So thought my cham was pregnant, might be in bad condition.

[squidmaster]

Details: Flapneck
Age: ~8 months
Gender: female

Well, got most of the signs of her being pregnant, digging holes, searching for laying ground, I thought I could see eggs in her hind right in front/above her leg.

She dug around for a day in a 20" deep planter with nice dirt in it and I figured she layed her eggs as she stopped digging and started to look for water. She drank and drank and drank but would not feed. OK that happens. It was night so her light was about to turn off and she looked beat anyway just wanted to perch and close her eyes. Anyway, two more days have gone by and she still won't eat anything and today her strength is next to nothing, can barely support herself. I finally managed to get a cricket in her mouth but she won't digest the sucker after a few chews.


I'm worried I got some bad worms from the pet supply store that really made her sick. Usually her color has been a nice green to darker green when basking but would occasionally go white-ish. I would turn off the basking light and let her just hang out with the normal light.

All the time these are the temps and humid:
Temp: low 70 hi 76
Humid: 70+% (hurray FL, comes with the state I suppose)
I still spritzed the habitat 2-3 times a day, she has a dish that I've watched her drink out of plenty of times, and all the water I used is filtered through a brita, so no terrible tap water chemicals, or at least fewer.

Food until these mealworms has been mostly medium crickets and she's loved them so far. She ate 5-7 medium crickets every day (most she would eat at a time) until she ate but just three of the superworms then started getting discoloration and just stopped eating. Thought it was because she was about to lay eggs, like I said... I guess one reason not to buy food from petsmart...

How she looked just DAYS ago.

 

[kinyonga]

I would get her to the vets right now.

 

[squidmaster]

I haven't been able to find anyone that knows squat about Chameleons in the area. Most I've been able to resort to is rapidly sending off emails to other repties but if she won't eat, she won't eat and that's what everyone believes the problem is.
What could a vet do, at this point, that I am unable to?

 

[kinyonga]

If a female sees someone watching her when she is digging she will likely abandon the hole...and if it happens often enough she can become eggbound.

A chameleon may dig several test holes but should pick one and dig it until she is satisfied with it. She should turn around bum down (often in the evening) and lay the eggs, fill the hole in and tamp it down...and return to the branches and eat and drink again as usual.

If she stops digging, then there is a very good chance that she is eggbound. If you do nothing she will almost certainly die.

If you take her to a vet soon enough s/he can give the chameleon an injection of calcium and then oxytocin to help her lay the eggs. Oxytocin will only work within the timeframe that the chameleon should lay her eggs...so if you wait too long it won't work. If the oxytocin doesn't work he can remove the eggs and spay her.

 

[pssh]

Did you ever actually dig up the eggs to see if she laid? I agree with kinyonga, it's vet time.

 

[squidmaster]

I never found the eggs which is what worried me. I bought all different size crickets (figured if the worms did it then I can't feed her anymore of those) and attempted to feed her, both by presenting the food on a leaf nearby and putting other guys around the tank (she used to like to run around and catch them). But nothing. I read a few other owners that had their chams go on eating strike for 3 or more days for one reason or another so I filtered through most of those (different foods, waters, times, bulbs, ect ect).

 

[pssh]

If she dug, didn't lay, is now lethargic, and won't eat, she is likely eggbound. If she is eggbound she will die without medical treatment. Get her to a vet. Food strikes do not cause lethargy.

 

[squidmaster]

That's what I was almost thinking, but all signs of eggs in her completely disappeared. No more lumps, very skinny, ect.

I have a very experienced reptie coming over to look at her as the nearest reptie clinic, or vet that has a reptie specialist is over 2 hours away.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Are these eggs fertile or infertile? You need to dig thru that planter and find those eggs. If you dont find any then you'll know shes def eggbound. Also she could have laid most of the clutch been disturbed and not finished laying the rest. Then she'd appear thinner but still retaining a cpl of eggs. Vet visit is def needed sooner not later. As others stated you have a narrow window of time to save her.

 

[RoBeRt542]

wow that sucks i hope she turns out ok just get her to a vet i hope for the best for you and your cham

 

[Amanda1801]

Even if your local vets dont know anything about chameleons, they can still x-ray her (easy enough to do without any anaesthetic - we just covered Colin with a small bit of cloth to get him to stop wandering about) and at least then you know if shes egg bound or if its something else and go from there.

 

[squidmaster]

So he said from the colors it looks like she has a virus. Ironically it happened to HIS Chinese Waterdragon off the SAME brand-- Superworms, sold at petsmart. He was willing to pay vet fees that, to be quite honest, I can't be paying for at the moment, in trade for letting him have her. I hope she does well and survives with him! Since he is even more into the hobby than me, he has much nicer setups I'm sure she'll love too.

Not a sad day at all if I can help her.



P.S. I am very disappointed in myself for only now joining these forums, I've only ever lurked.

 

[pssh]

I hope she makes it. Let us know how it goes.

Live and learn. If you choose to get another, maybe a male?

 

[squidmaster]

Oh for sure a male! After a year or so I would like to eventually have someone mate with him though, just to go through the excitement of it. Nothing serious or for profit but for experience with the chams. I've had success with a deal of other species, not restricted to repties.

Thanks everyone for their help and concern! Nicest forum I've been on in a long time.