Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys, after a two hour wait at the vet, I got everything straigtned out. He figured the tognue problem due to calcium, so gave me some good supplements along with a good anti biotic just in case. He also gave him an injection of something, I forgot. Poor Houdini was so freaked out with all the dogs and new people, on top of a 15 minute care drive. In the pics below he is comin out of the box in the pets office and notice on the other where they gave the injection, totally normal, but really cool how the skin cells reacted.

and please don't be too offended but your cham looks terrible. His eyes and casque are terribly sunken showing serious signs of dehydration, you can see his spine, his ribs he is very skinny. If your vet just gave you antibiotics and some supplements then sent you on your way you may want to rethink that vet.

Can you tell us what he gave you specifically and what your instructions are? I am not trying to second guess the vet, but your cham is going to need some serious care and attention. As it is, he likely has other internal problems that have not surfaced yet.

I would suggest giving him daily showers of warm water for 20-30 minutes each time. Dehydration can compromise his kidneys and other organs where all the supplementing in the world won't help if his body cannot use it.

I am trying really hard not to be really upset here - well, I am upset I am trying to keep my cool in my writing. I guess I just don't understand how he could get this bad without you noticing or doing anything sooner. I am glad to see you brought him to the vet now, as many people would not bother at all. So it is clear that you care and want this guy to be OK. Just curious - what are the dimensions of the cage? You said 36 gallon but that means nothing to me. Can you post a pic of his setup? Maybe we can give you some ideas on changing things around. Although you say you saw him drink from his little bubbler bowl it is all too clear that he is not drinking, not getting enough or his kidneys may already be too far gone. I am not saying this to be mean but to help you know how serious this is. I do hope you let us help you the best that we can to ge this guy back on his little padded feet.

He'll be in my thoughts...

lele
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Chameleon Help & Resource Info

0.1 Veiled Chameleon - Luna. She's now hanging from her big jungle gym in the sky
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Lita
0.1 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.1 Mad. Hissers and she is on the loose!
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha
?.? Pinktoe Tarantula - no name yet

But, don;t freak out over what Lele said. You are a begginner, so you have to expect begginner results. Just make sure you read ALOT. Books and books and books. And if you don't have time to read all the books, then it might be a good idea to go with an easier pet, cause chameleons require alot of time, devotion, and attention. Just stick with it, and give it your "all" and the results you are looking for will come soon enough. But I would take what Lele said about rethinking the vet into serious consideration. If all he did was give you supplements and a shot and what not, then in my opinion, he is not a chameleon vet. Chameleons go from very healthy to very sickly in almost no time at all. He should have done cultures, and fecal tests, to make sure it is nothing besdides the improper husbandry procedures(if this is the case). It saddens me when a begginner hobbiest is doing everything possible, and the chameleon has a parasite or URI and dies of it. It also saddens me when a begginner hobbiest is burned by being sold a sick chameleon from the start. I used to read everything, but then not always follow it. I used to do what I thought was best despite what I read. I didn't change my ways for a few months. Follow what you read. Not to say that you aren't doing this, but it is just my experience. Have a good night.

Ank-Inc.
Adam.

Adam - I understand how you were trying to tone things down, but if you read his original post you will see he has had this chameleon for a few years, so I still stand by everything I said in my reply. If he had just gotten this animal from a pet store and was trying to bring it into good health that would be one thing. But being in someone's care for a few years there is no reason that this cham should look as he does. Yes, it is true that chams are very good at hiding symptoms, but even to a novice this cham does not look healthy.
original post

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Chameleon Help & Resource Info

0.1 Veiled Chameleon - Luna. She's now hanging from her big jungle gym in the sky
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Lita
0.1 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.1 Mad. Hissers and she is on the loose!
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha
?.? Pinktoe Tarantula - no name yet