maria.meihua
Member
My sweet Chryssa passed away this morning around 12:00. I feel like I should reiterate what generally happened so people can avoid the same mistakes.
First off, I bought Chryssa from Petco. I don't regret this because I got her out of terrible living conditions and I offered her a better life for the short time I had with her.
I went through a lot of trial and error when it came to the right feeders and calcium with and without d3. Make sure you are super thorough with your research, and honestly go to the Vet for the proper supplies; they are professionals and know best.
When she stopped eating for some time, I started a thread and talked to you guys. Although immensely helpful, if your chameleon stops eating, I would 100% say confidently to go to the vet, so they can test your cham for parasites. I held off on this because I was told it was probably just a hunger strike, or she was adjusting, or she needed a different feeder, etc. Don't wait. Period. A "probably" should not be trusted when it comes to the life of your chameleon.
Recently she started in strange behaviors, wouldn't open her eyes, and overall didn't have energy; after a brief period of eating normally, she COMPLETELY stopped eating. This is when I took her to the vet. This was on Friday.
I get there and they give her a calcium and water shot, as well as a liquid diet for me to feed her every day. Saturday morning I feed Chryssa her liquid diet and she began to move more and would open her eyes on occasion.
Sunday, I collect a fecal sample and bring it in upon request, and the test revealed she had parasites. They gave me the medication to start in the morning to get rid of her parasites.
This morning I gave her both the liquid diet and the parasite medication. She was more hesitant on opening her eyes, but had bursts of energy. Not even 2 hours later I check on her, and she was unresponsive. I rushed her to the vet but she had already passed.
The moral of this story is GO TO THE VET. If you're getting a chameleon for the first time, take the trip to the vet first thing to rule out any illnesses to begin with. This forum is a great place to connect with people and get great advice and learn about these wonderful Chameleons; but we aren't veterinarians. Please please please take the extra care of your chams, it's worth it. I'm heartbroken and I wish I could have done more.
First off, I bought Chryssa from Petco. I don't regret this because I got her out of terrible living conditions and I offered her a better life for the short time I had with her.
I went through a lot of trial and error when it came to the right feeders and calcium with and without d3. Make sure you are super thorough with your research, and honestly go to the Vet for the proper supplies; they are professionals and know best.
When she stopped eating for some time, I started a thread and talked to you guys. Although immensely helpful, if your chameleon stops eating, I would 100% say confidently to go to the vet, so they can test your cham for parasites. I held off on this because I was told it was probably just a hunger strike, or she was adjusting, or she needed a different feeder, etc. Don't wait. Period. A "probably" should not be trusted when it comes to the life of your chameleon.
Recently she started in strange behaviors, wouldn't open her eyes, and overall didn't have energy; after a brief period of eating normally, she COMPLETELY stopped eating. This is when I took her to the vet. This was on Friday.
I get there and they give her a calcium and water shot, as well as a liquid diet for me to feed her every day. Saturday morning I feed Chryssa her liquid diet and she began to move more and would open her eyes on occasion.
Sunday, I collect a fecal sample and bring it in upon request, and the test revealed she had parasites. They gave me the medication to start in the morning to get rid of her parasites.
This morning I gave her both the liquid diet and the parasite medication. She was more hesitant on opening her eyes, but had bursts of energy. Not even 2 hours later I check on her, and she was unresponsive. I rushed her to the vet but she had already passed.
The moral of this story is GO TO THE VET. If you're getting a chameleon for the first time, take the trip to the vet first thing to rule out any illnesses to begin with. This forum is a great place to connect with people and get great advice and learn about these wonderful Chameleons; but we aren't veterinarians. Please please please take the extra care of your chams, it's worth it. I'm heartbroken and I wish I could have done more.
*hugs!!*
