Lethargic and Loss of Appetite

[ScottyPs]

Your Chameleon - Male veiled, 9-10 months, in my care for 8 months
Handling - Maybe once a week. I do not typically handle for fun. Only when necessary
Feeding - Typically crickets, mealworms and superworms. He lost appetite for crickets recently. I free feed. I place maybe 5 crickets and 2 superworms and 1 mealworm a day. Oats for worms, cricket gutload. Calcium w/o d3 frequently, calcium w/ d3, multi
Supplements - repcal; herptivite, calcium w/o d3, calcium w/ d3. Typically d3 every week, w/o d3 three times a week, multi 2 or 3 times a month
Watering - Mistking 6x a day 45 sec to 1.5min, I am not home for about 12 hours a day. But I do see him licking water off leaves
Fecal Description - Brown moist poop, white sperm plugs? Not sure
History - Previous vet visit because of eye issue- cleaned with saline in a syringe; caused by stuck shed according to vet.


Cage Info:

Cage Type - Screen, 4ft x 2ft
Lighting - Reptisun t10 tube light, reptibask 100w heat lamp, 12 hr on 12 hr off
Temperature - 85-90 basking, 75-80 throughout. Overnight is typically 73-76. Digital temps for bottom, middle, basking spot
Humidity - 80-90% humidity, hygrometer attached to plant
Plants - Live ficus benjamins. Fake plants attached to wooden dowels
Placement - Only location I can have the cage is living room. High traffic unfortunately. Fan in room which I typically leave off. 4ft cage on floor. He typically hangs out up top.
Location - Texas

Current Problem - Disinterested in crickets and most food. Sunken eyes, lethargy, extremely dark color yesterday. I just want to ensure I am doing everything possible to maintain his well being. I used a dripper, but the big dripper would pour too much water even at the lowest water setting. I have mainly used the mistking, and amped up the frequency due to no dripper. Eyes do appear swollen. I have force fed him recently to ensure he was receiving nutrients. I dont want my little guy to suffer at all, my pets are everything to me.

 

[ScottyPs]

 

[ScottyPs]

Thank you in advance for your expertise and advice. We appreciate it.

Scotty

 

[jannb]

I highly recommend taking him to a good reptile vet with chameleon experience and find out what’s causing these issues and see what treatment is available.

 

[ScottyPs]

I highly recommend taking him to a good reptile vet with chameleon experience and find out what’s causing these issues and see what treatment is available.

While I am not opposed to this, might you have any suggestions on my husbandry? Do you believe my setup is well constructed?

I will be happy to get him back to good health with a vet, but I do not want an underlying issue to persist. Please offer more insight. Thanks!

 

[jannb]

Does your boy ever get outside time? If not I recommend Calcium with d3 no more than twice a month. Calcium without d3 can be used 2 to 3 times a week. A multivitamin should be used twice a month.

I recommend a large variety of well gutloaded feeders. For a good dry gutload use Cricket Crack or Bug Buffet. Mealworms are not good feeders for chameleons because they are hard fro them to digest. Try silkworms and hornworms. If you just have the one chameleon try buying feeders at lindasgonebuggie.com. Linda had value packs with three or four different feeders for $20.00 and that way you can give him a good variety.

I would run the MistKing less times a day but for longer each time.

He looks like he still has an eye problem. That could be an infection and infections spread. I still recommend a vet visit and ask for an x-ray and bloodwork to find out what’s going on with him .

 

[Tiosk]

Try 1/4” crickets for they are what got my chameleon to eat again. Other than that, I am unable to help you.

 

[ScottyPs]

Does your boy ever get outside time? If not I recommend Calcium with d3 no more than twice a month. Calcium without d3 can be used 2 to 3 times a week. A multivitamin should be used twice a month.

I recommend a large variety of well gutloaded feeders. For a good dry gutload use Cricket Crack or Bug Buffet. Mealworms are not good feeders for chameleons because they are hard fro them to digest. Try silkworms and hornworms. If you just have the one chameleon try buying feeders at lindasgonebuggie.com. Linda had value packs with three or four different feeders for $20.00 and that way you can give him a good variety.

I would run the MistKing less times a day but for longer each time.

He looks like he still has an eye problem. That could be an infection and infections spread. I still recommend a vet visit and ask for an x-ray and bloodwork to find out what’s going on with him .

