The Veiled Chameleon: November 2005: Veterinarian and Neck Swelling, II

i wondering if what to do for my chameleon who wont eat and is barely drinking any water?
She finally laid her eggs about a month ago and it took her about a month. She dug her hole and everything but afterwards she was still laying eggs. She finally stopped about a month ago and had started eating again but has stopped yet again.I dont know if i should get something to stimulate her appetite or what? She stays dark all the time her eyes are sunken in at times more so than others. Her fecal matter is yellow and white, is that healthy? She just always seems to be in the sleeping position and she is real weak. She still responds to being sprayed and doesnt like it very much. I dont know what to do for her. if i could get some help please. Should she be moved to a bigger tank? Her's is about 3x1x1 ft. she is about 7-8 months old.

Sarah, the first thing you need to do is get that chameleon to the veterinarian. Expect to pay around $150.

Sunken eyes are caused from dehydration. If you can make her gape and hiss at you, you have an opportunity to squirt water directly into her mouth.

She may be eggbound. Perhaps there are still eggs inside her doing her in.

No, she shouldn't be moved to a bigger tank. A chameleon in ANY tank is a chameleon that is not being cared for properly. And a delicate species, like a chameleon, which is not being taken care of properly is a dead chameleon.

Should she be in a bigger *enclosure*, though? The answer is yes. In fact, I've never before encountered anyone who has had a chameleon in anything that small before. If she's been living in those conditions for 7-8 months, I'm surprised that she's made it this long (then again, having never known anyone to keep a chameleon in such small quarters, maybe I'm assuming too much here). Let me show you a few photos of what a chameleon's enclosure should look like:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/cham77/Fawn7mos.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/cham77/Cage3.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/cham77/Cage2.jpg

Those aren't mine, and they're about twice as wide as mine is. Mine, which is 6x2.5x2.5 feet, is, in my opinion, too small. 6 feet is tall enough, but not wide enough. I am hoping that your chameleon's "tank" at least is 3 feet tall (rather than wide), but it sounds more like it's a ten gallon fish tank.

I don't mean to bust your chops on this, but there's no other way than to tell it like it is. Your problem is likely to be solved very soon, one way or the other: get the chameleon a proper environment, or you'll be without a chameleon soon enough.

Please read this link (titled, "Before buying a chameleon"): http://www.veiled-chameleon.com/weblog/archives/000131.html

You may want to ask your question on an excellent mailing list which can be found through: http://lists.topica.com/lists/chameleon_journals/ . There are people there who know a whole lot more than I do (which probably isn't very much).

Good luck!

Very sound advice and great links for Sarah, Jeff. Sarah's poor cham needs to be moved ASAP to a suitable screen enclosure. I also agree that if she can still gape, then warm water should be gently dripped directly into her mouth. Chameleons can go for days without food, but dehydration will kill a cham faster than anything else. I also use a product called Jump- Start when my female chams are gravid or when any of them go off-food. I also offer a variety of insect prey just as they would encounter in the wild..I sometimes wonder if they can just get bored with the same ole crix every day! LOL
As for fecal matter, urates should be white. Yellow urates are a sign of dehydration.

Jeff, please keep your readers posted as to your cham's progress and possible diagnosis. I applaud your committment to your pretty little cham and sincerely hope she continues to thrive. My Meller's suffered from edema some time ago, but it didn't look quite as swollen. Fortunately I was able to nip it quickly by cutting back on the supplements and cutting carrots out of my gut load recipe. All the best of luck...

I've yet to find anyone who has had an edema problem WITHOUT using supplements: except for me.

My Female Cham is acting strange and i am worried
That she is dying. She has laid eggs twice before and has had no problems.. However she now is just as big and is not laying her eggs in the usual sand filled container we give her, she doesn`t even go near it (maybe avoiding it)and I often find her on the enclosure floor for the whole day not moving. She is not eating or drinking and is very slow if/when she moves. I spray her enclosure often and although she hates it I spray her too. We removed the sand for 2 days and no change in behavior so we put it back again. Any advice will be followed ... JIM

@jmaes: My advice is to take her to the vet for x-rays. I lost a chameleon that way. She had metabolic bone disease. Making eggs is a very calcium demanding process.

Also: Maybe the sand is too cold?

just to add... her colour is the same as ever and her sand is under the heat lamp and is sprayed regularly...I will take your advice and get her there A.S.A.P...

