Please help!

[scooter0325]

I am in desperate need of answers. My boyfriend and I rescued a juvenile male panther chameleon. He has been struggling from the very beginning, however, I feel his health is declining or at a “stand still” which isn’t very comforting either.
He lays on the ground of his enclosure all day long. His eyes are closed and seem cloudy if you can open his eye lids. It seems like he has NO energy, and if he suddenly has a burst energy he struggles to walk in a straight line. He is constantly falling over and unable to grasp onto anything anymore. Also I have noticed his looks constipated but I have been hesitant to mess with that area of his body outside of washing and cleaning it. Here is a list of what we have done so far to try and help this guy.

-Moved to a smaller enclosure to better control the temperature and humidity levels.
-Enclosure kept at 75-80 degrees with a ceramic heater used at night to avoid damaging his eyes (I’ve read that the red heat lights are not good for the eyes)
-He has a mister that lightly mists the enclosure twice a day. Any more than that will cause too much water build up in the cage and I’m trying to avoid any respiratory infections
-He gets a warm bath everyday (typically twice)
-He refuses to eat so we have to hand feed (sometimes force feed) a mixture of crickets, wax worms occasionally, and mealworms. Crickets are gut loaded and dusted with Herpivite, calcium with vitamin D, Repashy super food. We try to use the multivitamin and the calcium interchangeably every other day. The only reason he has any weight on him is because we started feeding and watering him by hand
-He refuses to drink on his own so I use a small syringe to give him spring water everyday to avoid dehydration
-I purchased Terramycin from my local feed store and I put it on his eyes everyday after giving him a bath (I read that this will help him with any eye infections)
-He has a brand new UVB bulb that shines directly on him and I use the ceramic heater to keep the temp up in the enclosure

This has been his care regimen for months and months with no improvement. I am unsure what else to do and it seems like he is miserable. I want to rehabilitate him but I feel like we are forcing him to stay alive and he has just given up. Can anyone give any advice? We are desperate for answers.
The last thing I want is for him to suffer.

Here are some pictures I just took of him while out of his cage for a daily bath. He will NOT move.

 

[Sonny13]

Hi and welcome. Unfortunately your boy isn’t doing well and several severe things are going on with him. He’s absolutely suffering and needs to see vet immediately, like a month ago. There’s nothing here which we can or could help you with. He has already developed severe state of MBD, he looks pretty bloated (probably occupation), looks likes some infection with his eyes, burn mark on his tail. Please, go to a vet with him

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. This poor guy needs a vet immediately! We can help you make husbandry corrections but we can’t fix this. It can be difficult to find vets with experience with chameleons, so I’ll attach the list we have. Often we have to travel a bit. I can make some other suggestions, but get him to a vet asap.

 

[scooter0325]

Hi and welcome. Unfortunately your boy isn’t doing well and several severe things are going on with him. He’s absolutely suffering and needs to see vet immediately, like a month ago. There’s nothing here which we can or could help you with. He has already developed severe state of MBD, he looks pretty bloated (probably occupation), looks likes some infection with his eyes, burn mark on his tail. Please, go to a vet with him

Hi and welcome. Unfortunately your boy isn’t doing well and several severe things are going on with him. He’s absolutely suffering and needs to see vet immediately, like a month ago. There’s nothing here which we can or could help you with. He has already developed severe state of MBD, he looks pretty bloated (probably occupation), looks likes some infection with his eyes, burn mark on his tail. Please, go to a vet with him

Thank you for your expertise. I will try and find an exotic vet near us but unfortunately we live in a very rural area of Illinois.

I should have removed it, but the black spot on his tail was just a piece of bark!

 

[scooter0325]

Hi. This poor guy needs a vet immediately! We can help you make husbandry corrections but we can’t fix this. It can be difficult to find vets with experience with chameleons, so I’ll attach the list we have. Often we have to travel a bit. I can make some other suggestions, but get him to a vet asap.

Wow thank you so much for this. Very helpful!

 

[Sonny13]

Luckily! But, that was least concerning unfortunately. I also think his sperm plugs are stuck and causing an infection as well. He also has a deformation in his spine around his hips.
It could be his already shutting down, but please stop the baths, it’s extremely stressful for them and doesn’t help them at all.

I’m sorry I’m only pointing out negativity, but I can’t make it any better then it is.

