Please help

I recently got my chameleon and he/she is going through her first molt with me. I heard it is not unnatural for them to look a little more worse for wears during this time but I'm quite worried as their eyes are closed and they were at the bottom of the cage. The eyes look slightly sunken in too. The first thing I did once I saw the eyes was I listed the cage. I'M REALLY WORRIED PLEASE HELP
 

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Hello! So the eyes sinking like that is not normal, and would not have anything to do with the shedding. Have you done a husbandry review?
 
Hello! So the eyes sinking like that is not normal, and would not have anything to do with the shedding. Have you done a husbandry review?
Kinda not exactly. I know the cage is messed up slightly (I need a few more hides and a taller cage soon as the cham is getting bigger but not too bad)
 
Ok I just went back through your other thread. Were you able to upgrade anything yet? The UVB is very important. Honestly it could be a number of things. Sunken eyes can happen from stress, sickness, dehydration, pretty much anything.

Is this the first time you have noticed him at the bottom with his eyes sunken?
 
Ok I just went back through your other thread. Were you able to upgrade anything yet? The UVB is very important. Honestly it could be a number of things. Sunken eyes can happen from stress, sickness, dehydration, pretty much anything.

Is this the first time you have noticed him at the bottom with his eyes sunken?
I have ordered some stuff but it hasn't come yet. This is the first time I've seen them at the bottom of the cage or eyes sunken
 
Ok I just went back through your other thread. Were you able to upgrade anything yet? The UVB is very important. Honestly it could be a number of things. Sunken eyes can happen from stress, sickness, dehydration, pretty much anything.

Is this the first time you have noticed him at the bottom with his eyes sunken?
I sprayed a lot in his cage (everything is basically drenched 😆) and they are starting to drink off of everything so I think that's the eyes problem. (I was told you shouldn't spray while they are molting so I just fogged but maybe that wasn't enough)
 
I sprayed a lot in his cage (everything is basically drenched 😆) and they are starting to drink off of everything so I think that's the eyes problem. (I was told you shouldn't spray while they are molting so I just fogged but maybe that wasn't enough)
Ok. Yea they still need the hydration, just do not spray them directly. Chameleons are dry shedders and getting them wet will make the shed stick. So still mist the cage, he will still need to drink.

Hopefully it’s just dehydration or stress. I’m not an expert and I’m just going off of what I have learned here on the forum. I would watch him very closely and make note of any other symptoms or signs. Typically it is not a good sign when eyes sink in, but I don’t want you to panic or freak out. I just want you to monitor and tell us of any other changes at all. Since it can be so many things, it’s just not enough to go off of. Chameleons are soooo good at hiding illness. Since they do not have many defenses, they will pretend they are ok until they just can’t. A weak animal is easy prey so they avoid looking weak. So any tiny change needs to be noted.

I’m going to tag in a couple more experienced keepers to chime in and give some insight here. @MissSkittles @Beman
 
Ok. Yea they still need the hydration, just do not spray them directly. Chameleons are dry shedders and getting them wet will make the shed stick. So still mist the cage, he will still need to drink.

Hopefully it’s just dehydration or stress. I’m not an expert and I’m just going off of what I have learned here on the forum. I would watch him very closely and make note of any other symptoms or signs. Typically it is not a good sign when eyes sink in, but I don’t want you to panic or freak out. I just want you to monitor and tell us of any other changes at all. Since it can be so many things, it’s just not enough to go off of. Chameleons are soooo good at hiding illness. Since they do not have many defenses, they will pretend they are ok until they just can’t. A weak animal is easy prey so they avoid looking weak. So any tiny change needs to be noted.

I’m going to tag in a couple more experienced keepers to chime in and give some insight here. @MissSkittles @Beman
Ok I'm more concerned about the closed eyes but I'm not sure if they are just tired because I came home late today and so the lights usually go off around 7-7:30 but today they went off at like 8:30
 
Ok I'm more concerned about the closed eyes but I'm not sure if they are just tired because I came home late today and so the lights usually go off around 7-7:30 but today they went off at like 8:30
So it’s not uncommon for them to ‘tuck themselves in’ for bed early. An hour or two before bedtime isn’t typically a cause for concern. But with the sunken eyes it may be cause for concern. Hopefully someone else will come along soon and help us out.
 
