Need Urgent help with Chameleon

[Solid Snake]

When he was eating he could shoot his tongue. I just gave him water from a dropper and also some calcium/Water. He is now just sitting on the bed and I just a cricket in front of him but it seams like he has no energy to try and eat it. Just a shot in the dark but I have a steam shower I was wondering if I should put him in the steam part to hydrate him. It is 25* outside and my house is about 70* do you think that is to cold for him?

Do not steam him. If he was able to walk around properly a luke warm shower may have been in order. Water is more important than food. Give him as much as he will drink. Your nite time temps can go as low as 50F and thats ok. Day time time ambient-70ish, basking temp 85ish.

 

[carol5208]

does he have any symptoms of a Resp Infection? I cannot see putting him on meds for something that is "possible". Does he have extra saliva or mucous, holding head up in the air, mouth open, weazing or popping noises? If not I would be hesitant to put him on medicine as his health is compromised already. How versed is your vet in chameleons?

 

[tak2lmt]

I was told the vet was a reptile specialist. However they did not seem to informed. They thoguht he might have a upper respratory issue so they gave me a atibiotic for it. He can not lift his head up it just lays still and flat on the floor or bottom of the cage.

 

[carol5208]

There are many "reptile" vets that do not know much about chameleons. I was just wanting to know what his basis was for diagnosing a Resp Infection. I don't want to tell you to not give him the meds but if he does not have one, it can just add insult to injury so to speak. You still have not answered if you are using a UVB bulb and if so, have you ever changed it out??? If he does have a Resp Infection(which we are only speculating) it is said to increase temps to help them fight the infection. If that is the fact then 70 would be too low for daytime. What are your temps under the basking light?

 

[tak2lmt]

When I bought him I purchased everything from the retile store that they said I needed. I am pretty sure my wife has replaced the bulb and the one in the white light is a Zilla 100W day white light incandescent light. I am not sure if it is a uvb? I called my wife and told her to stop and get a UVB 5.0 bulb on the way home. I will install that as soon as possible. The vet took a swab of a white mucus from his nose andthat is why she thought he has a UR issue. I am not so sure of it?I notice that he is changing colors from light to dark spotted so I am thinking he has good blood flow if that makes sense. I really appreciate your help and I totally understand people having the love for these animals but I know I am way out of my league to raise one properly.

 

[kinyonga]

Whatever you do has to be done quickly if you want to have a chance of saving him. They crash quite quickly once they start showing signs of illness as a rule.

He needs to have a UVB light...see below for more information about it and the reasons why.

He needs to have his insects dusted with calcium at almost all feedings...see below for the reasoning, etc.

You need to provide a basking area and cage temperatures in the right range or they can't digest the food properly and thus won't get the nutrients they need and won't likely want to eat much either. If he won't try to catch the food, try dripping water on the tip of his nose and if/when he starts to drink, stick a cricket or other insect head first into his mouth between his teeth so he will be able to chew it.

If he's lacking calcium, it not only affects the bones, but other systems too and he may be slow to digest the food, become constipated, develop other issues.

If you haven't been giving him the proper calcium you can get a liquid calcium sandoz or calcium gluconate at the pharmacy and get a needleless syringe to give him some for a few days. Its more easily digested and absorbed than the powders are.

Hopefully if you quickly make the changes he will recover. Good luck!

Here's some information I hope will help you with supplementing, etc.....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

A wide variety of insects that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it.

Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Please note that various supplements have various amounts of D3 and vitamin A and so some can be given more often than others. The idea still is not to overdo the fat soluble vitamins like D3 and prEformed vitamin A.

Here are some good sites for you to read too...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.

 

[carol5208]

When I bought him I purchased everything from the retile store that they said I needed. I am pretty sure my wife has replaced the bulb and the one in the white light is a Zilla 100W day white light incandescent light. I am not sure if it is a uvb? I called my wife and told her to stop and get a UVB 5.0 bulb on the way home. I will install that as soon as possible. The vet took a swab of a white mucus from his nose andthat is why she thought he has a UR issue. I am not so sure of it?I notice that he is changing colors from light to dark spotted so I am thinking he has good blood flow if that makes sense. I really appreciate your help and I totally understand people having the love for these animals but I know I am way out of my league to raise one properly.

unfortunately, those types of stores more often than not sell you the wrong set up. I still am very puzzled as how your chameleon has survived without a uvb light as the Zilla 100 watt daylight bulb does not provide uvb. It is a uva bulb, which is a heat bulb and that is necessary for them to digest food. Have you ever taken him outside for natural sunlight? That would be the only way I could see him surviving. The dark spotting can just be stress colors and not good blood flow. We are all glad to help and you are not out of your league once you learn!

