OT: Beth, can you help me?

[drew_tt]

I remember you saying you were into the reptile hobby, so here goes
I have a baby veiled chameleon (now ~3") that I took in (someone was going to feed her to a snake when he noticed her spine had a bit of a curve to it)... anyways, Ive had her about 2 months now and on the weekend, she had a bit of a limp to her back foot... she looked fine and healthy other than taht... this morning her foot was fine again, and she was sleeping when I left... I got home and she is really skinny (no traces of diarrhea), no residue near eyes or nose, and very listless... she obviously hasnt eaten all day and doesnt have much strength left... its really sad to see her this way
in a few minutes Im running out to find some JumpStart... I will feed her some tonight... pick up some gatorade too, try and get her to eat some pinheads if she can... Ill also leave her UV light on all night... any other suggestions?
thank you
Drew :s

 

[beth]

Drew, I wish I could help you, but I keep pythons, not lizards, and there's a big difference. But, I do know this, maintaining good husbandry is just as important to reptiles as it is to fish.
You may need to up her feeding to whenever she wants to eat. I find that, unlike fish, reptiles only eat when they need to, thus a schedule of 1x a week, or every other day, may not be enough. Also, while reps do like heat, they require a gradient heat environment--a place where they can get the most heat that the species requires and a place where where they can cool off. While chameleons like basking areas of 90-100 degrees in nature, it may be too hot in a captive environment. Especially if you are using a heat rock [which I strongly discourage reptilists from using]. Heat rocks can cause contact burns and they do generate more heat when you're sitting on them. Don't count on a reptile to move off the rock when it gets too hot, because that is not always the case. What about water?
Here are a couple of websites that may help you out if you don't have them already:
http://directory.google.com/Top/Recr...ameleons/?il=1
http://www.animalarkshelter.org/cin/ Then click on Signs of Trouble on the Left.
Also, Grouperhead also keeps reps, so you may want to ask him to see if he can give you more help.

 

[drew_tt]

everything was perfect for her... 40 tall set up chameleon like, I did it all and read it all but must have missed some of the disease parts... when I fed her her tongue was not normal at all (I see many chameleons often)... and when she would eat she would close her eyes... she became even more skinny over the past 6 or so hours and just died a little while ago :'(
I dont know what Im going to do with it all... I am going to miss her though!
Drew :s
btw, what types of pythons do you keep? boas & garters and such I know, but I only have experience with balls & a carpet python...

 

[j21kickster]

I keep about 3 veiled chameleons and have luck breeding them- at that size they may accept different types of greens. Also the limping, and abnormal skeleton(spine) could be several things, at one point it could have been broken-also, chameleons need a calcium supplement (like corals) in order to grow strong bones, this could be a source of the spinal abnormality, it is best to use Rep Cal brand calcium with vitamin D3. You dust the food with it feed it to them right after. Providing a varied diet of insects (mealworms, waxworms, crickets) and different greens( lettuce, kale, carrots, okra,) and a little fruit will help keep them healthy. If it continues to get skinny it is most likley and internal parasite which is common in wild cought chameleons. A natural source of light is also deseriable b/c sunlight allows the syenthsis of vitamin D to add th the animals health. if kept by a window, make sure there is a place to retreat out of the sunlight. As far as water goes, they dont drink willingly from non moving water- have a dish with a small airstone in it to keep it moving this will attract attention to it.
So now with that in mind i need to ask you a few questions
Is it eating?
Is it drinking?
What have you been feeding it?
How is the cage setup?
let me know what you think or just email me and we can work from there.HTH

 

[j21kickster]

CRAP- i didnt see that it died- im sorry

 

[beth]

Drew, sorry that this happened. You could get another one, if you enjoy keeping them. I tell you what I do, which most people who keep reptiles don't do. I take my snakes [royal pythons] to a vet that specializes in herpetology 1x a yr for just a check up, and then, of course, if I suspect illness. There is too little known about keeping reptiles, and they can decline very rapidly without warning. They also carry parasites that we don't really even notice, but which can eat them alive in a captive environment. Yeah, it cost a little money, but if it were a dog or a cat, there would be no question about routine vet visits....reps are pets too.

 

[drew_tt]

yup I did it all... calcium dust, crickets/worms, veggies, UVB as always, heat, "dripper," etc... she was born with the curvature and that is why she was going to be "killed" so I took her in... she has been my only chameleon that I have ever kept (not reptile.) and would like another...
yes I planned on upgrading, but my tank was a 40 tall... plenty of room for months to come...
I had been looking into other chameleons... I would love a male jacksons or panther but it seems I would need too large of a tank for it...
next time I will BUY one in good condition (if I get another)... I always take in sick animals... I dont remember the last time I bought something in good health... it seems there are always animals that people do not want or will not care for and this is where I cave...
oh well
Drew

 

[beth]

Drew, let me suggest that you throw out any used bedding and disinfect everything else you plan to reuse. At this point, you don't know what killed this lizzard, thus, you have to consider all the possibilities.

 

[grouperhead]

Sorry I didn't see the post sooner. Right now I have an 0.0.1 38" Honduran Milksnake and an 0.1 52" Irian Jaya carpet python. I've also kept leopard geckos, mantellas and lots of other frogs, and a few other odds and ends. Right now I'm just keeping my two snakes due to space. If you really are looking into getting a cham. check out the forums and classifieds at www.kingsnake.com They have a cham only classified and a cham forum. Keeping herps is a very rewarding experience. Take care, Bo