Sick Chameleon issues.

Lassy_And_Leela said:
Update: I gave him a few ML droplets of water, and he swallowed most of it. Will this be fine as long as I'm putting droplets of water down his throat?


Edit: He opened his eyes and started moving up. Is this a good sign? he was on the floor most of today, where I sort of wanted him to rest and not fall off his branch. I'll keep updating this post or post new updates. I wanna try to nurse him back to health. he is my baby, and my parents wont let him go. They love him too, but just don't show it correctly. I would prefer making things right, and I understand he doesn't deserve this cruelty, just because I hit a bumpy road. I'll keep giving him droplets of water every morning and evening. 'Putting him to bed' earlier as well. Fix my schedule and such. Thank you all, and I deeply apologize once again for this happening.

Edit: After he went up, he grabbed a superworm but fell. I laid him down on the bottom to rest again. Is turning off lights around 7-8 pm good? then turning on at 7 am?
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I dont see a problem with the light schedule, just keep it consistent and dont change it around. I really wish I had an answer for you. I hope you can convince them to take him in, show them these messages we are giving you and tell them that he will suffer if not taken in.
 
I just read through your thread and my heart hurts for you ): I definitely understand and empathize with your struggles with mental health & your father. I know you probably feel immense amounts of guilt or shame for not being able to keep up with the needs of your little guy, but know that it isn't entirely on you. Sometimes with mental health it can seem impossible to simply get out of bed to brush your teeth or have a meal, let alone take care of anything living being (especially one as advanced as a chameleon). Now all you can do is try to forgive yourself for slipping up, but mainly do your best to make it right for your little man.

For things you can improve I would suggest prioritizing convincing your parents to allow you to get a t5 5.0 uvb bulb and fixture, even though I know it's really expensive and they'll probably give you a lecture ab money (been there lol). MBD is a painful and slow illness for chameleons that is treatable but not curable, so proper uvb is really important for them ): Something easier would be gutloading feeders better, and maybe getting more nutritious feeders (however that may be difficult bc the cold weather, lots of shipments are delayed and stores are most likely running low on stock). There are quite a few common vegetables and fruits that are good for both gutloading and hydrating your bugs that could probably be found in your house. Someone earlier on in the thread posted pictures of good feeder insects & gutloading foods. I would also prioritize getting something to measure humdity, even if its just an analog reader from your local petstore or home depot it's better than nothing. If your basking bulb isn't producing the correct temperature for your guy I would suggest going to home depot and getting a household eco-incandescent natural light bulb, they come in packs of 4 for something around $7-$8. As for the rotting wood, that seems like a big issue, but I don't have any experience with that so I can't give any suggestions besides research ways to protect or shield the wood from the water for just the time being so you can get his humidity levels to the right range. Also, your mistings are too short and too frequent, they're supposed to be more like 2-3 times a day for 2-3 minutes (once right before lights on, once right after lights turn off and maybe another in the middle of the night since veileds like high humidity at night); however, i'm not sure if the short length and frequency is because of the rotting wood situation. I also live in tx and the cold weather is pretty harsh, but chameleons can withstand lower temperatures than you would expect, and if you're worried ab the heat situation i've heard of people using warm water (if you dont have hot warm in your house you could try putting it on the stove and if your stove doesnt work you could try heating it on top of a candle lol) but not too warm so your little guy won't get too hot.

I think for now that's what I suggest working on husbandry wise. Just take it one day at a time, and try speaking to your parents about the urgency of the situation. I really understand being afraid of your father and also being lectured about money, and even though it's scary it's really important to stand up to him, even if you're not doing it for yourself and only for your little Rango. I really, truly hope your little guy pulls through, and I hope you take care of yourself as well. If you ever need anything or anyone to talk to, you can always dm me. :)
 
I’m so, so sorry for your loss )): at least now he’s at peace and resting with his sister. I know you must be taking this really hard, make sure to take care of yourself too. If you need someone to talk to you can message me, I think I may understand what you're going through both mental health wise as well as the sadness of losing a chameleon. Rip little Rango ):
 
Thank you all. To be honest, my parents wanted to profit off my chameleons by breeding them. I never went with it because, they are just pets and i didnt intend breeding, they were both bought from seperate places/people. We wont be getting anymore pets or reptiles specificially until we get all the research and such done. We do have cats, and thats all i wanted as pets. Liz and Rango didnt deserve to die at a young age. They were both sweet little angels and, im really sorry they passed because of me.
 
Lassy_And_Leela said:
Thank you all. To be honest, my parents wanted to profit off my chameleons by breeding them. I never went with it because, they are just pets and i didnt intend breeding, they were both bought from seperate places/people. We wont be getting anymore pets or reptiles specificially until we get all the research and such done. We do have cats, and thats all i wanted as pets. Liz and Rango didnt deserve to die at a young age. They were both sweet little angels and, im really sorry they passed because of me.
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Dont blame yourself. As said you needed to work on yourself and your parents should of helped you out a lot more than they did. Dont beat yourself up about it. They are in a better place now, work on yourself and try and talk with your parents.
 
This community is a lot like a family. We are all here if you need to talk. You can private message just about any of us, and we will be here to support you personally, and we are all here to openly support you as a community.
Sorry you had to go through this, and sorry your buddy had to go through this too. I want to be perfectly honest and say your parents should feel ashamed for this situation. There was more they could have done as responsible adults and I am sure this is tough for you.
 
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