Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[dartfrog]

Hi everyone can anyone tell me how much water a panther cham needs each day? My lovely boy Rhydian hasnt been drinking so much lately so am a bit concerned (totally stressed actually) that he is going to get dehydrated. He is looking ok at the moment & behaving normally. He is 10 months approx & weighs nearly 70 grams I think it should be about 6ml but after speaking to a vet he said that was far too much should be more like 0.6ml please can anyone help?Thanks so much Heather.

[tigerbaby2k]

Thats interesting Heather. The standard quota for cats and dogs drinking is 50-100ml/kg/24 hrs, eg a 10 kg dog would drink around 1 litre a day ish.
Now if you apply that to the Panther of 70g that would be around 7ml - as you said. So, im not entirely sure if there is a quota for the Chams, but I would say 0.6ml seems very low? so I wonder where they had this information from?
Anyone else know?

Does your Panther have a dripper?
_________________
Sophxx

Counting down the weeks til I get my Cham! My beardie is 10 1/2 years old

1.0 Bearded Dragon
1.0 Lhasa apso
1.1 Lionheads
0.1 Syrian Hamster

[dartfrog]

Hi Soph thanks very much for your reply I normally spray his viv at least 3 times a day with a hand pressure sprayer which has worked well since Ive had him. He used to drink loads but the last month or so not so. I set up a dripper but he takes no notice so this last week Ive been giving extra with a syringe have also added some avipro with the water do you think this is a good idea?
Thanks again Heatherxx

[tigerbaby2k]

Avipro is a probiotic combination of bacteria, enzymes, electrolytes and vitamins. Its high palatability means it can be added to the drinking water making its use simple for all species of reptiles, aiding in oral rehdyration. Its very useful in reptiles which are under treatment with antibacterials where the normal flora may be unbalanced and a bloom of inappropriate bacteria and cause problems. It is similiar to Reptoboost.
I wouldn't add this every day unless he is actually dehydrated, but rather add it once a week as it is very good.
Where is the dripper placed? The water should be tepid so not too cold to drink for the Cham. Try placing it near his favourite basking spot. Can always make some simple ones (eg plastic cup with pin hole in) then hang a few in various places and see which spot he perfers
Keep up the spraying, remembering to let it dry out completely between sprays.
Post some pics up of him and the set up
oh and is it a him?! i just realised I havent asked?!
_________________
Sophxx

Counting down the weeks til I get my Cham! My beardie is 10 1/2 years old

1.0 Bearded Dragon
1.0 Lhasa apso
1.1 Lionheads
0.1 Syrian Hamster

[dartfrog]

Hi Soph Rhydian is a gorgeous Ankaramy have got some pics under Malcolm Nosey Be I think but will try & post more tomorrow.He has always spent most of the day sitting by his light which dosnt help the problem.So set dripper next to bulb so water stays tepid drips on his umbrella plant right by where he sits but shows no interest. His poop has a slight orange tint to the urates so this is why I am worried. Can a vet tell from a stool sample if everything is functioning properly ie kidneys? THanks so much for all your advice Heatherxx

[tigerbaby2k]

Ha I read Rhydian, but not that was a boy. I remember him now - from your previous post
You certainly can take a poo sample to a good reptile vet and they can have a look for you (should do it there if they are proper reptile vets). The fresher the better. Can check for internal parasites that way.
Bloods are the best to check Kidney funtion. Reptiles kidneys are not like ours. Once the nephrons (units of the kidneys) shut down they wont start again so its ALWAYS best to prevent kidney disease. Strange why he used to drink now doesnt? He can catch food ok yeah? No mouth or tongue problems?
The one thing I would say, if he is sitting all day under the basking spot, the rest of the viv might well be too low ambient temperature - can you check it? May need to increase the heat lower down the enclosure so he can be more active - will encourage him to move around more and maybe increase hins drink intake?
_________________
Sophxx

Counting down the weeks til I get my Cham! My beardie is 10 1/2 years old

1.0 Bearded Dragon
1.0 Lhasa apso
1.1 Lionheads
0.1 Syrian Hamster

[dartfrog]

He dosnt have a problem eating but is a bit fussy with food mainly eats morio worms, waxworms & housflies only way I can get him to eat locusts or crickets is to hand feed them to him. I cant say for sure he isnt drinking as I work 4 days a week so cant always watch him. I think temps are approx 22degrees at bottom &25 middle but will check.He is a big baby & gets upset easily the other week when we had a nice day i took him outside &put him in his favourite tree but it was a bit windy so he got scared & run back down across the lawn to where I was sitting & tried to climb on to my lap so I could save him So didnt want to take him anywere strange ie vet. Im terrified this will upset him Thanks again Heatherxx

[tigerbaby2k]

Bless his little cottons running to his mum!
You should be ok to just ring the vet andjust asked for a "routine" faceal analysis. Most should be ok doing it, altough some like to see the animal first which is understandable. Just say you were thinking of getting another one and you wanted to check for parasites before you bring a new one into the collection.
Strange he doesnt like locusts unles you hand feed them!
Im sure he probably is drinking. As long as he not looking dehydrated then just keep an eye on him. Maybe put a drip catcher under where the drip would eventually land and then see how much water is in there at the end of the day - if a lot less than you put in then he prob drinking (allow for evaportation )
Double check the temps
_________________
Sophxx

Counting down the weeks til I get my Cham! My beardie is 10 1/2 years old

1.0 Bearded Dragon
1.0 Lhasa apso
1.1 Lionheads
0.1 Syrian Hamster

[dartfrog]

Hi Soph just been holding him & he has done a huge toilet on me it started off being mainly clear fluid then orangy urate then normal brown that had shape but was very moist. He is now looking really happy and more active. Do you think I have been overdoing it with the water have been giving approx 3ml extra each day. Also if I take him for a blood test where will the vet try and take it from have been speaking to Lee who said that he had a bad experience with an adult panther where they had terrible problem trying to get a sample. Just so frightened I am going to hurt or upset him. Also can the diet affect the colour of their urate or is it just a sign of dehydration? Sorry to ask so many questions really appreciate all your help Heatherxx

[tigerbaby2k]

The color of the "clear" part of the urates may vary depending on what is being fed (high levels of red and orange plant matter can tinge the urates orange or reddish which is more common in plant eating animals, eg my Beardies have this colour after eating orange peppers). Color may also be affected by certain parasite infections (reddish/rust) and by dehydration (orange/yellow). If it is foul smelling then that can be highly suggestive of Protozoa infection (one type of internal parasites).

Blood sampls are easily taken from the Tail vein in most reptiles and failing that the femoral vien (inner thigh). Its usually pretty easy, but as Chameleons can sometimes be harded to keep still (eg Beardies are easy -turn on back, support upright with their arms folded in and take blood) then it can be a bit harder, all depends on quality of handling. With most lizards you can induce what is called the vaso-vagal reflex where you put firm pressure on the eyeballs to decrease the heart rate and keep them still for about 60 seconds for stressfree simple proceedures. Now again, Chameleons due to their very delicate eyes, this is harder to do though not impossible.
If you are worried about him, take him to a Reptile/exotic Vet. Sounds like he is ok at the moment since he is still eating and moving around, but that something could be underlaying. If you go take faeces that are as fresh as possible.
Do you have a local reptile vet? You can leave it til a time in the week unless for any reason he is really bad before Monday. Where abouts are you?
_________________
Sophxx

Counting down the weeks til I get my Cham! My beardie is 10 1/2 years old

1.0 Bearded Dragon
1.0 Lhasa apso
1.1 Lionheads
0.1 Syrian Hamster