your mileage may vary depending upon the where and how you live
but they're honestly in my opinion easy to take care of and rewarding to have around.
Perhaps I'm also forgetting that I'm paying to live in a very easy local environment to adapt them to.
There's no snow and I'm not dealing with freezing temps in the dead of winter.
a space heater is all that I need to keep them warm and comfy at night.

 

[superstiney]

man guy thanks so much... just so happened i went to the pet store and they told me to buy the bulb...so i did...i got home read this and took it right back and got the 5.0 tube!
i got rafiki to eat and take the emergency formula by force feeding but he did it with ease! i hope he gets better soon!


again thanks! tis site has saved rafikis life!

 

[dectr6]

So glad to hear he's doing better. Maybe others on here can tell you how to care for him during his recovery. I've never had one this sick. Did they give you a diagnosis? Did you get the repti-sun bulb. I know you got a tube bulb but was just checking that it's the right one. A lot of them sound alike and it get's confusing. Please keep us updated on his progress. David

 

[superstiney]

yes i got the repti-sun... saw the rept-glo... but got the other i made sure

 

[Justin Carl]

curious...how much does a visit like that cost? if you dont want to say that is fine.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Don't forget to give yourself some credit for seeking out the information and acting quickly.
You would be surprised at the number of times we give advice like this and the owner basically refuses to take the chameleon into the vet.
Good work on your part. Keep educating yourself and stay on the forums!


-Brad

 

[dectr6]

yes i got the repti-sun... saw the rept-glo... but got the other i made sure

Great!! Diagnosis?

 

[superstiney]

- $400 total with visit for $78 just to bring him in!
but i'd say if he gets better its all worth it.

- he was dehydrated and may have a parasite problem- so i have to give shots for that and then give him extra calcium my mouth and supplements by mouth also... then the emergency food mixture thing b/c he wont eat crickets.
he is still very slow and today i left him outside in the sun for 3-4 hrs or so and he seemed t love it- i found him right at the top of his cage which is nice compared to him sleeping on the ground!