Need Help ASAP
- Thread starter Valcakey
- Start date
GregJD
Established Member
Never had this problem, but I would get some worms. Wax worms aren't a staple diet worm, but they do fatten chams up. I use them as an ice cream for them, and when I have a new lizard. order them from some sponsors or find a store. My chams never refuse any type of worm. Horn-worms (Goliath worms) are good for them, too. To me, it seems like the fatter and squishier they are, the more irresistible they are.
Valcakey
New Member
Thanks for your advice. I also thought that maybe she was getting tired of crickets, so I went and bought super worms, but when the tongs entered her field of vision, she immediately puffed up and started hissing. Even when she got used to them being there, she wouldn't go for it despite the amount of wiggling it was doing. I tried putting it in front of her on her basking branch, but the stupid thing rolled right off. 2 subsequent attempts didn't exactly go well either.
I just made a vet appointment for her for Friday morning, but I'm concerned about how I'm going to get her out of her cage. I've never been able to hold her or get her to trust me with her semi-aggressive/cautious personality. She gets defensive and starts hissing if I walk too quickly past her cage, or if I open the main door to the cage, or if I move any object too close to her, etc. I don't want to traumatize her by forcing her out and I also don't want to know what happens if I break down the respect boundary we have.
I just made a vet appointment for her for Friday morning, but I'm concerned about how I'm going to get her out of her cage. I've never been able to hold her or get her to trust me with her semi-aggressive/cautious personality. She gets defensive and starts hissing if I walk too quickly past her cage, or if I open the main door to the cage, or if I move any object too close to her, etc. I don't want to traumatize her by forcing her out and I also don't want to know what happens if I break down the respect boundary we have.
GregJD
Established Member
Well she's scared of you. Get 3 things for transporting her: a tree (fake, real, tall plant, whatever), stick, and a glove. She probably won't hurt you if she bites, but the glove will help you calm down. My panther, Solomon, is the same way right now. You need to free range her, I use a fake tree. If I want to get one out, I open their door, but a branch if my tree in where they can grab it, and leave the room. You can hear them go for it. That gives you 360 degrees of playing chase or coaxing, whatever you want to call it. The stick can even be a coat hanger, some people like to use that to get them because they may not fear it as much as your hand and you can slide it up under her belly and lift.
For now, don't hand feed worms. Solomon won't eat anything out of my hand. . .yet. . .hopefully. He just started eating in front of me. Cut the bottom out of a bottle (cheaper than buying a worm dish and it works better, IMHO). If you are worried about cutting her tongue, put tape around the top. Stick the little guys in there and leave. I still recommend you get wax worms because they're fatty and that is good for her if her ribs are showing.
One last piece of advice you may already be doing: keep her cage in the room in which you spend the most time. Chameleons are creepers and she will stare at you. The more she does, the less you will be a threat to her, so long as you don't eat her.
For now, don't hand feed worms. Solomon won't eat anything out of my hand. . .yet. . .hopefully. He just started eating in front of me. Cut the bottom out of a bottle (cheaper than buying a worm dish and it works better, IMHO). If you are worried about cutting her tongue, put tape around the top. Stick the little guys in there and leave. I still recommend you get wax worms because they're fatty and that is good for her if her ribs are showing.
One last piece of advice you may already be doing: keep her cage in the room in which you spend the most time. Chameleons are creepers and she will stare at you. The more she does, the less you will be a threat to her, so long as you don't eat her.
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
First of all you can't just yell my cham is skinny what do I do?! People can't help you with that, there is literally a sticky at the top of the page for you to copy and paste to fill out for us to see what you're doing wrong. You say female, does she have a laying bin? Uvb? Supplements? There are so many questions to be answered. So fill out that form and I guarantee someone will help you.
That all said it doesn't sound like your cham is well, a vet visit sounds like it might be necessary. A healthy cham doesn't starve itself. Also don't use tongs, they will get their tongues stuck to them and cause injury. I have witnessed this a few times personally.
That all said it doesn't sound like your cham is well, a vet visit sounds like it might be necessary. A healthy cham doesn't starve itself. Also don't use tongs, they will get their tongues stuck to them and cause injury. I have witnessed this a few times personally.
jannb
Chameleon Enthusiast
Here's a list of reptile vets in SC. The one in Mt Pleasant is experienced with chameleons and know how to do surgery on them.
http://thereptilereport.com/south-carolina-reptile-veterinary-directory/
http://thereptilereport.com/south-carolina-reptile-veterinary-directory/
Valcakey
New Member
I appreciate all that but I typed up a 6 paragraph rundown yesterday of all the occurring of the last 2 weeks and it's been seen 21 times but no one has replied. This is the link to my original post: https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/help-advice-for-chameleon-not-eating.159006/#post-1364604. And I just made a vet appointment for Friday
Valcakey
New Member
I haven't seen any fecal matter recently, which supports the hypothesis that she's not eating, but she is dropping urates, so I know she's drinking.
