Dad is too ignorant?

happyvlady

happyvlady

New Member
So my male veiled chameleon, Vladmir, has been very sickly lately.
The other night he lost his grip/balance and fell from the highest part of his cage(his cage is 18" x 12" x 20", the brand is Zilla) onto his side. His color is very dull and sad looking, my dad is trying to blame all of these problems because of negligent parenting for him, which is highly false. My father refuses to take him into a vet, and I mean, I ask him a lot to take him, even just for a check up, which he needs, and he still says no! I am really worried and I don't want to lose Vladmir, he's pretty much the only reason I keep coming home :'(
I also cannot drive yet, I am 16 very close to being 17, scary experience with cars. I will learn how to drive one if it means saving my baby's life.
I'm just worried it's too late...
 
Please fill out the form in the sticky thread at the top of the health clinic. Answer everything as best you can and repost it. We can help you much more if we know more about your setup. providing pictures of the setup helps as well.

best of luck!
 
Sorry to hear about your cham :(. I had similar issuse with parent not want to take my gecko to the vet. He is fine now and is very healthy. I would suggest trying to look up alternatives to how to heal a broken bone on a Chameleon. Good luck
 
In case your having trouble finding the form we need filled out:


Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.


Cage Info:

Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?


Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


Pictures are helpful

Chameal said:
Sorry to hear about your cham :(. I had similar issuse with parent not want to take my gecko to the vet. He is fine now and is very healthy. I would suggest trying to look up alternatives to how to heal a broken bone on a Chameleon. Good luck
Click to expand...

Why would you think it to have a broken bone?
Im missing something obviously:confused::eek:
 
Fill out the form and perhaps there is something we can do to help you.

Otherwise, take a bus, ask a friend or family member, etc.
 
I am very sorry to hear about your situation. I am a parent and in our home even if the pet is said to belong to one of my kids... as a parent I have to take the primary responsibility of the pet. Therefore if I am not willing to be responsible for a pet with their help... I will not let them get the pet.

Can you please copy and past your information to these questions below we may be able to help you better.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


Pictures are helpful
 
Yea, we have dozens of members in Florida. You may even have one nearby that can help you out, at the very least help you by phone or something. You don't have any friends from school that could drive you to the vet or something?

I'm sorry that you're having this problem! Hopefully we can help you by giving us more info, but hopefully you find a way to get to the vet if it's necessary.
 
Sorry guys

It logged me out as soon as I posted all the info you guys are telling me to fill out :/
I can try again.
Maybe send pictures after I fill it out will be better.
Okay;
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled chameleon, male, I don't know his exact age, I've had him for a little over six months now

Handling - I give him some mama love every other day, he isn't isolated from that

Feeding - Crickets(medium or large size), maybe he eats like 13 when has an urge to, he normally eats 10 though, feed him once or twice a day; if twice i split the crickets up 5 for two times i feed him, a total of 10,gut-loading..? I'm sorry, I have never heard that term :'(

Supplements - Repto-Cal for his own calcium, and Fluker's stuff for crickets

Watering - Misting/Spray bottle, and a dish of water. Yes I do see him drinking, it is a common sight

Fecal Description - Like a light Hersheys kiss, with yellow/white stuff at the end. Yes, he had worms before they handed sold him to me, he was cured when they sold him though.

History - He is quite the angry little fellow, is this common in male veileds? He's very rude in his behavior as well.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - 18" x 12" x 20" Zilla screen habitat

Lighting - Fluker's lamp, Heat and UVB bulbs

Temperature - I don't know :/ it's all screen except the bottom, so I would imagine everything is room temperature, with an exception of his heat lamp

Humidity - Dry, I mist him though, there are just outlets near him, and I don't want to risk anything. You know?

Plants - All fake except for one branch

Placement - Spacious corner in my room

Location - Florida, where the winter is the same temperature as summer

Current Problem - His colors are dull, he leans to one side sometimes, he is angrier than normal, shedding isn't going smoothly, I believe he is sick, and no one has the time or wants to take me to the vet to help him. He has been blandly colored for a while, I've been begging for help for a long time.
 
Location in FL

I live outside the Tallahassee area, far but not too far.
I'm going against all I know about the internet, because honestly I want Vlad to make it out of this sickness or whatever he may have, alive.
 
Pictures

2012-02-0618-36-12043.jpg


2012-02-0618-38-00405.jpg


2012-02-0618-40-27272.jpg



Also, no, I do not take him out into the sunlight...
Is that a beneficial thing?
 
Blueberry said:
He needs to have the Vitamin C From sunlight or he could be developing MBD Its a bone disease Theres a certain type of light to help but act quick
Click to expand...

It isnt vitamin c.. They use UV light to produce vitamn D3 in ordernto process calcium.

Keep him outside as mch as you can.. Offer tons of water and plenty of well gutladed crickets.
 
Welcome to the forum and the world of chameleons!
I would recommend removing the substrate from the floor of the cage. Some of them can lead to impaction so its safest not to have anything on the floor of the cage.

I would also recommend more plants and branches to go up higher in his cage. If he can't get close enough to the basking light to warm up that may be why he's leaning. If he can't get close enough to the UVB he won't be getting enough of it to produce enough D3 to use the calcium and could develop MBD. Also, if he's cold it might affect his appetite...slow his metabolism. BTW...real plants are better since veileds will eat vegetation sometimes and if they try to eat a fake plant and get a piece off it and ingest it, it could be fatal. The plants should be well-washed (both sides of the leaves) and should be non-toxic.

Its important to have a thermometer too so you can be sure the temperatures in the cage are within an appropriate range.

Here's some information I hope will help you with supplementing, etc.....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

A wide variety of insects that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it.

Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Please note that various supplements have various amounts of D3 and vitamin A and so some can be given more often than others. The idea still is not to overdo the fat soluble vitamins like D3 and prEformed vitamin A.

Here are some good sites for you to read too...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.
 
Last edited:
Dusting means get your crix white in calcium, to start something you should take him outside to take the morning sun( and the rest of the day too) i see you don't have plants son you can put some towel or something covering half of the cage for him not too burn (until you get some dense plants), if its MBD that should help
 
The crickets should NOT be white at all! They should only be only a shade lighter than their original colors when dusted.

He needs a bigger cage (he will eventually need a 24x24x48.) He also needs a LOT more foliage to help him feel secure and to allow him to drink from. Paper towels are usually the best substrate so that you can remove them as needed when he poops. We need to know the brand of bulbs you have as some can be deadly. A thermometer is a must so that he can't burn himself. A cheap one can be purchased (including a built in humidity gauge) for around $10-$15 from a home improvement store.

Aggression is normal (as long as that is his normal behavior.) Handling him too much can cause stress which can lead to many different problems and possibly death. Don't handle him too much, especially if he doesn't seem to like it. Does your calcium product have D3 in it?

Read all those link posted by kinyongia. Everything she has posted is incredibly helpful!
 
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