Thank you so much! I will heed your advice and see. I did some research regarding silkworms awhile back, and they do seem like the best feeder. Petsmart sells hornworms, but they're ridiculously expensive. I will check out the website you referred me to.

As far as misting goes, I will try that out. I will have to test and see how much water pools at the bottom. I clean up the standing water at the bottom of the cage every other day, I try to every day though. I am thinking maybe 3 times a day for 3 minutes a piece? I will have to see what others have had success with.

Thanks again

 

[ScottyPs]

Try 1/4” crickets for they are what got my chameleon to eat again. Other than that, I am unable to help you.

I will have to try that. I was using smaller ones, up until he seemed to have outgrown them. Whatever gets him to munch again! I'll pick some up tomorrow. Thanks!

 

[ScottyPs]

Does your boy ever get outside time? If not I recommend Calcium with d3 no more than twice a month. Calcium without d3 can be used 2 to 3 times a week. A multivitamin should be used twice a month.

I recommend a large variety of well gutloaded feeders. For a good dry gutload use Cricket Crack or Bug Buffet. Mealworms are not good feeders for chameleons because they are hard fro them to digest. Try silkworms and hornworms. If you just have the one chameleon try buying feeders at lindasgonebuggie.com. Linda had value packs with three or four different feeders for $20.00 and that way you can give him a good variety.

I would run the MistKing less times a day but for longer each time.

He looks like he still has an eye problem. That could be an infection and infections spread. I still recommend a vet visit and ask for an x-ray and bloodwork to find out what’s going on with him .

I am looking at the value pack 2.

"
you get (1) 75-COUNT WAX WORMS

(1) 100-COUNT OF LARGE BLACK SOLDIER FLY LARVA(COMPARED TO OR SAME AS REPTI WORMS)

AND (1) 25-COUNT SILK WORMS

12 ct. HORN WORMS"

I am curious if you have a specific feeding schedule for your chameleon?

 

[jannb]

Thank you so much! I will heed your advice and see. I did some research regarding silkworms awhile back, and they do seem like the best feeder. Petsmart sells hornworms, but they're ridiculously expensive. I will check out the website you referred me to.

As far as misting goes, I will try that out. I will have to test and see how much water pools at the bottom. I clean up the standing water at the bottom of the cage every other day, I try to every day though. I am thinking maybe 3 times a day for 3 minutes a piece? I will have to see what others have had success with.

Thanks again

I also recommend a drain for your enclosure. Standing water is not good for chameleons. It grows bacterial quickly and could possiable cause an RI.

 

[ScottyPs]

I also recommend a drain for your enclosure. Standing water is not good for chameleons. It grows bacterial quickly and could possiable cause an RI.

I tried rigging something up, but it did not work out so well. I guess I could make a stand for the cage, with a drain pan below allowing water to be easily removed and dumped as opposed to wiped up with a towel.

Do you think bacteria growth, from a day of minimal standing water, be detrimental to his health? Curious if it is that rapid of a process.

Thanks again...your help is greatly appreciated from me and my little guy.

 

[ScottyPs]

It's a shame that I do not know anybody personally whom also cares for a chameleon. They are such intriguing and beautiful creatures. I do not want this amazing creature to suffer due to any ignorance on my behalf.

 

[ScottyPs]

I have found out what the issue was. Damn UVB light went bad. I have replaced it with another t10 reptisun. I only had the thing for two months. I will be purchasing a uvb meter with one these upcoming paychecks. What a shame, for a $40 bulb you would expect a longer life.

 

[Mawtyplant]

Hi, could be infection and could be due to no preform source of vitamin A your vitamin, i suggest a vet too because it look like infection (probably respiratory i think sinus looked blocked so this is why the eyes look puffy) (and, because 80-90% of humitidy if really high for a veiled i suggest you to change your watering schedule, give a nice rain in the morning and before the bed time but nothing during the day in the futur) . do you see any abnormal mucous in the mouth?

 

[Mawtyplant]

I have found out what the issue was. Damn UVB light went bad. I have replaced it with another t10 reptisun. I only had the thing for two months. I will be purchasing a uvb meter with one these upcoming paychecks. What a shame, for a $40 bulb you would expect a longer life.

how do you know the uvb was bad? if its the case, return it to the compagnie.. they are supposed to be ok for wayy more than 2 month, if its a zoomed one they will replace you the light