So Sad :(

[Leighfisher959]

PLEASE WATCH MY FIRST YOUTUBE VIDEO EVER YALL
** JOHN SNOW 1/19/19 Today is a much more cheerful day. **

BEFORE :* ONE FAUX MARIJUANA VINE
*ONE SMALL PLANT ON EGG CRATE BROKEN STAND
*MOST LIKELY REALLY REALLY OLD UVB BULB
*50 WATT BASKING BULB
*BROKEN DRIPPER
*BROKEN SPRAY BOTTLE
* THREE REALLY SLICK BAMBOO STICKS
THATS IT FOLLKSS!!!!!!

This is our John snows cage setup before we made quite a few changes. I'm sorry... but these animals are not the cheapest and easiest creatures to maintain, and if you don't have time or the money, DON'T BUY THIS ANIMAL. Today I went to three stores to pimp this little guys road. I spent well over 500 USA dollars on this guys upgrades alone. . We will also be going to see a specialist on Monday morning to figure out what exactly the state of health he is in. With that said, people don't just half-ass taking care of pets you made a commitment to. It can be tedious at times, very unpredictable and even quite expensive.

Sorry guys but I had to start this extension post with a little venting session. I was up all night sick to my stomach that this guy would die before I even had the opportunity to get him help. GOOD NEWS !!! Ol' Johnny boy is looking pretty dang good after making major alterations to his environment! He has been eating, drinking, opening his eyes, climbing just being the best fighter. With that said, there are still major concerns of mine, the main being the whole eye situation he has going on. One eye in specific is swollen and when he opens it, it looks cloudy, almost to the point where he looks blind, or has a film over it.( You can clearly see this is some of the photos provides or photos in the video) He seems to keep flexing his eye muscles in attempts to clean it. Im not sure if this is because of the (probably prehistoric) UVB bulb, retina burns from getting to close to lights trying to get warmer, Vitamin A deficiency or what... I do know he was scaling the screen in his cage because he had no foliage to move around in or on. . and almost attaching himself to the roof of the cage. Luckily this behavior has dramatically changed since the upgrade.

First let me give you all some background
I live in Columbus Ohio where its really cold... like 30's and snow right now for instance.
Yesterday I drove 1.5 hours to Dayton, OH to pick up our new member. When I got there two kids came out with a completely assembled cage full off stuff including, yes you guessed it, THE LIZARD!!!
I almost died right there. I honestly thought this guy had a little more sense than that. . NOPE!!!!
I frantically dug at the cages clasp to get this dude to a shelter. Mind you, I assumed the cage would be disassembled. . and it did not fit in my Subaru Legacy. So I'm standing outside for 20 minutes while these two knuckle heads crack jokes and very slowly take down the cage...
At this point I just thought this guy really was just cold.
As a female going to 3 random guys house to buy their chameleon I was really just trying to get out of there. .
When I got back into the car I knew that the car was much lighter than what I had hoped it would be leaving Dayton.
So I pulled off and decided that my gut was telling me to really check this guy out.
When I looked at him I instantly knew he was just not in the right condition.
Main indicator was the gunky eye.
I immediately let the guy know that somethings not right and he needs a vet.
The kid said something along the lines of, "Im glad you have him then-".

Whatever.

The only news that really matters in this post is the fact that John is continuing to show signs of feeling better.

Our new setup and materials consists of :

1. Automated Misting
2. Linear UVB 20" setup with the Zoo Med Repti-Sun T8 5.0 bulb
3. 75 Watt basking bulb
4. Large live Sheffelera
5. 3X Large terra vines
6. large grooved Grape wood log.
7. 2 thermometers/hydrometer combos
8. Rocks in base of plant pot
9. crickets, Dubai roaches, Superworms
10. 2X critter cages
11. gut loader
12. calcium with D3 no phosphorus
13. Multivitamin
14. reptiwater conditioner
15. feeding bowl with tongs
16. new spray bottle
At this time thats all I can think of but it seems to have really done the trick.

If he's eating and moving around I feel like I can breathe. .

Maybe its because of all the well-wishers.

Moral of the story, You guys rock and so do chameleons.

I hope you enjoyed our story and continue to follow and grow with us, HOPEFULLY FOR A LONG TIME TO COMEEE!!!!

