Help..Not eating for many months now :(

Tube bulb for light 5.0 (would NEVER us a spiral). Originally his basking bulb was 75 watt and temp btwn 97-100 for basking so I lowered that pretty much right away to 50 watt thinking maybe this was why he was closing his eyes all day. He's had the eye issue (bulged it out like a balloon) and closed his eyes all day when I first got him. Over time it's gotten better the back again. Actually I intended on getting a new bulb this weekend but had no idea it affected hunger! Good to know.
I am ordering the worms from Mulberry tonight and hitting the local pet shop tomorrow for crickets and butters to hold me off til the delivery. Also on the list is getting a new bulb. Gonna cleaning his cage again while he basks in an outdoor cage tomorrow. (He hasn't really been outside much at all to bask, we'll had a terrible heat wave for about a month but it has finally cooled off some)
Today I fed him the smashed up supers and he throw them up.. think I over did it.. I'm pretty sure I did! This is first time he ever throw up :(. This afternoon (after feeding) was walking around his cage on branches, along the cage wall on the ficus tree. His eyes weren't sunken today but still his head pad is not full and is sunken slightly more then the usual. All of tomorrow will be spent on taking care of him and his cage. I will be on top of it all tomorrow and try my best to do everything I can do. The Vet visit the first time cost over $300+ prob close to $400 since he had a fecal done from 2 vets. The Herp specialist said the first vet didn't test for everything. I don't think Diego was any better off after visit then prior but I'm not sure maybe. All I know is after I'm still struggling to turn him around. I get almost there then back to not well. I will keep fighting for him. I take ALL your recommendations very seriously and appreciate all your advise. I am very thankfully for this site and the members cause I probably wouldn't have got him this far and hope to get him better fully still. Maybe he will always have the eye issue and will have to be hand fed but if so it will be better food for him know. I'm going to trying all this stuff over the weekend and see how he responds... If he perks up then I'm on the right track but if not the Vet we go again! I will post a picture when I can but I'm gonna focus my time on him so as soon as I can I will.. I know pictures can really help. Thanks again everyone!
 
Reconsider waiting

You should reconsider waiting to make a vet appointment. It seems to me that he is not in good health at all and really needs a specialists care. Also ask your local herp vet if he knows of any reptile/chameleon owners he could contact for you and have them take a look at your setup. But really I wouldnt wait any longer to make a vet appointment. It can get to be to late faster than you may realize.
 
Gonna do quick update: Got waxworms and crickets to "smash" for him. I force feed him just 2 wax worms and although he REALLY didn't seem to want them he swallowed them reluctantly. I then put him in an outdoor cage (although I'm not sure how much sun though he's getting through the screened cage). Put a new UVB bulb 5.0 15watt in there (exo-terra Repti Glo.. they didn't have the Reptisun) I then cleaned his indoor cage from top to bottom and afterwards returned him to his inside cage after a 1 1/2-2 of basking of sun basking.
**Color changes... After he ate the worms he was put in the outdoor cage and turned black entirely (I'm assuming due to stress and maybe to soak up the sun). When I returned him to his cage he moved around a little bit and then basked for a while. While under basking light (and maybe getting some of the fresh UVB bulb) he turned white with bright yellow bands and his tail (which has been dull in color for a while now) his tail turned yellow too (about 2 inches of his tail in the middle of it was really bright yellow). Some of his red spots/ dots came out and his back spikes (sorry, not sure what you really call them) turned a nice red. Then later he also got his beautiful blue bands and stuff a bit later. I had pushed the ficus plant branches in a way that it gave a nice hiding spot to the right of his basking area on his basking branch. He went down to that side and curl up for the night. I know we have a long road ahead but it seems like a good sign :), Will update again when I can.
???'s ****Anyone know for now just how many waxworms I can give to get his weight up and food in him w/o overdoing it? (he's maybe 40 grams and tail to nose maybe 6 inches (he's on the small side). I did just two today but for tomorrow I was think 2 wax worms for breakfast and then a few hours later either 2 more wax or smashed up crickets. He really does need the fat right now. Maybe I should do just waxworms for a few days.. what do you think??? I wanna fatty him up and then kick in some more nutritious food later... Getting my silkies, butters and more waxworm delivered by thursday. Thanks!!!
 
I wish I had a vet closer... over 1 hour to get to vet specialist. Before I purchased him I checked to see if we had a local vet that would see him if ever need be and I was very specific telling them he is a "panther chameleon". They said yes they do see them. So I got him and then I needed to bring him to vet. They made an appt. for me with the "only vet that there that sees the reptiles" then turn me down after I arrived at my appointment with him :mad:! So I had to find someone over an hour away. I am gonna see how this goes but if I see ANY other sign showing him go more down hill and not up hill then I will take him ASAP! I know his set up is fine (with except to the old UVB bulb that REALLY needed to be replaced and just was today) we got the full set up from breeder. We added the mist king, have a dripper and I still hand mist if I think he needs to drink (which works like a charm). Really went over setsup on here as well. I will post pics hopefully soon... of Diego and his setup. Thanks!


docmacbj said:
You should reconsider waiting to make a vet appointment. It seems to me that he is not in good health at all and really needs a specialists care. Also ask your local herp vet if he knows of any reptile/chameleon owners he could contact for you and have them take a look at your setup. But really I wouldnt wait any longer to make a vet appointment. It can get to be to late faster than you may realize.
Click to expand...
 
All I can offer is that in my limited experience, they are remarkably resilient. They can bounce back quite well, so keep up the good care and hopefully all will work out for you and your very pretty chameleon.
 
