Panther might be sick (HELP)

[barjess]

I noticed that my chameleon has been acting strangely. We moved to a new house recently and I think he is on a hunger strike. I tried to feed him today and he actually spilled out the worm. i have never seen a chameleon do that. He has his mouth slightly open at times now.

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Glass and mesh on the side, but normally he is free in a huge ficus tree in a room for himself.
* Lighting - I have a Reptisun 5.0 linear bulb. and a 100 watt basking bulb
* Temperature - 80-83 room temperature and up to 87 in basking spot, which he rarely uses
* Humidity - Water dripping system and mist 3 times
* Plants - Yes, ficus tree where he spends most of his time and a plant inside the cage, you can see it in the pictures
* Location - A room by himself


Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - He is 3.5 years old, perhaps older. I bought him from a breeder 3 years ago. He was caught in Mendoza island
* Handling - Once every two days. He likes to be handled he moves around and we take him out to roam around with us
* Feeding - Green horned worms, super worms and crickets although he is not a fan of crickets.
* Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
* Watering - He drinks often from the dripping system
* Fecal Description -Normal coloring of feces, he was tested for parasites a year ago. None present.
* History - I notice his head that has always been protuberant since I bought him. He also had a shredding problem for a bit and we fixed that by bathing him.
* Current Problem - he is on a hunger strike and i notice strange breathing
Pictures are helpful

 

[THECHAMMAN]

if he breathes funny, could be a URI but u would have to check the inside of his mouth to see if he has lots of mucus in it.

 

[barjess]

I have and I do not see any mucus. He seems fine. Could it be something else?

 

[THECHAMMAN]

my cham does that when he gets real aggravated so he might be stressed in some way...
also ramp up that basking to about 90-92, an the ambient up a few degrees,

 

[Dean Pulcini]

Wow look at that head. What have you been feeding him? From the looks of it he might be a little FAT and not hungry. Chameleons will go on strike for alot of reasons.

 

[opihiman]

Just quick question,

The photos that you posted are recent photos...? ( disregard this I just looked at the date on you photos)

do you have earlier (pre move pics)?

If so, is that his normal coloration or is normally different?

I'm wondering if he is just stressed out and needs some time to adjust due to your move?

OPI

 

[ColorCham427]

WOW... is he a genius??? If he's throwing it up, im guessing he's full and just a little piggy. Keep to this question though. I'm no expert!

 

[ColorCham427]

WoW

"Wow look at that head"

He's NOT fat he's a genius!!!

Sorry I just had to say that, first time seeing that. How much have u been feeding him in the past???

 

[chamlover]

Do you feed him alot of superworms? That might be were the "big head" is coming from. I have a veiled that looks like that and his staple is superwoms. Also, did you do just 1 fecal? Especially if he was w/c you need to get at least 3 negative to know for sure he is clean. I just posted a thread saying my guy just turned up negative for parasites not 6 weeks ago and just pooped out about 10 roundworms. If you haven't done 1 for over a year and only did 1 i would start there. I agree with the heat too. If he doesn't spend much tme under his basking light he isn't getting his body to the right temps for digestion. How much time is 'not much time"?

Debby

 

[barjess]

Hey guys,

He has always had that huge head since he was a boy!!! I will monitor the weight I do not think he's over sized. the coloration has been the same for a while...I hope it is just the move. I love that guy!!!! Thanks for your replies I will continue to monitor him

 

[spatulars]

I did notice in the original post that his head has been like that since before you got him. When you say "spilled out", do you mean he swallowed it completely and threw it up or caught it and then let go of it? If he just let go of it without eating it, I would try offering a different type of feeder to see if it sparks his interest.

 

[Vegas Chad]

Holy crap... Thems are some SEROUS fat pads... Keep his head away from anything sharp or you might have a blow out...

 

[Sepioteuthis]

How long has it been since he's eaten anything?

One of my melleri wouldn't eat for close to 2 weeks after a move.

 

[CleanLineChameleons]

The pads on his head are definitely from you feeding super worms and horn worms. Both are very high in fat. I would try to find another feeder, maybe hoppers or roaches. Don't worry so much about him not eating, at that age they can stop eating for a while and they will be fine. Monitor his strength and weight to make sure he stay healthy. If be becomes weak then start to worry. How long has he not eaten? Is he awake and alert during the day?

-chris

 

[barjess]

It has been 5 days since he ate last and yeah I am going to switch the food a bit. He is fine and alert during the day. Thank you for all your help.

 

[barjess]

Hi guys,

Decided to take Nikopol to the vet. Seems he does have a URI, the vet administered the first dose. He seems ok for now, he is active if I take him to his tree. Hopefully he will get better soon and I will be able to take some pics for you guys.