Heat stress or Vitamin Deficiency

[MannyXO]

Hello this is my first time coming on to the forum. I own 9 panther chameleons. But one of my boys happens to always come with problems since i have had him.
Quick run down on a quick set up and care application
Ambanja around 2.5 years old could be wrong he was dropped off at a reptile store with nail kinks and all.
Cage 4x2x2
Long 24inch Florescent 5.0 t5 uvb strip
I have bamboo sticks and vines for climbing and walking
I have a ficus benjimina in there and 2 umbrella plants at the bottom
I do use a large dripper in his cage.
I mist 3 times a day roughly a minute-3 minute mists.
He has always been a funky eater and usually eats 4-7 crickets or if we do super worms sometimes he will take 4-5. Despises dubias and hornworms. Same with Black soldier fly larvae. Overall eats 2/3 times a week. I do rep-cal no d3
I use a 50w sometimes 75w right now he is on a 50w

My issue that i noticed yesterday that scared the crap out of me was his eyes were sunken in and he had shown signs of weakness, he couldnt really grip on me when hes good about perching on my shoulder. I soaked him in the shower for about 5 minutes and got his color back, he also pooped and urate was a lil yellow
I have been heavy misting him since then but he still has this funky weakness. So im not sure if his recovery from heat stress is long or if it could be vitamin deficiency i usually have a pump mister and get him hydrated. Hes good about drinking and eating but these past few days its not normal, i felt his limbs and nothing seems odd to me or visually ofd either. His current uvb bulb still has life in it still so no need for replacing. I have a vet appointment for the 31st since california living has been rough, and my 2 exotic vets are available monday-wednesdays and the other 2 times out of the week.

 

[MannyXO]

He had been given to me with shedding issues as it was hence the rounding of spikes on his back he still has terrible shed with me, his 2 front legs are his weakest whilst the 2 back have been perfectly fine. Still shoots his prey no problem when he does eat. And walking he is slower and will gravitate to the middle or the bottom vines/branches.

 

[kinyonga]

Please post a couple more photos of all of him from both sides.

You said..”I do rep-cal no d3”…you don’t ever use a vitamin supplement?
No D3 or prEformed vitamin A Twice a month? Do you treat all the chameleons the same in every respect? Are they all rescues?

What do you feed the insects and gut load them with?

 

[kinyonga]

There are a few things that I would improve with his set up as well…more on that later.

You said…”His current uvb bulb still has life in it still so no need for replacing”…what do you mean it still has life in it. How old is the bulb? What brand and strength is it? I asked for more photos because I think he may be developing MBD.

 

[MannyXO]

Please post a couple more photos of all of him from both sides.

You said..”I do rep-cal no d3”…you don’t ever use a vitamin supplement?
No D3 or prEformed vitamin A Twice a month? Do you treat all the chameleons the same in every respect? Are they all rescues?

What do you feed the insects and gut load them with?

Vitamin supplement once or twice a month i use the rep-cal herptivite every cham i have are the same. He was my only rescue.
Bugs are fed bug burger and sometimes i put kale in my bins

 

[MannyXO]

There are a few things that I would improve with his set up as well…more on that later.

You said…”His current uvb bulb still has life in it still so no need for replacing”…what do you mean it still has life in it. How old is the bulb? What brand and strength is it? I asked for more photos because I think he may be developing MBD.

Hes on a zoo med 5.0 and i have had it in for about 3 months. And i can send another photo

 

[kinyonga]

Being a rescue, his treatment by the previous owner could have been less and that could be making a difference.
Im not a fan of commercial gutloads and feeds…I would recommend using a wide range of greens, veggies and a very little bit of fruit…collards, dandelion greens, kale, mustard greens, carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, etc, and just a bit of apple, pears, berries, melon, etc.

Herptivite has a beta carotene (proformed) source of vitamin A …reptivite has a preformed source of vitamin A…most people use reptivite with D3 twice a month light,y dusted on the insects just before feeding them to the chameleon.