So it’s not uncommon for them to ‘tuck themselves in’ for bed early. An hour or two before bedtime isn’t typically a cause for concern. But with the sunken eyes it may be cause for concern. Hopefully someone else will come along soon and help us out.
Thank you so much for all the help so far. I believe the sunken eyes was him dehydrated as they are currently licking all the water from the branches (I keep listing to make sure they get enough)
 
Hi. I’ll admit I haven’t done more than skim thru everything. @ERKleRose gave you the very best advice and until all the needed changes she outlined are made, I’m afraid your cutie won’t do well. The younger the chameleon, the fewer resources they have to fall back upon and the quicker they can decline. :( To help with hydration, if your night temps are below at least 68, then run a cool mist humidifier and boost humidity as high as possible during the night. This simulates hydration chams get in the wild thru fog. Also feeding silkworms and hornworms is very hydrating. If you haven’t yet made a vet appointment for a wellness check and fecal for parasites, I advise doing so. If you need the vet list, just ask. Wish I could be more helpful, but those changes are essential.
 
So I hate to be the one to give the bad news but this baby is in total shut down and is dying. I am sorry but I would be really surprised if he lives another 24 hours.

When they are not kept correctly they can shut down and become ill fairly quickly. The aquarium just is not right for him these become hot humid and stagnant. They can develop respiratory infections pretty easily. There is quite a bit in your other thread that needed to be changed asap. @ERKleRose gave you all the correct info. The pet store never should have sold you what they did for this baby. None of it was correct for a chameleon. Unfortunately Chameleons are not easy reptiles. They have very specific husbandry or they start to go into failure. They tend to be quite expensive as well to set them up in a proper set up.
 
Kinda not exactly. I know the cage is messed up slightly (I need a few more hides and a taller cage soon as the cham is getting bigger but not too bad)
What changes have you made so far, if any? Sadly everything in your cage is incorrect and will cause death if it hasn’t already. Chameleons don’t need hides, they need plants and branches and a completely different set up. If he survives the night, go to a pet store as soon as it opens tomorrow and buy a screen cage, either a Zoo Med ReptiSun or Arcadia T5HO fixture that at minimum spans the length of the screen cage you buy is, either a Zoo Med ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6% T5HO uvb bulb that is the length that goes in the fixture you buy, a digital probed thermometer, either Zoo Med ReptiCalcium without D3 or Repashy NoD, either Zoo Med Reptivite with D3 or Repashy CalciumPlus LoD (jacksons cham on the bottle), Repashy Bug Burger if they have it (if not you’ll have to go to the grocery store to buy organic veggies off of the chart below), 1/4” feeders if you don’t have any already (order from online bug stores in the future), and Fluker’s small and medium (if he’s big enough to securely grasp the diameter of the medium size) Bend-a-Branch vines (like at least 5 if you can’t get any branches-more on that below). Then go to a local nursery/garden center/home improvement store to get live plants that are veiled safe (I recommend a shefflera arboricola- aka umbrella plant- and a couple of pothos or all pothos, but you’ll need around 6+ (depending on cage size- that’s for a 2’x2’x4’ tall cage) if only using pothos. Grab organic potting soil while you’re there, too, along with at least one basic digital thermometer/hygrometer combo from the weather section, uv resistant zip ties, and a bag of rocks that are too big for him to eat. Then go to a pesticide free area (if your house isn’t one) to cut down oak, maple, manzanita, birch, and/or crepe myrtle branches of small diameters ( so he’s able to grip them comfortably), or call a tree trimming company to get some if they’ll have any that day if there’s no areas around you to get branches from. You’ll wash the branches and plants with Dawn dish soap (underside of the leaves, the root ball, everything for the plants) and water (hot water for the branches, and air dry the branches in the sun). Make sure to rinse really, really well, too. Then you’ll repot the plants in the organic potting soil and cover the soil with the rocks. Then you’ll plant and branch the cage (have a majority of the branches horizontal, and secure all of them), with at least one pothos near the top, set up the uvb (8-9” away from his basking branch) and add his heat bulb (white light bulb only, grab one from the pet store if his current bulb is colored) and dome fixture for the heat bulb (grab one if you don’t already have one, too) on top of the cage (raised up for heat bulb and the uvb, too, if possible). Place the probed digital thermometer on his basking branch and secure it, and the digital combo thermometer/hygrometer near the bottom of his cage, then add him. This is a bare bones set up but will give him everything he needs for now
 
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