Rescue Veiled Behavior/RI&Treatment

[cla2806]

I recently rescued a veiled from FB, it's been a few weeks since he's been with me. He was in a screen enclosure with fake plants and a fairly sparse set up. He was still eating, and he spent a few days soaking up natural sun while I prepared his new enclosure, a glass 36x18x36. My house is cold and dry, having a screen enclosure would be a nightmare to maintain. I believe he is somewhere between 6-9 months old, his enclosure is bioactive, Arcadia jungle dawn LED/Arcadia 6% UVB, 100 Watt heat emitter for basking, UVB and basking 6in below screen, I am misting just after lights come on and after lights go out. Temps during the day 70-73, humidity 50-65, at night, 65-68, humidity 80-90. I check his basking temps every day with a temp gun. He has been eating like a champ since I picked him up, 9-10 gut loaded crickets, I got him to eat a couple Dubia and he loves hornworms now. I dust every feeding with Repashy w/o D3 and I have dusted with D3 once so far. The top of the enclosure is screen and I turn on a ceiling fan to circulate some air, not sure if thats enough!

After putting him in his new enclosure, he was fine for the first couple days but started to hang on the cork/foam background. I also see him pawing at the corner of the glass. I feel like the environment in the cage are normal and he has two money trees and other plants inside for cover. I thought it may be his reflection, I bought some aquarium backing to block one side but it didn't seem to help. I do see him basking, but I will often find him on the background, see photos.

A few days ago, I noticed a bump on his head area, and I hear some slight popping sounds that I suspected may be the beginnings of a RI. I looked back at photos of him before I picked him up and noticed the bump was already there. I took him to the vet and the vet advised the bump could be a cyst or abscess, but without lancing it and seeing what's inside we would not know. The vet advised I monitor him since he is so small and he seemed to look good, he was not lethargic, active, and angry during our visit. I asked about the RI but the vet told me he looked fine.

A couple days later, he started gaping while he was basking. I noticed him gaping at other times and the vet prescribed Baytril. Yesterday was the first does and it was definitely a stressful event. He hissed and freaked out when I grabbed him. I was able to get the tiny dose in his mouth. That night, he slept at the bottom of his cage, something he has never done.

My Questions:

-I can't figure out why he his hanging around on the background! Is it because he is used to more vertical space than horizontal and he is still looking for a way up? Do I need more foliage?

-I am worried about his RI but he continues to be active, drinking and eating really well. Can treating them for illness cause them so much stress that they get worse? Is that why he was the bottom of the cage?

- I understand with glass, misting schedules may need to be adjusted. I have been using hygrometers to monitor the humidity and mist based on those numbers to keep ideal humidity. Was it too humid?

I really care about this guy and I want him to pull through!

Thank you.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome back. It’s easiest for me to just give direct feedback.
I recently rescued a veiled from FB, it's been a few weeks since he's been with me. He was in a screen enclosure with fake plants and a fairly sparse set up. Do you know if he had correct uvb or supplementation? He was still eating, and he spent a few days soaking up natural sun while I prepared his new enclosure, a glass 36x18x36. My house is cold and dry, having a screen enclosure would be a nightmare to maintain. Have you considered a hybrid or modifying a screen enclosure to be more contained? More about this later. I believe he is somewhere between 6-9 months old, he may be, but his casque is a bit short for that age, unless his growth was stunted from poor care. his enclosure is bioactive, Arcadia jungle dawn LED/Arcadia 6% UVB, uvb is perfect 100 Watt heat emitter for basking, wondering why a heat emitter vs a bulb? Plus, 100w seems a bit strong. UVB and basking 6in below screen, distance needs to be around 8”. I advise raising the lights off the top by the needed few inches. Check out Etsy for ReptiRisers. I am misting just after lights come on and after lights go out. Hopefully for at least a full 2 minutes each time. Temps during the day 70-73, what is basking temp? For little ones and females, you don’t want to exceed 80. Adult males can go up to 85. humidity 50-65, This is too high for daytime for a veiled. Needs to be below 50% (range is between 30-50%) at night, 65-68, humidity 80-90. Night temps and humidity is perfect I check his basking temps every day with a temp gun. Have you checked at all with a digital thermometer with a wired probe end? What is basking temp? He has been eating like a champ since I picked him up, 9-10 gut loaded crickets, I got him to eat a couple Dubia and he loves hornworms now. Great I dust every feeding with Repashy w/o D3 should I assume you mean Repashy Supercal nod? and I have dusted with D3 once so far what is your plan for the schedule? What about a multivitamin? Repashy calcium Plus LoD is an excellent combination product for D3 and multivitamin and is given one feeding every other week (or twice a month if you prefer) . The top of the enclosure is screen and I turn on a ceiling fan to circulate some air, not sure if thats enough! I don’t think it is enough. It would be much better to place a small fan on top of the screen and have it pulling air from the enclosure to better promote air circulation. Your bioactive looks very close to the air vents below the doors and I can’t tell if they’re obstructed at all. They need to be clear in order for the chimney effect of air circulation to occur and having an all glass enclosure, you need that more than ever. This is my concern (one of them) for using all glass. I understand being in a dry area, but it’s pretty easy to modify a screen enclosure to hold in humidity. Some attach coroplast, vinyl or other solid panels to the back and two sides. I’ve made faux background panels before using lighting egg crate, expanding foam and sticking coco coir on it. Another option is applying shrink to fit insulating window film. Even a shower curtain over the back and sides works quite well. This provides the humidity and heat maintenance while still providing lots of ventilation. Also, the standard minimum size is a 2x2x4’. The extra width of your glass tank has been argued to be equivalent space, but I am a cheerleader for providing as much space as we can. I keep all of mine in double wide enclosures and after seeing how they use all of the space (even my girls), I just have to promote it when I can.

