large clutch, sick female

[KellyRose12]

hey guys, so my friend has a female veiled chameleon and she has only laid eggs 3 times so far. She recently laid a clutch of 70 eggs (huuuuuge clutch, I know) and is now staying low to the floor and has developed gout. She said she made a hospital bin to temporarily house her in and is having to syringe feed with critical care and calcium.

My friend is not active on the chameleon forums but I told her I would post a threat to get any advice or care tips.

apparently she has retained some eggs, and is depositing a couple a day.

My advice to her was to cut back on food immediately, from my knowledge she is being fed everyday. Unfortunately she doesn't want to cut back the food because she is concerned that she isn't getting enough nutrition due to this enormous clutch of eggs.

I have hibiscus powder for reptiles which I've heard can be used to help menstruation, should she add some to her diet for now?

any advice would be helpful!

*I don't have pictures of this chameleon but can ask her for some IF needed*

 

[Mrjamwin]

As you know the reason the Cham is having larges clutches is due to the fact that your friend is overfeeding her Cham. The gout is painful for them and because of it the Cham is probably in pain and will have continued difficulty climbing. The gout is a build of uric acids in the body which you probably know and would be best if treated by a Vet. Whatever she is feeding/overfeeding her Cham is most likely contributing to the Gout and she needs to stop. The reality is that if your friend is not willing to do these things then her Cham is most likely going to die. Please encourage your friend to at least try and get her to a vet.

 

[Beman]

The chameleon needs a vet that actually knows how to treat chameleons... Like now... If she has retained eggs after laying 70 then she could very well be eggbound. Gout could be secondary to being eggbound.

Cutting back food right now is not the best idea. They are typically fed well for a few days after laying. Then once they recover from laying the eggs then yes absolutely no more then 3 feeders 3 days a week. with a basking temp no hotter then 78-80 degrees.

 

[MissSkittles]

None of that sounds good at all. I would suggest a good vet experienced in chameleons ASAP.

 

[KellyRose12]

The chameleon needs a vet that actually knows how to treat chameleons... Like now... If she has retained eggs after laying 70 then she could very well be eggbound. Gout could be secondary to being eggbound.

Cutting back food right now is not the best idea. They are typically fed well for a few days after laying. Then once they recover from laying the eggs then yes absolutely no more then 3 feeders 3 days a week. with a basking temp no hotter then 78-80 degrees.

I told her a vet visit was definitely a must, hopefully she will take her. I will let her know to cut back on the food IF she can even recover from this. have you heard of anyone using hibiscus powder for reptiles for females?

 

[kinyonga]

You said....."I have hibiscus powder for reptiles which I've heard can be used to help menstruation, should she add"....chameleons don't have periods.

Chances are that she is going to die a painful sad death if she isn't seen by a good chameleon vet now...like yesterday....and have the gout and egglaying issues solved quickly.

 

[kinyonga]

Photos could be helpful.

 

[Beman]

I told her a vet visit was definitely a must, hopefully she will take her. I will let her know to cut back on the food IF she can even recover from this. have you heard of anyone using hibiscus powder for reptiles for females?

It’s pretty simple. If your friend decides not to take her to a great reptile vet then the cham will more then likely die. This is what happens when females are overfed and owners do not understand the health implications that happen from it. The truth is it’s not harder to care for females you just have to do it right. I have no idea what your friend is talking about with hibiscus powder I have never heard anything about it.

 

[KellyRose12]

Photos could be helpful.

ill ask for pictures, this isn't my Cham. and yes I already told her to take her to the vet.

 

[KellyRose12]

It’s pretty simple. If your friend decides not to take her to a great reptile vet then the cham will more then likely die. This is what happens when females are overfed and owners do not understand the health implications that happen from it. The truth is it’s not harder to care for females you just have to do it right. I have no idea what your friend is talking about with hibiscus powder I have never heard anything about it.

mkay. I already told her to take her to the vet, just wanted to see if anyone knew about hibiscus powder because like you, I've never heard of it. thank you for the advice.

 

[kinyonga]

If hibiscus powder affects hormone levels then I would stay away from it. Hormones are still being studiedto see how they are related to egg production in chameleons....so until the word is in that's the last thing I'd be fooling with IMHO.

 

[KellyRose12]

If hibiscus powder affects hormone levels then I would stay away from it. Hormones are still being studiedto see how they are related to egg production in chameleons....so until the word is in that's the last thing I'd be fooling with IMHO.

gotcha! thank you!

 

[kinyonga]

No problem.

What happens most often in these egg laying cases is that the chameleon retains some eggs and even if she get them all out by some luck, the next clutch will be one where she is eggbound and she will die. She may appear to be ok in between but usually they then crash.

If it truly has gout, it needs to be treated and the prognosis is usually not very good. It can be that there is organ damage.

"Over feeding is the most frequent cause of gout in chameleons"...
https://www.madcham.de/en/gicht/

You might like to read this thread too....
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/explaining-clutch-reduction.149360/
And this...
https://azeah.com/reptiles-amphibians-lizards/kidney-failure-chameleons

 

[KellyRose12]

No problem.

What happens most often in these egg laying cases is that the chameleon retains some eggs and even if she get them all out by some luck, the next clutch will be one where she is eggbound and she will die. She may appear to be ok in between but usually they then crash.

If it truly has gout, it needs to be treated and the prognosis is usually not very good. It can be that there is organ damage.

"Over feeding is the most frequent cause of gout in chameleons"...
https://www.madcham.de/en/gicht/

You might like to read this thread too....
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/explaining-clutch-reduction.149360/
And this...
https://azeah.com/reptiles-amphibians-lizards/kidney-failure-chameleons

thank you!

 

[kinyonga]

You're welcome.