my veiled...help

[Jaidensmomma]

i think i have a shoe box somewhere. i'm taking him by myself to the vet. so i'm thinking that if i set the shoe-box inside my purse that it won't move much if at all. is it safe to force water into their mouth's? i was thinkin about trying it but don't want to hurt him. He doesn't gape when handled, so i'd actually have to open his mouth by hand

 

[summoner12]

If you want to get him to drink just spray him directly and soak him. He will open his mouth and lick his lips if he is thirsty. Don't force water into his mouth unless you really think he isn't drinking. You can tell by his eyes. If they are sunken then he has issues. When you spray him put very warm water in the bottle so that when it comes out it isn't cold. Misting cools the water as it travels through the air. So the warmer the better. I wouldn't put him in your purse. What kind of car do you have? If you have a mini van place him on the ground between the seats and drive in a gentle manner. If you have a sedan just place him in the foot well of the passengers seat. And again, remember to warm up the car before taking him outside. You might want to place a light blanket over the box to keep light out. Be sure to cut a couple of holes in the side of the box for air. The blanket will keep the light out.

 

[Jaidensmomma]

his eyes aren't sunken but i haven't seen him drink anything and his poop is mostly yellow with some white. i have a chevy cavalier so i'll put him on the floor then.
i know that he hasn't eaten much in the last couple of days, like he's on a hunger strike or something. we're going to move him into our bed room with walls on 2 sides of the cage so that it's not so open around it. it'll also be less traffic than where he's at now

 

[summoner12]

Good plan on moving him! Try the shower with him again. Keep an eye on him and make sure the water is pretty warm. I have never done the showers with my chams because I don't have anything to put them on. I hear you want something fake.. and I don't have anything big enough that is fake. I hear the shower does wonders. Just sit there with him and watch him. I remember someone above saying not to, but I think if you pay attention you'll be ok. To be honest I never see my chams drink. They get an hours worth of misting throughout the day, the eyes on them seem fine and the urates are white... So they must be drinking. Just mist him a lot. If you plan on being serious about keeping chams buying one of these would be a good idea: Herpmist. You can also build something like it if you want to get into it.

He is still getting used to his home. Just get the right lighting talked about above. Read the links I sent you. Get his setup stable and he will become stable with it. And feel free to ask questions, lots of people can help you on this site.

 

[Jaidensmomma]

i took him in the shower on my hand, but was having to collect water in my other hand to put on him. I was so concerned that i forgot we had any adjustable pressure shower head!! I checked way later that day, and we have a "rain" or mist setting! i felt like a moron!

i didn't mean put him loose in my purse, just so ya know. i have a huge purse thats open on top that i usually keep on the floor of my car. i was going to set the box inside so that it stayed dark and the bag absorbed most of the vibration of the car. i'll jut set him on the floor though

I'm going to get a mister as soon as i have a place to put the cage that's not above a tv. we're looking into building a stand that will keep him up a good 6 feet, although i'll need help to clean it or adjust the lights on top. (i'm only 5'3")

he seems better this morning he opened his eyes again when i misted him... and i think he even took a drink! No more ceramics, i put a 60 watts full spec. light on along with the 75. now its hurry up and wait for friday to get to the vet and get paid.

 

[dodolah]

good job! you are a great chameleon owner. take it step by step and soon you'll have a happy and healthy chameleon.

 

[summoner12]

good job! you are a great chameleon owner. take it step by step and soon you'll have a happy and healthy chameleon.

Exactly what he said. You'll get a feel for his character and he'll get used to you. Just always move slow and ya don't really need to talk to them like dogs or cats... they don't really hear anyway.

 

[stevereecy]

His eyes

Hey, I had a problem with a reptarium, and what I believe was happening is I was getting residue or flakes from inside the screening material into my chams eyes. This was never proven and I don't want to start a false rumor. As a precaution, take the reptarium apart, turn it inside out, wash it, and give it back. Could be that he has crap or "flakes" in his eyes. And if they can't see, they can't hunt, so they won't eat.

I can tell you that the photo with the sunken eyes provided by another user was an extreme case (near death), and their eyes don't need to be that sunken from dehydration for them to shut them. What I'm saying is that you shouldn't rule out dehydration so quickly here. Misting their leaves and the top of the cage isn't enough once they reach a certain age. And they don't eat if they are dehydrated...don't know if thats because it suppresses appetite or they can't make paste for their tongue???

Showers can help with dehydration and crap in their eyes. From reading your thread, there seems to be a correlation between your animals improvements and his showers. Do more of those, and wash out the inside of the reptarium like I say. Do the vet visit regardless.

Steve

 

[Jaidensmomma]

he has been eating, though not much. i picked up some waxworms today so i'll try to give one to him in the morning. does it need to be gut loaded and if so how?

 

[summoner12]

just drop it in a feeding cup or hold it for him. Your boy can just eat him straight. I think they can be gut loaded, but I have never looked into it. Wax-worms are used as a treat for chams. They do not contain a good balance of nutrients to be fed as a staple food.

 

[Jaidensmomma]

yeah i'm thinking that if i can get him to eat it then it might jump start his appetite. he seems to be doing a lot better without the compact UV light on there. I was looking at them today at petco since i happen to work there and the packages for the tube and compact say they put out the same uv %, so i don't get why one would be bad and not the other. is it just the concentrated area of uv?

