Scoobysnak
Member
Hello,
*Warning this will be a long post.
Chameleon Info:
Cage Info:
Current Problem - Husband and I were out of town 3/15-3/22 but had family babysit. I got all the dubias rationed into cups for easy feeding and instructed them to dust with calcium powder. Upon coming back he seemed perfectly healthy but about a week later we found him on the ground curled up because his back legs were grabbing his front legs very tightly. After I put him back on a branch he just walked away as if nothing happened. I put a towel down and brought his cage outside on warm days so he can get more natural sun. Over the next week his mobility gradually got worse so I took him to the vet on 4/4. Unfortunately, they don't know what's wrong with him. We got x-rays done and there was a large dense mass in his lower half (intestine?) area. Vet thought he was a female with eggs or constipation but I told him he is a male and pooped 2x before the visit. He said it's possible it could be a tumor and recommended a radiology consult which was very pricy, but there's no guarantee they will even know what it is. There are no certified exotic specialists where I live. I didn't want to pay for a consult and have them say "we don't know" and pay for another consult. I asked if we could do bloodwork for a more definite answer but the vet said he has to sedate and can't guarantee he will wake up. And if it is a tumor, he wouldn't recommend surgery because he might not make it. Honestly, hearing all this freaked me out. So now I am willing to drive to an exotic specialist in Arizona or Southern California to get a more definite answer/diagnosis and treatment. If you know of anyone, PLEASE send me recommendations. I know we should get bloodwork done but the thought of him not waking up from sedation is not something I'm ready for.
Other things to note:
-His grip is still extremely strong on all 4 feet, to the point he leaves nail marks in my skin, but he is unable to move his back legs the way he wants and his tail does not curl up tightly when he's sleeping. He just seems very frustrated and doesn't want to move anymore. Even when I try to get him to walk on blankets, he loses balance and just falls over on his side and then gets mad/puffy.
-He doesn't show any lethargy and actually wakes up more easily now. He used to be a super heavy sleeper and you could move him without waking, but now even if I turn on the lights in the room he will open his eyes.
-He eats well but is picky, I've been trying to get him to eat more dubias so he can gain weight but he's not very interested. With hornworms or phoenix worms, he perks up and eats them well.
-From his last vet visit 6 months ago he has lost a lot of weight, from 275 grams to just 205 grams today. I noticed he had been getting skinnier over the past month.
-The only two things that recently changed was changing vitamin brands (repcal -> repashy) and us being out of town for a week. I realized when I came back that I forgot to label the vitamin bottles so it is possible my family mixed up the calcium w/o D3 and calcium w/D3. Can too much D3 cause such a severe reaction?
Thank you for reading all of this. I will post more pictures shortly.
*Warning this will be a long post.
Chameleon Info:
- Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, Male, 4.5 years old
- Handling - At least every other day, he is extremely docile with zero aggression, he will scratch at his door when he wants out of his cage
- Feeding - Mostly Dubias, 2-3 every other day in Summer and 2-3 every 2-3 days in Winter. Snacks are 1x week, based on what we have-hornworms, superworms, phoenix worms. Treats 2-3x month- 3-5 blueberries, half a dollar bill sized kale or lettuce. Bugs eat organic carrots and occasionally organic kale, lettuce, or celery.
- Supplements-
- 1 month ago
- Every feeding: RepCal Calcium without D3
- maybe 2-4x month: RepCal Calcium with D3 & RepCal Herptivite, I did a poor job keeping track of this but it is a minimum 2x a month
- Currently
- Every feeding: Repashy SuperCal NoD
- every 2 weeks: Repashy Calcium Plus LoD, I'm using calendar reminders now
- 1 month ago
- Watering - For the first few years I only used an automatic mister and then later I added a clear water cup
- Fecal Description - I've been feeding him 1 hornworm per day for the past week so he actually pooped 3 times. All very watery, urate was white and poop was dark brown/black solid (lentil to kidney bean size). Did a fecal test 6 months ago at his yearly checkup and all negative.
- History - Have been doing annual checkups, most recent checkup was Oct 2024 which was all good.
Cage Info:
- Cage Type - 2x4, door is acrylic but rest of the sides are mesh.
- Lighting - T5 HO fixture + Reptisun T5 5.0 (just changed 3 months ago)
- Temperature - 70s at bottom to 80-90 in basking area
- Humidity - 35-45, automatic mister. I'll cover the sides with a shower curtain if humidity stays below 35
- Plants - Pothos, dracaena
- Placement - Cage is on top of a 2ft high table for extra height, we have moved several times over the years but always make sure his cage is near a window
- Location - Las Vegas
Current Problem - Husband and I were out of town 3/15-3/22 but had family babysit. I got all the dubias rationed into cups for easy feeding and instructed them to dust with calcium powder. Upon coming back he seemed perfectly healthy but about a week later we found him on the ground curled up because his back legs were grabbing his front legs very tightly. After I put him back on a branch he just walked away as if nothing happened. I put a towel down and brought his cage outside on warm days so he can get more natural sun. Over the next week his mobility gradually got worse so I took him to the vet on 4/4. Unfortunately, they don't know what's wrong with him. We got x-rays done and there was a large dense mass in his lower half (intestine?) area. Vet thought he was a female with eggs or constipation but I told him he is a male and pooped 2x before the visit. He said it's possible it could be a tumor and recommended a radiology consult which was very pricy, but there's no guarantee they will even know what it is. There are no certified exotic specialists where I live. I didn't want to pay for a consult and have them say "we don't know" and pay for another consult. I asked if we could do bloodwork for a more definite answer but the vet said he has to sedate and can't guarantee he will wake up. And if it is a tumor, he wouldn't recommend surgery because he might not make it. Honestly, hearing all this freaked me out. So now I am willing to drive to an exotic specialist in Arizona or Southern California to get a more definite answer/diagnosis and treatment. If you know of anyone, PLEASE send me recommendations. I know we should get bloodwork done but the thought of him not waking up from sedation is not something I'm ready for.
Other things to note:
-His grip is still extremely strong on all 4 feet, to the point he leaves nail marks in my skin, but he is unable to move his back legs the way he wants and his tail does not curl up tightly when he's sleeping. He just seems very frustrated and doesn't want to move anymore. Even when I try to get him to walk on blankets, he loses balance and just falls over on his side and then gets mad/puffy.
-He doesn't show any lethargy and actually wakes up more easily now. He used to be a super heavy sleeper and you could move him without waking, but now even if I turn on the lights in the room he will open his eyes.
-He eats well but is picky, I've been trying to get him to eat more dubias so he can gain weight but he's not very interested. With hornworms or phoenix worms, he perks up and eats them well.
-From his last vet visit 6 months ago he has lost a lot of weight, from 275 grams to just 205 grams today. I noticed he had been getting skinnier over the past month.
-The only two things that recently changed was changing vitamin brands (repcal -> repashy) and us being out of town for a week. I realized when I came back that I forgot to label the vitamin bottles so it is possible my family mixed up the calcium w/o D3 and calcium w/D3. Can too much D3 cause such a severe reaction?
Thank you for reading all of this. I will post more pictures shortly.
