Opinions? -Sick baby cham

[Isxbvlle]

I’m having a very difficult time deciding what I should do in my position. My baby veiled chameleon was just confirmed to have a respiratory problem (most likely RI) and I have returned him back to the store he came from so they could submit him to the vet and keep in touch with me on how his health was going. I was recently told he was too young to be given treatment/antibiotics and would instead be monitored for a few weeks. I have only had him for around 5-6 days and the symptoms have been happening since I purchased him (possibly due to poor husbandry or some other factor at the shop?) I love this little dude and he was friendly from the very beginning. I am debating whether to keep on hoping for him to get better or move on to a more healthier chameleon and leave him in the pet shop’s care. Any suggestions? I’m not sure how high chances my veiled has of getting past this.

Also, thank you all for the helpful advice. I’ve been posting on this cham’s health a lot recently and you guys have been so nice in answering my questions. Really appreciate all the feedback

 

[Mountain Dragon]

I’m sorry I wish I could Ofer advice but the only one I can advise is that what do you want to put in some hard work and keep him or move on to a healthier one sadly it’s a choice only really you can decide but if it were me I would put in the hard work to keep him

 

[Mountain Dragon]

I’m sorry I wish I could Ofer advice but the only one I can advise is that what do you want to put in some hard work and keep him or move on to a healthier one sadly it’s a choice only really you can decide but if it were me I would put in the hard work to keep him

Also he is a very beautiful Cham here is mine at that age I love when their so young and tiny

 

[Isxbvlle]

Also he is a very beautiful Cham here is mine at that age I love when their so young and tiny

Aww they’re so cute
thank you for the advice, i love my cham a lot and im really sad to see it come to this especially since he’s so young

 

[Mountain Dragon]

Aww they’re so cute
thank you for the advice, i love my cham a lot and im really sad to see it come to this especially since he’s so young

Yea but I think he will recover! I’ll see if I can tag some experienced people
@MissSkittles
@Beman

 

[Lindasjackson]

I think when they have something as serious as this at such a young age they may get better but their lungs may be damaged forever from it. It’s so sad but I think I’d move on and get a healthy baby from a reputable breeder.

 

[redhorse]

What pet shop or area?

 

[Isxbvlle]

What pet shop or area?

Petco.

 

[redhorse]

That's okay- there are some great petco stories here. I was asking because the petco out here in Rancho had one a few weeks ago that had issues. I am aware of many of the reptile places in So. Cal and could suggest a more reputable place.
Thanks

 

[BGoodeez]

Hello ! I'm currently in your position, and my Cham looks to be the same age as yours. I'm pretty sure mine was also already sick before I bought him, and unfortunately I didn't do my research like I should have before purchasing to see the signs of illness (now I know better). I'm not sure why they told you he couldn't be offered antibiotics or anything, but mine also has a respiratory infection and I decided to take him to the vet emergency ! They gave me 10 shots of antibiotics to administer to him every 2 days and have a follow up in 3 weeks to see how he's doing. I love my little dude too, which is why I couldn't go through with just returning him to a place that clearly doesn't care about the details to keep them healthy. If you wanna keep him I say do what you can, try to set an appointment ASAP ! Emergency visit for me was $130 and then $100 alone for the medication, it'd be best to avoid having to take him in last minute.

 

[redhorse]

WOW! Sorry your dealing with this. How did they diagnose your issue? Where did you get yours from?

 

[Mountain Dragon]

Hello ! I'm currently in your position, and my Cham looks to be the same age as yours. I'm pretty sure mine was also already sick before I bought him, and unfortunately I didn't do my research like I should have before purchasing to see the signs of illness (now I know better). I'm not sure why they told you he couldn't be offered antibiotics or anything, but mine also has a respiratory infection and I decided to take him to the vet emergency ! They gave me 10 shots of antibiotics to administer to him every 2 days and have a follow up in 3 weeks to see how he's doing. I love my little dude too, which is why I couldn't go through with just returning him to a place that clearly doesn't care about the details to keep them healthy. If you wanna keep him I say do what you can, try to set an appointment ASAP ! Emergency visit for me was $130 and then $100 alone for the medication, it'd be best to avoid having to take him in last minute.