After putting him in his new enclosure, he was fine for the first couple days but started to hang on the cork/foam background. I also see him pawing at the corner of the glass. I think chameleons are going to take every opportunity to walk on every surface they can. But, I also see and am concerned at how very close he’s able to get to the light when he’s on the background. That places him at a high risk for burns. You could try adding more branches or vines for him. Pawing at the glass is a separate issue. While I can’t say with any certainty why he is doing it, I can guess that he may be trying to get out. If it was just seeing his reflection, he’d also be all fired up with his colors and gular expanded. I feel like the environment in the cage are normal and he has two money trees and other plants inside for cover. Yes, I do like the amount of plant cover, but once those plants start growing in, and he starts growing bigger, you’ll be seeing the need for a larger enclosure. I thought it may be his reflection, I bought some aquarium backing to block one side but it didn't seem to help. I do see him basking, but I will often find him on the background, see photos.

A few days ago, I noticed a bump on his head area, and I hear some slight popping sounds that I suspected may be the beginnings of a RI. I looked back at photos of him before I picked him up and noticed the bump was already there. I took him to the vet and the vet advised the bump could be a cyst or abscess, but without lancing it and seeing what's inside we would not know. Yes, this is true and it will need to be done at some point. Chameleon pus is very thick like cheese and doesn’t go away on its own, even with antibiotics. It needs to be physically removed by a vet. Because of the site of the bump, I wouldn’t delay too much as it could affect his eyes or sinuses. The vet advised I monitor him since he is so small and he seemed to look good, he was not lethargic, active, and angry during our visit. I asked about the RI but the vet told me he looked fine. Not all vets have a decent amount of experience or knowledge about chameleons. I’ll attach our vet list.

A couple days later, he started gaping while he was basking. I noticed him gaping at other times and the vet prescribed Baytril. Yesterday was the first does and it was definitely a stressful event. He hissed and freaked out when I grabbed him. I was able to get the tiny dose in his mouth. It is very stressful for him. I’ll attach a video of how I gave my big veiled guy his meds. I didn’t remove him from his enclosure and was quick and gentle. He was a very shy cham and this was what I found was best for him. That night, he slept at the bottom of his cage, something he has never done. I’d guess a combination of not feeling well from the RI, maybe a bit of GI upset from the med and from the stress of receiving the med. poor guy.

My Questions:

-I can't figure out why he his hanging around on the background! Is it because he is used to more vertical space than horizontal and he is still looking for a way up? Do I need more foliage? I believe it’s just because he can. Same reason why little chams walk upside down along their screen tops. I think your foliage is ok, but try adding more branches and vines for him to travel on.

-I am worried about his RI but he continues to be active, drinking and eating really well. Can treating them for illness cause them so much stress that they get worse? Possibly, but the alternative of not treating them guarantees they’ll get worse Is that why he was the bottom of the cage? Already gave my opinion above

- I understand with glass, misting schedules may need to be adjusted. I have been using hygrometers to monitor the humidity and mist based on those numbers to keep ideal humidity. Was it too humid? Yes and you need better air circulation/ventilation. I advise a modified screen enclosure, but in the meantime at the very least, place a small fan on top to draw out the air.

I really care about this guy and I want him to pull through! Bless you for taking him and improving his life. I’m hoping he pulls thru too. I believe he’s in good hands with you.

Thank you.
I hope I’ve been of some help to you, Do ask as many questions as needed and keep us updated on how your little sweetie is doing and his recovery.