Vet Visit?

[andrearamirezo91]

Hello cham lovers

I was reading through the posts and I noticed a lot of people mention that they take their chameleon in for a vet visit when they first purchase it. I've had mine for a little over a month now and did not think a vet visit was necessary (unless he gets sick of course) until I joined this forum.

He seems healthy and is very active, but is this something that should be done when you first buy a chameleon?

 

[Pjtbug]

Oh, I was wondering the exact same thing, keep me posted!

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. I would recommending finding a vet with some Chamaeleon experience and going in for a check up. Take along a fresh poop and have a fecal done because Chameleons often get parasites from the feeder that they eat.. It’s always nice to have a good vet and to build a relationship so when you have a serious problem you will have someone that you know and trust to help you. Where do you live? I might be able to recommend a good vet.

 

[andrearamirezo91]

Welcome to the forums. I would recommending finding a vet with some Chamaeleon experience and going in for a check up. Take along a fresh poop and have a fecal done because Chameleons often get parasites from the feeder that they eat.. It’s always nice to have a good vet and to build a relationship so when you have a serious problem you will have someone that you know and trust to help you. Where do you live? I might be able to recommend a good vet.

Thank you! I live in south Florida near the Fort Lauderdale area. If you know someone I would greatly appreciate it!

 

[JacksJill]

I think it is a good idea to have a vet handy. Finding a good reptile vet isn't always easy at the last minute.
I also think it is a good idea to get a fecal run a 2-3 weeks after you bring a chameleon home. The stress of a new home may raise their parasite levels and give you the best opportunity to find out what they have and get it treated. It is always a good idea to have any new chams you add to be tested so you don't introduce anything to your collection.
If you do decide to go be sure to take a fresh poop sample with you. You can get one on the day before and keep it refrigerated in a plastic bag* to take with you. Label the plastic bag so no one throws out or eats the raisin by mistake.

 

[jannb]

I use Dr. Mader in the Keys. He is awesome. If you ever have anything serious then he’s your man. For check ups and fecals Dr. Strauss in Weston has been seeing chameleons for years. Here’s a list of other FL reptile vets.
http://thereptilereport.com/florida-reptile-veterinary-directory/

 

[andrearamirezo91]

I think it is a good idea to have a vet handy. Finding a good reptile vet isn't always easy at the last minute.
I also think it is a good idea to get a fecal run a 2-3 weeks after you bring a chameleon home. The stress of a new home may raise their parasite levels and give you the best opportunity to find out what they have and get it treated. It is always a good idea to have any new chams you add to be tested so you don't introduce anything to your collection.
If you do decide to go be sure to take a fresh poop sample with you. You can get one on the day before and keep it refrigerated in a plastic bag* to take with you. Label the plastic bag so no one throws out or eats the raisin by mistake.

My mom wasn't very happy when I came home with a bag full of crickets the first time. To make it worse, I accidentally dropped the bag when trying to put them in the cricket cage/box thingy and they went everywhere! She woke me up one night extremely angry and made me hunt down the cricket that wouldn't let her sleep.

A week later, I'm in my room and I hear a huge scream in the kitchen. I run over thinking something terrible had happened and find my mom in full panic mode, covered in dust, with worms all over the floor. She found the worm container and opened it to see what was inside without reading the container first, and to her surprise instead of finding food she found a bunch of live worms squirming around!

The raisin in the fridge would be the icing on the cake.. I just laughed hysterically. Poor momma bear

 

[andrearamirezo91]

I use Dr. Mader in the Keys. He is awesome. If you ever have anything serious then he’s your man. For check ups and fecals Dr. Strauss in Weston has been seeing chameleons for years. Here’s a list of other FL reptile vets.
http://thereptilereport.com/florida-reptile-veterinary-directory/

That's awesome!! I actually live in Weston Gonna give him a call and schedule an appointment. Thank you soooo much

 

[JacksJill]

There are some other things to take with you for your vet visit. Take pictures of your setup and all the info that goes into the how to ask for help form because any reptile vet worth his/her fee is going to ask you about husbandry and you will want to have the answers handy.

 

[jamest0o0]

A check up wouldn't hurt. I usually just do the fecal exams though. Panthers seem to handle it better than some other species like montanes. I wouldn't take my Parsons in unless I was certain of a problem.

 

[andrearamirezo91]

@JacksJill where do I find that form? Also, is your name Jill? I've been calling you Jack this whole time and I just realized it says on your profile that you're a female


@jamest0o0 I loooove your Parsons! I didn't even know they existed till not long ago and the more I look at them the more I fall in love with them. They remind me of a dinosaur... a really cute looking one lol. And I did order the fecal exam too. The lady that helped me recommended I take him in at least once a year to get checked up.

 

[JacksJill]

Happens all the time. Jack is for Jackson's. No worries.
The form https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

 

[jannb]

There are some other things to take with you for your vet visit. Take pictures of your setup and all the info that goes into the how to ask for help form because any reptile vet worth his/her fee is going to ask you about husbandry and you will want to have the answers handy.

IMO parsons need vet visits more than any other species. Around age 3 they start having problems and it’s best to have a good vet that knows their history. All three of my parsons loved going to the vet. They loved all the attention from the vets and all the girls that worked there. They were never stress one bit.

 

[andrearamirezo91]

I use Dr. Mader in the Keys. He is awesome. If you ever have anything serious then he’s your man. For check ups and fecals Dr. Strauss in Weston has been seeing chameleons for years. Here’s a list of other FL reptile vets.
http://thereptilereport.com/florida-reptile-veterinary-directory/

Just an update, I took my little boy to Dr. Strauss and he was amazing. Thank you so much for the referral. He told me my boy looks great and super healthy. He asked me all types of questions and congratulated me on doing all of my homework so that made me feel really good! All he said ia that I really need a thermometer/hydrometer so I’m dropping my boy off right now and heading to the pet store. Poop was parasite free as well! It’s nice to know all the hard work and research and endless questions on this forum are paying off. Thank you to everyone that has helped and answered all of my questions