I’m sorry that this is happening to you both!

 

[Troubledluna80]

Personally if it was my choice I would go with a more reputable breeder. In my very limited experience when they are little it’s really important for them to have correct care and the longevity of their life and how healthy they are can be directly impacted.

 

[bbyoda]

I'm sorry you're in this position. I'm not sure why they wouldn't treat him for antibiotics. If he's small or young I'd assume it'd just be a small dose of antibiotics. @Beman is the Petco being shady about this and just not investing in an actual vet visit or medicine? If so, that's more of a reason to get a different chameleon from a reputable breeder.

Although he was friendly as a wee one when they hit puberty their personality can change. So there's no guarantee he'd stay friendly. Still, I understand why you hold him in your heart and want to keep him.

 

[Mountain Dragon]

Personally if it was my choice I would go with a more reputable breeder. In my very limited experience when they are little it’s really important for them to have correct care and the longevity of their life and how healthy they are can be directly impacted.

I’m pretty sure it was an impulse buy for both but you are totally right

 

[Beman]

I'm sorry you're in this position. I'm not sure why they wouldn't treat him for antibiotics. If he's small or young I'd assume it'd just be a small dose of antibiotics. @Beman is the Petco being shady about this and just not investing in an actual vet visit or medicine? If so, that's more of a reason to get a different chameleon from a reputable breeder.

Although he was friendly as a wee one when they hit puberty their personality can change. So there's no guarantee he'd stay friendly. Still, I understand why you hold him in your heart and want to keep him.

It honestly depends on the store IME. Some take them right in. Some monitor them and make a decision after a few days unless it is obvious. Since most people that get chams do not really know what to look for. When they are really small it is my understanding that they can be medicated but a lot of vets that do not have the experience with reptiles may choose not to because of the size.

 

[redhorse]

Pet co also adopts out animals if they were sold and returned for issues (might be customer issues too). I have picked up a few adult chams over they years because they were aggressive.. LOL guess they didn't understand most Veileds.
FYI-- if your into fish they will give you baby fish free (born in store-- guppies, mollies etc....) since it is not on there inventory.

 

[dinomom]

I'm sorry you're in this position. I'm not sure why they wouldn't treat him for antibiotics. If he's small or young I'd assume it'd just be a small dose of antibiotics. @Beman is the Petco being shady about this and just not investing in an actual vet visit or medicine? If so, that's more of a reason to get a different chameleon from a reputable breeder.

Although he was friendly as a wee one when they hit puberty their personality can change. So there's no guarantee he'd stay friendly. Still, I understand why you hold him in your heart and want to keep him.

Not Beman here-but I agree Petco is probably being shady. No such thing as an animal too young for antibiotics/treatment.

But (in their eyes) why would Petco spend even $50-100 on an animal that sells for less than that when they have hundreds if not thousands more babies at their distributor facility.

It is a heartbreaking reality.

 

[Isxbvlle]

Not Beman here-but I agree Petco is probably being shady. No such thing as an animal too young for antibiotics/treatment.

But (in their eyes) why would Petco spend even $50-100 on an animal that sells for less than that when they have hundreds if not thousands more babies at their distributor facility.

It is a heartbreaking reality.

That struck me as odd too when they refused treatment. Why sit back and monitor the baby for a few weeks when he obviously has something going wrong?
I admit I didn’t know the symptoms of RI and thought it was normal. When I did further research I realized.

 

[Tarzanfam]

My panther got an RI and was symptomatic pretty much right when we got him. At 4 ish months he was on antibiotics. It was tough because his leg was really small and the needles were daunting for me, but we got it done and he is breathing well now. The only residual side effect from this is that he kinda stopped growing for a while, like it stunted his growth a bit. He is still quite small, but is working really hard to catch up. So, success story here so far.