Hey guys... I'm new to this site... I'm just wondering if you can help me. I just recently bought a Meller Chameleon and I don't know if it's doing ok... I'm kind of low on dough right now... so, I'll have to take it to the vet when I get paid... Any ideas... suggestions?

Hi and welcome to Herpcenter !!!! what symptoms is your cham having ???

__________________
Ken
" The United States Marine Corps......sure we are a department of the Navy,,,,,,we're the MENS department "

Well, this morning I was misting the cage with a spray bottle and he started having kind of a twitch in his neck... I can't reall explain... he really only did it while I was spraying though... and also... I've been reading online that if they have a traceable line on the back bone they're sick... does anyone have any pictures to show exactly what this "traceable" line looks like? Also, last night I let him crawl on my arm and he was just chillin' there and he rested his head on my arm and closed his eyes... was he just sleeping? It seemed like he was out pretty hard... it took a little while to wake him up... I'm worried! Also... I've never seen it take a dump... what does it's feces look like?

The backbone, lying on your arm with his eyes closed, and the fact that he hasn't crapped yet aren't good signs I'm afraid. Reptiles get stressed easily, but stress is much more dangerous to them than it is to us. Chameleons are the poster child of reptile stress. EVERYTHING stresses them out. Plus it can often be difficult to get them to drink enough water. If your tank isn't set to the right temperature or humidity, that will really stress them out. If the tank is the wrong size, shape, or material, that will stress them out. If they don't have enough to clmb and hide behind, that will stress them out. Handling them also stresses them, so I'd make your cham more of a "look, but don't touch" pet if you can.

Ok, more info is needed to figure out the problem. First of all, how old is your cham and when did you get him? What kind of cage is he in? What's the temperature and humidity? Do you have a UVB light and if so, how far is it from where your chameleon basks? Do you use any vitamin or calcium supplements and do you dechlorinate the water he drinks? How often do you feed him and how much does he eat?

Sorry for all the questions. Though not all of them may be relevant to your cham's problem, they're all relevant to keeping him healthy and happy. Do his eyes look sunk in a little? It sounds to me like it could be a problem with not enough food or water, or both. Possibly a parasite problem too. Meller's chameleons aren't exactly bred as much in captivity as veileds. A vet visit is in need to check for parasites. One thing I'd do that will probably help a little is get some electrolytes in him. Reptisafe is a reptile water dechlorinator that has electrolytes in it. I've successfully used it to help out new arrivals that looked a bit dehydrated. For any other possible remedies we'd need to know the answer to those questions first.

__________________
+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

I'm not really sure how old he is... the people we got it from said he was a younger one... though he looks like he may be about a year or so old... He was a really light color when he was on my arm... sometimes he will get really dark (probably when he's stressed out)... I spray water in there about 3-4 times a day... I have an exo-terra 100W sun-glo... I don't have a uvb light... but we have quite a few flourescent lights on when we're home... he took a **** today while I was at work... the line on his back isn't terribly visible... you think I should just feed and water him more? I bought some calcium powder (phosphorus min .01%) and gutloaded some crickets with banana, carrot, broccoli, and potato last night... I think he's getting more used to us. He actually seems to be doing ok now... he hasn't twitched at all since I've been home...

He's gonna die if you don't get a UVB light. Flourescents don't automatically give off UVB, its something that's specifically made for reptiles. I'd either get a mercury vapor light, like the Megaray, or if you get a fluorescent, get a Reptisun 5.0 I can explain to you why you need the UVB, but right now my access to a computer is closing for the night, so I gotta go! Oh, and judging by his symptoms, althouhg he needs a UVB light, that doesn't seem to be what's making him sick, so there's still other problems. Make sure he drinks water everyday, and dechlorinate it. He should be fed everyday too, those guys eat A LOT. Chameleons have enormous appetites. Considering that meller's chameleons can get as long as my forearm, they are definately no exception. Ok, now I REALLY gotta go!

__________________
+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield