I have a male veiled named Fisher he is almost 5 years old. He hasn't been eating for a week and he is lethargic not acting the same. The casque on his head is caved in and so are his cheek bones and eye sockets but his body is plump and healthy. I notice he occasionally twitches his head. He still drinks very well. He is in a 2'x2'x4' reptibreeze enclosure with one desert plant and four vines criss cross pattern at different heights so he can climb. I regularly feed him as many crickets and meal worms as he wants as well as spinach lettuce and berries. I always spray his insects with calcium and vitamins and I water him with a full bottle of spray water 2x daily. He is very sociable and I handle him 2x a day and we go on walks and sun bathe together (of course he is on my shoulder, my sidekick.) I don't know what to do there are 0 exotic pet clinics in Des Moines Iowa. If worse comes to worse I will not let him suffer. Do they do euthanasia on small lizards? But that is after I try to get help for him. Please share any ideas ANY help is much appreciated! That picture is when he was healthy, so handsome!
Please help immediately veiled male chameleon
- Thread starter Schr9ck
- Start date
jannb
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'm so sorry to hear about your little friend. Here's a list of IA reptile vets. I would tell them it's an emergency and get him in in the morning.
http://www.arav.com/find-a-vet/#Iowa
http://www.arav.com/find-a-vet/#Iowa
Lathis
Chameleon Enthusiast
What about All-Pets Hospital in Des Moines? Their website claims to take exotics. http://www.all-petshospital.com/
Also from "Herp Vet Connection":
Rick L. Harmon, DVM
Oaks Veterinary Clinic
2030 27th Street
Des Moines, IA 50310
Tel: (515) 279-3654
Liz Conger, DVM
Des Moines Veterinary Hospital
21935 Pacific Highway S.
Des Moines, IA 98198
Tel: (206) 878-4111
Five years old is a good older age for a veiled chameleon. He would be a senior citizen in the cham world. I would be worried too with this behavior, given his age. It sounds like you are doing everything you can - lots of water and sunshine will go a long way. I would offer him fattier worm options like superworms plus something softer like silkworms or hornworms. Call around to vets and see if someone can see him early this week.
Are you weighing him? Do you know if he has lost weight? I would start monitoring his weight regularly and make sure he keeps well hydrated.
Also from "Herp Vet Connection":
Rick L. Harmon, DVM
Oaks Veterinary Clinic
2030 27th Street
Des Moines, IA 50310
Tel: (515) 279-3654
Liz Conger, DVM
Des Moines Veterinary Hospital
21935 Pacific Highway S.
Des Moines, IA 98198
Tel: (206) 878-4111
Five years old is a good older age for a veiled chameleon. He would be a senior citizen in the cham world. I would be worried too with this behavior, given his age. It sounds like you are doing everything you can - lots of water and sunshine will go a long way. I would offer him fattier worm options like superworms plus something softer like silkworms or hornworms. Call around to vets and see if someone can see him early this week.
Are you weighing him? Do you know if he has lost weight? I would start monitoring his weight regularly and make sure he keeps well hydrated.
reptileguy112
Member
Sorry to hear about your sick cham 
I just found another symptom to report. I feel little bumps evenly spaced apart on both sides of his spine that run the length of his torso that were not there before! I don't want him to suffer! I keep putting meal worms in his face and he just closes his eyes and lays down its not like him at all!
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jannb
Chameleon Enthusiast
It sounds like he is sick. The quicker you get him to the vet to get his illness diagnosed the vet can give you the proper meds and hopefully get him on the road to recovery. I have had plenty of chameleons become ill with all types of medical problems. They need treatment just like we do when they have health issues.
sapphira80
New Member
I agree a vet visit should be in order. Whether it's end of life care or something treatable, you owe it to your buddy, who is now an old man, to get a qualified medical exam. I have no idea what could be wrong with him so I'm not going to even try to guess.
In regards to your euthanasia question, they use a barbituate to sedate the animal, then usually an additional lethal dose to stop respiration after they are asleep. A trained vet or vet technician most certainly can find a vein on nearly animal, that's how they draw blood.
I would schedule an appt as soon as possible. If money is an issue, explain the situation to vet office and they may be able to set you up with a payment plan.
In regards to your euthanasia question, they use a barbituate to sedate the animal, then usually an additional lethal dose to stop respiration after they are asleep. A trained vet or vet technician most certainly can find a vein on nearly animal, that's how they draw blood.
I would schedule an appt as soon as possible. If money is an issue, explain the situation to vet office and they may be able to set you up with a payment plan.
