Rescued a Chameleon Last Night...

TRI0N said:
If he's scrapping glass it could be his reflection is being a problem to him. If he was indeed a wild caught cham it will not be so easy to get him use to enclosure.. I would attempt to put him in a larger enclosure with lots of things to climb. Cage would be best. He may be trying to ward off his reflection.
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Ahh, I see. He's getting himself up to the top and pressing his nose against the screen. There's nothing to hold onto up there so his feet scrape on the glass.... but ok, I bet I could rig up a bamboo siding so he can't see his reflection. Plus, that'd add to his feeling of security, I think.

He came to me in a 10 gallong aquarium, and I put him in a 30 gallon tall, filled it with plastic shrubbery and hidey spots and a big scraggly peice of driftwood. There's plenty of foliage. :)

I'll go out and buy him some more things tomorrow; but a new cage will have to wait until friday, unfortunately. After his vet visit, I'm going to be a little tapped.
 
In the site given by gesang you will see that they are used to temperatures that are quite high....keeping him out of the cage, is he getting enough heat to digest his food/increase his appetite?

They are also a shy chameleon and putting him in a situation where he will be stressed by passers-by won't help him recover...he needs to be in a place away from the traffic in your house and it would also be good if you don't watch him constantly.

You need to provide him with good food and water and appropriate temperatures and UVB (as you already mentioned) of course. It would be better if he would eat on his own...try getting him to drink water from a dripper or misting him and when his mouth is open stick a cricket in his mouth so that it is between his teeth so that he will have to bite it. Hopefully he will chew it and swallow it.

I would remove the substrate/bedding...he might ingest some of it when trying to get a cricket. You don't want to add impaction to his problems!

One more thing...I believe feline clinicare contains preformed vitamin A which can build up in the chameleons system and cause problems..so be careful.

Good luck with him!
 
Oh! And should I bring him into a bath/shower with me, or just mist him with hot water a lot, as far as the "showering" that was mentioned goes?

I would assume just bring him into a shower with me; I bet I could rig up a perch for him with a foam swizzle tube I've got running around here somewhere...
 
kinyonga said:
In the site given by gesang you will see that they are used to temperatures that are quite high....keeping him out of the cage, is he getting enough heat to digest his food/increase his appetite?

They are also a shy chameleon and putting him in a situation where he will be stressed by passers-by won't help him recover...he needs to be in a place away from the traffic in your house and it would also be good if you don't watch him constantly.

You need to provide him with good food and water and appropriate temperatures and UVB (as you already mentioned) of course. It would be better if he would eat on his own...try getting him to drink water from a dripper or misting him and when his mouth is open stick a cricket in his mouth so that it is between his teeth so that he will have to bite it. Hopefully he will chew it and swallow it.

I would remove the substrate/bedding...he might ingest some of it when trying to get a cricket. You don't want to add impaction to his problems!

One more thing...I believe feline clinicare contains preformed vitamin A which can build up in the chameleons system and cause problems..so be careful.

Good luck with him!
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He is in a very low traffic part of the house; and I made him go back into his cage after a few minutes of sitting under my ponytail.

The cricket he ate I simply placed in his mouth, between his teeth, and he crunched it up and ate it on his own. When I offered another, he looked up at me scornfully with both eyes and refused to acquiesce, so I figured I better not push it. lol

He's now back to sleeping under his light. H eactually seems relatively laid back, and fairly personable. His color goes from ashen white when he's in the cage, to bright green when he's out of the cage. I'm wearing a brown shirt, so that can't possibly be why he's changing as he is. But it isn't nearly warm enough to hold him as much as he wants.

I will be very careful with the clinicare if I get it... it depends on how much I can gauge he's eating between now and then. :)
 
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Don't bring him into the shower with you. To shower him, place a bush or some such plant into the shower stall or tub, and turn the shower on low with warm (not hot) water gently spraying about half of the plant. You really should try and find him a screen cage, or at least a large plant that he can hang out in free from harassment. A basking lamp providing a basking spot of around 90-95F would be good, as well as a place to get away from the basking lamp and cool down. You can worry about getting a UVB bulb in the long term, if he recovers.

Feline clinicare does contain preformed vit. A, but I would not worry about it causing any long term buildup and harm. You should be using it as a support diet for chameleons that are to sick to feed themselves, not as a long term diet. Besides, I have seen far more chameleons/reptiles suffering from vit. A deficiency than overdose. Not only have I used it successfully to help rehabilitate a chameleon it comes recommended to me by two professional zoo herpetologists (Tulsa & Philly).
 
Bamboo can be very hard to grasp onto. I use a few medium sticks in my enclosures and sanded with high grade (corse) paper to create a corse ribbing on them to help with their traction. Figure this needed to be done once I put one in and found her upside down becasue she slipped and bruised her tail a little from strain (that cleared up). So sand them a bit and wash them up and bake then for 15-20 mins in a oven to kill off perisites. Clean them with a very mild bleach in water. If just a bowl then like 3-4 drops of bleach no more.. Rub them up after sanding then bake 350 degree for 15-20 mins. Then use as siding. If they can't grip it they will slip and if weak cham they don't need a fall right now.

