I need help fast!

[shorlacher]

I have a 6month old jackson chameleon. She is very constipated and i dont think that is going to make it much longer. I took her to the vet last saturday,and her told me to soak her for 30min a day and force feed her baby food with the vitamin a and calcium. I have been doing everything he said but she still has not had a bowel movement. What can i do for her. I hate to see her like this and it is breaking my heart. Please help..........

 

[laurie]

I AM NOT A VET. I totally agree with the warm water, but would never feed anything that can't poop. Seems backward to me. What I would try is a couple drops of mineral oil.

How long since she last pooped? Is there any chance she has babies and can't get them out? I don't even know if that is possible with a jacksons.

What ever you do please let me know how she is, & good luck.

 

[shorlacher]

i need help fast

Thank you for responding to my post. It has been at least a week or more. I am going to the store right now and try the mineral oil. Tge vet said that she might be pregnant, but he was not sure. Would that stop her from having a bowel movement? I have stop feeding her fir now cuz her belly looks like it getting bigger, my thoughts are if she can get out what in there now, were would the food i feeding her go...... i will try the mineral oil and post her progress. Thank you again

 

[PantherEnvy]

Mineral oil is good advice. Also take an extra look around the enclosure. I sometimes find poop stuck to leaves, branches, etc...

 

[Solid Snake]

Welcome to CF!

Jacksons are very touchy when it comes to supplementation.
I would stop all supplementation for now, and I agree that you should not force feed her. A healthy chameleon that eats regularly can go at least a week without food, so dont be to alarmed if she isnt eating.
Try the mineral oil yes.

In order to provide you with any kind of accurate advice, we need to know A LOT about your chameleon

We have a form that makes this easy.

Please fill it out as THOROUGHLY as possible, and as accurately as possible. Please be specific about supplements, and feeding especially(brand names, contents, ect.).

Here is said form


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?


Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


Pictures are helpful

 

[shorlacher]

Were is the form for inputting the infirmation about my chameleon

 

[shorlacher]

I have 2 Jackson chameleon
6 months old
I have had both since december
I only handle them when i have to
I have been feeding crickets about 2 a day each
Started dusting crickets with vitamin a and calcium
have water fountains
their fecal is about everyday and is white with a little black in it...reminds me of chicken poop. Have not had them tested.

Cage info.
They each have their own cage. 18 x 18 x 36 screen cage with bark shaving for the substrate. They have 2 perches in each cage and have fake ivy vines and fake shrubs.
Lighting i use zoo med uvb lights for about 12 hours and zoo med infered lights at night.
About 76 to 80 at all times
i have a humidifer that runns about an hour in the morning and an hour in the evenings

They are in my living room on a entry table which is about 3ft from floor level and the is a
ac heating duck above the cages. It is high traffic area.
We live in coolidge, arizona

My female cain is constipated very badly. She lays on the bottom of her cage and last saturday i took her to the vets and he said that she has a infetion on her left rear foot and gave me an antibotic and a antinflamitory medication and he said that she was very dehydrated. I soak her in warm water for 30 mins a day and i give her the meds l a day. She still has not have had a bowel movement yet.

 

[kinyonga]

Has the chameleon been eating still??

 

[shorlacher]

Only when i was force reeding her.

 

[Solid Snake]

I have 2 Jackson chameleon
6 months old
I have had both since december
I only handle them when i have to
I have been feeding crickets about 2 a day each
Started dusting crickets with vitamin a and calcium What kind/brand calcium and vit a? On what schedule exactly?
have water fountains Please elaborate.
their fecal is about everyday and is white with a little black in it...reminds me of chicken poop. Have not had them tested.

Cage info.
They each have their own cage. 18 x 18 x 36 screen cage with bark shaving for the substrate.Just bark? Does it ever get changed? IMO substrate is more trouble than it is worth, it breeds parasites and bacteria, and is a mess to clean. The chameleon can also eat it when it shoots for a feeder, and cause impaction and die. ;/ If you have a planted terrarium, with a proper layering of hydro balls and dirt and such, then that is different. They have 2 perches in each cage and have fake ivy vines and fake shrubs.
Lighting i use zoo med uvb lights for about 12 hours and zoo med infered lights at night.No lights should be used at night, as they can keep the chameleon awake, and a good 10F temp drop at nite is a beneficial thing for them. You can go as low as 50F without having to worry about nite time temp, if you have to use additional heat, a ceramic heater is ideal.
About 76 to 80 at all timesAmbient temps? Basking temps???? You want a basking area of 80-85F, not over 85F, and a proper temp gradient down to 65-75F.
i have a humidifer that runns about an hour in the morning and an hour in the eveningsA hot water humidifier? Or a "fogger"?

They are in my living room on a entry table which is about 3ft from floor level and the is a
ac heating duck above the cages. It is high traffic area.
We live in coolidge, arizona
If there is air(of any temp) blowing on their cages, this is bad, it can cause RI. (and make it severely hard to maintain any type of temp gradient)
My female cain is constipated very badly. She lays on the bottom of her cage and last saturday i took her to the vets and he said that she has a infetion on her left rear foot and gave me an antibotic and a antinflamitory medication and he said that she was very dehydrated. I soak her in warm water for 30 mins a day and i give her the meds l a day. She still has not have had a bowel movement yet.

