Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My nephew just called and he thinks he has a very sick chameleon. He got this lizard as a tiny baby April 13th. He said it seemed to be fine but when they got home tonight the temp in the cage was about 97 degrees and it was very pale in color. It is keeping it's eyes shut and is breathing very slow. He took it out of the cage to get it some air and they are calling vet's as I write this. he doesn't have internet so I am trying to get any info I can for him. If you can give us any suggestions to help until he can get it to a vet it would be soooo appreciated!!!! Thanks in advance!!!

There are a few more details that will be needed before anyone can offer you any advice:

what type of chameleon does your nephew have?
What type of enclosure is it kept in?
what has it been eating?
Is he or she well hydrated? Drinking water, as well as being misted.
Is the humidity of the enclosure known?
Is the cham breathing with his mouth open?
Are there any crackling or popping sounds when it breaths?
Any joint or limb swelling?

My experience with my cham (although mine is over 2 years old, rather than a few months old) was getting water into him made a big difference. Dehydration can cause multiple problems.

Calling the vet is probably the best starting point, as he can give a hands on diagnosis (hopefully) rather than anyone on here guessing at it.

Good luck to your nephew and his little cham! Everyone will be rooting for him. So let us know how he does!
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Kim

He has a veiled chameleon. He keeps it in an aquarium and his dad said he misted it just this morning. It eats pin head crickets and up till today was eating fine. He said it seems to be a little bloated. They are going to use an eye dropper to get some water into the little guy. He said it was too small to hear any crackling during breathing but it isn't breathing out of it's mouth.

where to begin....the first point is...I am a NOVICE cham keeper....and any thing I'm about to tell you is what I have been told here, by more experienced keepers.
And some of the things that I've learned by experience with my own chameleon.

He COULD have a respiratory infection...and being kept in an aquarium is the perfect catalyst to that.
Stagnant air and enviorment will be a breeding ground for bacteria.
Chameleons should be kept in an enclosure with at least three screen sides.
They should be misted at least two times per day, preferably three, with hot water...spraying the mist AROUND the cham, not directly AT him.
The general consenses is that they should be misted for 10 to 15 minutes each time.
But being kept in an aquarium, that wouldn't likely be possible as it would flood him out.

If his belly is what appears to be bloated, it could just be him puffing up due to stress, or if he is "sun fishing" or flattening himself out under his basking light to warm up.

Ohhh...I didn't ask that....does he have a basking area, and a UV source as well?
Does he recieve calcium supplements with his crickets?

The pale colour could simply be that he was too hot...the colours will lighten as to not absorb heat as much. When they are trying to warm up, you will notice that the colours darken.

Is the cham on the bottom of the aquarium? Or is he still holding onto his branches/plants up near the top?

For TONS of great advice...look down the forum, and you'll see lots of posts by "charm_paradise".
He has a web site, and the banner is always at the bottom of his posts.
Check out his site...it's GREAT, and filled with LOADS of info on how to properly house and care for chameleons.
He's always VERY helpful as well.

Kim
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Kim

I called my nephew and gave him all the info you just gave me. Thank you so much for your quick response. These forums and people like you are such a comfort when a pet is in trouble and you need advice to help until you can get to a vet. Thanks again!!!

I hope it all turns out just fine!

Just keep in mind, that I'm nowhere near an expert at this! And I rely heavily on the advice given to me by the others on here...so they really are the ones that deserve the thanks...far more than me.

But...kind words are ALWAYS appreciated.

I do hope you let us know how your nephews little fellow makes out too.
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Kim

If he is a tiny baby, the odds that it is a calcium problem are pretty slim, as it usually takes a little while for those symptoms to develop, and it usually is not like what you describe. A resp infection is also probably not the cause. The temp was 97 degrees, that is too high for a tiny little thing like a baby veild. Also, it would explain how he was doing fine in the morning, then all of a sudden is sick, really high temps will bring upon a sudden decline in condition. they are probably not going to get a resp. infection so quickly in a tank, I had raised all my babies in 20 gallon plastic tubs with no side ventilation. It is more possible in a tank than in a screen, but I doubt that's what happened. Sounds like overheating to me.
Eric A
Oh an dBE CAREFUL with the water! you can eaisly give it too much with a dropper, so be very careful.