Urgent please help!!!!!

B

belliott454

New Member
I bought my panther chameleon about a month ago from a breeder and they claimed he was 2 months old when I got him, almost 3. He was doing great up until last week. He hasn’t been eating and he is sleeping most of the day. He is very small so I began to wonder about his age. Once I looked into it more I was thinking his lights were too strong for his age and could be messing with his eyes. I have a 60w basking dome and a 24w uvb strip. I got the basking light and bulb from petco and I ordered the the uvb from reptile basics. I have been feeding him crickets since I got him and waxworms once. When it’s warm and sunny outside I take him out and he seems to like it a lot and is much more active. The only time I handle him is to get him out of his enclosure for either crickets or to go outside and he has never seemed to mind it. I am taking him to the vet monday but i’m afraid if he doesn’t eat soon he won’t make it until then. I’ve been trying to give him a supplement called repti boost. He takes some but not a lot. I dust his food in calcium powder 3x a week and calcium wit D3 once a week. His enclosure is 16x16x24 with a pothos and croton plant inside along with bamboo. I hand mist his cage about 5 times a day for about a minute. His lights go off at 9pm and back on at 9am. I can upload pictures if that would help.
 
He should only get the D3 every 2 weeks not weekly. Skip a couple doses and move his lights up higher 4-6 inches if you think they are to strong and see if he improves. I would stop the reptiboost for now and just keep him drinking until the excess D3 is out of his system.
 
1589654299170.jpeg

This is his enclosure
 
Your cage doesn't look bad. What size is it? answers to these questions below will help also

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.
 
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon – male ambilobe born 2/4/20 according to breeder cbreptile. I received him 4/2/20 and was astonished at how small he was/is. We expected something bigger than a child size pinkie finger

Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? To feed crickets or carry outside. In both cases he is in a smaller cage like to go to vet in with a branch and vines

  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Mostly crickets 1/8-1/4 in twice daily, sometimes more often depending on how much he eats (usually no more than 3 at a time) and the occasional waxworm. Crickets currently have complete cricket diet cubes and also kale, spinach, and oranges
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Repashy superfoods calcium plus 3x week, repti-calcium d3 1x week and a liquid supplement called repta boost nightly
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? Hand misting about 4-5 times a day for about 30 seconds. Only see him drink occasionally
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? Mostly white with a few dark specks/streaks. No parasite testing that I know. He has 1st vet appt on Monday
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. He came from cbreptile. I do not believe he is as old as they claim.
Cage Info:


  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? screen repti breeze 16x16x30
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? Arcadia 24w d3 T5 6% uvb Exo Terra daytime heat lamp 60W 9a-9p
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Currently Floor 68, basking 85, around 71 at night with digital thermometer
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Currently 51%, hand misting, Digital with thermometer use app to my phone
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? Live pothos, bamboo, and croton. Also branches and some fake vines too
  • 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? In a bedroom, no fans, vents, or high traffic. Top about 60 in from the floor
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? Nashville TN area

Current Problem Starting several days ago he is barely eating and sleeps/keep eyes closed for long periods during the day. Very lethargic.
 
So you have him for month and a half.. i think it can’t be your husbandry
Is there any stuff like poison close to your aerea, did you recently added a plants, did you wash the plant and is there any perlite in the soil (the white fluffy stuff inside the soil to help drainage) ?
 
2 mos finger sized is not unusually small. I would expect him to eat 6-12 1/8 sized feeders twice a day. Your supplement schedule seems off. I would not give D3 more often then every 2 weeks and is the repashy just plain calciom or does it have more and I am unfamiliar with the liquid you are using on top of everything else. Typically plain phos free calcium is given daily Calcium D3 every 2 weeks and a multivitamin every 2 weeks.
 
Can we really oversup in 10 weeks? im curious I convince myself the problem might be something else.. anyway ;) belliott454, post us update after your vet visit! its mandatory anyway in your specific case! Good luck! :)
 
RyanBRZ said:
@belliott454, they make that same calcium with no D3, it's what I use. And I'd also get the Repashy Calcium plus LoD.

View attachment 266693
Click to expand...

You know I think the world has an agenda with that crap!

I have 2 pet stores locally a small mom and pop, and "Petsense" and ofc Walmart.

I needed some Calcium couple weeks ago. Not one of those stores sells the non D3 version. Of any calcium. They all carry that Repticalcium but its only with D3, then they had oddball stuff, that each only had, spray calcium and such, always with D3.

I asked Petsense you have none with no D3. And the employee told me, "Why no D3, I dust all my feeders with D3 everyday its perfectly fine" I told her it wasn't and she looked at me like I was stupid.....
 
cyberlocc said:
You know I think the world has an agenda with that crap!

I have 2 pet stores locally a small mom and pop, and "Petsense" and ofc Walmart.

I needed some Calcium couple weeks ago. Not one of those stores sells the non D3 version. Of any calcium. They all carry that Repticalcium but its only with D3, then they had oddball stuff, that each only had, spray calcium and such, always with D3.

I asked Petsense you have none with no D3. And the employee told me, "Why no D3, I dust all my feeders with D3 everyday its perfectly fine" I told her it wasn't and she looked at me like I was stupid.....
Click to expand...
I have the same happening to me, they’ll point me to the flukers dried cricket diet, for bearded dragon, tell me that stuff is great. They also look at me like I’m dumb
 
Pedialite is not made for eyes.

You said..."Mostly white with a few dark specks/streaks"... There should be a white part (rates/urine) and a bigger brown part. If there no brown part then I'd be concerned he could be impacted.

How do you feed him? Do you let the insects loose in the cage or feed him from a cup or buy hand?

How were you giving him the reptiboost?

Also, please attach some recent photos of your chameleon.

Please don't use spinach to gutload with. It binds calcium. I use dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, mustard greens, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, sweet potato and a very little bit of fruit such as berries, mango, papaya, melon, apple, pears, etc.

I think supplements have already been talked about....but for watering...misting longer at each session should help stimulate drinking. You could also use a dripper that drips at the rate of one or two drips per second.
 
Last edited:
I would feed him in a separate container so he could hunt the crickets. I was giving him the reptiboost through a syringe. He took it about 4-5 times.
 
Were you always giving it the reptiboost?

He looks very shiny..have you been spraying something besides water on him?
 
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