My 6 Month Old Chamleon Suddenly Died Last Night :o(

[kinyonga]

Some barks contain oils that can be harmful to your chameleon...but if the same bark has always been in both cages, unless the little one did more walking around on the bark, it shouldn't have killed one and not the other.

There are some lights that cause health issues. What are the brands and types (spiral, compact, etc.) of lights you have on the little one's cage?

If the divider was not up the whole side of the large cage and the little one could see the bigger on he could have been scared to death.

As was suggested...a necropsy might give you answers.

 

[Carlton]

sorry for you loss mate.

i use newspaper and paper towels on the floor, its easy to clean and soaks up the water pretty good.

like what was posted earlier it could have been a fall, i use the industrial paper towels in a big roll and scrunch them up so they are not flat, that will help in a fall to soften the blow.

pete is a belter by the way

I can't see a fall from such a short distance being a risk.

The gut impaction or possibly a piece of substrate injuring the intestinal lining could have happened. A necropsy would probably catch that. Little chams are learning to shoot and possibly he did pick something up on his tongue. Sorry to hear it!

 

[CBPanther]

It looks like those are glass cages. Chameleons NEED to be in a screen cage for proper ventillation. Also, you might want to get some kind of a divider for your chameleons so they do not see one another. This can stress them out. Again, get rid of the waterfall and tree bark. Use either the bottom of the cage (if it is like a melamine counter top material) or use paper towels and be sure to clean the bottom daily. Let us know how your older guy is doing and keep us all updated!
-CBPanther

 

[ShaunaLynnA]

Im sorry for you and your GF loss!

 

[BM chams]

It looks like those are glass cages. Chameleons NEED to be in a screen cage for proper ventillation. Also, you might want to get some kind of a divider for your chameleons so they do not see one another. This can stress them out. Again, get rid of the waterfall and tree bark. Use either the bottom of the cage (if it is like a melamine counter top material) or use paper towels and be sure to clean the bottom daily. Let us know how your older guy is doing and keep us all updated!
-CBPanther

It's not true that they havt to have all screen cages so are fine because they use a chimeney effect with the front holes to the top so it was fine.

 

[lojack13]

So sorry for your loss! I lost a 4 month old Panther a few days ago, it is terrible. We still have no clue what happened. He started sleeping during the day and in 3 days he was gone despite my best efforts to keep him going. As with you, my other Panther was in the same exact conditions as the male I lost and no problems. As mentioned you do need to fix the substrate and get rid of the waterfall, but your guy had a pretty sudden death, which leads me to believe a fall was the culprit. The cage seems to short for a deadly fall, but if he hit just right when he landed it may have done it. As someone else mentioned, you should try putting more climbing vines and cover for them to climb through. Keep your chin up, it's not your fault, sometimes accidents just happen and there is nothing we can do.

 

[yojon3000]

It looks like those are glass cages. Chameleons NEED to be in a screen cage for proper ventillation. Also, you might want to get some kind of a divider for your chameleons so they do not see one another. This can stress them out. Again, get rid of the waterfall and tree bark. Use either the bottom of the cage (if it is like a melamine counter top material) or use paper towels and be sure to clean the bottom daily. Let us know how your older guy is doing and keep us all updated!
-CBPanther

dude they dont NEED screen cages -_-
https://www.chameleonforums.com/everyone-who-knows-you-cant-keep-chams-glass-31937/

 

[EvilLost]

I did not follow this thread, but in the off-chance it has not been said...

You have UVB+Heat, excellent.

Some tips to improve overall:

-Remove the water dish, it adds bacteria and a chance to drown (unfortunately, I am speaking from experience)

-You should add a lot more foliage. The goal of the setup should be so that they are never on the ground (more or less).

-I'm not 100% sure on veiled but I beileve the size is the same as panthers: male adults are suggested 2'x2'x4' (thats roughly 60cmx60cmx120cm; many suggest screen cages because they provide better airflow and they tend to have more sensitive respiratory systems...RI's are a problem and imo every way to minimize them is a good thing....unless you live somewhere very cold/dry where you need glass to maintain temp/humidity)

-Generally avoid the woodchips as they can eat them if they are trying to shoot a cricket. If you cupfeed/etc, its less of a problem, but in glass tanks with free crickets the probability becomes higher. (Did the vet xray to see if he choked on anything?)

 

[mcleodschams]

I did not follow this thread, but in the off-chance it has not been said...

You have UVB+Heat, excellent.

Some tips to improve overall:

-Remove the water dish, it adds bacteria and a chance to drown (unfortunately, I am speaking from experience)

-You should add a lot more foliage. The goal of the setup should be so that they are never on the ground (more or less).

-I'm not 100% sure on veiled but I beileve the size is the same as panthers: male adults are suggested 2'x2'x4' (thats roughly 60cmx60cmx120cm; many suggest screen cages because they provide better airflow and they tend to have more sensitive respiratory systems...RI's are a problem and imo every way to minimize them is a good thing....unless you live somewhere very cold/dry where you need glass to maintain temp/humidity)

-Generally avoid the woodchips as they can eat them if they are trying to shoot a cricket. If you cupfeed/etc, its less of a problem, but in glass tanks with free crickets the probability becomes higher. (Did the vet xray to see if he choked on anything?)

I think that it is important that in cases like these where people loose a pet it would be best if we try to avoid repeating the same information as all this information has been stated already. we don't want to be insensitive when someone has lost a pet they love and are feeling guilty. maybe next time take the time to read what has been posted so you are not repeating others info when the thread pertains to death.

To the OP I want to say that I am very sorry for your loss you have gotten some great information here. I really hope that you will get another chameleon. It sucks to loose a pet especially when it is so young. They are both BEAUTIFUL chameleons. Pete has some great color.

 

[Elizadolots]

I'm so sorry.

Sometime, babies don't make it. In any species that's true but in a species that produces many, many eggs, it's especially true. You've gotten some great advice and when you take the dive again, I know you will take it to heart, but I want you to consider the idea that maybe it had nothing to do with you. Maybe that baby just wasn't meant to make it.