Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My senegal chameleon suddenly died the other day, less than 2 days after I moved her to a new cage. Up to the morning she died, there was no signs of anything wrong. Aside from learning the hard way about choosing one of the most difficult cham species to keep, any suggestions on what might have killed her? I moved her to a 24x24x36" screen cage with 2 live plants. Only thing I can think of is I didn't fully wash them, and whatever Home Depot might spray on them affected her. The cage had/has a 24" uv fluorscent fixture as well as a spot heat light. I misted 2-3 times daily, and have a dripper set up as well. Highest temp spot was about 92, down to much cooler towards the bottome, and I used a red night/heat light for warmth at night.

Again, any ideas would be appreciated as I've definitely been taken by chameleons & am planning on getting a panther soon!

Thanks,

Howie
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1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Digger)
1.1.0 Golden Geckos (Tzeitel & Chavelah)
1.1.0 Tokay Geckos
1.2.0 Leopard Geckos (Jack, Janet & Chrissy)
0.1.0 Senegal Chameleon

Sorry to hear you lost your chameleon. Its not easy to lose a pet.

I don't think that moving her from one cage to the other would have killed her in just two days if the temperatures were what you said they were. If you had taken her body for an autopsy you might have found out what she died from.

How old was she?

You said..."Only thing I can think of is I didn't fully wash them, and whatever Home Depot might spray on them affected her"...maybe it could have, but maybe not too.

You said..."I used a red night/heat light for warmth at night"...unless your room temperature dropped below 60 or even slightly less, you wouldn't need a source of heat at night. This will also apply to a panther chameleon if/when you get one.

Thanks for the reply/info. I had the red/heat light on at night since the temps here dropped into the 30's-40's outside, low 60's inside. I just thought I'd be safe rather than sorry.

It's not going to be possible to take the body for a necropsy, it's already been too long & I didn't put it in the freezer. I'm also not sure how old it was, I got it at a show, and it was a recent import (ie. wild caught) for them. I'm definitely going to get a panther though, I'll spend the money & go with a reputable breeder!

Thanks again,

Howie
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1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Digger)
1.1.0 Golden Geckos (Tzeitel & Chavelah)
1.1.0 Tokay Geckos
1.2.0 Leopard Geckos (Jack, Janet & Chrissy)

I forgot to ask you how long you had the chameleon?

I know you said you misted the chameleon, but did it drink well? With Senegal's you really need to persist until they drink well.

Recently imported Senegal's either seem to do very well in captivity right from the get-go or they crash, in my experience.

I'm sure you will have better luck with the panther when you get it. I would recommend that you get a male and that its at least 4 months old when you get it.

I'm sure this was more related to a pre-existing problem that finally showed up. Chams can hide their troubles for quite a long time before "giving up". Without a necropsy you'll just never know, and if you plan to keep chams again you really should consider putting some $ aside for this in case you lose one. It could save your other animals. About the night heat...unless your house goes below 55 F at night you really don't need a heat spot on the cage. Even if you decide you must have some heat on it, you can't use anything that emits any visible light. Chams have full color vision and even the night heat lights will keep them awake or keep their metabolism from dropping enough for rest. Low 60s at night is fine as long as the cham can bask well each morning.

The cost of a necropsy isn't the issue, I just wasn't able to ice the body soon enough. I do plan on getting more/another chameleon, so thanks for the additional information. I've rewashed the plants (a couple of times) and am continuing to mist them even with no animal in the cage, just to make sure there's no contaminants on them whenever I get a new arrival!

Howie
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1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Digger)
1.1.0 Golden Geckos (Tzeitel & Chavelah)
1.1.0 Tokay Geckos
1.2.0 Leopard Geckos (Jack, Janet & Chrissy)