Common Illnesses of Your Chameleon

Like all pets and like all living things, chameleons are prone to illnesses and infections. Their health is very important and cannot be ignored. A chameleon may die if its health and well-being is not properly attended to. A malnourished or stressed chameleon is most likely to die early.

Visible signs of an unhealthy chameleon include sunken eyes and body injuries. If you can see worms under their skin, it is another sign that it is not properly cared for. It is very important for you to know and understand just what a chameleon needs to avoid your chameleon getting any illness or disease.

Chameleon by Susheela Willis

Dehydration is one of the common problems of chameleons. If you see that your chameleon has sunken eyes, you can assume that it is dehydrated. To be extra sure of it, you can try to pull its skin lightly between two fingers and see if it goes back into place. If it doesn't, then your chameleon is most likely dehydrated.

Obviously you need to give your chameleon plenty of water when it is dehydrated. The best way is to shower your chameleon for about an hour. Make sure there is a plant with it. Run water with room temperature on the plant. This will encourage the chameleon to lick the water from the plant and help against dehydration. You should also spray its cage before putting the chameleon back. You can also make a drip system and put it in the cage. You can make a drip system by simply making a small hole on the bottom of a container and filling it with water.

A chameleon is also prone to respiratory infections. It can be due to a parasite, or because of heavy exposure to the cold. Stress can also give the chameleon respiratory infections. You can determine if your chameleon suffers from this by holding the chameleon close to your ear and listening to it. If you hear it making cracking noises, then there's a big chance that it is suffering from respiratory infections. You can also see if it opens its mouth to breathe repeatedly and if there is sticky saliva in its mouth. These are also symptoms of respiratory infections. To treat this infections, it is important that you take your chameleon to a veterinarian.

Internal parasitic infections are common in chameleons that are caught from the wild. You should assume that a wild caught chameleon may have this, and it is recommended that you have it checked with a veterinarian to be sure. A chameleon will require extensive parasite treatment for this.

Nutritional diseases may also come to your chameleon, especially metabolic bone disease. Check to see if your chameleon has swollen joints and swollen limbs. Observe if it has trouble walking or climbing, or if it doesn't walk or climb at all. It may have metabolic bone disease. Another nutritional disease observed in chameleons is edema, which is pronounced by swellings in the neck and the throat.

Looking out for and caring for your chameleon is just like caring for any other pet. It is recommended that you give your chameleon the proper attention needed for it to have a stress-free and healthy life. You can always avail the services of a veterinarian if you feel that there's something wrong with your chameleon. Just remember not to ignore even the smallest sign, for for a small sign like dry skin or sunken eyes can mean that your chameleon already has an illness.

About the Author
Written by Mary Ann Porsuelo
The author of this article is a webmaster and is currently working on http://www.ChameleonTips.com . Feel free to contact her at keywriterm@gmail.com for any inquiries or concerns.

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