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That looks possibly like the start of a shed. Is this a picture of your chameleon sleeping with its lights on or is it bed time?
@Beman What do you think?
Thank you for the reply! Sleeping with lights on unfortunately (uvb was off because he climbed right under it and i don’t want his little body to burn). I already have a vet appointment scheduled for the eye issue. I believe it’s vitamin a deficiency
I did years of chameleon research before getting mine, so I’m pretty confident on my husbandry, I do really appreciate you though)) But one thing , the day I dusted his food with multivitamin, he didn’t want to eat (most likely from still settling into his new home), so he didn’t get that vitamin a. The next day it didn’t cross my mind that I should dust the bugs with it again, so I didn’t, which is why i believe the eyes closed is vitamin deficiency. Since he won’t open his eyes it’s hard to get him to eat.. Do you think it would be a good idea to sprinkle a little multivitamin into water and drip it into his mouth while he’s drinking?Oh no I am sorry to hear that. Do you want to have your husbandry reviewed to see if there is anything you can change to help your little one out?
Veiled chameleon, probably about 6-7 weeks old, I believe he’s male (small bulge and the SLIGHTEST spurs on back feet, honestly can’t tell for sure yet), been in my care for a little over 3 weeks.Hi and welcome. I mean absolutely zero disrespect, but due to the amount of incorrect and outdated husbandry info out there, I would advise a husbandry review just to ensure all is correct. Eyes closed during the day is not good at all. Babies have no resources to fall back upon, so if even one small thing is off with their care, it can be bad for them. If nothing else, a full review could at least rule out a husbandry issue. Of course, it’s your decision but I believe it would be very helpful in helping you.
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.
--------------
Please Note:
- The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
- Photos can be very helpful.
Veiled chameleon, probably about 6-7 weeks old, I believe he’s male (small bulge and the SLIGHTEST spurs on back feet, honestly can’t tell for sure yet), been in my care for a little over 3 weeks.Hi and welcome. I mean absolutely zero disrespect, but due to the amount of incorrect and outdated husbandry info out there, I would advise a husbandry review just to ensure all is correct. Eyes closed during the day is not good at all. Babies have no resources to fall back upon, so if even one small thing is off with their care, it can be bad for them. If nothing else, a full review could at least rule out a husbandry issue. Of course, it’s your decision but I believe it would be very helpful in helping you.
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.
--------------
Please Note:
- The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
- Photos can be very helpful.
Thank you so much! I will switch the kale out for something else. The dubias i feed him are mostly teeny tiny, but the crickets are a bit bigger and I’m sure fill him up faster. I’m not able to find xs crickets near me so I use small. I start with giving him about 5 feeders then add more just to make sure they’re being eaten and don’t hide then end up getting drowned later from misting. I do believe the issue could be parasitesThank you! Your research was correct and our husbandry sounds on point. Little one should be eating a lot more though…as much as he can eat in about 15-20 minutes, twice a day. The only other thing that could be improved is what you feed your feeders. I’d avoid kale as it has high oxalates which will bind to calcium. Most other greens are good like dandelion, turnip, mustard. Adding things like sweet potato, bell pepper, squashes and a little bit of fruit will round things out. Attaching a graphic.
Not eating enough could cause your little one to decline, so I’m wondering if you are offering more and he isn’t eating all or you are giving just 3-8 feeders. He should easily be taking in over 20 appropriately sized feeders at one sitting. Are your feeders small enough? It’s better to give ones that may be a bit too small rather than a bit too large.
If you are offering and little one is only eating so many, that leaves an unknown health issue. Parasites are always on the list of suspects as well as any number of problems. Generally, breeders will wait until their veiled babies are at least 3 months old before rehoming as sometimes babies will just fail and pass away for no visible reason. I don’t believe little one’s problem is lack of vitamin A and caution against trying to give extra as that could make things worse. Since he didn’t get any the other day, yes, go ahead and put it on the feeders. Leave the water pure. The pale areas do look like the start of shedding and babies do full body sheds like ‘poof’ - don’t blink or you’ll miss it. Is there any crusts over his eyes? If you see any that are not shed, you could very gently place a wet q tip to loosen crusts. Since I don’t feel it’s an eye issue though, there are most likely no crusts or drainage.
You may need to help him eat and pop a feeder into his mouth as he’s drinking. As a very last resort, you could get some ReptaBoost. https://www.amazon.com/Fluker-Labs-...ocphy=9011840&hvtargid=pla-348903129966&psc=1 It’s risky to force feed such a tiny guy though and the risk of causing aspiration are high. The airway is in the front of the mouth, so you need to aim for the back of the throat. Most syringes are probably too massive for such a tiny mouth. You may need to ask at a pharmacy to buy some 1 ml oral syringes. I’ve never seen any smaller than that, but you could ask.
Definitely look into getting a vent deflector. They are relatively cheap and most attach with magnets. https://www.homedepot.com/s/Vent deflector?NCNI-5
I’m hoping your vet visit is soon, as every day he’s only going to get weaker. You do have some good vets in California and I hope you’re near them and have an appointment with one. Whatever you do though - if they insist that you have to soak him or pit him in the shower, just ignore that advice. Even good vets have it stuck in their heads that all reptiles absorb water through their vents and it’s just a myth.
I’m really hoping that you can get your sweet baby feeling better quickly. Do keep us posted how he’s doing.
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I don’t recommend jelly cubes for the feeders, stick to those listed above in the chart but i think there is others that have used them though. Also no heat bulb necessary for night time if your temp is around or below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. I think down to 60 is still ok. You really want a temp drop at night. Others will probably chime in in case they feel differently.
Now since it’s a beautiful little lady do you know about lay bins and female care? It differs a bit from our males?
So glad you and your little made it to the forum! It’s a great place with wonderful people!!
yes i told the veterinarian that the slight temperature drop at night is beneficial from what i’ve heard and she said no they need constant heat My chameleon is hardly 2 months old so i won’t set up a laying bin until later on, but i definitely will! thank you so much, and yes i love it here!I don’t recommend jelly cubes for the feeders, stick to those listed above in the chart but i think there is others that have used them though. Also no heat bulb necessary for night time if your temp is around or below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. I think down to 60 is still ok. You really want a temp drop at night. Others will probably chime in in case they feel differently.
Now since it’s a beautiful little lady do you know about lay bins and female care? It differs a bit from our males?
So glad you and your little made it to the forum! It’s a great place with wonderful people!!
Ok great, yeah I would do the temp drop just like you thought butttt, with the girly being only 2mos old maybe that was a factor in the temps, mine always came 3mos or older so I may have spoke too soon @Beppo, @Beman , @MissSkittles anyone with baby experience… does one this tiny still require heat at night?yes i told the veterinarian that the slight temperature drop at night is beneficial from what i’ve heard and she said no they need constant heat My chameleon is hardly 2 months old so i won’t set up a laying bin until later on, but i definitely will! thank you so much, and yes i love it here!
Thank you elizaann for sharing that laybin sheet, I was looking for it and confirming my thoughts on the temp drop. I sometimes overthink and began to second guess myself!Hello! This is the care sheet I follow for my female veiled chameleon. It includes information for littles as well. As far as I know, you treat juvenile chams the same, you just feed them a lot more than the adults.
When you are ready, here is information on a lay bin for her.
View attachment 340903
Are there any prominent nubs on the back of the back feet? As a rule, only males have them. There have been a few females with tiny nubs, but that is a bit rare. You’ve already gotten great advice about temps and jelly cups and then some. For administering medicine, fluids or force feeding the most important thing is to aim for the very back of the throat. The airway is in the front of the mouth. Once she’s feeling better, she’ll have no problem bulking herself back up. Veileds love to eat.update, i’ve come to conclusion that he’s a she lol, I took her to the vet and got stuck shed taken off along with possible mucus in a nostril. The vet gave me antibiotic drops that i’m really hoping will work! she also gave me some advice that i’m very iffy about, she recommended feeding my crickets those jelly cubes and getting a heat bulb for the night time… please let me know what you think of these as an actual experienced chameleon keeper. My chameleon is still active and hydrating. i just need to build up my comfortability with forcing food down her mouth lol, she is a bit underweight after not eating for a few days
Me tooThank you elizaann for sharing that laybin sheet, I was looking for it and confirming my thoughts on the temp drop. I sometimes overthink and began to second guess myself!
I learn more than I realize here at the forum. I love this place!!