Thanks!!! Same thing happened today as yesterday but today he had 4 waxworms (I can't wait til I get my delivery with the silkies and butter too) and drank a lot. He even drank upside down holding on a branch and licking up from leaves. Then when he was done, after drinking for about a hour off and on, he curled up and went to bed. I think it's my imagination but he looks a little better tonight sleeping, colors are great and he doesn't look as skinny. I know that's weird cause it's only been 2 days of waxs. He's colors are great right now and he fast asleep with tail curled up. I took off work tomorrow to spend the day again on caring for him with no time constraints. I slipped him his 2nd two worms tonight while he was drinking ;).. I was a tricking mommy. It took forever but it was worth it not forcing his mouth open and the worm down his throat. I just hope I can continue this technique. Thanks for the support, it helps a lot :)

Elizadolots said:
All I can offer is that in my limited experience, they are remarkably resilient. They can bounce back quite well, so keep up the good care and hopefully all will work out for you and your very pretty chameleon.
Click to expand...
 
not eating

My Panther would not eat either the last 4 weeks- has to force feed also-til I put a silk worm in front of him- since silk worms cannot escape but do wiggle- they are perfect! He started eating again!
 
I think Diego might be blind or doesn't see much cause he reaches to grab onto things that aren't there. He's had an eye issue ever since I 've had him that seems to get better then it comes back. He doesn't even flinch at food... He pays it no attention, he'll walk over them, won't lock onto them and even grabbed onto a worm I was trying to feed him while he was reaching out for something to grab. I took his cage all apart to give it a good cleaning and placed things slightly differently so it was even more apparent then it was prior.. I'm still hoping I'm wrong about him being blind/ hardly seeing, but I don't think so. I think he got to know the other cage layout and so it wasn't as apparent.
Today didn't go as well as days prior. He didn't move around at all but wasn't ultra dark in color, just regular but slightly darker then his normal colors. He stay curled up from last night. I'm didn't want to stress him more so I didn't move him or anything. Hopefully he will come around again more tomorrow and just needs to re-coupe from the stress of force feeding. Worms won't get here til Thurs so prob won't be able to give them until Fri :(. Just maybe his eye will see that ultra wiggly silkie! I hoping!!! Btw I fed them to him once before but don't remember... do they nip? Are the okay to hand feed them with my hand. I think that's how I gave them but not totally sure. Thanks



Captain Creola said:
My Panther would not eat either the last 4 weeks- has to force feed also-til I put a silk worm in front of him- since silk worms cannot escape but do wiggle- they are perfect! He started eating again!
Click to expand...
 
Update for anyone interested.. Diego ate a small/med sized hornworm and small silkie today... it took 50 minutes to get the 2 worms in and misting him while he drank and ate but was totally worth it. He drank really well and then basked under his basking lamp. He turned white n yellow background, with baby blue bars and pink/ purple outlined on his face and head :). He is one beautiful cham :D He already looks less skinny and I believe on his way back to recovery. I'll just keep up hand feeding (as long as that tech. keeps working.. slipping worms in when he's drinking) and we'll go from there but so far so good. Thanks again for the advise and support :)
 
That is good news, I hope he continues to feed using that method. It is so much better for him that the carnivore care.
 
@Gerhartrx & @Laurie thanks you both :). I will post back occasionally with updates and hopefully will get pic on here too at some point. I need to share his beauty :D
 
Dawniegirl said:
@Gerhartrx & @Laurie thanks you both :). I will post back occasionally with updates and hopefully will get pic on here too at some point. I need to share his beauty :D
Click to expand...

Share his beauty and yours, for all the loving care you have given him. That is wonderful!!!
 
Okay, do hornworms have any nutrition? I got the silkies and hornworms both from mulberry farms and they came in a cup with their food in cup. Also got "black" :eek: crickets from there, I'm little afraid of those black one.. I heard they can be a little aggressive., along w/ cricket food that they sell. I know it's best not to use the pre-made cricket food but I got it to have on hand. I have some packaged cricket food from timberline as well. I think it's best to stick to worms for a few more days or so cause I don't think I can get him to eat enough crickets in a day w/ the "new technique" for it to supply him with enough nutrition. Maybe next week I do some crickets :confused:. Thanks.


sandrachameleon said:
glad there's been a little progress :)
remember waxworms have little nutrition so do continue with gutloaded silkworms and crickets too if you can
Click to expand...
 
Update and pics...

Well Diego skipped two days of eating until today. Today he had 6 wax worms and had a good drink of water. I'm posting pics from today.. I know his eyes are slightly sunk but when I mist him he does this for some reason (maybe slightly stressed from misting) and later they pop out more. Prior to this he had been eating silkies and horns. I know he is still skinny and I had some more work to fatten him up more and maybe slightly dehydrated but he drink pretty good for most part. I saw a thread about using Vit fish oil for eye problems and I think I'm gonna try that as well since he's had an eye issue since I got him and now the other eye seems to be bothering him. I was gonna post a pic of his enclosure as someone had asked about but dag thing wouldn't upload after trying to resize for 30 minutes.. UGHH. Maybe Later on the enclosure. First 3 pics are from today and 4th picture is sleeping pic taken 5 days ago. Please feel free to comment. Thanks for all the help.. I'm trying!
 

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Hey Dawniegirl, I am glad you are not giving up on Diego. Keep his mistings and how about crickets? You have to mix up his diet, and the Vit A taken from oil fish pills are easy to administer. Make a tiny hole and press two droplets on your feeder - crickets, waxworms, etc - and give to Diego. What is your light set up?
 
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