Hello, I've been a Chameleon lover for years and I am now the proud owner of a 3 month old veiled female. I came across ur website in an information/caresheet web search and I must say, this is an awesome site! I've gained a lot of information in the past 1/2 hr of reading other pples commentaries and stories and I appreciate all that I've learned, however, one question was never addressed or answered about females. At what age do they start laying eggs? I do plan on getting a male (when I can afford one lol) to breed babies and hope by that time that I am well knowledged in Chameleon care and raising. I also have another question related strictly to this website, and that is I have not found a place where I can 'register' on the site if it exists but only a section (here) where I can post. Do you have such a registration capacity or does everyone just post in the general box? Thanks in advance, I'll check back regularly for any information that anyone here has to share as everyone's comments I've read thus far seem very good. Rosana.

help! We got our veiled chameleon about a month ago and all of a sudden he stopped eating,drinking and is very weak. What should I do?He often grabs his own skin and sleeps all day?

Hi i just bought a weiled chameleon about 3 days ago and its about 2 months old. I am worried about it because i have not seen it eat yet and it is begging to look very skinny. can you please tell me if his eating problem might be stress related or what?

why doesnt my chameleon eat ? It is not pregnant and i got him about 3 weeks ago first he was eating and now he does not want to eat he looks pretty healthy and does not have any swellings or limb defection or any kind of disease can some body please help me. He has hasnt bee neting for about a week already someone help me please

Hi i have a verracosus chameleon and he always seems to be sleeping. He seems weak and when i go to pick him up he will go onto my hands but won't even bother to open his eyes. After a few minutes of me holding him then he opens his eyes.. Can anyone tell me if thay have had this problem . thanks

i just got my chameleon from petsmart, there pets are all approved by a vet and there all in good con. but when i got mine it was there what 3 othere chamelons about 4"-inches big the pepole that work there said that the one i was going to buy was pragnet and when she was in there what the other 2 she was black and purpol what her mouth open i guess she was stressed out cuz she was pragnet so i purched her and when we took her out she turned nice and green..

i had her now for about 4 days and she never eats i tryed giving her all kinds of stuff she only drinks water, can it be that shes going to lay her eggs or what? Shes nice and strong and looks good she's very actove and has a good strong grip but the dam thing has not eatten for 4 days , i called pet smart and they told me that when they had here she would eat.... some one tell me what i can do or wye she is not eatting?

i have a veiled baby girl chameleon and she
has been acting very wierd and stange like something is wrong with her my mom thinks she is
eggbond but i am not sure .this morning she isn't even wanting to move on the sticks inside her cage so we tried picking her up gently because she isn't so affraid ofus picking her up anymore and so we did and she didn't want to grab on we tried to call a vet but there ain't any reptile vets around so could you e-mail mer back and tell me what you think could be wrong with her?

-Taytum

Hi, I'm new to the site. I am experienceing the same swelling around my veild chameleons neck. The problem is that I don't dust any of her crickets becuause I worried about this problem. She has repti sun 5.0 or something like that in her housing on most of the day to supply her with uvb and uva. I turn it off at night. I left it on for 4 days because I left out of town and I didnt have my timers set. Do you think this was the problem?

I am so worried about her!! Please help!!

We have no vet that knows anything about reptiles here so I wanted some advice before I make a 3 hour trip.

-Evi

I need help i jus got my chameleon he's about 3 and a half months old he was fine the first day but for the last 2 he wont eat! im very worried he doesn't look well .. whats wrong with him and how can i get him to eat?

ok pls can someone help me!? he's curled up in the corner opposite of wear he should be basking in the sun(uv lamp) .. could it be too warm or too cold .. or i dont know someone just please help or let me know where i can go to get help! please

I am the owner of a 7 month old veiled chameleon female. However, since purchasing her last week I noticed a red lump coming out from under her tail. Upon contacting the vet I was told she suffered from an inverted rectum. She is now at the vet awaiting surgery and has only been given a 50% chance of survival. Has anyone else had this problem? Any information would be great!

I think your stupid with a tank that big what where you thinking I hate people like you.FRIG!!!

Edema can also be caused by a lack of protein or a failing kidney (or both). I have read of people feeding a lot of (twice a day) fruits that the chameleon loves but this diet lacks the protein the animals need. The problem with supplements is simply this, how much is enough and not to much? Too much vitamin supplementation can and does lead to toxicity. Edema has a few causes, you need to ensure that you cover all the bases and your enclosure meets all of the animals needs.

@Hart: More about that here (about half way down the page):

http://www.veiled-chameleon.com/weblog/archives/000258.html

I really probably should create a new dedicated edema page.

hi my chameleons is very week and wants to eat but cant.i never see him drink.when he goes to eat he wont shoot out his tonuge.i took him to the vet and they said he needed a bigger tank and and a higher uv/now hes on something called tribrissen one time aday.can anyone tell me what i can do to save his life

please help :\ i have a 7 month old veiled and for the last few days she hasnt eaten. instead shes been digging around on the floor. her eyes were sunken a few days ago so i began misting her more often throughout the day. she looks healthy and has normal color, but refuses to eat and spends most of the day on the ground. she doesnt seem to be full of eggs. and im all out of ideas. please help.

