Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[ratmolfe]

Hi, i have just bought 3 Yemen Chameleons from a tradesman- mate at a great price. One has a poorly eye which is only half open and dos not move as much as other one. Its smaller than the other 2 and you can see its ribs. I have only had them for just over a week, and have not seen any eat yet- Im feeding them greens/ spinach finely chopped up, small locusts, size 2 crickets and some mealworms. They are about 3 months old I believe, but just wondered what I can do to help him, I have been told to keep misting him lots but anything else? Also at what age so they have to be seperated as they are all in the same viv at the mo, but there is lots of room for them? Anyadvice greatly appreciated, many thanks, Ratmolfe.

(Also does anyone know the cheapest place to get a dimmer thermostat for my 100w bulb for them?)

P.S- pic is not mine, but hopefully in the future they will get like this!
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1 Bearded Dragon- Falkor
2 Leopard Geckos- Seema & Noodles
1 Bull Snake- Torro
1 Corn Snake- Zak
4 Tree Frogs
2 Yemen Chameleons- Phil, Norman & Jeebus
2 Giant Mellers Chameleons- no names as yet!

[Rickeezee]

Firstly I would isolate the unwell chameleon. I would also ensure that reptisafe is used in any water used to mist them to take out the chlorine as this can irritate the chams eyes, and ensure you never directly spray into the chams eyes.

I would be very concerned if you have not seen any of them eat yet, is there pooh on the viv floor? How big are they have you any pictures of them please and their set up this will help to see what may be done to help them.
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www.rickslivefood.co.uk

[lol93]

Try some waxworms to get them going if they haven't fed yet-mine goes crazy for them!

Most important thing with chams is hydration, they need misted with warm water a couple of times a day, and you should also have a dripper going in the viv.

I know I say this every time when someone has a problem with a cham, but showering is great for getting water into a dehydrated cham and perking him up. Put him on a plant and put the plant under the shower for about half an hour. Make sure half the plant is sitting out of the spray so that the cham can escape from the spray if he wants to.

I agree with Rick that the poorly cham needs to be isolated, in fact the problem could be that they are kept as a group and are stressed because of that and that is why they're not eating.

Good luck!
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[kinyonga]

What is the ambient temperature in the cage? What is the basking temperature?

Do you have a UVB light on the cage? (The light shouldn't pass through glass or plastic.)

This has nothing to do with the problem, but go easy on the spinach. You can offer them finely chopped sweet red pepper, squash, zucchini, dandelion greens, kale, collards, endive, ROMAINE lettuce (small amounts), slivers of carrot and slivers of sweet potato, etc.)

[Rickeezee]

Main thing is to keep the cham hydrated and active, dont allow the cham to go to sleep During the day, keep it moving. If it is closing its eye/ eyes for prolonged periods then get it hydrated and active.

Also as mentioned before be carefull with spraying the cham in the eyes and I would suggest for a baby cham using some form of watersafe additive when misting.

The set up needs to be checked to ensure it is correct for obvious reasons.

I have found my Yemens wont touch anything apart form livefood until they are at near adult age. But everything is worth a try.

Ratmolfe how is it going with the chams? Would be nice to get an update.
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www.rickslivefood.co.uk

[ratmolfe]

Hi- many thanks for your replies. My mesh viv is 30hx30lx15w. I have a large fiscus and 2 umbrella plants in there and a small waterfall at the bottom. I have a 100w bulb inside and 2 long uv bulbs. The 100w bulb is inside as I have put mdf at top, bottom and back to make it more secure for lights. The temperature is between 90-100 in basking spot in middle and 70 around according to thermometers (they are not digital ones so not sure how accurate they are- but one is on its way)

There are also plenty of branches and a big piece of wood in as well. I mist the chameleons and plants at least twice a day using warmish water and use a chemical purifyer for the water which I use for my frogs as well to make the water cleaner for them. I feed size 2 crickets, black and brown crickets, a small amount of meal worms and greens/ some spinach in clear tubs in the middle in the branches and one at the bottom, all which I dust with calcium each time.

The poorly chameleon does not seem too steady on his feet, and his poorly eye is half closed and does not stick out as much as the other one. He is smaller and thinner than the other 2, and have been told they are i male and 2 females, but that they are small enough to be together at the moment and wont need splitting up for a while. But according to what some have said, should I seperate them now inside the same viv using wire mesh etc? or should I get another smaller wire mesh viv and do it now? I have attached pictures of the set up and a couple of pics of the chameleons but not sure if you can tell their size from the pics? I will try and get some wax worms tomorrow, and my mate who sold them to me said to maybe try force feeding the poorly one with a small crickets?

I will check back again soon for any more advice? Many thanks, Ratmolfe
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1 Bearded Dragon- Falkor
2 Leopard Geckos- Seema & Noodles
1 Bull Snake- Torro
1 Corn Snake- Zak
4 Tree Frogs
2 Yemen Chameleons- Phil, Norman & Jeebus
2 Giant Mellers Chameleons- no names as yet!

[Rickeezee]

Hello
I think the poorly one should be housed in its own home separately from the others. So you can monitor it better, and so that it has no competition for food.

If its eye appears sunken that usualy means the cham is dehydrated. its worth still misting the chams but also worth using a water dripper system, even just a plastic pint glass filled with water with a pin hole in the base placed on top of the viv to allow a drip of water onto plant leaves, they enjoy drinking droplets of water. Also a prolonged misting session a few times a day, carefully allowing a soft spray onto the chams casque may help as the water will run down the casque to the chams mouth area. Mind the eyes. You could allways buy over the counter at the vets an eye ointment called lactilube, or better still get the cham to see the vet. Might also be worth adding some vitamin drops to the water.


Force feeding is a drastic measure and a last resort for chams as this is a very stressful experience for them.

If your cham is weak and not steady on his feet then he is quite unwell by the sounds of it. If he has not eaten and is not drinking then this is probably the cause.

With my cham set ups I mount the basking lamp outside of the viv and either to the corner left or right so a very distinct basking area is created that is quite separate form the ambient cooler temps and so that the chams can not burn themselves on the lamp.

Good luck with him.
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www.rickslivefood.co.uk