 

[MissSkittles]

It’s easiest just to give feedback this way.
I am in desperate need of answers. My boyfriend and I rescued a juvenile male panther chameleon. He has been struggling from the very beginning, however, I feel his health is declining or at a “stand still” which isn’t very comforting either.
He lays on the ground of his enclosure all day long. His eyes are closed and seem cloudy if you can open his eye lids. It seems like he has NO energy, and if he suddenly has a burst energy he struggles to walk in a straight line. He is constantly falling over and unable to grasp onto anything anymore. I suspect he has metabolic bone disease from lack of correct uvb and supplementation. Please post pics of his enclosure and what supplements you are using and how often. Also I have noticed his looks constipated but I have been hesitant to mess with that area of his body outside of washing and cleaning it. He has either a prolapse or a build up of matter. Either way, it does need to be checked and cleared, but by a good vet. Here is a list of what we have done so far to try and help this guy.

-Moved to a smaller enclosure to better control the temperature and humidity levels. Ok. This is good.
-Enclosure kept at 75-80 degrees with a ceramic heater used at night to avoid damaging his eyes (I’ve read that the red heat lights are not good for the eyes) Yes, this is good. It’s best to have a cooler night temp though.
-He has a mister that lightly mists the enclosure twice a day. Any more than that will cause too much water build up in the cage and I’m trying to avoid any respiratory infections Have you seen him drinking at all? Has he pooped? What is the color of his urate (the lighter part of the poo)?
-He gets a warm bath everyday (typically twice) No! Please stop this. What we perceive as lukewarm can be scalding hot for a chameleon. Also, this is of no benefit and is only causing high stress for him. Chameleons do not drink or absorb water thru anything other than their mouth. Even many vets get this wrong. It is only very few reptiles that are able to absorb thru their vent…like turtles.
-He refuses to eat so we have to hand feed (sometimes force feed) a mixture of crickets, wax worms occasionally, and mealworms. Stop the mealworms. Crickets are gut loaded and dusted with Herpivite, calcium with vitamin D, Repashy super food. We try to use the multivitamin and the calcium interchangeably every other day. This regimen is only going to cause harm, so please stop. You want to use a phosphorus-free calcium without D3 lightly dusted at every feeding, except one every other week. That one feeding you’ll want to use either Repashy Calcium Plus LoD or ReptiVite with D3. Those are excellent combination D3 and multivitamin products. Stop the superfood too. Just give the feeder insects a diet of fresh greens (not spinach or kale), veggies and a tiny bit of fruit and they will be kept healthy and nutritious. The vitamin D3 and some others are fat soluble, meaning they are not easily excreted by the body and will build up to potentially toxic levels. This could also be the cause of what looks like mbd. Without further feedback from you and knowing his full history, I can’t say which it is. The only reason he has any weight on him is because we started feeding and watering him by hand Thankfully you seem to be aiming for the back of his throat. Always be mindful that the airway is in the front of the mouth.
-He refuses to drink on his own so I use a small syringe to give him spring water everyday to avoid dehydration
-I purchased Terramycin from my local feed store and I put it on his eyes everyday after giving him a bath (I read that this will help him with any eye infections) I’m not so sure that his eyes are infected. Closed eyes is a general sign of severe illness in chameleons. Basically they just close their eyes and are waiting to die.
-He has a brand new UVB bulb Very important! Is it a long bulb or screw in? If a long bulb, is it a T5 or T8? What is the strength of it? What is the distance between the uvb and him? that shines directly on him and I use the ceramic heater to keep the temp up in the enclosure

This has been his care regimen for months and months with no improvement. Honestly, I’m very surprised that he has lasted so long with how he looks. I am unsure what else to do and it seems like he is miserable. I want to rehabilitate him but I feel like we are forcing him to stay alive and he has just given up. He likely has, but hopefully this can be changed with a visit to a good vet and proper husbandry. Can anyone give any advice? We are desperate for answers.
The last thing I want is for him to suffer.

Here are some pictures I just took of him while out of his cage for a daily bath. He will NOT move. He does look like he has something going on with his mouth…maybe mouth rot. Hard for me to say. I’m not a vet though and only know that he needs one and if he is to have any chance at all, he needs to go sooner rather than later. This is not anything that any of us here can fix on line, even if we were vets. Without veterinary care, he will just continue as he is until his little body just can’t take any more. It is possible that he has already reached the point of no return…again, I can’t know for sure. I’m sorry that I can’t fix this…I truly wish it were that simple that I could.
You seem to have fallen victim to the plethora of incorrect chameleon husbandry. To learn the correct and current standards, https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/ and be sure to check out Neptune the Chameleon on YouTube if you are more of a visual learner.

