New Chameleon Concerns

[Kayla3905]

Hello Everyone,
I bought my first chameleon and she was delivered yesterday. I’m not sure on the age but she is very small only about 3 or 4 inches long. she hasn’t eaten anything yet but i’ve only had her for about 24 hours now and figured this could be some stress because of the change in environment. I have noticed that she’s keeping her eyes closed a lot or sleeping and thought this could be a sign of dehydration so I bought a new mister that goes off for about 15 seconds every 1-2 hours. She started to drink this morning and she has been basking under the UVB light. She turns a light green while she’s under there but she’s a bit darker every where else. I’m not sure if any of this is stuff to worry because I just got her. If anybody has any comments or can help to explain any of this that would be great. thank you.

 

[elizaann2]

Hello and welcome! Can you share pictures of your girl and include pictures of the enclosure as well?

Chameleons may behave this way when they are in a new environment but its also good to double check that nothing else is going on.

 

[Kayla3905]

The picture of her on the wall is how she’s looked this morning. where as the one where she is lighter is from last night.

 

[Kayla3905]

Right now I am having trouble being able to tell where her temperatures are at. I noticed her enclosure was on the dryer side which is why I got a mister to go off on a timer. I also made sure to spray down the parts of the tank that the mister didn’t reach this morning. So far the humidity has been between 40 and 50%. and her temperatures have been right around 70.

 

[Beman]

Something is really wrong with this baby... I am not sure where you ordered her from but the way she is holding her head up it looks like she is having issues breathing. This is a major indicator that she has a respiratory infection. The eyes being sunk in does not just mean dehydration they do this when they start declining from illness. She is very young and sick. You need a reptile vet that knows how to treat chameleons asap.

While I would suggest quite a few cage changes this is a mute point right now because nothing you would have done or provided in the last 24 hours would cause this. All the fake plants and the plastic branches would need to be redone for her. They can not grip plastic branches they slip off of them. But again in her condition making changes to her enclosure would cause more stress and further impact her health.

 

[Kodyf]

Right now I am having trouble being able to tell where her temperatures are at. I noticed her enclosure was on the dryer side which is why I got a mister to go off on a timer. I also made sure to spray down the parts of the tank that the mister didn’t reach this morning. So far the humidity has been between 40 and 50%. and her temperatures have been right around 70.

She looks like signs of an RI unfortunately. If you just got her you might want to contact the breeder you got her from unless she got is somehow by your husbandry which I doubt since you’ve only had her a couple days. She is holding her nose in the air in photo 2 that is a telltale sign of a respiratory infection. The colors in the first photo are stress colors. She has a lack of appetite from the RI and also why she doesn’t do much of anything often. You will need to take her to a vet and they will most likely prescribe some baytril. Also do not mist every 2 hours. Mist twice a day once in the morning when the lights come on and once when the lights go out. I’d only cover 2 sides if any while she is sick.

 

[Kodyf]

Definitely do not mist too often with her having the RI, only twice a day when the lights come on and when the lights go out spray for 2-4 minutes until you hit 90-%100 humidity and don’t miss those times while she is sick.

 

[Beman]

Additional to what I said above here is a link so you can find a reptile vet near you. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/veterinarian-resources.67/

 

[Kayla3905]

Something is really wrong with this baby... I am not sure where you ordered her from but the way she is holding her head up it looks like she is having issues breathing. This is a major indicator that she has a respiratory infection. The eyes being sunk in does not just mean dehydration they do this when they start declining from illness. She is very young and sick. You need a reptile vet that knows how to treat chameleons asap.

While I would suggest quite a few cage changes this is a moot point right now because nothing you would have done or provided in the last 24 hours would cause this. All the fake plants and the plastic branches would need to be redone for her. They can not grip plastic branches they slip off of them. But again in her condition making changes to her enclosure would cause more stress and further impact her health.

She was like that last night however she was sitting fine this morning around 8 and most of the day yesterday she was sitting like she was in the picture below.

 

[Kayla3905]

She was like that last night however she was sitting fine this morning around 8 and most of the day yesterday she was sitting like she was in the picture below.

I will look into getting her into the vet though just to be safe

 

[kinyonga]

What’s the temperature in the basking area now? Rest of the cage? 70?
Is she keeping her eyes shut during the day?

She does not look well, even in the last photo you posted. We/you need to figure out what to do quickly IMHO.

 

[elizaann2]

I agree with @Beman and @kinyonga she doesn't look like she is doing well and needs a vet ASAP.

 

[Chromatic Chameleons]

Yes, sadly I am incredibly sorry to say this baby is incredibly ill as those above already stated. You might be able to get her to pull through with the right antibiotics if she still has any desire to eat, but she is doing very poorly. Based on how short of a time you have had her, I would be contacting whoever sold her to you. Most reputable places also don't ship during this time of year due to overwhelming Christmas shipping going through the Fedex hubs.