Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[silky]

My friend was given a load of reptiles about a week ago from a friend that has moved away. One of the reptiles is a chameleon and doesn't look very well. I think my friend only knows what she has been told by the pet shop. Her friend that moved away worked at the pet shop so I think maybe they gave her advice on how to care for the reptiles.

The chameleon looks a bit shriveled and unhappy. I've never kept a chameleon so not really sure what they look like when they're healthy but I'm fairly sure something is wrong with this chameleon. I just read a bit on the web about caring for chameleons and one of the things that was interesting was the way drink. My friend has a water bowl in the enclosure but it doesn't seem to drink from it which probably explains the shriveled look. I think maybe she needs to get a drip system for it? Or is it ok to just mist it and if so how often should she do this?

Also she has it in an enclosure with 3 geckos. Not sure if it would have a problem with the gecko or not? The enclosure is fairly large and has a uvb light and a lamp for heat so that doesn't seem to be the problem.

Any other things that my friend should be doing that maybe she isn't?

[lol93]

First of all, the cham needs to be in a viv on its own.

Also, if it has been kept in an enclosure with only a water bowl, it will be very dehydrated, hence the shrivelled appearance. Chams do not recognise standing water as drinkable- they need frequent mistings during the day, as well as a dripper running if possible.

Different species of cham have different temperature and humidity requirements. Do you know what species it is? That will help make sure you've got the best advice! Can you post a photo?

To address the dehydration problem, the best thing to do for now is to pop the cham onto a plant, then sit the plant under a warm shower for about 20 mins. The water should not be spraying directly onto the cham, but you should see him begin to drink deeply after a while. This should be done at least once a day for the first few days.

If you have an exotics vet near you, you could arrange an appointment to get him checked over.

I'm sure Karen and Rickeezee will be able to offer more advice, but I hope you can get him sorted OK for now. Good luck, and keep us updated!
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[Rickeezee]

As Lousie said species would help as would a picture of the cham please.

Yes moving water they will drink e.g. droplets on leaves from a dripper or just use a plastic pint glass with a hole in it on top of viv so it drips over foliage. Warm shower deffo to help with any dehydration issues a picture of the chams eyes will help as the eyes sink when dehydrated.

More able to offer help when the speices is known. Good luck.
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