View Full Version : need help with veiled female...
ok here's the deal, 1) She kinda has an on and off eye crusting, when i wake up she's got it, so i spray her and it goes away... kinda weird. 2) i think this is a bigger problem. Her tongue doesn't shoot out anymore. Now this makes me pissed!!! for more than one reason... it was cool!!! but now i have to hand feed her and it makes me sad to see her... well... weak. Is there any way to cure this at home, and what is the cause of it?? 3) she is about 3 1/2 to 4 years old and i got her when she was pretty young. Now, I've just read on this forum that dusting your insects too much or too little is bad, and duting them 1-2 times a week would do it. But when i bought it i was told to dust the crickets every time i fed it, so that is what i did, should i stop that??? I mean this is my first chameleon, in fact, its my first lizard and i think i've taken pretty good care of it up to now, and i really like it. And most of all I DON'T WANT IT TO DIE:( These problems only started to arise about 1-2 1/2 weeks ago. I was starting to think it was old age but not so much anymore, so any help would be VERY APPRECIATED, and i can't really take it to the vet cus my family doesn't want to spend the money on it...
Bartman
08-22-03, 04:02 PM
are you joking?? if you dont know what the problem is you HAVE TO take it to the vet or it probably will die. If you lovei t so much than you WILL spend money on getting it help...cant help you much but you must take it to the vet. YOu should have thought about taking it to the vet BEFORE you bought it not 3 years after
1: Chameleons don't really get crusty eyes, so it's probably indicative of an infection or some other systemic problem.
2: Lack of tongue functionality is indicative of a vitamin deficiency. Yes, it's great that you dust her bugs everyday, but you also have to provide proper heat and UVB for her to process those vitamins properly. I do a LOT of rescue work with chameleons here in Ottawa and generally this a problem that will not be solved. Once they've got it, they've got it for life.
3: Adult chameleons only need their bugs dusted once a week for proper nutrition. Overdosing with certain vitamins is just as bad as underdosing in a lot of cases.
Female Veileds generally have a lifespan of only 3-5 years and your little girl is certainly getting older. Some of these problems you are seeing may also be attributed to her age. Do you have any pics of your female that I could look at? I might (?) be able to offer some different advice to you after taking a look at her. Otherwise there is a GREAT herp vet here in town and his name is Daren Auger and he works at the Alta Vista Animal Hospital. He's the guy I see with all of my chameleons and it might be worth a trip out there for further veterinary advice.
Good luck with her. Keep me posted.
Trace
well... no i don't have pics cause i don't got no digital camera. and ummm wouldn't it be expensive to bring a chameleon to a vet, and get it treated? and wouldn't it be pretty stressful?
dank7oo
08-22-03, 08:34 PM
hello?
a vet would be pretty expensive yes, but IMHO if you are willing to take on the reponsibility of a chameleon (or any pet) it is your duty to provide the best care for it! i had a case where my veiled went of week long hunger strikes, and refused even waxies and silkies! after about 4 months i turned him over to trace because i felt she could help him more than i.
as a pet owner, it is your responsibility to do what is best for her ... having said that, give her a HUGE hug for me, and i hope she is feeling better
ugh... I'm gonna try my best and if that's not good enough so be it... but i think i can get it back if i try hard enough!!
Hey 672!
DANG! No digital camera. Oh well, I'll try and help as best I can.
As for the vet charges, I tend to bring all of my chameleons into Daren once a year for an annual checkup etc. So what I tend to pay is a "group" rate so I'm no sure what the actual charges are. I think an office visit runs about $50.00, fecals $20.00-25.00 and bloodwork anywhere from $50.00 to $150.00 depending on the tests you want run. These are again fairly generalized prices, but if you call the hospital they can give you definate ones.
As for the stress on them for an office visit, I don't find they get bothered at all. I put mine in individual small containers and they seem to be fine. I must say they are happy to get home though! LOL!
Why don't you tell me your basic set-up for your girl. Basking spot temperature, humidity, cage size and type, lighting etc. This might help some of the cham people around here pin-point some areas that might need adjusting and thus making your chameleon a little more happy.
As for Jason's (dank7oo) chameleon... he hasn't stopped eating for me. Sheesh! He's a little piggy for me!
