sudden death

[dohl]

my cham was doing fine eating drinking reg.

she pooped a bit but not a "complete" operation.

then like an hour later i heard her fall.

she laid there wouldnt open her eyes and was foaming at the mouth very sticky substance.

then she slowly died at least i think she is dead im going to wait a bit to see for sure

im not sure what would effect her so rapidly to cause this

 

[laurie]

Wow that sounds awful. Foaming at the mouth with a sticky substance? I have no idea what that could be, what had she just eaten? And how long since she had eaten? Is she still alive or are you sure?

 

[carol5208]

Maybe she could have eaten something that would cause her sudden death? Was she outside of the cage and could have injested something possibly? Whatever, the case this is very sad and tragic and I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[dohl]

she hasnt left the cage

she was pretty new i had her about a month

cricket diet, i feed the crickets supplements but they had just molted so i think she may have eatin a cricket with extra "shed"

im pretty sure she is dead now there seems to be no response or sign of life

im pretty bummed about it

 

[jmdavis]

Fill this out... Very sorry to hear of your loss


Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
* Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
* Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
* Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
* Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
* Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
* History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.


Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
* Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
* Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
* Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
* Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
* Location - Where are you geographically located?


Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

 

[carol5208]

Oh that is so sad. It might help if you fill out this form so we can maybe see if your husbandry was ok. Not saying that you did anything wrong at all. Did you have any substrate in the cage bottom that she could have injested?

https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

 

[Cainschams]

What a bummer Was the animal WC?

 

[dohl]

flapneck , female, unsure of age assuming it was younger, it was about 5 inches including tail. it has been in my care for a little over a month.

she was rarely handled

fed crickets, constant supply available in the cage. crickets fed on flukers calcium fortifed supplement (some crickets molted and had some "extra" exoskeloten left on them" i tried to remove them all from the cage but they have many hiding spots and i know some eluded capture)

i have a decorative waterfall i bought a walmart for 15 bucks. i have seen her drink from this often so i know it works also i mist the enclosure twice daily to increase humidity lvls. my water source is city water but i let the water sit for a day before i use it to minimize chlorine content

fecal was yellow/white. the last one was mosty white and stuck to her almost like she gave up half way through the proccess.

CAGE info

it is a homeade screened cage made from 2x4's and plywood 2' deep, 4' high, 3' wide
the screen is nylon petsafe screen and one side is aluminum screen

150 watt sunglo daylight spot i turn on at about 7 in morn till 9 or 10 at night,( the night before death light was left on all night!)

temp where she spent most time in the cage is 85/86 when light is on night temp 65/70

im not sure humidity lvls but i mist often and alot soaking the substrate on the floor which is reptile safe bark and decorative moss also there is a live plant that i keep the soil moist constantly a fake plant (plastic) that i soak heavily

the real plant is some sort of minurature palm almost like a tiny majesty palm im not sure the official name

the cage sits on a stand 2 feet off the ground top of cage is 6 feet off of ground
its not directly by any vents or fans

i live in western pennsylvania its currently winter here and 20 degrees outside very dry air which is why i mist the cage so often.

 

[carol5208]

Gosh, I hate to say this and this is just a guess, but she could have possibly injested the bark while shooting for a cricket or the moss. There was a member on here whos cham choked from getting moss stuck in its throat. For her to die so suddenly, i mean this could be a possibility. If you get another cham remove the bark and leave the cage floor bare! no moss either as it can be injested also! Lastly, a waterfall is a thing of beauty of they are breeding grounds for bacteria, especially if your cham poops in it and drinks out of it before it is cleaned. These are just my suggestions for you for the future. Again, sorry for the loss of your cham. Also 12 on and 12 off for the lights and go with 10 on 10 off when time changes to simulate the outdoors. Do not know much about your lighting so will not comment on that. Is it a uvb light?

 

[dohl]

i suppose that could have happened she didnt get close to the bark she never really went to the bottom of the cage but i suppose it could have happend.

as for the light it is a sunglo basking spot lamp thats all the box says so im not sure what spectrum it emits

i am going to revamp my cage setup before getting another cham

installing new lighting setup, some sort of rain system and doing away with the ground cover substrate. i will try and post a before and after pic

it may be a while before i can afford another cham but i will be getting one

thanks for all your support/help i am greatful

 

[Cainschams]

Another possibility besides impaction would be bacteria or mold/fungus problem from overly wet conditions. It sounds like it was constantly wet in the enclosure which isnt good.

 

[carol5208]

I don't know anything about flapnecks but i am sure there is someone on here who does! I do, however, know all chams need uvb. Most of us use the Zoomed brand Reptisun 5.0 tube lighting for uvb source. So if you are going to make changes you might want to invest in one of those lights also. We all have super good luck with these lights, no problems whatsoever. Good luck to you and I hope to see you around on the forums again in the future! You should check the classifieds on here, sometimes there are people who need to sell their chams for whatever reason and are willing to sell them at a decent price.

 

[Elizadolots]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[Stanly]

First off, truly sorry for your loss :-(
I'm new to chameleon myself some have made some suggestions of things it might have been/ could use changing before your next cham which sound reasonable.

My biggest suggestion would be research before you buy (these forums are a great place to start) and remember different species need different care so make sure and research the species you intend to keep.

 

[donnak0125]

The poop being only white/yellow and not any brown in it dosen't sound normal either. I'm sorry about what happened to your baby. I thought for sure mine was dead once due to choking/lack of oxygen, but she roused (to my surprise) after a few minutes. It felt like an eternity. She was white, lying on her side, utterly motionless in my hand, until she finally came around.

 

[gaxmode]

I believe a sunglo is just a red tinged heat lamp. Get rid of that and get yourself a 60 Watt household incandescent .. also no crickets should be left in the cage at night as they can bite your cham and cause an infection. Sorry for your loss