 

[dodolah]

here is a good site of why compact is bad:
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor.htm

 

[summoner12]

yeah i'm thinking that if i can get him to eat it then it might jump start his appetite. he seems to be doing a lot better without the compact UV light on there. I was looking at them today at petco since i happen to work there and the packages for the tube and compact say they put out the same uv %, so i don't get why one would be bad and not the other. is it just the concentrated area of uv?

I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but please read the link Dodolah and I have provided. It will help you understand how UVB lamps emit UVB.

Think of it this way. You know how guys kinda think Blue is blue? And how girls have ALLLL kinds of different names for blue? Well to a scientist UVB has different levels of outputs along the spectrum of UVB, just like blue to a girl has many different shades. To a consumer reading a box, all they care about is that the lamp puts out UVB, just like a man might think blue is blue. For those aware, there is a middle ground, an informed group of people. Linear tubes put out different levels of UVB at different frequencies that are better for you cham. compacts put out harmful levels of UV at frequencies that are not normal in natural light. It is sorta like the old wives tale that you shouldn't stand in front of a microwave oven when pregnant, why find out the hard way? Maybe it is true, maybe it isn't? You and I can't tell, but people who 'should know' have said it is bad, so, people tend to avoid standing directly in front of microwaves.

The short story is that compacts are not proven, linear tubes are.

 

[Jaidensmomma]

i read the link. i was just trying to figure out why they wouldn't put something on the packaging, ya know? i'm getting a linear and hood on friday (hopefully) i was just looking at the boxes and they say the same thing so i thought i'd ask

 

[dodolah]

there are whole complex equations about UVB.
we have to consider not just the amount of UVB the light emit, but also the phospor coating and other complicated matter.
If they put everything, they probably have to publish a book

I know it gets really confusing especially for people like us who does not even know a difference between UVA, UVB, and UVC (at least be4 we have a chameleon).

But, rule of thumb, just follow what the advanced chameleon keeper recommended for us.
For now, the best light out there for our beloved pet is reptisun 5.0 linear tube.
Hope that helps,

 

[Jaidensmomma]

it definitely helps. Thanks! My boyfriend doesn't get the cham. thing. i've already started saying " you know when karma out grows this cage, we'll have room for another" But right now my first priority is to get Karma all set up and healthy.

 

[summoner12]

it definitely helps. Thanks! My boyfriend doesn't get the cham. thing. i've already started saying " you know when karma out grows this cage, we'll have room for another" But right now my first priority is to get Karma all set up and healthy.

You are farther ahead than some people. At least you looked up a group like this and are doing research. Some people just take what the Petco sales clerk told them as 'good enough for me' and buy a bunch of useless junk.

Another part of what to consider about the lighting... Light has energy in it. some is useful to the chameleon and some of it is bad. imagine a rainbow spectrum. Imagine that is the light coming off of your compact. A full spectrum lamp would show all the colors. The problem with some lights is that they produce more of some colors and less of other colors. Some of the colors aren't good for a chameleon. The reptisun 5.0 tube has a good selection of color in its light output. The compact has a bad selection of colors.

 

[Jaidensmomma]

Yeah, i'm just using 2 full spectrum house bulbs right now and he looks beautiful under them. I couldn't just take petco's word for how to take care of him. I actually bought him because every time we get Chameleons in ( which isn't ofter, thank god!) they sit there for months in a little glass tank, looking lost and eventually die! I couldn't let this one die. And the only reason that we even got one in is cuz the reptile department supervisor thought they were "cool"
I tried to make sure that i had everything i needed before i got him, but i couldn't sit there and watch him like that anymore! And then found out Petco doesn't even carry all the supplies that is listed on their care sheet for chameleons!
sorry, had a little rant

 

[summoner12]

Yeah, i'm just using 2 full spectrum house bulbs right now and he looks beautiful under them. I couldn't just take petco's word for how to take care of him. I actually bought him because every time we get Chameleons in ( which isn't ofter, thank god!) they sit there for months in a little glass tank, looking lost and eventually die! I couldn't let this one die. And the only reason that we even got one in is cuz the reptile department supervisor thought they were "cool"
I tried to make sure that i had everything i needed before i got him, but i couldn't sit there and watch him like that anymore! And then found out Petco doesn't even carry all the supplies that is listed on their care sheet for chameleons!
sorry, had a little rant

Let it out... I hear your pain. The whole reason I got into this mess...... errr I mean hobby is because of Petco. My GF worked at one and they had this female chameleon for a while... suddenly her legs turned to rubber... oooooh YOU MEAN WE NEED UVB IN OUR TANKS?!?!! freakin A! She was the one who took the little one to the vet and cared for her MBD. Soon she was up for adoption and brought her home. I had NO IDEA how to care for them nor did I want an animal. But there I was sitting on the floor looking up at Stella (the cham) and she nabbed an ant off the glass like a pro! and I was hooked! I found this website and Reptile Rooms and started looking up alllll kinds of stuff. Here I am four chams later.

Stella RIP. She was one sassy cham alright!

 

[kinyonga]

Jaidensmomma said..."i'm just using 2 full spectrum house bulbs"...I believe that full spectrum house bulbs don't include the UVB needed.