Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a veiled chameleon, and "he's" around 10 months to a year old. I and another amateur herper figured him to be a him from the "spurs" on his back ankles. Now, however, his casque is not nearly as long as most males that I see. Probably a full inch in length. And recently, he has started digging in the dirt along the edges of the cage and rubbing his head back and forth against the vines in the cage. He is not in a shed from what I see.

Now, he's looking really bad. He's stopped eating and as of last night, I noticed his casque is sunken in! It looks like someone has popped it with a pin and it is deflated. He has a running water fountain that I see him drink out of. I've increased humidity in his 40 gallon tall screen sided Oceanic Chameleon tank.

I'm definitely taking him to the vet, but I don't know how experienced the exotics vet is with chameleons, so I wanted some other opinions before I go to gauge his on...

Sounds like he's quite dehydrated. The casque can be a indicator of fluid balance and the rubbing etc. also sounds like his skin is itchy or being irritated by dry air. This time of year when we heat our houses the air can get really dry. Do you have a humidity gauge in the cage? If it is a simple stick on one from a pet shop get rid of it. They are very inaccurate. Dehydrated chams stop eating too. Another way to check for dehydration is to take a fold of skin from his side or belly between thumb and fingers and gently pinch it. Release the skin. If it stays folded for a couple of moments it is called "tenting" and a sure sign of dehydration. The skin should flatten out quickly. Measure your cage humidity...I bet it will surprise you. Don't trust that he's drinking enough out of a fountain. Fountains don't raise the air humidity in a cage much at all either and are a pain to maintain. An ultrasonic humidifier, more live plants, and lots of spraying will help.