Help please

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countrygirl.bidelman199@g

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My female veiled chameleon is laying almost unmoving on the floor of her cage. Research says she's gravid, but they are most definitely not fertile. She's housed with a female Jackson. She's not eating or attempting to drink. She lucid and slightly dehydrated, but I've been misting her often and have seen her drink. She just lays for hours on the bottom of the cage. What should I do????
 

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Has she ever laid before? She should not be housed with any other chameleons. You should take her to a vet she looks gravid and could be egg bound but that's a wild guess without knowing more information. I would quickly set something up for her that is her own enclosure. The stress of being houser with another chameleon is a lot, even without know what else is going on.
 
Where are you located? We can probably find a good vet. It would also be helpful if you could fill this out while you search for a vet / give her a private setup.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?

Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?

Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?

Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?

Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?

Location - Where are you geographically located?
 
There are no local vets that see reptiles. I have three uros and two chameleons. I've lost an iron because I don't have access to a vet that can look at repiles.
Your Chameleon - veiled chameleon, unknown age. Female. Have had her for five months.

Handling - Twice a week. To check health and cause my brother is 12.

Feeding - Crickets, mealworms and waxworms. Six crickets a day. Take out any left after an hour or so. Mealworms and waxworms about five or six each every week or so for variety.

Supplements - repti calcium with D3. Once a month. Powder crickets.

Watering- misting every hour for 15-20 seconds.

Fecal Description - dark with white splotch. Not tested no vet.

History - Had her for five months. Got her from backwater reptiles.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - completely screen. 4 foot tall. 2 ft wide

Lighting - zoo-med repti basking buld 100w. Light on from 9am-8or 9pm.

Temperature - vet top of cage around 95-100. Bottom 60-65.

Humidity - unknown. I need to replace the thermostat I was using.

Plants - small money tree and a large leaf foliage plant.

Placement - cage is located in my little brother's room. Barely any traffic two feet off ground, no fans, and only one hot air system vent three feet from cage on the foot of the wall.

Location - Marcellus MI
 
Has she had a proper lay bin in her cage for th last few months?

What color are her urates?

No UVB light all the time you've owned her?
Improper supplements as well. Overfeeding by the sounds of it too. Housed win another chameleon. All of these husbandry issues have likely pushed her into eggbinding.
If she doesn't go to a good chameleon vet ASAP she will likely die very soon....in fact it may be too late to save her already.

I'm concerned for your Jackson's since you've been treating them the same too.
How do you keep your uromastyx?
 
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countrygirl.bidelman199@g said:
There are no local vets that see reptiles. I have three uros and two chameleons. I've lost an iron because I don't have access to a vet that can look at repiles. You might have to travel to see a good vet if you want help for her.
Click to expand...

countrygirl.bidelman199@g said:
Your Chameleon - veiled chameleon, unknown age. Female. Have had her for five months. How big was she when you got her? Do you have a photo of when you got her?

Handling - Twice a week. To check health and cause my brother is 12.

Feeding - Crickets, mealworms and waxworms. Six crickets a day. Take out any left after an hour or so. Mealworms and waxworms about five or six each every week or so for variety. Hard to say if your over feeding without knowing her age. She looks very small. What are you gut loading the feeders with? Wax worms should really only be a great. Crickets, dubia roaches, black soldier fly larvae are good feeders.

Supplements - repti calcium with D3. Once a month. Powder crickets. She needs regular calcium at every feeding. Calcium with D3 twice a month and a multivitamin with preformed Vit A twice a month.

Watering- misting every hour for 15-20 seconds. Do you see her drink? She looks dehydrated. She needs longer misting sessions. 1-2 minutes so that the cage gets humidity and so that water gathers on leaves to drink. This can be done in the am, maybe one mid day and at night. Access to a dripper all day would be good.

Fecal Description - dark with white splotch. Not tested no vet.. A fecal is good to rule out parasites

History - Had her for five months. Got her from backwater reptiles.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - completely screen. 4 foot tall. 2 ft wide. You said she's sharing this enclosure with a Jacksons? Can we see a photo of the Jackson?

