Too skinny?
- Thread starter Mxstical
- Start date
Mxstical
Member
Im just really really worried about him. Honestly Im scared, Should I feed him more?
Mxstical
Member
Should I even give him bigger dubia roaches? I give him medium ones right now. How many large ones should I give him and how many times a week if this is his weight.
janjan20
Chameleon Enthusiast
Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.
Chameleon Info:
Cage Info:
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
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Please Note:
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.
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Please Note:
- The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
- Photos can be very helpful.
janjan20
Chameleon Enthusiast
Hi! I have posted the help form, please take the time to fill it out. Your little guy is looking awfully skinny and as stated above could be due to parasites or husbandry.
Edit: just copy and paste then fill in the info
Mxstical
Member
- Chameleon Info:
- Your Chameleon - Panther chameleon, Ive had Kraken for a year or two. And male.
- Handling - Once or twice a week, I don't wanna stress him out.
- Feeding - I feed my chameleon Dubia Roaches, and super worms. I gutload his food at moments.
- Supplements - I use D3 and not D3 in his protein powder. I use repticalcium and rep-cal vitamin.
- Watering - I mist two time a day with a normal mister and keep his little dripper on at most times.
- Fecal Description - No, he has never been tested for parasites. And his fecal looks normal.
- History - Nope.
Cage Info:- Cage Type - Screen cage, and not large but, kind of large,
- Lighting - Well, I wake up at 8:00 AM for school and leave his lights on for the whole day and then, after I come home from school, I take a nap and leave his lights off for an hour or two then put his lights back on and when I go to bed I turn his lights back off.
- Temperature - I measure the temps using a little sensor near his basking area.
- Humidity - His humidity I don't exactly know for sure, but, his cage is bright and my room is cold-ish, but kind of warm, IDK how to describe it.
- Plants - No.
- Placement - His cage is on a desk, and off the ground, somewhat near the ceiling.
- Location - I live in Virginia
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Im concerned about his weight, he seems just really skinny lately and I feed him with dubias, and super worms. Im worried about him.
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Please Note:- The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
- Photos can be very helpful.
AnamCara
Chameleon Enthusiast
- Chameleon Info:
- Your Chameleon - Panther chameleon, Ive had Kraken for a year or two. And male.
- Handling - Once or twice a week, I don't wanna stress him out.
- Feeding - I feed my chameleon Dubia Roaches, and super worms. I gutload his food at moments. At moments? What does at moments mean? What do you use to gutload? Specifics -- what foods / commercial gut loads?
- Supplements - I use D3 and not D3 in his protein powder. I use repticalcium and rep-cal vitamin. how often are you using these? What do you mean "in his protein powder?" How often are you using calcium with d3? How often are you using the vitamin? Does the vitamin supplement have d3 in it?
- Watering - I mist two time a day with a normal mister and keep his little dripper on at most times. Again -- what does "most times" mean? How long are you misting for when you mist? What times of the day? How are you misting -- by hand?
- Fecal Description - No, he has never been tested for parasites. And his fecal looks normal. Please describe what the poop looks like? I would take a fecal to the vet ASAP. If he is that skinny and is eating the same amount he always had it is very likely he has a parasite or some other issue -- especially if you are regularly buying feeders.
- History - Nope.
Cage Info:- Cage Type - Screen cage, and not large but, kind of large, What are the dimensions of the enclosure?
- Lighting - Well, I wake up at 8:00 AM for school and leave his lights on for the whole day and then, after I come home from school, I take a nap and leave his lights off for an hour or two then put his lights back on and when I go to bed I turn his lights back off. Yes, but what kind of light are you using?? Why are you turning it off, then on again during the day? I would not reccomend doing that. Does he have a basking spot? What are the temperatures in different spot of the cages? Does he have a linear UVB light, t5 or t8?
- Temperature - I measure the temps using a little sensor near his basking area. But what are the temperatures???
- Humidity - His humidity I don't exactly know for sure, but, his cage is bright and my room is cold-ish, but kind of warm, IDK how to describe it. Yo -- it is really important that you know what the climate conditions in your enclosure are. It is very likely that since you cannot provide the information that you do not know -- and that is pretty dangerous.
- Plants - No. ok.
- Placement - His cage is on a desk, and off the ground, somewhat near the ceiling. Is it by a window? Air vent? Ceiling Fan?
- Location - I live in Virginia
There are a million reasons why he could be skinny -- but I am going to guess it is because he has lacked some husbandry requirements. Chameleons are sensitive and if they start to go "downhill" then they are more susceptible to other issues -- much like a human with a dampened immune system.
Please post photos of your setup and please make a vet appointment asap.
Mxstical
Member
Okay. Thank you for helping me and the tips,
Ill use it.
Mxstical
Member
I am 16.
And you might think I am too young to care for a chameleon which is not true, I swear I am doing everything in my power for my chameleon to have the best life possible. Im going to do everything I can for him.
You need to answer the additional questions she asked you. This is serious. I would post additional images of him as well. Along with his cage lighting down. I feel that you have some husbandry issues that need immediate correction as well as the Vet visit.Okay. Thank you for helping me and the tips,
We have to work around their schedule. So turning off his lights so you can nap is a no no. Not gutloading is a no no. You have to make sure your providing everything he needs. Or he will die. And honestly he does not look good at all. Besides weight issues I am willing to bet he has some dehydration going on with the look of his tail.
Mxstical
Member
Okay got it, I will answer the questions, when I finish my school day I will.
Mxstical
Member
Im just stressing out to so muchhhh, like anxiety attack right now. Anything I can do for him right now?
AnamCara
Chameleon Enthusiast
I am 16.
I was not going to say that -- but if you are a dependent it is VERY important to get your parents involved in every step of this. Chameleons are VERY expensive to keep (notice how I didn't call them a pet?)
You likely need MANY changes in your husbandry which could cost hundreds of dollars. Your parents need to be on board with this -- otherwise, your chameleon will be the one that suffers.
Any changes made to your husbandry do NOT NEGATE THE NEED FOR A VET. You make an appointment for a vet today, at lunch if you can.
Mxstical
Member
By protein powder, I mean his calcium supplements, I use repti-calcium WITHOUT D3, and Repti-cal, with D3 in which I feed Repti-cal with D3 once and month and WITHOUT D3, every feeding.
AnamCara
Chameleon Enthusiast
Please -- just take the time to answer all the questions I highlighted in bold above. That will be more helpful than answering individual questions.
What you can do for him right now is focus on school. WHen you get home do not nap and turn off his lights. You fill out the rest of the info and as @AnamCara said you need to find a reptile vet and make him an appointment. You need to take a fresh fecal in. Just the stool not the urate. So they can test it. And you need to get your parents on board to pay the vet bill if you can not do so.