Valcakey
New Member
She has been in my bedroom the whole duration I've had her. What kind of tree would you suggest? Would a ficus work? I know all chams are different, but did Solomon take to the tree pretty quickly or was is a process?
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
There is a sticky at the top that you SHOULD have read, no one wants to see a paragraph, we want to see specific answers to the questions. So now that I made you aware of the thing that was already typed out for you, why can't you fill it out? Do you realize you're demanding that people take time from their day to help you, but you won't even do the easy part of filling out the form that is already spoon fed to You? If you can't take 5 minutes to fill out a simple form you probably aren't capable of keeping a chameleon.
Valcakey
New Member
You're coming at my throat real hard for no reason and you can kindly *. I have someone very nice giving me advice to the best of their ability elsewhere and already have a vet appointment booked.
GregJD
Established Member
Solomon took to the tree the 2nd time he was given the opportunity. I just made him move into it the first time because he wouldn't do it himself. Boundaries are good, but remember, they're pets, some boundaries need not exist. Think about horses or cattle getting stuck and fighting anyone who comes near to help. The more you handle them, the better they get. Just be careful because they're lizards, and too much can freak them out; however not at all makes them aggressive. I use a fake tree that my wife was given, I have no idea what kind it is supposed to look like. As long as it has plenty of branches.
Jamest0o0 was right...there isn't enough information to figure out exactly what's going on...he was trying to help you. Some of us are a little Stern with our replies because we answer the same things soooo many times that we get tired of it but we still love the chameleons sooo much that we answer one more time. It's not enough to say oh gee...your chameleon isn't eating...just feed it a different insect and see if it eats that. We need information....so here goes...
Is there a substrate in the cage? What supplements do you use specifically and how often for each? What do you feed/gutload the insects with? What's the basking temperature? All of this helps us to figure out what's going on.
The fact that your chameleon dropped eggs after laying the majority of them is saying that something is "off" with her husbandry because she sounds like she is heading towards eggbinding or is already there. The vet visit is likely needed...so it's good that you're taking her. Xrays shoukd show if she has retained eggs.
As for getting her out if the cage...try to get her to walk into a piece of a branch you are holding to. To take her to the vet you can put her in a pet pal with a ventilated lid or a cardboard box with a branch or wadded up cloth or paper towels to stand on. If it's a branch make sure it won't flip over while she's standing on it. Good luck!
Is there a substrate in the cage? What supplements do you use specifically and how often for each? What do you feed/gutload the insects with? What's the basking temperature? All of this helps us to figure out what's going on.
The fact that your chameleon dropped eggs after laying the majority of them is saying that something is "off" with her husbandry because she sounds like she is heading towards eggbinding or is already there. The vet visit is likely needed...so it's good that you're taking her. Xrays shoukd show if she has retained eggs.
As for getting her out if the cage...try to get her to walk into a piece of a branch you are holding to. To take her to the vet you can put her in a pet pal with a ventilated lid or a cardboard box with a branch or wadded up cloth or paper towels to stand on. If it's a branch make sure it won't flip over while she's standing on it. Good luck!
Kristen Wilkins
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'm sorry to hear your girl is not doing well . https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/sadies-autopsy-results.114542/ . Not to scare you but you should take a look at this . It's one of @jannb girls and it seems to be more common . Vet visit would be good . Best of luck .
Valcakey
New Member
No substrate, just 2 faux moss rectangles that came with a Zoomed product I had purchased and the laying bin takes up most of the surface area of the bottom. I dust every feeding with calcium w/out D3, which was every other day when she was eating. And then I do Reptivite with D3 dustings twice a month. My feeder crickets usually get flax seeds/dulse/sesame seeds (at least 2 of these at once for variety). I make sure to give them fresh carrot/apple slices when I have them on hand too. Basking temperature fluctuates between 73 and 77 depending on when the AC is running.
I get that he was trying to help, but I had already bit the bullet and made a vet appointment by the time he commented, so in my mind filling out the info sheet wouldn't have yielded any miraculous diagnosis for Chamomile, so I skipped right over his comments. Thank you though for presenting your help in a thoughtful/realistic manner.
I thought we were in the clear after she had dropped her eggs without rejecting the bin, I hadn't even thought of egg binding as a possibility
As for a transportation box, I have an old Victoria's Secret hat box from when I worked there it's about 14 inches tall with a 12 inch diameter. Could I stick a dowel through that and hot glue it into place so that it doesn't roll?
