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signs of old age in chameleons?

K

kamylia

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i was wondering if thiers anything that could help me find out if my chameleon is old.........he was one of those omg he looks healthy enough but i feel so bad for him in this pet shop deals. (im a sucker for a cute face) but hes a lot duller than a younger male almost just brown on green and the only color changing i have witnessed is when he gets mad the bridge above his eyes and the front of his casque turns black.......hes real heavy bodied and his teeth are red? is that normal all my other ones are white? and hes kinda lazy he doesnt really move not that he cant because ive made the mistake of thinking that and finally found him about a half hour later in my x mas tree so i dont know i thought it was worth asking about not that it would make a differance to me......the pet store didnt know how old he was or anything.....any opinions would be apreciated
lisa
 
Assuming that he is healthy. dicolored teeth are a sign of age, so is slowness, dulling in color. but all these things could also be associated with a health problem. I would say he is at least 4 most likly older. Pic's cold help a bit but it is hard to determine.
 
if you have yahoo i have pictures of my chams in my photos on my profile xosinsationox2003 otherwise well see if this works
detail
 
another thing is is i dont know how he was treated so it thier any illness that can cauze these conditions if he is not elderly he drinks and he eats decently as long as i dont try too hard .......i use hemostats and he seems kinda cautious he doesnt like me having anything to do with him eating i guess..
thank you
lisa
 
another thing is he seems to have "baggs" or loose skin under his eyes but his eyes arent sunken at all
 
Yea he diffinetly looks old. hard to tell but was the tip of his cask slightly bent. But he looks very calm your lucky there. I wouldent worrie about how much he eats as long as he is eating and not loosing weight. They tend to eat less as they get old. Its possible he may have had some bad care in the past dosent look like he is too strong on his feet but that may be the pic. Hope that helps, thats just what i think :)
 
yeah his casque a little flimsy not too bad and the pic was taken right after i got him like 2 weeks ago so i think he actually looks a little better now in coloration but and he lunges at me a bit more now (wich lets me know hes doing better lol)and hes stronger on his feet but still not where a an agile chameleon should be......he seems kinda clumsy like its hard for him to get a grip on stuff but for the past 2 days ive been giving him some of this fluckers reptiad stuff thats supposed to treat dehydrated and malnourished animals and im gonna see if that puts a lil kick in him........wich today he seemed more active so i think ill do it for a few more days and then see where were at
thanks a ton
lisa
 
His casque looks malformed to me as well as his front leg. Points to calcium defficiency. A trip to the vet would be a great idea. Injections may be needed. He wasnt cared for correctly before you got him. Who knows just how bad off he really is.

Also, what species of plant is in pic #13 in your yahoo album?
 
acctually i just posted some new pics of him and i think youll find he looks a little better these days and his leg isnt deformed from what i can tell but his casque is a little flimsy like i said not like i can bend it or anything but it gest seems like it has a little bit of slack there......his spine is straight his mouth isnt mis shaped and from what i can tell his legs are not bowed if you still feel that a trip to the vet is a good idea let me know......i personally just dont wanna stress him out anymore if hes just getting old oh and the picture with my female cham right.........thats a fake cannibus plant.........i bought it at the pet store and actually didnt even notice what it was till i got home! kinda funny whenever i have friends over they thing im growing weed plants cuz of all the lights and stuff! lol or if your talking about my young male thats a fake plant too!
thank you
lisa
 
if you feel that i should take him to the vet i will do so tommorow morning im just trying to wiegh the pros and cons and i dont know how good a vet in this area would be with reptiles in the first place thats kind of why im worried about it being a waste of a trip (not of behalf of the money because money is not an issue when it comes to him) and getting him all stressed out for nothing (and it is like -20 here lately) whenever ive brought one of my chameleons to the vetrinarian i make the diagnosis and go to the vet simply to tell him what to treat her for so i dont really have faith in vetrinarians when it comes to reptiles. and if i do take him in what do you think i should have the vet check just so i can make sure shes running all the bases
any help would be greatly apreciated
thank you
lisa
 
I would highly recommend taking him to a vet. I take all new additions to my collection to the vet ASAP. Along with keeping them quarentined from my other chams for a few months, whether I notice a problem or not. I then take them in for a yearly physical exam and fecal screen. It is a good practice to get into.

Take a fresh fecal with you to be checked for parasites as well as other communicable infections he could have. Petstores are well known to spread parasites and diseases. I have seen whole collections lost to additions from petstores. I only buy from reputable breeders and even then I take extensive precautions.

I would also have him do some bloodwork. It will reveal exactly what is going on with his calcium defficiency.

Good exotic herp vets are worth their weight in gold. If you do not have faith in your vet, then look for another. Call them and ask if they have experience with chams, if not try somewhere else. Sometimes it takes driving a little further, but your time and money is better spent.

Use a styrofoam container with heat packs when traveling in cold weather. The stress of traveling is far better than letting something get to far advanced to treat.
 
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