Jackson Chameleon REALLY SICK! Substrate impaction

[cangelosijr]

Ok, when i first got him he was very active. since then i have noticed his eating has decreased to the point i dont see him eat anymore. i noticed a small bump above is back right leg, it has in 1 day turned from a bumb to what appears 2 be a stick sticking out of his skin. i believe he has turned and it is now jabbing him in the belly and looks inverted. he also has what appears to be a piece of a branch that he is attempting to poop out and it wont come out. i bought the chameleon and 30 dollar branch at the same store. he has been pacing this one branch for a while now rubbing his but on it trying 2 get it out. so it appears. i am attaching pictures of him and the branch. i have removed those branches only from his cage and also he isnt using his back legs very much, hes struggling to move them... PLEASE HELP ASAP. hes about 5 months old.

 

[leedragon]

Ok, when i first got him he was very active. since then i have noticed his eating has decreased to the point i dont see him eat anymore. i noticed a small bump above is back right leg, it has in 1 day turned from a bumb to what appears 2 be a stick sticking out of his skin. i believe he has turned and it is now jabbing him in the belly and looks inverted. he also has what appears to be a piece of a branch that he is attempting to poop out and it wont come out. i bought the chameleon and 30 dollar branch at the same store. he has been pacing this one branch for a while now rubbing his but on it trying 2 get it out. so it appears. i am attaching pictures of him and the branch. i have removed those branches only from his cage and also he isnt using his back legs very much, hes struggling to move them... PLEASE HELP ASAP. hes about 5 months old.

take it to the vet man! what are you waiting for, to me that looks like something serious

 

[cangelosijr]

i have an appointment in 2 hours and im hoping he can make it...

 

[cangelosijr]

i was hoping 2 get some sort of help before because i cant sleep. im so scared he wont make it.

 

[carol5208]

let us know what happens. does sound like he is impacted. Do you have substrate in the bottom of the cage he could have eaten while shooting for a feeder? hope he will be ok. oh wow, just looked back at the pic...that is a stick coming out of his vent?

 

[cangelosijr]

that's what it appears is coming out of his vent. everything i have bought was suggested by petsmart and bet bazzar(reptile store).

 

[cangelosijr]

heading to the vet in about 30 minutes. any ideas? anyone?

 

[justjumpit621]

that's what it appears is coming out of his vent. everything i have bought was suggested by petsmart and bet bazzar(reptile store).

do not listen to petsmart. That is all the advice i can give you right now. There is nothing you can do until the vet checks him out but he will probably need surgery. Read up on these forums about proper husbandry so something like this doesn't happen again, petsmart will sell you anything they can regardless if it is good or not.

and no more substrate! The best thing to do is leave the bottom of the cage bare.

 

[cangelosijr]

soooo as of right now hes super under the weather and they are going 2 get him hydrated and feed him some nutrients and then see whats going on. she says she thinks that he swallowed some of the tree or substrate when he was eating a cricket and thats whats coming out his bottom. the side thing she says is substrate that penetrated his intestines and is coming out through the skin now.(thats what she thinks until they can get a further look) she said he has a 50/50 shot at survival. she has to keep him over the weekend. first time i have cried in years.

 

[Hoj]

So sorry, I hope everything works out for you. After all this has settled i would suggest filling out the how to ask for help form located in the health section, we can look at what you are doing and see if there are any improvments we can suggest.
Substrate is a no no for the most part as accidental injestion is a common issue.
Wishing you the best.

 

[laurie]

I am so sorry this is happening. That expensive stick they sold you is shedding and he may have tried to eat a piece. I would trash both that and the substrate . All you can do at this point is hope you have a good vet and that it all works out for the best. Good luck

 

[mcleodschams]

I am so sorry to hear what you and your chameleon are going threw I hope everything works out and the vet is able to save him. I agree with everyone else I would remove the substraight. and look up on the forum about proper care for him. These guys are tricky to keep unfer perfect conditions, I would suggest bare bottom cage, for sure to start. keep us posted

 

[ChameleonMom]

Ohmygoodness...that is horrible! I am so sorry to hear (and see!) that this is happening to your cham. Poor little fella. I am hoping for the best for you both. Good luck and keep us posted please!

 

[cangelosijr]

thanks for the help. she called me back to come get him because he was doing better. she got the substrate out of his rear but the side thing would have put him under to much stress and she didnt think he would make it. she gave me some medicine i have to give him by mouth and cream to put on his leg i did all that and he threw it all up about 3 minutes after. anyone have any suggestions?

 

[ChameleonMom]

What a horrible situation! It sounds as if there is an intestinal problem which is inhibiting the ingestion of his meds. Your poor little baby! I don't have any suggestions but I'm surprised the vet would send him home without checking his abdominal cavity. Did the vet do any x-rays? Someone mentioned surgery may be necessary and it still sounds to me like this may be the case. If the stick is still sticking out of his leg and the meds aren't being effective it sounds like he maybe suffering. Personally I'd be calling the vet back!!

 

[laurie]

What is the medication and how it it given? If it is something you can inject into a feeder, it may be easier on your cham. If your cham is weak then it may have been best not to do surgery at this time. At this time make sure there is nothing in the cage your cham can get hurt on, and fill out the attached form so we can see it there might be any other helpful suggestions we can make.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

Just cut and paste into your thread.

 

[cangelosijr]

he passed away this morning. i hope he lived a happy life. i tried my hardest. =(

 

[pigglett79]

he passed away this morning. i hope he lived a happy life. i tried my hardest. =(

I am sorry for your loss. I hate to hear these stories......especially when you did everything you were told to do. There needs to be better education out there among pet stores.

 

[ChameleonMom]

I am so sorry to hear you lost your little guy. So sad...and so unnecessary!

 

[Lovereps]

Oh man, cangelosjr, you truly did do your best.

It's horrible that the bad advice given by people whom you have a right to expect to dispense reliable care advice, clearly resulted in your cham's death.

IMHO, that store owes you a chameleon and a calm, but serious talk with the manager is in order.
Receipts from the store and from the vet should help you to make your case.
There's no excuse for their ignorance.

When your saddened heart heals enough to try another cham, please ask here about the things to use and to avoid in a chameleon cage.
You were caring and kind enough to take the poor cham to a vet, so I'm confident that your care, once you're informed of the proper care, will allow you to enjoy a cham for several years.