Help Please!!!

[R.H]

ur cham will sleep in ur hand or in an item of clothing etc due to the height of stress that's being inputted on it, if u always have this cham out of its home when its sooooo poorly hes not going to see his home as a safe place, hense not going back in!! ( This is purly my opinion, I'm no proffestional )

I really hope this baby will make it

 

[Carlton]

I'm more concerned about the black mark on your chameleon's face since it's growing. I would get it to a vet. It could be a fungus.
In the meantime I would advise you to PM ferritinmyshoes and ask her to help. She's a vet.

OK, here are my thoughts about all this. I agree that the black area needs a vet's attention. It looks more like some sort of spreading infection than a burn to me...notice that it's not on the top of the head or casque but in folds of the neck and lower on the face?

About the cham's light color: let me try to re-state or clarify this for the OP. A cham that is very overheated can turn a pale color (and yes, it is a vague reflexive attempt to reflect heat, as light colors don't absorb heat as well as dark colors do). But if its that significantly overheated the cham would also probably be gaping (sitting with its mouth wide open) and attempting to get away from the heat source (hiding low in the cage). A cham that is so extremely stressed its in shock can also turn an odd blanched out color, but this color will show over the entire body and unlike any other coloration or pattern you'll see. For example, I've watched a choking melleri (normally bright leaf green with yellow bands and black spotting) turn a sickly yellow with orange bands. IMHO I don't think this is what's going on here. A cham that is dying has lost control of its color change process and it can show odd patches of very dark or very light color on different areas of the body such as the back half, only the head, the entire tail, or the body above the lateral line area.

As for "sleeping in your hand" this is not normal. Your cham could simply not want to go back into a confined space...once they know they can roam a larger area a cage isn't as attractive. A cage that is too low, too hot, too small can stress them out. Or your cham could be so stressed out by handling it closes its eyes and lays quiet in your hand, or its exhausted by something in its environment. It may well be sick (possibly the infection process on its head is painful or spreading internally).

IMHO, take this cham to a vet so the black patch can be sampled, biopsied, and inspected more closely. Adjust the cham's lighting so the cage provides cooler shaded areas.

 

[Carlton]

I really appreciate Ferritinmyshoes often chiming in this list, but I am uncomfortable with the number of times people suggest a pm to her before they take their animal in to their own vet. If this chameleon needs the opinion of a reptile vet, don't you think that you should recommend he take it to a vet first before we ask for Dana's input?

Maybe, but we all know how clueless most general practice vets are. I guess my opinion is that "it depends" on the OP's situation. Dana may be able to steer an inexperienced vet in the right direction or help the OP dismiss a very off-the-mark treatment suggested by a vet. Hard to make a general assumption here.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Maybe, but we all know how clueless most general practice vets are. I guess my opinion is that "it depends" on the OP's situation. Dana may be able to steer an inexperienced vet in the right direction or help the OP dismiss a very off-the-mark treatment suggested by a vet. Hard to make a general assumption here.

I agree with everything you said, but I am really uncomfortable with the number of times people are sending a pm to Dana. I know I asked her to look over some x-rays because I wasn't happy with the results and I fully expected to pay her for the consult. I think it behooves us to help someone new to the hobby find a good vet rather than passing off that responsibility to Dana. If things don't jive with the experienced keepers after a vet visit, then I have no problem asking for Dana's input, but not as the first line of defense.

I just fear she will simply not be a part of this forum if we place so much of a burden on her. She's extremely kind and generous. I like having her on the forums.

 

[Carlton]

Ah, I understand. I think the best solution would be for Dana to chime in and let the forum know in what ways she can realistically participate in threads and whether direct contact via pm is something she's willing and able to respond to. That way the rest of us can advise new posters how best to proceed. Maybe this should become a forum "policy" to protect our wonderful vet members.

 

[Andy_Brannon]

I really appreciate Ferritinmyshoes often chiming in this list, but I am uncomfortable with the number of times people suggest a pm to her before they take their animal in to their own vet. If this chameleon needs the opinion of a reptile vet, don't you think that you should recommend he take it to a vet first before we ask for Dana's input?

I can't get my chameleon in until I have money and transportation so that is all I can do until next week. As for everything else that has been said I've done and he has become a normal color again. But the black on his face has not gone away

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Thank you all especially @Carlton and @jajeanpierre for your kind words and high opinion of me. I really do appreciate it! But there's no need to worry about me disappearing. I've been around to offer advice for almost 7 years now. Other vets have come and go but not me. There are a lot of people who either don't have an experienced reptile vet nearby or need to know a little bit more about what they might be dealing before they understand the significance of needing to go to the vet. I'm happy to offer guidance or advice where it can be useful. When I get a lot of messages I may not always get back to them immediately but I try to do so within a few days. I don't think my time is best spent on beginner type questions so some of those I'll refer back to the forums to make a general thread. There are lots of super helpful, very knowledgeable people to help with care and egg laying. Your appreciation of my efforts really means a lot to me though.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

@Andy_Brannon - that is an unusual location and appearance for a burn. I might even be tempted to wait until he sheds to see if it persists as long as the area is dry, normal texture of skin and not swollen or raised. You're sure he's not from hypermelanistic lines? He would have marketed as such and probably more expensive than a regular veiled. Definitely allow him to sleep in his cage. He will as long as it's dark (no night lights on). Chameleons and most reptile species do not crave companionship or bond with their people like puppies do (their brains just didn't evolve to that extent) so he's probably liking your hand because it's warm and he's tall so he's comfortable, but he's not in need of that. Much better to sleep in his cage undisturbed.

 

[kinyonga]

When the chameleon falls asleep on your hand or shoulder how long have you had it out of the cage before this happens?

 

[Andy_Brannon]

Thank you guys for trying to help. But Kamo passed because I couldn't get him to a vet.