What kind of antibiotic/antinflamatory? How did she get the infection in her foot?
If the cages are where they can see each other, they need to be moved, or a somthing placed to block them from each others view

 

[shorlacher]

The Vitamin A is Zoo Med Reptivite with D3 and the Calcium is Fluker's with D3. I feed crickets once a day in the evening I dust crickets one time with the vitamin a and then the next day I will dust them with the calcium.

The Fountains are table top battery operated. The you can buy at walmart or any other retail place.



The substrate is Zoo Med Echo Earth Loose Coconut Fiber. And I change that every week.


Lighting is..... Zoo Med 100wat UVB & UVA and that is on 12 hours a day. The Zoo Med Nocturnal Infrared Light I put on because our house will get about 40 degrees at night. The 76 to 80 is ambiant temp.... I don't have a basking lamp for them.


The humidifier is a heat one that you can buy at walmart for your children (that is what the vet said to get.)


When I got the chameleons in December, they were together in the same cage and fought all the time. So I went and bought another cage and set it up and put the female in that one. In the mix of all the fighting her skin around the nail was pulled away and I read on the internet that I should soak her foot in betadine and water. And the skin formed back but her foot stayed swollen and the vet said that she has an infection and gave her Meloxicam .03ml once a day for 5 days and Enrofloxacin .03ml once a day for 14 days.

 

[Elizadolots]

Hi, I'm sorry you are having problems.

Is the other chameleon a male Jackson's? I'm sort of wondering if your girl is, in fact, getting ready to have babies.

Are you basing your idea that she's constipated on her size, or are you really sure she's not pooping?

Can you post a picture of her?

I'm going to recommend you get a ceramic heat emitter to replace that infrared bulb. Any light at night can be distressing for them. You're right that 40 degrees is too cold, so you do need something to help out.

 

[Panther16]

Try giving it a good shower

 

[shorlacher]

This shows her belly!

 

[shorlacher]

The other Chameleon is a male, and they were toghter for sometime. She might be prego....but she is only 6 months old. I guess she could be, but she still has not a bowel movement in a week and a half. Able (male) he seems to be doing fine. Cain (female) has always been calm and does not move much. II'm just scared and don't want anything to her.

I gave her a few drops of the mineral oil, how long would it take to work?

 

[Elizadolots]

Yes, she could be pregnant.

You might also try giving her pear baby food to help her poop.

**edited to add**

where is the "6 month old" thing coming from? Did you buy them when they were 3 months old?

Do you have pictures from when you first bought them so people here can judge the age?

 

[shorlacher]

These pictures were take the day I got them.

How long will it take for the mineral oil to work?

How long in there preganices?

 

[Elizadolots]

To me, that male looks older than 3 months. I would have guess him at 6 months at least at that time. It's sort of hard to tell because there's not a ruler in the enclosure, but I think a 3 month old is pretty small and their horns are not fully developed.

I think you have to plan for the idea your girl might be pregnant.

I think their gestation is typically 4 to 6 months, so it's possible she's getting ready to have babies.

Just in case, you should have a bin ready for the babies. You don't want to leave them with her for too long. She's not going to realize they are hers and she's likely to be nutritionally deprived--for wont of a better term--you should head down to the breeding forum and get the info on what that set up needs to be (it's not as intense as for the adults...they can be together, they can be in a big plastic bin...they just need climbing options). You might not need it, but it's better to have the bin ready and not need it than to find you have babies and no place to put them.

Are you sure she isn't pooping? They can be a bit secretive about that. I've had one for over a year and I've NEVER seen him poop. He doesn't even poop the rare times I take him out, he just hisses and snaps at me. They can target their poop quite well and if there's a plant in the enclosure, they can hide that poop in the dirt.

 

[shorlacher]

To me, that male looks older than 3 months. I would have guess him at 6 months at least at that time. It's sort of hard to tell because there's not a ruler in the enclosure, but I think a 3 month old is pretty small and their horns are not fully developed.

I think you have to plan for the idea your girl might be pregnant.

I think their gestation is typically 4 to 6 months, so it's possible she's getting ready to have babies.

Just in case, you should have a bin ready for the babies. You don't want to leave them with her for too long. She's not going to realize they are hers and she's likely to be nutritionally deprived--for wont of a better term--you should head down to the breeding forum and get the info on what that set up needs to be (it's not as intense as for the adults...they can be together, they can be in a big plastic bin...they just need climbing options). You might not need it, but it's better to have the bin ready and not need it than to find you have babies and no place to put them.

Are you sure she isn't pooping? They can be a bit secretive about that. I've had one for over a year and I've NEVER seen him poop. He doesn't even poop the rare times I take him out, he just hisses and snaps at me. They can target their poop quite well and if there's a plant in the enclosure, they can hide that poop in the dirt.

Would the mineral oil hurt her or the babies?

The vet told me to gently apply pressure to her abdomen area. I hope that it didnt hurt the babies.


Thank you all for all the help and advice.

 

[ibdragons]

costapated

All I can add is remove the substrate,they can accidentally ingest it.as for fountains u should remove them bcuz they build bacteria in it an get ur cham sick good luck