 

[Thehippie]

wow, poor guy, definitely keep us updated on him, I'm so glad he has a second chance at life

 

[Leighfisher959]

UPDATE: (sorry if you don't like blog posts but I like documenting our story
Well, as many of us already know, the path to a "healthy" chameleon can be a long one. With that said the first step is always the hardest...Monday was vet day and it was I a cold one. It took me an hour to warm up the car and it may have been the coldest day in a year. . . I was nervous to take our little dude in but I'm glad I did. Here's a small summary of the trip..I transported Jon in a cardboard box with foliage, perch and a warm water bottle (not too warm of course). I wrapped the box in a blanket to shield him from any cold air and also to help keep the box dark to limit the amount of stress
Name of patient: Jon Snow
Weight: 112 grams
Locale: Nosy Be
Summary : ( see image)

What does everyone think about my vets treatment?
A few things I did gather was that she thinks my husbandry is up to par. (Don't forget that this dude was a rescue, and I am not sure exactly how he was kept.,.his owner wasn't really the one taking care of him.) She also said that she has seen much worse. At the vet my little guy was a CHAMP. Crawling everywhere (I'm sure because he was nervous) and even was so kind as to have a nice poo for the doctor to look at. His poo was normal with orange urates. Since then we have been following the regime but I am nervous that maybe the calcium supplement on a daily basis could be considered a lot... ( I would love your thoughts on this!!!!)
As far as his eye is concerned it does look better, but its still very obvious that we have a long way to go. He still scratches on the branches and at times keeps the left eye shut. This has been my biggest concern with him.. besides that he has been doing well... eating, drinking (finally figured out how to get him to drink! yay!), basking and moving throughout the enclosure with confidence and ease. He has been UVB basking and just being a bright beautiful boy. I really have just fallen in such love with this guy and continue to learn and tweak things everyday. Its an amazing feeling to watch a beautiful creature begin to thrive! This week we created an draining system for our huge beautiful schefflera. We also created a new way to house our feeders. The feeders I had were too small and in too small of containers. This week I really have been trying to focus on the best way to gut load and way to give vitamins. I have calcium w/out d3 and calc with, multivitamin and currently making my own gut load.. (carrots, kale, okra, spinage). This is working for now but I am concerned still with obtaining the RIGHT vitamins and nutrients so I have been looking into Arcadia. Below I have listed the gut loader I am interested in and its description ...
Product Description
50 gm. Small Starter Size.

EarthPro InsectFuel in the 50gram pouch is a potent and highly effective insect food supplement. This food can be used to fill feeder insects of all species full of goodness that can then be passed onto the predator. It is based on UK grown Alfalfa which is highly palatable to insects.
We have also included full spectrum vitamins and minerals, Bee pollen and a high potency marine carotenoid to provide vitamin A in a safe and regulated way.
InsectFuel is packed with goodness and has Zero Phytic acid which is common to bran based diets.
NOTE: Arcadia Insect Fuel is Highly Concentrated.
Much more so than many other so called insect supplements which can be just grain or bran with only a dash of cheap vitamins.
The 50 gram pouch contains as much concentrated nutrient additive as 5 - 10 times as much of competing gut loads. So feel free to mix in with or sprinkle on any base foods you are using.

InsectFuel can be used by itself or mixed in with the diet you are using in a 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 ratio. Mix with cricket mash, rolled oats, turkey mash, etc. Can be used to dust fresh (insecticide free / organic) vegetables. Then change out uneaten vegetables from insect container daily to prevent spoilage. This is a great way to load up with fresh vegetables. Sprinkle in mealworm containers.
(I have even mixed it into fruit fly media with great results! .25 teaspoon to fruit fly conatiner. TCG )
Guaranteed effectiveness!
One ingredient in InsectFuel that is fantastic is Bee Pollen, a supplement that is naturally occurring in the diet of most reptiles and many amphibians.... but almost always missing in captive diets.
Herbivorous reptiles ingest pollen in the plants and flowers they eat. Insectivorous and carnivorous get it either gut loaded in the prey items they eat or on the preys bodies.
Bee pollen naturally has the following nutrients:
Vitamins: Provitamin A, B-1 Thiamin, B-2 Riboflavin, B-3 Nancin, B-5, B-6 Pyridoxine, B-12 (cyanocobalamine), Pantothenic acid, Vitamin C, F, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin H, Vitamin K, Vitamin PP, Folic Acid, Choline, Inositol, Rutin.
Minerals: Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Iron, Copper, Iodine, Zinc, Sulfur, Sodium, Chlorine, Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Selenium, Boron, Silica, and Titanium.
Other: Amino Acid, Carbohydrates, Fatty Acids, Enzymes & Co-Enzymes, Fats.
Bee Pollen contains at least 22 amino acids, 18 vitamins, 25 minerals, 59 trace elements, 11 enzymes or co-enzymes, 14 fatty acids, 11 carbohydrates and approximately 25 % protein. Bee pollen is extremely rich in carotenes, which are metabolic precursors of vitamin A. It is also high In B complex and vitamins C, D, E and Lecithin.
Can be used with all feeder insects and pet species. Can also be used as a dietary supplement for herbivorous species.
This can be dusted on greens and vegetables fed to reptiles too!
We HIGHLY recommend this product. Contains many wild micro-nutrients and minerals that can be gut loaded into your crickets, mealworms, roaches.
Try EarthPro today. Your pets depend on you to keep them in tip top shape and using Arcadias line of quality supplements makes your job just that much easier!