 

[ERKleRose]

Welcome on here, I wish it was under better circumstances! Here’s a gutload chart to follow and a guide of the different openings in a chameleon’s mouth (avoid the red, it’s the airway, and blue is where you aim for, the esophagus). What are your temps (daytime, nighttime, and basking) and humidity levels (daytime and nighttime), and how do you measure them, if you don’t mind me asking? I really hope you can find and get into an experienced chameleon vet today! Hopefully we have at least one member near you with a good vet! @jannb do you have any recommendations that you know of?

 

[ERKleRose]

Thank you for your expertise. I will try and find an exotic vet near us but unfortunately we live in a very rural area of Illinois.

I should have removed it, but the black spot on his tail was just a piece of bark!

Are you using bark in his enclosure?

 

[Beman]

I am in desperate need of answers. My boyfriend and I rescued a juvenile male panther chameleon. He has been struggling from the very beginning, however, I feel his health is declining or at a “stand still” which isn’t very comforting either.
He lays on the ground of his enclosure all day long. His eyes are closed and seem cloudy if you can open his eye lids. It seems like he has NO energy, and if he suddenly has a burst energy he struggles to walk in a straight line. He is constantly falling over and unable to grasp onto anything anymore. Also I have noticed his looks constipated but I have been hesitant to mess with that area of his body outside of washing and cleaning it. Here is a list of what we have done so far to try and help this guy.

-Moved to a smaller enclosure to better control the temperature and humidity levels.
-Enclosure kept at 75-80 degrees with a ceramic heater used at night to avoid damaging his eyes (I’ve read that the red heat lights are not good for the eyes)
-He has a mister that lightly mists the enclosure twice a day. Any more than that will cause too much water build up in the cage and I’m trying to avoid any respiratory infections
-He gets a warm bath everyday (typically twice)
-He refuses to eat so we have to hand feed (sometimes force feed) a mixture of crickets, wax worms occasionally, and mealworms. Crickets are gut loaded and dusted with Herpivite, calcium with vitamin D, Repashy super food. We try to use the multivitamin and the calcium interchangeably every other day. The only reason he has any weight on him is because we started feeding and watering him by hand
-He refuses to drink on his own so I use a small syringe to give him spring water everyday to avoid dehydration
-I purchased Terramycin from my local feed store and I put it on his eyes everyday after giving him a bath (I read that this will help him with any eye infections)
-He has a brand new UVB bulb that shines directly on him and I use the ceramic heater to keep the temp up in the enclosure

This has been his care regimen for months and months with no improvement. I am unsure what else to do and it seems like he is miserable. I want to rehabilitate him but I feel like we are forcing him to stay alive and he has just given up. Can anyone give any advice? We are desperate for answers.
The last thing I want is for him to suffer.

Here are some pictures I just took of him while out of his cage for a daily bath. He will NOT move.

Only thing I can add is the rehabbing info you received from where ever you got it was almost entirely incorrect and compounded whatever health issues he had originally. You can see why in the post above that @MissSkittles did for you.

This boy is so passed the point of help at this stage. He is dying a very slow death. The kindest thing you could do is human euthanasia in my opinion. I can only imagine the pain level he is at. I see mouth rot, MBD, impaction, and hemipenial issues. Depending on the exact supplements if they have A or D3 the way you have been giving them to him every other day would cause toxicity in the body as well. I am not trying to say this to be mean at all. Just total honesty for where this poor little man is at.

 

[jannb]

Here’s a list of vets in your state that sees reptiles.

Illinois​

Chicago — Animal House of Chicago (Dr. de la Navarre)

Decatur — Northgate Pet Clinic

Dundee — Dundee Animal Hospital (Dr. O’Brien)

Elmwood Park — Midwest Bird and Exotic

Herrin — Quality Care Animal Hospital (Dr. Parton)

Lisle — Ness Exotic Wellness Center

Niles — Niles Animal Hospital and Bird Medical Center (Dr. Kline)

Peoria — All Pet Veterinary Hospital (Dr. Burmeister)

Peoria — Prairie Animal Hospital (Dr. Grimm)

Petersburg — Petersburg Veterinary Clinic (Dr. Shirding)

Roselle — Lake Street Animal Hospital (Dr. Caseltine)

Skokie — Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital

Urbana — University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital