Reptile & Amphibian Forums

drinking. i'm uping his showers to 2-3 times a week in hopes it will get better. i've always misted. he is also starting to seem unintrested in food. i'm constantly catching him sleeping during the day. could it be stress driving him over the edge? i recently added more fake plants in to provide him with more cover. maybe the enviroment change? he is not improving and it's making me lose hope more everyday. maybe a temp drop made it happen? they've still got their basking spots at 85-90, but it's been getting colder so the house is generally colder til landlord fixes heat. blah... thanks in advance....

Sleeping during the day is usually the first sign of a sick chameleon. Has he lost any weight, does he look lethargic? Are his eyes clear, no discharge from his eyes, mouth, no aparent injuries?
You mentioned he has a hot spot of about 85-90, but that the rest of the house is getting cold? How cold is cold? Is he exposed to any drafts? Perhaps increase his basking spot or put a towel/blanket around part of his cage to increase ambient temp?
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Victor Gomez
gomezvi@yahoo.com

Theres no visual weight loss, but he is getting lethargic. No discharge from eyes, but they are getting sunk in and he is sleeping so they are shut quite often. The rest of the house is at about 70 degrees or so (cold for me!). And their new uvb lights came in today so I can replace the old ones and maybe that'll help. I already put shirts up over the sides of their enclosures to try and keep it a good temp.

Sadly, as Victor mentioned, a napping chameleon is a declining chameleon. Amping up the heat is a good measure, but professional veterinary treatment may be the only way to reverse whatever is going on with your guy. It may just be a bacterial infection that can be readily cleared up with Baytril, but try to act quickly if you can. As most of us around this forum know, a sick chameleon can become a lost one very quickly. I know a herp vet visit can be expensive, it may cost $100 for an exam and an antibiotic (and maybe some fluids via an IV), but it could very well reverse what's ailing him.

Spiddy

well, i don't have the money for a vet, but if its the best i can do, i will do it. whats a vet bill usually like for a chameleon? anyone ever pay over 200?

Yes, I know vet bills can be pricey, but putting things in perspective, it's a cheap price to pay for peace of mind.
I'll tell you, if it turns out something that could be easily solved if caught early, you'll be kicking yourself if you let it fester into something really bad or fatal.
Best of luck with this!
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Victor Gomez
gomezvi@yahoo.com

could it be possible that my uvb was no good and causing him to be inactive? right when i put the new one in, he started drinking water off the mesh on his screen, and hasn't stop crawling around!

>>could it be possible that my uvb was no good and causing him to be inactive? right when i put the new one in, he started drinking water off the mesh on his screen, and hasn't stop crawling around!
Could be! Maybe your UVB bulb was defective, not putting out enough UV lighting. Just watch him, hopefully he won't make a turn for the worst.
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Victor Gomez
gomezvi@yahoo.com

Hey,

Well, chances are, the uvb bulb won't start working that quickly. The best thing for you to do, as others were saying, if to bring the little guy to the vet. I have had vet bills well over $400, but in your situation, I wouldn't imagine it going over $150. But, anything is possible.

In my opinion, there are probably one of two reasons that your cham is heading down hill. First, it might be an upper resportory infection. If it is this, you MIGHT possibly see bubbles in the throat of the cham when you open it's mouth. The other possiblility is parasites. To find out if he has this, the best way is to bring a fecal sample to the vet, for him to examine under a microscope. We here at "Ank-Inc" do our own fecal exams. However this is far too complicated to try when your a beginner. If it is not either of these, there is other possiblilities. For example, just one of your basic husbandry procedures might be a bit off, thus sickening your cham. Descibe in DETAIL everything about your cage, and setup. If it is not any of these things, I hate to be pessimistic, but in my opinion, you will not be able to save him. But this is not nesecarily true, just my personal opinion. Hope this helps a little bit. But do be sure to bring him to the vet asap.

Ank-Inc.
Adam.