Next is the vitamins below I've listed the product and description
Product Description
SALE 29.99
500 gm Pro Size
SUPER SAVER!
EarthPro-A is a potent dietary supplement that will help to supply all of the essential vitamins and minerals that a captive exotic needs in a safe and natural way.
Potent Carotenoids and bee Pollen are used to cater safely for vitamin A and to aid digestion and growth.
The product contains NO synthetics that can be easily over or under dosed.
Importation from England approved by the FDA exclusively for LightYourReptiles.com!
We are excited to be able to offer such a high quality supplement.
Especially since it contains Bee Pollen, a supplement that is naturally occurring in the diet of most reptiles and many amphibians.
Herbivorous reptiles ingest pollen in the plants and flowers they eat. Insectivorous and carnivorous get it either gut loaded in the prey items they eat or on the preys bodies.
Bee pollen naturally has the following nutrients:
Vitamins: Provitamin A, B-1 Thiamin, B-2 Riboflavin, B-3 Nancin, B-5, B-6 Pyridoxine, B-12 (cyanocobalamine), Pantothenic acid, Vitamin C, F, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin H, Vitamin K, Vitamin PP, Folic Acid, Choline, Inositol, Rutin.
Minerals: Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Iron, Copper, Iodine, Zinc, Sulfur, Sodium, Chlorine, Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Selenium, Boron, Silica, and Titanium.
Other: Amino Acid, Carbohydrates, Fatty Acids, Enzymes & Co-Enzymes, Fats.
Bee Pollen contains at least 22 amino acids, 18 vitamins, 25 minerals, 59 trace elements, 11 enzymes or co-enzymes, 14 fatty acids, 11 carbohydrates and approximately 25 % protein. Bee pollen is extremely rich in carotenes, which are metabolic precursors of vitamin A. It is also high In B complex and vitamins C, D, E and Lecithin.
Earth-Pro also contains mineral clay, a natural source of minerals along with protien powder for added vitality.
Try Arcadia EarthPro today and you will be hooked, We recommend dusting 2 to 4 times a week with EarthPro-A.

THOUGHTS? I keep seeing bee pollen everywhere and have never heard of it before joining the forum but it makes sense,,, bees are pretty amazing and benefit and support so Many things!!! Any who, Jon is doing well and I believe he is on the up and up. My goal is to see a 75 percent improvement within the next month... I hope we can get to 100 within 3 !!!
Last thought...
It really does make me sad to see the sick chameleons throughout the forums.. I thought that my dude was in pretty bad shape but when I got into some of the forums today I saw some scary things... I really don't get why people choose to get a pet and not even research anything.. IDK... we all make mistakes but at least try ? At the end of the day even the most knowledgable learn new things about these beautiful creatures. . BE HUNGRY FOR KNOWLEDGE !!!
Thanks for reading..

 

[Leighfisher959]

wow, poor guy, definitely keep us updated on him, I'm so glad he has a second chance at life

Thank you

 

[Nemesis]

Good work with your chameleon! I'm glad that it has a better life now. Also it makes me sad when i see people post on the forums looking for a "miracle reply" to fix their chameleon. You did the right thing and took him to the vet so good job!

 

[Leighfisher959]

Good work with your chameleon! I'm glad that it has a better life now. Also it makes me sad when i see people post on the forums looking for a "miracle reply" to fix their chameleon. You did the right thing and took him to the vet so good job!

Thank you, I would have been too stressed out if I hadn't taken him, after I got home I just felt a giant relief.

 

[absolutbill]

I wish you the best of luck as you rehabilitate your new little boy. We are all here pulling for you and look forward to some great outcomes!

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Calcium- are you using a calcium without D3 as well?

 

[Leighfisher959]

Calcium- are you using a calcium without D3 as well?

Yes! Calcium with d3 and multi twice a month, calcium without d3 every feeding . In addition to the oral supplement issued by the vet daily.

 

[Leighfisher959]

I wish you the best of luck as you rehabilitate your new little boy. We are all here pulling for you and look forward to some great outcomes!

Thank you so much for the support!

 

[Graves923]

At this point keep up with the good husbandry and what the vet is prescribing. I find jotting some notes down daily during treatment helps to show progress or lack of progress if any.

Best of luck! He sounds like he is in good, caring hands!