Scary signs in juvenile chameleon!

[Chip]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!​

I've had my chameleon for about 5 months and she has always been super up and to it with catching food and drinking, and recently, she began to molt her skin off. Then she began getting very tired and wouldn't want to move at all. She closes her eyes for more than 90% of the day and the 10% she has them open. While her eyes are closed, she still moves, flailing her hands out looking for anything to hold onto. Her grip still feels strong and healthy, so I don't think she is lacking nutrition.

I am trying to feed and give her water, it's really scaring me because she isn't eating anything,its been maybe 4 days since she ate, she has plenty of crickets in her cage, but she won't eat. While they crawl on her, she flinches, so I know she can feel them. I took her out to try and hand feed her, but she would ignore the food, she would occasionally drink from a syringe, but the cricket I was trying to feed her would only be a nuisance by touching her on the tip of her mouth, and her flinching and pulling away, all whilst her eyes still closed. She still responds to touch on her, by getting bigger when you pet her and she also changes her color to collect heat still too.

She hasn't been very protective of her territory recently, just letting me pick her up as I please, which is really odd, since she hates when I'm in there, loves when she's out.

She hasn't went poo in a few days, and I'm thinking she may even be constipated, if that is common is chameleons. Post issues, her poo was perfectly healthy, and there was plenty of it. Could she possible need to lay eggs? I thought maybe that could be the case because she would occasionally make a quick vibration , almost like a phone going off, it wasn't audible until I got like an inch from her. I know my beardie I had laid them when she was fairly young.

Cage is a 2ft tall and a foot wide, both ways.
Lights are one white light for during the day that doesn't give off heat, and the other is a UVB, placed in one corner of her enclosure.
Food we give her about 25 crickets, with calcium, every two days, keeping her fed.
Water she prefers to drink via syringe, we do spritz the cage every day for 2 minutes.

Before she began acting weird.

 

[carol5208]

What do you mean the white light doesnt give off heat? How does she bask? Also what specifically are you using for Uvb?

 

[Chip]

What do you mean the white light doesnt give off heat? How does she bask?

We keep the red light on so she can bask, but the white light is mainly for light.

 

[carol5208]

Please post a picture of her set up.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

She looks ready to lay eggs. You have been feeding her way too much, hopefully she will be okay. Updated pictures please. The enclosure is too small, and red lights are not recommended. Get her a lay bin, but she might be egg bound if the picture is from before.

 

[Chip]

 

[timw1]

Does she have a laying bin? you don't mention. I bet she is gravid and egg bound.

 

[Chip]

Does she have a laying bin? you don't mention. I bet she is gravid and egg bound.

I could make one very quickly, I have some coconut fibers as a dirt if that would work.

 

[timw1]

I could make one very quickly, I have some coconut fibers as a dirt if that would work.

I don't think that will work. A tupperware type container with a 50/50 mix of damp play sand and organic dirt approx 12" deep is what I find doing a really quick search. Please research this forum, and hopefully someone with knowledge will chime in. Also, if she is egg bound it is very serious and if not taken care of quickly is life threatening.

 

[Chip]

I don't think that will work. A tupperware type container with a 50/50 mix of damp play sand and organic dirt approx 12" deep is what I find doing a really quick search. Please research this forum, and hopefully someone with knowledge will chime in. Also, if she is egg bound it is very serious and if not taken care of quickly is life threatening.

How big should she be if she is egg bound? She still is fairly small. I am feeling her belly, and I'm not sensing anything out of the ordinary

 

[timw1]

I don't know Chip, not an expert. I do know they can start laying eggs at 6 months though.

 

[timw1]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video.77225/

 

[Chip]

Here are a few photos of her from the side and above, maybe this is a good place to start with identifying her size.

 

[kinyonga]

She doesn't seem to have her big girl colors yet so I don't think she needs to lay eggs yet...but I would set up a bin now anyway because she likely will start producing them soon. It should be an opaque container at least 12" deep x 12" x 8" filled with moist washed playsand.

Is the red light on at night?

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[Chip]

She doesn't seem to have her big girl colors yet so I don't think she needs to lay eggs yet...but I would set up a bin now anyway because she likely will start producing them soon. It should be an opaque container at least 12" deep x 12" x 8" filled with moist washed playsand.

So, playsand or dirt? I've got some dirt being brought home now, and a large 10 gallon black bucket on the way.

 

[kinyonga]

I've used washed playsand for years and rarely had a Chameleon refuse to lay the eggs in it.
The one I use is produced by Kings and comes in a white bag with red, blue and yellow sand toys on the front.
They're more fussy about other substrates for some reason.

 

[Chip]

I've used washed playsand for years and rarely had a Chameleon refuse to lay the eggs in it.
The one I use is produced by Kings and comes in a white bag with red, blue and yellow sand toys on the front.
They're more fussy about other substrates for some reason.

Okay sounds good, but if it ends up not being that she could be carrying eggs, any of those signs I described seem like she could be sick?

 

[kinyonga]

@Chip I added some to my post above...can you answer the questions and be as specific as possible about things including brand names of supplements and lights please?

 

[Chip]

@Chip I added some to my post above...can you answer the questions and be as specific as possible about things including brand names of supplements and lights please?

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Veiled, Female, 7 months old. 5 months in care.
• Handling - Handled about every week, at least once
• Feeding - Eats crickets.Around 50 a week.
• Supplements - ZooMed repti calcium
• Watering - We mist her and also hand drip water to her. We mist every day, twice.
• Fecal Description - She hasn't had any recent droppings. She hasn't been to a doctor before.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Screen L: 14in W: 14in H: 28in
• Lighting - One fluorescent bulb and one heat bulb, just the standard hot red light. White light all day, until sundown, when its dark, we go only into
• Temperature - We haven't been keeping check.
• Humidity - We don't know the humidity levels, we live in Missouri, and have her inside.
• Plants - We have fake plants, thats it.
• Placement - Cage is located through a hallway. It is about 4 feet relative to your room floor

 

[kinyonga]

• Feeding - What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? It's important to look after your feeders well. It's important not to overfeed female veileds once they are sexually mature unless you are breeding her. Do you know that she can produce eggs even without mating and needs a laybin in her cage somshe won't die eggbound?
• Supplements - What brand vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Does the calcium have D3 in it?
• Watering - How long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - are the urates white or do they have yellow in them? Are the feces dry looking or moist?

Cage Info:

• Lighting - What brand UVB light are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule...on for how long, off for how long? All off at night?? I would replace the red light with a white regular household incandescent bulb of a wattage that makes the basking area about 80 to 85 F.
• Temperature - Without knowing the basking temperature or the temperature in the rest of the cage I can't tell if she has enough heat to digest her food or if she's constipated because she is too cold.
• Humidity - if she's drinking enough this isn't as important but it would still be good to know!
• Plants - it looks like you should have more greenery in her cage. Replacing the fake stuff with real well washed (both sides of the leaves) non toxic plants would not only help the humidity but would ensure that the chameleon doesn't end up accidentally ingesting the fake ones and becoming impacted.

There are a number of things that can be going on with her...I need more information.