We never soaked him before, we've only had him 7 days as of yesterday. On the 4th night he just started to decline. Unfortunately he died last night or some time this morning..
Soaking a chameleon
- Thread starter Renn
- Start date
Brodybreaux25
Chameleon Enthusiast
Sorry to hear that but do the right thing and still contact them about what I said. I’m sure they aren’t doing it on purpose but it’s still happening
Yea, I understand.
We were told to soak him due to him not shedding and being dehydrated. same way you would soak a snake to help it shed. The advice isnt from 2014. Alot of people have different things that they do that WORK. Sometimes soaking helps. Sometimes not. But u should probably relay the information going in knowing something bad is going on. We were also told that even tho they do not soak the water through the body he would be able to soak up some through his vent. The vet we saw was probably one of the best we could go to and he still passed.
Brodybreaux25
Chameleon Enthusiast
I understand the vet advised this but it was still the wrong course of action no matter who the vet was.
Soaking a Cham should NEVER happen, even for sheds. Chams are dry shedders, wetting them during a shed only makes things more difficult as you are rehydrating the skin and returning elasticity to it. This means the shed will stretch, not tear.
Year is irrelevant, wrong is wrong. Every piece of advice your vet gave you was wrong and contributed to her death.
AnamCara
Chameleon Enthusiast
Agree with @Brodybreaux25 . I would take his advice any day. If nothing else think of how a chameleon would be in the wild. I cant imagine a situation where a chameleon would rest/sit in water. I know this is an old thread but obviously this is still a common misconception.
What killed my cham was not soaking him in water. It was the lack of vitamins that was not givin to him before he was giving to us. We had him for 7 days and 3 out of those 7 he was bad. We went to the vet in a last hope to get him healthy.
He died of dehydration and lack of vitamins. He had a calcium deficiency that got into his bones. The soak had nothing to do with him dying.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
I’m so very sorry that you lost your cham.
Thank you it is very much appreciated!
Daesie11
Chameleon Enthusiast
I dont think Brody was implying that the soak killed your cham. I think everyone who followed your other thread agreed that you recieved your cham in a bad state and it wasnr due to your care that you lost him.
Brody was trying to point out that the vet you went to was giving you information that, while it is pertinent for some reptiles, is not specific to chameleons.
Brodybreaux25
Chameleon Enthusiast
No one said that the soaking Kills your Cham. Go back and read.
I'm pretty sure that in this message you stated that what my vet told me to do killed him... I appreciate all the help that was given during the time my flash needed help. I do not appreciate the accusation that my vet was the ont that killed him when in face it was the breeder that had him before my husband and i.. all of this is because of the way you came at us about the vet. Have a great day.
Just thought I'd post this since it talks about soaking chameleons.......
http://reptileapartment.com/keeping-chameleons-in-the-misinformation-age/
http://reptileapartment.com/keeping-chameleons-in-the-misinformation-age/
Kristen Wilkins
Chameleon Enthusiast
I’m very sorry to hear of the passing of your baby .
I’m not here to argue and certainly do not want to make a bad day worse or be insensitive to your pain . However I do not think @Brodybreaux25 was implying that the bath was the cause but a contributing factor. There was certainly other issues . I do not want to speak for anyone that’s just how I red that post , I’m not a vet but if a vet told me to bath my chameleon I would have run out the door with my chameleon .
Chameleon’s stress factor/ tolerance is much different then other reptiles . Bathing is not recommended do to that factor. Consistent stressors With an already compromised immune system often leads to death . I’m by no means saying it’s your fault .
Agin I’m so very sorry for your loss .
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Brodybreaux25
Chameleon Enthusiast
You may feel pretty sure but your still completely wrong.
I never said that your vets instructions are what killed your Cham. Never. Not even once did i say that. Can you please show me where I said that because if I did I’d gladly apologize.
You are misinterpreting the last line of post #25. I said your vets advice CONTRIBUTED to the death, I did not say it was the direct cause.
This is undeniable. You wasted a lot of time and effort following their advice when you could have put that effort into a plan that actually had some chance of working.
Ours wasn't the one neck deep in water. We had him perched in my hand, and had the upper half of him out of the water. He was in for 5 mins and then climbed out. The vet said to only do it for 5-10 mins to begin with. When he left the water he perked right back up, was moving better and held his balance. From what the vet told us, he was already deep into the calcium deficiency and what she could do may not have brought him to 100%. He had barley any grip in his back right leg, no grip in his tail and both were yellowish brown. After doing some mild investigating it seems that the pet store we went to has issues with all of their reptiles, and they give out wrong information.Please don't drown your cham!! Running or dripping water!! THINK OF FOREST CANOPY, a chameleon home!!!
salty dog
Chameleon Enthusiast
Chameleons don't absorb water through their skin, they live in forest canopy, they have evolved to live there, which means they only drink & clean with running or dripping water, they are not equipped swimmers (bath) there are no baths in a forest canopy, they climb to hide and be safe, no vet would ever recommend submerging a cham in water, period. that will only stress it out with no benefit
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