JoeVet
Established Member
The animal looks very thin and those are the ribs you feel along his spine. 5 years old is an aged veil. How is his drinking and what do his stool look like? How often does he get vitamin D and does he have a UVB source? Does he get a multivitamin with pre-formed vitamin A? A good vet will want x-rays and bloodwork to help rule out NSHP, infection and kidney disease. He should be seen soon. Call ahead to make sure the vet has chameleon/reptile experience. Good luck and let us know what happens.
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'm really sorry your guy is not doing well. Five is very old for a Veiled. Being old doesn't make it easier, though, does it.
I've never euthanized a reptile, but I have euthanized birds and once a day-old puppy. With the puppy, the vet injected directly into the heart. I was really angry about how it was done--no one explained it to me before hand. He told me it was too small to inject into the veins. One parrot was put to sleep with a gas anesthesia and then the drugs were injected into his heart. I've also euthanized a couple of my favorite hens. The avian vet injected the medication into their abdomen that was slowly absorbed and the chickens went to sleep.
As I said, I have never euthanized a chameleon, but there might be some thrashing at death that doesn't happen with a dog or cat. One of my hens went into death throes in the vet's office and it was very disturbing. The vet explained birds (and some reptiles) did that when dying from a properly administered euthansia. It was unexpected, having euthanized pet mammals in the past and it took me by surprise. I've slaughtered some of my own chickens so am not unfamiliar with death throes, but I didn't expect it so it was shocking. The bird bird was unconscious when it happened.
I've also had to dispatch snakes my chickens have gotten hold of and their death throes are very long and drawn out.
If you decide to euthanize, I would ask the vet to explain how s/he will do it and what to expect. I would never have allowed my vet to inject directly into the heart of the puppy if I had known that was how he would do it, even though it is a common accepted procedure.
Good luck.
You said you also feed him spinach, lettuce and berries...the spinach can bind calcium if used often and if it's head lettuce there are much better options such as dandelion greens, collards, endive, escarole, sweet red pepper, squash, sweet potato, etc and a small amount of apple, pear or melon. These same greens and veggies can be used to gutload the crickets, mealworms, superworms, roaches, etc.
What specific supplements are you using and how often for each? Do they contain D3, prEformed vitamin A? Do you have a UVB source for him? What are the basking temperatures in the cage?
What specific supplements are you using and how often for each? Do they contain D3, prEformed vitamin A? Do you have a UVB source for him? What are the basking temperatures in the cage?
He or should I say SHE just laid an egg! I thought he was a boy this whole time! I looked in his cage and there's a single egg sitting there! WTF!!!!! Please help what do I do? Is this why he hasn't been eating? How is this possible if there has been NO chameleon near it since the first day I picked him up from petsmart!? Ahh I'm losing my marbles!! Below is a picture
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He or should I say SHE just LAID AN EGG! I thought she was a boy this whole time! I looked in the cage and saw a single egg that looked like a white multivitamin on the substrate WTF!!!!!!?!??! Please help what do I do now? Is this why he....she hasnt been eating? How is this possible if there has been no chameleon on chameleon contact since the first day I picked Fisher up at Petsmart? Below is a couple pictures. Please advise me on what to do. Thankyou!
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Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
He or should I say SHE just LAID AN EGG! I thought she was a boy this whole time! I looked in the cage and saw a single egg that looked like a white multivitamin on the substrate WTF!!!!!!?!??! Please help what do I do now? Is this why he....she hasnt been eating? How is this possible if there has been no chameleon on chameleon contact since the first day I picked Fisher up at Petsmart? Below is a couple pictures. Please advise me on what to do. Thankyou!
Female veileds can produce a clutch of eggs without mating. Obviously the eggs won't be fertile, but still need to be laid. Some females never produce eggs during their lifetime and others do regularly. You'll need to put a egg laying bin in her cage and hope she uses it. For a great description of what you'll need, check the cham husbandry guides located under the Resources tab. You can read about it faster than I can describe it.
You need to give her a place to lay the eggs ASAP!!!
The container needs to be at least 12 "deep x 12" x 8" preferably filled with washed playsand that is moist enough to hold a tunnel.
The longer you waiting the bigger the chance that she wont make it.
I can't believe I didn't notice it was a female.
Female veileds can often live to be seven years old.
The container needs to be at least 12 "deep x 12" x 8" preferably filled with washed playsand that is moist enough to hold a tunnel.
The longer you waiting the bigger the chance that she wont make it.
I can't believe I didn't notice it was a female.
Female veileds can often live to be seven years old.
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