Cheers!
Trace
reptiles4life
08-22-03, 08:53 PM
i have had veiled chameleons for some time now, and i have never heard of this problem before. i seriously think you should take it to the vet. and i was also wondering if she is able to hold her-self up on a branch and what the temperature is in the tank?
And another thing is that you dust you crickets everyday and that isnt a good thing ( to much is as bad as to little)
dank7oo
08-23-03, 06:41 AM
so i hear trace .... i think that he didnt like me is all :( - LOL
glad to hear he is doing well though
ok well the cage is like 2 feet long, 1 foot in depth and just shy of 2 feet high. as for the temperature and the humidity, ill get back to you, but how do i find out humidity? anyway i have 2 tubic style lights that cover most of the cage. One heat bulb and one uvb bulb. But the problem is that when i bought it the store told me to do all the stuff you tell me is wrong, but the thing is that the dad of the family who worked there was a reptile breeder (which includes chameleons) and they recomended all that stuff. But the thing is I bought the first cage, and then i bought a bigger, and taller one so he could climb more. I know this because, my chameleon laid eggs twice without them being fertilized, so we called the guy to see what the hell was going on and that's what he told us.... and by the way when she laid'em, the first time was 38, and the second 44, the last time she did it was about last october-november.
oh and the cage type is half mesh, half aquarium style.
And one more thing, about your chameleon "collection"... Where did you get all of them, what the hell happened to bacchanal, and do you keep all of them in your house?
Humidity gages are available at most pet stores for about $5, same with thermometers. You should have both in the cage. As far as flourescent light, you need to change the bulb every 6-8 months depending on the number of hours they are on each day. Although they give off light for much longer than this, the spectrum and I believe the uv rays become weaker. (someone correct me if I'm wrong). As far as dusting, daily is fine for babies but once or twice a week is all adults need. When you bought her as a baby, the information would have been correct. Do you have any chameleon books? The Chameleon Handbook by Barron's is a good one.
As far as medical care, yes it can be expensive but often is necessary. Pet's, like people, get ill, except they can't take themselves to a doctor. As their guardians/caregivers it is our responsibility to see to this. In my area an exam is about $50, fecals $18, haven't had to have any bloodwork done so I don't know the cost. Let us know how she does.
Hello 672! :D
Where did you get all of them, what the hell happened to bacchanal, and do you keep all of them in your house?
My chameleons? I'm not sure how many I have at this point... 25? For me, I'm always on the search for some of the weirder species in the pet trade, in other words, NOT Panthers and Veileds, so I will buy those types of chameleons from breeders, expos and pet shops. I'm currently procuring some of these odd species to start up a breeding project here, so we herpers can buy CB animals in the future and not WC ones. I do have more than my fair share of Panthers and Veileds though... as I've mentioned previously, I do a lot of rescue work with chameleons. Chameleons in general are hard to care for and people buy them because they are "cute" or "cool" and don't realize all of the details that are needed to keep a chameleon alive and heathly. Long story made short, these chameleons get sick from improper care and the owners can not/will not take them to vet for proper medical treatment so I take them in and try and rehab the little guys as best I can. Some are VERY sick upon presentation to me and some don't make it, but most do, and they are given another chance at a good quality life. As for Bacchanal, he was one of those chameleons. The previous owner had too hot a basking bulb for him and he developed serious burns on his casque, arms and spines compounded with a broken leg from improper calcium supplementation. His leg was put in a cast and healed properly, but eventually he sloughed his casque and now he looks like Frankenstein! LOL! And yes, they are all in my house.
As for your female, your cage size sounds fine and you've got at least a few sides being screened and that's important to a chameleon. The heat and UV sounds good, but as Pia said it's important to change that UV tube frequently. When was the last time you did this? Do you get her outside at all? Again, I'd like exact temperatures and humidity levels for her if you can get them. She is an old girl and I think some of her problems are age related, but hopefully for you, something that can be fixed.
Good luck and keep me posted.
Trace
ummmm i changed the uv bulb a while ago but im not sure how long ago.... and yes i do bring her outside but not all year round... cus well you know! but i let her climb these like 3-4 foot plants i have in my backyard and when i try to get out, she plays hard to get, hehe.
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2025, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.