 

[Solid Snake]

When I bought him I purchased everything from the retile store that they said I needed. I am pretty sure my wife has replaced the bulb and the one in the white light is a Zilla 100W day white light incandescent light. I am not sure if it is a uvb? I called my wife and told her to stop and get a UVB 5.0 bulb on the way home. I will install that as soon as possible. The vet took a swab of a white mucus from his nose andthat is why she thought he has a UR issue. I am not so sure of it?I notice that he is changing colors from light to dark spotted so I am thinking he has good blood flow if that makes sense. I really appreciate your help and I totally understand people having the love for these animals but I know I am way out of my league to raise one properly.

If he isnt wheezing, keeping his mouth open, or pointing straight up at his basking light, he probably doesnt have an infection. They can get salt or calcium deposits(not sure what exactly atm) built up on their nose, its normal.

 

[tak2lmt]

OK, we just istalled a new 5.0 UVB light and hand fed him a wax worm with calcium sprinkles. He is just sitting on the bottom with worm in mouth and has not spit it our yet. All Ican do now is wait and hope he pulls through I guess. Thank you very much for everyones help and advice.

 

[Solid Snake]

OK, we just istalled a new 5.0 UVB light and hand fed him a wax worm with calcium sprinkles. He is just sitting on the bottom with worm in mouth and has not spit it our yet. All Ican do now is wait and hope he pulls through I guess. Thank you very much for everyones help and advice.

If it doesnt want to eat right now that is fine. As long as its getting some water. Is the calcium with or without D3? How often have you used said powder on its feeders?
Take the worm away from him. They cannot spit them out. Its only reflex is to eat it, which he obviously cant/doesnt want to. Keep updating us please!

 

[kinyonga]

Although the chameleon will not starve from not eating for a few days the fact that it didn't chew and swallow the worm is not good.

 

[carol5208]

did you remove him off the heating pad? Get rid of that red heat bulb and use a white housebulb for basking light. Try about a 60 watt. I know it is too cold by you to get him out in the sun. how is he going to get the uvb, if he is laying on the cage floor or out of it? you said he cannot hold onto anything correct?

 

[tak2lmt]

When my wife got the light she was talking to the reptile expert at petco and they recomended the worms. They told her to open the mouth and palce the worm in the mouth and the cham would eat it. She asked it it could choke and they said no it will not choke on it. As of now it is still in its mouth with a very little bit of the tail sticking out. When we first bought the reptile I coated the crickets every other feeding but I have handed that resposibility off to my wife and son and I am not sure how often it has been getting done. Should I continue to spray it down 3 times a day when it is not feeling good?

 

[Solid Snake]

What kinf of supplement powder are you using?
Im DYING to know here.
Petco has nothing on us. They frequently give out innacurate information. They want profit, we love these animals. Take the worm OUT OF ITS MOUTH.
Yes spray the enclosure down to up the humidity.
What kind of supplements are you using?

 

[tak2lmt]

OK, I just went up to take outthe worm and he totally opened his mouth and spit it out as I was just watching. He then opened his mouth a couple of times and moved his tounge a bit. The ccalcium we are using is EXo terra calcium it does not say what is in it?

 

[Solid Snake]

Thank you.
Look at the products on the right of this page, can you distinguish which one it might be that you have?

 

[tak2lmt]

It says calcium powder supplement /feedinginstructions:vegetables and fruit: Blend 1/2 tb spoon of calcium powder with 1/2 tb spoon with multivitamin powder. Do I need a mutivitamin powder. They sold me this with cham when i bought him?

 

[carol5208]

yes you do need a multivitamin, but that only needs to be used a few times a month. you calcium should say if it contains d3 or not. Kinyonga posted awhile back and gave you some good advice about giving your chameleon some liquid calcium. Look back at her post. where do you have your chameleon now?

 

[Solid Snake]

The chameleon will need:
Repashy calcium plus-at every feeding(this is an easy all in one)
...or...
Calcium with D3 twice a month(on one cricket, every 2 weeks)
Calcium without D3 at everyfeeding
A multivitamin with Vit A twice a month(on one cricket, every 2 weeks)

If you do not have these supplements, you will need to go get them. If a store in your area carries the repashy, its much easier, and highly recomended. Other supplements are fine to though. As long as the chameleon gets the nutrients it needs.

 

[tak2lmt]

He is in his screen cage with the light UVB 5.0 about a foot above his head. We have a heat lamp above that on the top of the cage. My wife asked for the calcium but they told her to coat the worms and force feed him so he absorbs the calcium. I will get a liquid calcium and probably a liquid vitamin from the pharmacy in the morning.