Also you should try to keep it so he can't touch the top of his cage. Rubbing can casue eye problems and possible burns from head lamp heating the screen at top. Their feet can't detect extreme heat like their backs can and will move if their getting to hot to cool off.. They underside and palms are not where the heat sensors are.

Lighting. 12-14 hours of lighting and should let them sleep in the dark or with a very low Watt Red Bulb that will not add heat. Nothing greater then 25 watts atleast 6 inches from his highest point he can achive in his cage. Heat at night is only needed if tempatures drop below 60. I would try also getting him some real sun light during his recovery. This will help him far better then simulated light. Even 2-3 hours of sun light outside in his Aqurium is better then simulated light. But tempature is key. Even if sunny the enviorment may be too cold so this may not help much. During his recovery he should be able to get very warm 90-95 degrees. Sunny and anything under would not be a good idea. Simulated light will be a better bet under cold conditions. Keep him away from windows. They block UV and can cause very cold tempatures at night.
 
He has a UVB bulb on, And earlier today I put him in his tank in front of our open sliding glass door so he could get some real sunlight, if just through the top of his tank. I used to have to do the same thing with a sick beardie I had once. :)

Thanks so much :)
 
Xeikeness said:
He has a UVB bulb on, And earlier today I put him in his tank in front of our open sliding glass door so he could get some real sunlight, if just through the top of his tank. I used to have to do the same thing with a sick beardie I had once. :)

Thanks so much :)
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just make sure there is no glass in between.
Maybe if he is strong enough and the weather permits, take him to bask outside.
Good luck! I am rooting for you.
 
It's November in portland, oregon.... The weather won't permit for another 6 months. LOL

Until then, I'm doing what I can. :)
 
6 months if even that.. lol I lived in Vancouver just over the Columbia for Hewlett Packard. I was about to trade my car in for a small boat and motor. Rain, rain, rain and did I mention RAIN? lol

Yeah thats not the ideal enviorment for outside at this time. But keep us posted on his recovery.
 
TRI0N said:
Yeah thats not the ideal enviorment for outside at this time. But keep us posted on his recovery.
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Oh I will. I'm getting ready for bed right now, starting the nightly routine of turning off everyone's lights and doing the PM Poo Check. I'll post again in the afternoon tomorrow, maybe earlier. :)
 
One thing I noted about my Cham is she only poops during the day. I'm not sure if that is the case for all of them but she always poops after about 1 hour in her basking lamp in the AM. Quite humorious too she lifts her rear hind leg up like asking a question and tilts her butt to one side off her vine and lets loose. You can always tell she needs a hall pass.. lol
 
If he turns ashen white inside the cage and then turns green outside of the cage, it could be too hot inside the glass cage you have him in. Watch carefully the temperatures as there will be very little ventilation if any at all in a glass enclosure. If the bottom of the glass enclosure is also in the 90s, it is too hot. Balancing the temperature for basking (90s) and regulating a lower temperature for him to cool down is going to be tricky inside glass. If you find that the temps are also in the 90s towards the bottom of his cage, either lower the wattage of the heat lamp or raise the heat lamp higher so it doesn't get too hot inside the glass.

I'm glad you are taking him to the vet. He looks like he needs one desperately. Also, if he is rejecting crickets, you might try some soft worms for him to eat. Like mentioned before, if he won't eat on his own, try sliding a worm in between his lips while he sips on some water. Once he bites on the worm and gets a taste, he will more than likely eat it.

Good luck and I hope all goes well at your vet visit.
 
I think visit to a herp vet will help you get on the right track,and i think its cool how much time you spent in one night researching for the little fella,GL:)
 
OK! So the update for today. :)

The vet, told me absolutely nothing I didn't already know, says the grey patches are most likely bruising "or something". Told me to do what I'm already doing... and I walked out 70$ poorer for it. lol

Although, it was reassuring knowing that I'm doing -everything- right as far as my vet was concerned. He gave me more syringes and some Science Diet A/D (feline) for free because he "knows what rescue can be like" and that he wishes me the best of luck. I like that guy, he's a sweety. :)

Anyway... today has gone much better for the little cham!! He drank some water on his own towards the end of our last force-hydration session, and then ate three mealworms and a cricket from my fingers without me needing to "make" him. He likes the worms MUCH more than the crickets right now. I know they aren't as good for him, but you know... at least he's eating -something-.

He seems more alert today; he even climbed up my head to glare at my boyfriend who was chopping the head off a cricket for him. This little cham has decided he hates everyone but me. Sigh. Ah well.

So... today, he's a tiny bit more active, more willing to eat and drink... and I got him most everything I needed to get. I feel virtuous and pleased. :)

Thank you all SO much for your help!!! I -will- be keeping you all updated on his progress. :) :D
 
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