New to chameleons, bit nervous...

@Cheeky, there is indeed a scar like spot on his head. I asked about that when I bought him and the answer I got (and accepted because I'm too gullible) was that he had a problem shedding skin and it left that mark...

@kinyonga, I have all the vitamines and calciums now. I just need him to start eating. I hand fed him a four waxworms (I called them morio's before... wrong!) and will try this again when I get home with some fruits and veggies. Maybe he'll go for it. I have a little feeding bowl in it with some worms that can't escape. I really hope he was getting enough water from the previous owner. He had a waterbowl with fresh water and he misted twice a day... Maybe a dumb question and possibly totally wrong but is it OK to use a syringe and drip some water in his mouth?

I'ne mailed my vet (that I use for my dog and cat) to see if he can help me with a reptile also.

-

My English might be a bit crooked as I'm Dutch but I hop you all know what Im trying to say :)

All comments are highly appreciated!
 
:( Going home early to see that vet because I'm really not convinced he's doing OK at all. Will update when I know something.
 
OK been to the vet and he's not in as a shape I thought he was in. He was not taken care of as he should have been by his previous owner and the results of that is probably what we see now. They gave him a checkup and injected a vitamin en fluid boost. Everything else I have so far changed was OK so he should be fine in a little while. I don;t have a poop sample yet but they gave me a container to collect a sample and send it to them for a poop check.
 
Ok so now it's two days after I've been to the vet and I sill think he's very inactive. I don't see him hunt for anything and he still kinda lays there. I took him out today to try and get some food in him and i managed to get two crickets in him and a bit of water. He did hiss at me twice which kinda surprised me as it may be a sign he's picking up? He still goes to the floor and sleep in the plants during the day. He does grab the branches but after a while he just lays/leans there.

New heat and UVB lamp installed.

Anyway, I have included some more pics and I would really like some advice about his behavior.

IMG_1251.JPG
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IMG_1254.JPG IMG_1255.JPG


*basking temp and 5 inches above the ground temp in the images.
 
:( My wife just checked on him and he had fallen of his branch and was laying on his side, feet up and sleeping. He's still alive and I've turned him back up again but I'm really unsure about it all now. I freaking hate this!!!
 
He looks like he could be getting up in age to me, and might just be slowing down do to that. Hopefully I'm wrong, and he comes out of it with your care. Given the care he received prior to you, and the fact he doesn't show any real physical signs of MBD it's more than likely I am.
 
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brownie64 said:
He looks like he could be getting up in age to me, and might just be slowing down do to that. Hopefully I'm wrong, and he comes out of it with your care.
Click to expand...

I just checked again and he was hanging from his tail down against a branch on the floor. I took him off of it and put him on the floor before he falls again. I don't really know what to do and it is really frustrating me.
 
he looks old to me too, but it could be his condition as well. if hes younger hopefully he makes a good recovery. to me he looks a few years old.
 
Definitely looks older than 8 months...1 thing that i know on the appetite... GET SOME HORNWORMS! I dont know what it is but everytime my veileds became sluggish and appetite decreased, feeding a couple hornworms a week got my veiled very excited. Not saying it will fix your situation but they are definitely an eye catcher and they are well hydrated worms. Maybe a 5 star food course could get his train engine steaming a bit more. :) goodluck
 
I can tell you from experience age and chameleons is tricky, my parents bought me a " 4 month veiled" that ended up being closer to 3 years old. If he continues not eating you may want to get a needless syringe and make a bug juice and slowly drop the liquid onto the tip of his nose to see if you can get some food in him. My panther chameleon just died from refusing to eat and I didnt get the bug juice supplies in time to try it so id suggest trying it ASAP, you can message Chris Anderson which is who gave me the link to a recipe. I wish you the best of luck, I know how heartbreaking it can be to watch your chameleon stumble and struggle to just live.
 
I have contacted Chris Anderson and hope he'll send me the recipe for the bug juice. I'm really not convinced that he'll make so I check him a lot (mostly from a distance so he won't stress too much). He does hiss at me when I enter the room (or at least I think that because I can't hear him in his enclosure but see him with his mouth open.
 
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Found a recipe: 4 waxworms, 4-6 crickets, vitamins, calcium+d3, water and some egg yoke. I was able to use a syringe to squeeze some in when he opened his mouth. I have half of it left for tomorrow or possibly this evening. At least he had a meal now.
 
He was hanging upside down from his branch again last night, face down in a plant so I helped him down and put him between the leaves on the floor. He was still there this morning and I fed him some more bug juice but I get the feeling he's dying. Will contact vet again tomorrow but I won't stress him out again with a four hour drive. I'm absolutely gutted by this :(
 
It's definitely hard to seem them go downhill... Is he still alert? If he's older it just might be his time.
 
I don't know if it's too late, or if they are still in the cage, but get rid of the tomatoes right now! They are part of the nightshade family and are very dangerous to chameleons. Veileds will eat veggies, but you have to be careful what you are offering them. I agree that your boy isn't 8 months old, and I'd say he's closer to about 3 years of age. Try putting a towel in the bottom of his cage as a sort of "net" to catch him if he falls. Don't beat yourself up - you are brand new to this and are doing everything that you can to help this little guy. Good luck and keep us posted!
 
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