Please get well and continue hating me like normal...

[LittleRucker]

My chameleon hasn't eaten in three days, and I just found built up saliva in his mouth after his attempt to eat a worm, but couldnt quite get it due to the build up. He is very sick and his doctor appointment is at 1:30, time is moving slower THAN EVER! I have been able to give him water, and after he was finished drinking, he would tilt his head up and close his eyes. After this he literally put his little claws out to my face that was right by his. I know a chameleon is sick when they SEEK to be near their owner. He has been sitting with his eyes closed on my shoulder and resting his little head. It is so weird, and I am not one to handle my chameleon unless I am cleaning his cage. His poop was watery and his urate was egg white like it should be, but poop not normal. I am sad, it doesnt sound or look good whatsoever. He was my first chameleon, and is a 1 yr old. I have others, they are all healthy and had their check ups. Don't send me one of those cage, temp, humidity, location things please. I follow the guidelines given by my handbook to the T. The only thing I didn't keep a regular schedule with was for 2 weeks not dusting crickets. TAKE IT FROM ME NEVER DO THIS!!! As a full time worker now and full time college student, and him doing GREAT all the time and being so hardy, it was my fault for assuming he would be fine without it but obviously not. CHAMELEONING IS AN EVERYDAY THING< ALL NEW OWNERS NEED TO REALIZE THAT THESE CREATURES ARENT JUST SOME PASCAL FROM A SILLY MOVIE , which I notice after that movie so many more people have chameleons and NO IDEA what they are all about. Just sharing. Good or Bad, it gives us an opportunity to learn....wish us luck

 

[Hoj]

best of luck, sound like RI, hope your vet can help..
just a fyi if your vet gives you batryl make sure you up his water intake as its hard on the kidneys ( from waht i know ) and maybe up the temps a bit, i always find it help their immune system fight back.
jmo
hoj

 

[jessica]

Good luck hope he turns around.

May be take him in a steamy bathroom for a while it may help with the extra saliva so he can breath better.

 

[bigcappa]

Good luck at the Vet, I hope they can help your lil guy!

 

[LittleRucker]

Thanks, yeah I will take a shower once I get back and let him chill in there with me. He doesn't like it for too long it makes him get dizzy and disoriented

 

[heartben]

what handbook are you using? what if its wrong?

im interested to see what the vet says, i hope he gets better!

 

[LittleRucker]

The actual book which is sold at pet stores, barnes and noble .. I don't trust things online because they vary but it's good to at least hear different opinions because they could end up pertaining to your chameleon.

 

[LittleRucker]

Oh, and thanks hoj I'll keep that in mind !

 

[LittleRucker]

I do know that when I first got him he got used to a warmer temp(90) before I discovered they enjoy cooler temps (80-85) he may not have liked the adjustment and I didn't consider first that moving lower was his way of getting cooler before, now he tries to be as close to the light as possible (10 in) but once he hung upside down directly under.

 

[gerhartrx]

I also heard that Baytrill stings there mouth so you might want to ask the vet what to mix it with when giving it to him. I had a suggestion of yogurt. When I give my guy Reptaid I inject it into a silk worm directly. This is a huge help. That way you dont have to worry about getting the mouth open.

 

[Vegas Chad]

Not dusting your crickets won’t give a chameleon a repertory infection which it sounds like your cham has… Also for a larger chameleon is not really a big deal to not dust for a few weeks.

Warm it up a bit, increase the water intake and get some baytril; I would also leave it alone as much as possible while treating it, stress + meds is not a good combo. With a little TLC your pet can probably bounce back, good luck!

 

[flyty808]

I also heard that Baytrill stings there mouth so you might want to ask the vet what to mix it with when giving it to him. I had a suggestion of yogurt. When I give my guy Reptaid I inject it into a silk worm directly. This is a huge help. That way you dont have to worry about getting the mouth open.

i was told that if you use baytrill you should use yogurt to bring the probiotics back the baytrill kills all biotics in him good and bad so plain yogurt is a good add to baytrill idk if you should mix it? only used it once and my cham is still with me even if he is blind. but no more ui.
hope this helps

 

[LittleRucker]

At vet, says he looks okay, of course he is green and no more mouth saliva is present once I bring him here... I also bought a new basking bulb for him so maybe the new warmth made him feel better. I'll make sure to keep him warm and hydrated and give him some yummy dusted worms he hasn't tried yet. Maybe he is just cranky and cold since we are starting to have temperatures drop outside anyway. (he is inside not near a window but I'm sure this still affects him)

 

[LittleRucker]

I feel good that I took him here anyway, it's about time for his first check up

 

[bigcappa]

Good luck with him! Glad the vet visit went well, it can always be very stressful. These guys def keep life interesting

 

[flyty808]

when i took blue in to the vet for ui the saliva was gone once we got there. its like he knew we were at the vet and was like oh no im fine lets go home. but he wasnt and the vet helped me save him. but i also believe its all the sun i expose him to living out side near year round.i would let your guy get some sun if you can. you will see him feeling better

 

[jessica]

Typically those books are full of outdated information.

If your chameleon is producing that much saliva, not eating and sleeping during the day; either your chameleon is sick and you need an experienced vet or your husbandry is off and your chameleon needs more water.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade but what you described your chameleon is doing is not the norm.

 

[SpinyFranky]

Normally built up Saliva is an indicator of a small mouth infection, or a respiratory infection.

Open the mouth and check for any signs of discoloration, any small punctures, or inflamation. You mentioned that you feed crickets, and sometimes the back legs can hurt the inside of the animals mouth.

If none of these things are present, most likely then its a URI.

How often do you mist and for how long? Winter is coming soon, and that means it takes longer for water from the bottom of the cage to evaporate/dry up. You need to adjust your misting timing/schedule to account for this.

If its a URI there really isnt a strong need for any Baytril. Raise the temperatures of the cage by moving the basking bulb slightly closer to the cage (~ .5 - 1 inch), make sure that water is not allowed to build up at the bottom of the cage.

I would also reccomend some Reptaid. All natural, wont kill pro-bacteria living in the stomach, and its wonderful for boosting the immune system and finishing off a URI.

On a Final note, advice from this forum will usually be much more relevant, up to date, and specific than any you might find in literature - which sadly for Chameleons is usually outdated or based on assumptions. Not to say that there isn't some great literature on Chameleons (its mostly populations/species studies though rather than care guides) but the forum will in most/all cases be the best sources of information.

Julian

 

[LittleRucker]

Gosh, I get it, Geez, it was my husbandry, his mouth is completely fine now. It needed to be a little warmer and he needed to get a good drink and mist. I mist everyday for about 3-5 minutes and then put it in front of his face and let it drip into his mouth. The book about all different species and care and breeding and how to build everything including incubators was made in 2009, science is always outdated and husbandry is almost always the case to problems. I know how to find the proper resources for my friend herbie, not just settling for the first thing I read.

 

[LittleRucker]

Thanks all