I have a Senegal chameleon that I have had for exactly a week. We have him in a 40 gal tall that has mesh on the top of it and on the side to get him out. The rest is glass. At the breader we got him from the told my husband and I that because we live in az we needed to do the glass tank and not the mesh so that's what we did. He has many vines to climb and tree branches. We keep the humidity at about 60%-70% in the cage and the temp where he is is about 80 dagrees. When we first got him he was great, nice and green wanted to come out and crawl around on us but 3 days ago he started going down hill. We came home and he was laying flat on the bottom of the tank in the dirt and he was such a pale yellow he was almost white. We thought he was dead. My husband went in later to try to take him out to dispose of him and that's when he picked him up that's when we noticed he was still breathing. we thought he might have been cold so we put him on a very low temperature setting to try to warm him up but it wasnt helping. We got in contact with a friend and she said he might have been over heating and to let him just self regulate. The second day we took him back to the breader and they told us he looked like he could have had a upper respiratory infection (small one) and he looked dehydrated. at this point he is a bit greener that the prior day. So all the second day we watched him 24/7 made sure he was good and drinking lots of water also needed to dry him out. On day 3 he seems greener. Not to his full potential but he is very week. Doesnt seem to want to eat. Hasnt ate for 5 days now and he is very weak. Wont really gab on to anything and hold on unless he doeant want be where we are putting him but for the most part he just lays and sleeps. How do I help this tiny creature?
Senegal chameleon
- Thread starter Nene3395
- Start date
Daesie11
Chameleon Enthusiast
Vet for sure, but I would also be surprised if the breeder wouldnt take him back because you are clearly well within any health guarantee, no?
I dont know much about that species of chameleon but I feel like in that short of a time it's unlikely anything you did caused whatever is wrong. Depending on what it is I suppose.
I dont know much about that species of chameleon but I feel like in that short of a time it's unlikely anything you did caused whatever is wrong. Depending on what it is I suppose.
JoXie411
Chameleon Enthusiast
You should have a health guarantee in your area. There is no way within one week you gave him an “ri” is that’s what the breeder is saying.
Sounds like they are not a breeder I would deal with again. He looks dehydrated, thin, and weak.
I am a little concerned about what they recommended you have for him. Honestly I do not know enough about this species but I do know that the baby does not look healthy at all. I am assuming that you are new to owning a chameleon. Trust me when I say do not buy from that breeder again. There is no way that within a week you would have a sick cham. The fact that they said they have no guarantee is fishy as well.
This care sheet may help you. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/flapneck/
Daesie11
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'm not sure I understand the concept of a final sale on a living creature. If the cham has an RI then it got it from the breeder, not from you. If / when you go to the vet you should get an estimate from the vet as to when your cham would have contracted it, in their professional opinion so that you can then bring that to the breeder to show them that you were given a sick animal. There is a difference between just trying to return the animal and wanting your money back for not getting what you paid for.
They told us that he is definitely is dehydrated and then told us he had sticky saliva and that is a sign of upper respiratory. I'm not sure how I would find the pet agreement in az. When we bought him the told us that it was a final sale.
Daesie11
Chameleon Enthusiast
Whichever one it is, a glass enclosure in Arizona seems a little concerning to me. Sounds like it would get really hot really fast in there.
It's like the one on the right. But it's a 40 gal tall so its alot taller than that one. That would be amazing. If u could help me find one.
JoXie411
Chameleon Enthusiast
We had a member a few weeks ago talking about this stuff, he’s in az to I think I’ll tag him and see if he reply’s @cyberlocc
Anyways yes I agree he looks hydrated and the sticky saliva is a sign of ri but it would take more then a week for those signs to show.
So figuratively speaking we can go to the vet and then take it to the breeder and see what they will do from there? We have the money to get him seen but any testing we wouldn't have the money right now.
It is so dry that many keepers in AZ use them but the aquarium type is very hard to regulate temperature and humidity because of the lack of air flow. The exoterra is better because it has vents down low that create air flow with the chimney effect.
@jannb do you have a vet in this area that you recommend?
Here are some links to reptile veterinarians incase jannb is not available.
@jannb do you have a vet in this area that you recommend?
Here are some links to reptile veterinarians incase jannb is not available.
Daesie11
Chameleon Enthusiast
That's what I would do. If you have a licensed professional telling you that whatever is wrong with your cham has happened prior to being in your care then the breeder would be hard pressed to not replace your cham for you.
So what you will run into in this situation is a Vet bill. Treatment is not always cheap and their husbandry needs for enclosure, lighting, and all the rest add up quickly. Chameleons are not an easy animal to keep. You do not have to spend a fortune on their setups for it to be proper for them. But you do have to make sure they have everything they need or you will deal with on going Vet bills. Care credit is a great option for paying for Vet care when needed. I would look into that. If you do not get Vet care now then he will die. As far as it being an RI. The Vet will be able to listen to his breathing to tell and look in his mouth.
To take him to the Vet you will want to put him in a box with a few small air holes and a small towel in the bottom. If he is able to grip then put a stick in there for him to hold on to and poke it through both sides of the box. If he can not grip and hold on then just do the towel. He will fall asleep in the box. Your temps there in AZ are still quite warm so make sure your air conditioner is on in the car so he does not get too hot.
If your breeder is saying final sale I doubt you will get anywhere with them but it is worth a try. Sounds more like they knew he was not doing well when they sold him which is sad.
Good luck hun. Sorry this is your experience. It is really a shame.
Here is a care sheet for Senegal chameleons so you can check your conditions. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/flapneck/
Update on cha. We took him to the vet and they are saying he Is dehydrated and malnourished also says he has a calcium deficiency. They said there is no way to tell if he was like this before we got him. I'm not sure what to do at this point because the vet bill to get him taken care of is beyond what we have. We are getting calcium from the vet. I just dont want him to die.