I was recently at a petstore where i came across several baby veild chameleons, one imparticular very ill looking female caught my boyfriend and I's eye having pity for the girl since We already own several chameleons. The guy gave her to us for free figuring she might not make it and told us to give it our best shot. She has black marks slighty under her belly and back and she cannot open her eyhes accept for the right which she just barely opens. I've tried using a dropper and cleaning her eyes out and creating a humid environment hoping her eyhesight will come back so she can eat normally. Please let me know what you think I should do If theres anything left I can do for her short of a vet trip.

@Ashley: First, as I've pointed out before, I'm no expert, but I will say that I'm surprised that you think that creating a humid environment will help. Usually eye infections occur BECAUSE of humid environment conditions. The most common way that I've seen reported is that the hapless chameleon has been put into a tank or an aquarium by a well meaning but ignorant owner, then the chameleon at some point rubs its eye against the wet glass which dirties and wets the eye (creating a bacterial breeding ground), and the eye doesn't dry because of the humid environment. And that's the end of that eye and usually the chameleon.

If it were me, the first thing I'd do is create for it a dry environment.

veiled chameleons seem to be the best bet for a starter chameleon,but how much handling and human interaction can they tolerate

I just noticed a large lump behind my chameleon's neck. Im not sure what it is and am wondering if I need to rush him into the vet tomorrow. I have noticed that he has been hissing to himself frequently in the last two weeks. Im not sure what this means but I really hope he is ok. If anyone knows anything about what may be causing the bump and weird behavior please let me know. I appreciate any feedback you may have. Thanks

i have a chameleon

Hi i just recently purchased a 4 month old veiled chameleon. I've read before that females can eggs that are not fertilized. How can i tell if she were to be pregnant? She's been roaming around her cage for the past couple of days and i did find in the corner of her cage where she had tried to dig in the subtrate. Are these signs that she could possibly be pregnant? I've also read that if a female does not have a place to lay her eggs she could die. If anyone has any answers please let me know!

I have a 5 month old panther chameleon. Her stomach has gotten extremely large. But she shows no signs of laying any eggs yet (scratching at the bottom of the cage, loss of appetite, nothing). She has been closing her eyes during the day though, and falls asleep for the night at about 6:00 pm every evening, and is up at about 5 am. Her color is dark brown with pink spots, in the morning and throughout the day, and after I turn her light off at night, I check on her and she is light pink and orange all night until she wakes up (her normal colors when we bought her.) Will she show signs that she needs to lay her eggs, or do I just get her a sand box and see what happens? I am also wondering on how to keep her confined to the sand box so that she doesn't escape, I don't want to lose her in the house. This is my first chameleon and I have no idea what to expect from this. The lady at the reptile store where we bought her never even told me she would lay eggs. What do I do? Heather

We have a 4 month old veiled and this a.m. when I went to feed and mist him I noticed both eyes are swollen in the front potion of the eye. He is in the process of shedding and doing alot of rubbing on the vines and leaves but the eyes have me concerned any answers are appreciated thanks.

I have a 6 month old male and female chameleon. Both are fed the same diet (very healthy diet), but I noticed in the past two weeks my male has been "laying" around at the bottom of his cage and when he climbs on vines, he moves extremely slow and somewhat drags his body (almost like his legs are weak). He still eats and drinks and his eyes are alert and he is active (slowly active), but I do not know what might be wrong with him. I do not think he is getting metabolic bone disease because he is fed vitamins and has all the proper lighting. Can anyone tell me what might be wrong? Thanks

I have a chameleon and i think his front leg is broken or dislocated...he can't stretch out or turn his front leg...and he is laying on the floor of his cage a lot which he never did when I first got him...what should i do if there is anything to do or who should i seek to find out "paco's" problem... thanx alot freddie

HELF HELF HELF HELF HELF !! IS ANYONG OUT THERE PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE!!!!!!!!

i think that these animals are really kool they are neat looking and i am doing a project on it

Hello. My 4 year old male veiled Chameleon is been acting sick for the last 2 days. He's not eating or drinking, hes lathargic, doesnt want to grip on to his sticks, lays on the bottom of his cage and his color is pale. Pretty much from what I have been reading that all signs point to dehydration but he always has water dripping and he/his cage is sprayed twice a day. He has all the proper bulbs and his cage temp is 87 degrees. We have tried giving him water but he won't take it. Its not looking very good and I would be upset if something happened to him. Is there anything else we can do??

Duude, i need help or advice! I have a 2 year-old, female, veiled chameleon by the name of, Genie. Her left eye is swollen and seems to have some liquid buliding up and she's always scratching it against something. I also noticed she isnt using her tounge to its full capacity when eating, she gets close and tries to chomp at them rather than lash her tounge out. I have never had this problem out of the 2 years.

I have a tank thats 2 foot high is that tall enuff???