Help

[Joel_turtles]

hi received

hi received a chameleon as an xmas gift and hes not eating much i know it may take a week for him to settle into a new environment but i dont want to lose him. his name is Bulbasaur hes a baby i got him at petco and i have the zoo med chameleon kit with cage vitamins and all. i bought xtra bamboo and a jasmine plant and some jungle vines for him to feel more safe i have seen him only eat twice since i got him.




Your Chameleon - veiled, had him for 5days, not sure of his age but he is tiny, his body is maybe 2 in.
Handling - 2 times a day about 5 mins
Feeding - meelworms, crickets, and dubia roaches. dusted with calcium suplement
Supplements - its a dusting supplement with calcium and d3
Watering - a drip constantly and also spray his face to make sure hes hydrated
Fecal Description - he has pooped twice since i have had him first time was brown and the second was white
History - i bought him at petco

Cage Info:
Cage Type - mesh cage,18 by 18 by 36 tall
Lighting - combo UVB and Daylight heating
Temperature - cold spot is 70s basking 80s and hot spot in the 90s
Humidity - i dont have a hygrometer yet planning to get one soon
Plants - a small jasmine plant
Placement -its in bedroom, not much traffic, the blinds on the window are always drawn, so no natural light. His cage is on a side table so it's about 3 ft off the floor
Location - southern california

Current Problem - he sleeps part of the day here and there and also his right eye is closed most of the time but when its open it does not look irritated.

 

[My Chamelon]

If he's not eating, it could be that you are dusting his food too much. I would also suggest handling him less, if he is handled he may get too stressed. If they are too stressed they won't eat. I would also lower his temps until he gets a little older, if it's too hot he can get burns. It's good to mist his cage plenty, since you don't have a hydrometer yet. Its very good that he has a screened cage, vitamins. Other than a few adjustments, he seems like he's in good shape. He looks pretty healthy. Just try your best to keep him hydrated, humid, and as least stressed as possible. He'll be okay he needs to get used to this first. You're not doing a bad job though, really good!

 

[My Chamelon]

He's very pretty, and has a good color to him too! Just wanted to say

 

[Joel_turtles]

thank you lol ya ill make adjustments according to your advice and i plan on getting a hygrometer tomorrow also i do spray 4 times a day for about a couple of minutes to keep the humidity up and thank you about the dusting i think i do over dust his food
thanks again ill keep everyone posted on how hes adjusting

 

[ChamDE86]

What brand of calcium are you using? Your supplement schedule should be calcium without d3 at every feeding and calcium with d3 & vitamins twice a month. That's 3 different separate supplements you should be using for your chameleon. I also would recommend spraying around your chameleon and not directly in her face.

 

[Joel_turtles]

im using Zoo Meds brand Reptivite reptile vitamins and also Repti Calcium without D3

 

[Joel_turtles]

just got a hygrometer and raised the humidity to 70% + he still hasnt eaten but he is drinking here and there but his urate has yellow in it not dark though. also both his eyes are now closed most of the time and he moves around with one eye

 

[Joel_turtles]

also i changed his setup to accomadate better temperatures for basking and cold spots

 

[Jahnna64]

I read that you spray his face, I wouldn't advise spraying his face as it may stress him out and he drinks off branches anyways

 

[ChamDE86]

You've probably read somewhere by now that Petco isn't the best place to purchase a chameleon from, and it's likely your chameleon may have already been in bad shape before arriving to his new home. I believe he may be suffering from a vitamin deficiency and with his eyes closed, it's making it difficult for him to hunt for food. I've never dealt with a sick chameleon, so the only thing I can tell you is to take him to the vet. They'll possibly give him a shot of vitamins if that is what he's lacking. There is another method where they wet a q-tip with a vitamin gel cap and have force the chameleon to bite down, but that's something I've never done so a more experienced member may be able to chime in on that.

 

[Joel_turtles]

well i didnt have money to take my cham to a herp vet and so i took him to petco since their warranty stated they would provide the vet care if anything was the problem with my cham within the 30 days of purchase. so today they called and said hes ready and i went today to pick him up and asked the manager what did the vet say and any medications for him she looked me in the eye as if it was ok to say and said they didnt take him because they were to busy. i am so furious at the moment i took him home plan to take him to the vet myself but first i force fed him and gave him some repta+boost to perk him up. it just amazes me how much money is more important than the well being of an animal

 

[alphakenc]

it just amazes me how much money is more important than the well being of an animal

Sad but true they only see on the dollar bill it say "in Petco dollar bill we trust"...but the General public customers are suffering with their love cham.Hopefully they will change the way they keeping their chams soon!

 

[Joel_turtles]

well i had to call to find out but sadly my chameleon died this morning. petco said they took him to the vet and got him on an antibiotic regiment. i had called on friday and they said he gained his weight back his eyes opened and his color came back and he was almost done with his meds. i was suppose to pick him up this week but recieved sad news today. i plan on never buying from petco/petsmart and only from a reputable breeder or a mom and pop petstore. thanks again everyone for the help and advice.

 

[LindsayG]

I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[oneillchameleons]

Write an email to petco head offices and their support email. It's very important to let these things be known when they occur. If everyone who received poor advice/sick animals from them wrote in, I guarantee they would address the situation. Hence the clause in the contract if they replace an animal or refund you, you are not allowed to speak publicly about it. It's better to refuse the refund and let people know.

 

[jannb]

I'm so sorry for your loss. These little guys have a way of getting into your heart really fast.