Lighting - zoo-med repti basking buld 100w. Light on from 9am-8or 9pm. Basking bulb? She needs a linear t5ho light with 6% or 5.0 bulb. She's not getting any UVB. Her limbs are reflecting this lack of UVB. Your Jackson needs the uvb as well.

Temperature - vet top of cage around 95-100. Bottom 60-65. 95 is way too hot. You want this down in the lower 80s.

Humidity - unknown. I need to replace the thermostat I was using.

Plants - small money tree and a large leaf foliage plant. What is the large leaf plant? Can we see a photo of the enclosure?

Placement - cage is located in my little brother's room. Barely any traffic two feet off ground, no fans, and only one hot air system vent three feet from cage on the foot of the wall.

Location - Marcellus MI
Click to expand...
See my limited feedback in bold. She looks pretty sick and needs a vet. She needs a lay bin as well.
 
kinyonga said:
Has she had a proper lay bin in her cage for th last few months?

What color are her urates?

No UVB light all the time you've owned her?
Improper supplements as well. Overfeeding by the sounds of it too. Housed win another chameleon. All of these husbandry issues have likely pushed her into eggbinding.
If she doesn't go to a good chameleon vet ASAP she will likely die very soon....in fact it may be too late to save her already.

I'm concerned for your Jackson's since you've been treating them the same too.
How do you keep your uromastyx?
Click to expand...
Kinyonga had TONS of experience. I would take what she says and run with it.
 
AnamCara said:
See my limited feedback in bold. She looks pretty sick and needs a vet. She needs a lay bin as well.
Click to expand...
She and the Jackson are my first chameleons. I'm trying. I've switched to the 100w cause my UVB bulb busted last month and haven't been able to got to Petco for a new one.
It was the day before yesterday when I saw her hanging out on the floor of the cage. First lay as well. This site was my last resort. I'm trying. I really am.
 

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countrygirl.bidelman199@g said:
She and the Jackson are my first chameleons. I'm trying. I've switched to the 100w cause my UVB bulb busted last month and haven't been able to got to Petco for a new one.
It was the day before yesterday when I saw her hanging out on the floor of the cage. First lay as well. This site was my last resort. I'm trying. I really am.
Click to expand...
Don't beat yourself up, now is not the time for that. All you can do now is make changes and make the drive to a vet. Chameleons are very sensitive creatures and hide illnesses and when they go down they go down fast. Id make her a hospital bin for the time being. It can look something like this:

20210921_135442.jpg

You'll want a bin with some vines / sticks on the bottom so she can't fall / if she doesn't she won't fall far. I also put a towel in the bottom to make it soft.

She might not make it. But she could if she can get to a vet quickly.

@jannb know any vets?
 
Chameleons aren't the easiest lizard to keep...and we all have to learn...but it's important to get the care right ASAP to make sure they can live long healthy lives with us.

Can you get a bag of washed playsand today and set up a lay bin at least 8" deep in her cage moist enough to hold a tunnel? I would dig a tunnel for her in it too.

How long has she been showing the colors she is right now?

The UVB needs to be replaced ASAP too or she will likely develop MBD.
What supplements have you been using and how often for each?

The slightly sunken eyes are not likely from dehydration...they're likely like that from the stress/health issues.

Also, I've kept uros too...so we can talk about them next if you want to too.

BTW...welcome to the forum! It's a great place to learn.
 
Then put the sand in the critter keeper without the lid. Moisten the sand a little so it holds a tunnel but don’t get it too wet. Put it in her enclosure and put her in it and like Kinyonga said, start a tunnel for her then leave her alone and give her privacy so she can lay her eggs. Put the jacksons Cham in a different cage otherwise your veiled might not lay.
 
countrygirl.bidelman199@g said:
She and the Jackson are my first chameleons. I'm trying. I've switched to the 100w cause my UVB bulb busted last month and haven't been able to got to Petco for a new one.
It was the day before yesterday when I saw her hanging out on the floor of the cage. First lay as well. This site was my last resort. I'm trying. I really am.
Click to expand...
Fyi females lay eggs wether they have been mated or not. Its just that unfertilized eggs wont develope. I dont have females do I think it best others try to identify your issue. Best of luck
 
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