Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a full grown male veiled chameleon. I've been keeping him outside in the warm weather. I make sure he gets water every day and I mist his cage and his food. However this morning he has been acting very sick.

When I saw him he was lying on the bottom of his cage with his eyes shut. Hes never done this before and I knew it wasn't a good sign. I took him inside and put him in some shade. So I misted him and gave him some water, which he did drink. He opened his eyes and began walking around.

However then he gurgled up the water I had just given him! His coloration was not very good. He seemed kind of pale looking.

I left him alone and watched him for a while. Next he climbed up onto a branch, where he is currently laying. He has shut his eyes again. Every once in a while he will open his mouth and kind of hiss.

I am VERY worried about this chameleon and I am unsure what to do. I am going to take him to a vet as soon as I can but right now I don't have any means of getting there.

What should I do?? Please help.

if you dont have a car - call a cab if possible. They will take you to the vet and your chances of saving your friend will be greater.

Has he taken any food? have maybe a silkworm to sit near him?

He has two bowls of cut up greens below him. My transport will be here soon and I will take him to vet as fast as I can. I just need to keep him alive and well until I can.

Good news!! I moved him into some light a bit ago. He is still lying on the branch but he has opened his eyes and is looking around.

His coloration is very dark. I'm going to try misting him and getting him to eat.

try some live food if you can. SOmetimes the twitching and movement will stimulate a feeding response.

Just to let everyone know he is doing much better now. After he opened his eyes and rested a while he started climbing around and eating again. I am going to purchase a dripper so that he can drink whenever he needs to and doesn't need me to water him.

Hi-

I am not sure where you are, but I am in SoCal, and the last week or so it has been HOT like in the 90's in partial shade, near the cost. I have an automatic mister that turns on 4 times per day every day for 30 min. at a time. Keeping the humidity up is hard with the high temps and dehydration can set in. If you don't have a misting system, I highly recommend them. You need to provide a constant drip all day long if you are misting once or twice a day and make sure the chameleon has access to both shade and sun all day.

So bottom line sounds like he is overheated and dehydrated and is acting lethargic. Any feces today? If so what color is the urate? He is now indoors correct, is there a light on over his cage (NO HEAT), if so he should not be sleeping. I would try to get water in him, a vet will be able to inject an IV solution if you cant get water in him. When he opens his mouth sound like he is gapping form being to hot and trying to cool down, Hope this helps!
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John @ Chameleon Paradise
1.1 Ambilobe Panthers
1.1 Nosy Be Panthers
1.1 Sambava Panthers
1.2 Rhampholeon uluguruensis

This sounds like your chameleon might have a respiratory infection or has aspirated on the water he spit back up. I would do as Iso said, take it to the vet ASAP.

Eathen-

I have to disagree with you on one point, that is a URI. If he has a URI, there would be allot more early signs, and the chameleon would not be on the bottom of the cage, he would be basking all the time among other things. The aspiration happens when you force to much water to fast with out giving the chameleon time to swallow, so yes that probably is what happened there.

I don't see a need for a vet, unless you notice allot of mucus in the mouth area, he basks all the time, doesn't eat, gapes allot (not once in a while when he get hot), and sleeps during the day for long periods of time. That being said there are some of the same signs with dehydration and over heating. Chameleons rarely sit on the bottom of there cage, and when they do, it is the coolest part in the cage if the cage is set up correctly to allow the chameleon to thermo regulate.

Anyone can pull info off the net or out of books, to match up with the problem signs. I have been reading some of your replies to people having problems with there chameleons, and I am concerned with some of your replies. You seem to always post the worst possible problem to make your self sound good. I only post first hand experience that match up with all the signs given. Also to give better advice you need more info then "Any Idea what would cause swollen joints?". I have not given my reply to that yet because the person posting is has not replied to my questions first. My first thought on that post was MBD, but I will not say anything until I know more. I think you should do the same when you are giving advise, no one wants bad advise, and only a qualified vet has the last word, which we are not. Don't take this the wrong way, but better I say something now then let the owners freak out over things they don't need to! Hope this helps!
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John @ Chameleon Paradise
1.1 Ambilobe Panthers
1.1 Nosy Be Panthers
1.1 Sambava Panthers
1.2 Rhampholeon uluguruensis

nah - Id say see if the guy will eat in the next couple of days and see if he drinks. make sure to limit your time touching him..avoid it if possible. Make sure his tank is "perfect"

maybe he was upset or something? How do his eyes look? anything other than his behavior seem abnormal?

If he keeps being lathargic for a week...I'd say take him in - if he stops drinking - there are things you can do as well. If he wont take food - - Ive seen posts for that too. but in the meantime - just look around - search the forums and see if an answer or similiar occurance happened.

Im very happy he is looking better. I know if mine had been doing that I would have panicked! maybe after a good nights sleep he'll be back to his old self.