 

[MannyXO]

Being a rescue, his treatment by the previous owner could have been less and that could be making a difference.
Im not a fan of commercial gutloads and feeds…I would recommend using a wide range of greens, veggies and a very little bit of fruit…collards, dandelion greens, kale, mustard greens, carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, etc, and just a bit of apple, pears, berries, melon, etc.

I was curious about sweet potatoes since i have a lot of those i didnt that was a good feeder! And yea when i got him they told me had nail kinks, he did have a sore or 2 like if he had shed peeled off prematurely. Little things i noticed where i said yea i needa take him in. He has been super fine with me since other than shedding issues that arose last year at the start of winter that was corrected with the temperature change and a vet visit at that time clearing parasites and MBD.

 

[kinyonga]

A couple more photos might help. Does he often hang his leg off the branch like that?

 

[kinyonga]

You said…”He has been super fine with me since other than shedding issues that arose last year at the start of winter that was corrected with the temperature change and a vet visit at that time clearing parasites and MBD.”…so no MBD or parasites then? What was the temperature change?

I’ve used sweet potatoes for years. I was told they are better if theynare slightly cooked…but I never did that.

 

[MannyXO]

A couple more photos might help. Does he often hang his leg off the branch like that?

That was recent but before that wasnt common ever 4th of july before fires i had the chams out on the dracaenas since it was a perfect outdoors day and he was walkin and doing his thing fine but catching this 2 days ago i was like uhm you have never done that. He moves the arms fine, he gets high in the sticks and ficus tree. But his movement is a little slower than usual

 

[MannyXO]

You said…”He has been super fine with me since other than shedding issues that arose last year at the start of winter that was corrected with the temperature change and a vet visit at that time clearing parasites and MBD.”…so no MBD or parasites then? What was the temperature change?

I’ve used sweet potatoes for years. I was told they are better if theynare slightly cooked…but I never did that.

Yea that visit was in December which i requested a thorough exam. So he had a fecal test, and she did feel on his limbs and let him perch on a few branches and vines. And during that time LA temps were a stable 50-65 degrees and with heat in the reptile room i could get it at a stable 85 to comfort everyone in the room. Now when spring came through he did shed twice and got 90% of the stuck shed off i did the showers the longer misting sessions which aided in all that stuck shed coming off.

 

[MannyXO]

You said…”He has been super fine with me since other than shedding issues that arose last year at the start of winter that was corrected with the temperature change and a vet visit at that time clearing parasites and MBD.”…so no MBD or parasites then? What was the temperature change?

I’ve used sweet potatoes for years. I was told they are better if theynare slightly cooked…but I never did that.

The store initially was closed down for various reasons but they were exposed for selling sick animals and selling WC animals as CB. I did also rescue a savannah monitor from there in 2020

 

[MannyXO]

You said…”He has been super fine with me since other than shedding issues that arose last year at the start of winter that was corrected with the temperature change and a vet visit at that time clearing parasites and MBD.”…so no MBD or parasites then? What was the temperature change?

I’ve used sweet potatoes for years. I was told they are better if theynare slightly cooked…but I never did that.

A friend who keeps chameleons said it could possibly be gout too because of the dangly legs, not wanting to use them that much

 

[MannyXO]

Update: Vet suspects Parasites, Ruled out gout and respiratory. he was given vitamin D injections, Fluids, a dewormer and Liquid Calcium. i am back monday for lab work

 

[kinyonga]

You said…”he did shed twice and got 90% of the stuck shed off i did the showers the longer misting sessions which aided in all that stuck shed coming off”…they are dry shedders…moisture doesn’t help them shed. We’re you pulling pieces of shed off or letting them fall off on their own?

You said…”Vet suspects Parasites, Ruled out gout and respiratory. he was given vitamin D injections, Fluids, a dewormer and Liquid Calcium.” …so he/she didn’t test for parasites…just gave him a dewormer that will only kill certain parasites and not others…instead of testing to be sure she/he was treating the right parasite? How did he rule out gout? Hopefully he/she gave your chameleon the right amount of D3 and didn’t overdo it.

You said…”i am back monday for lab work”…blood tests? Anything else?

 

[MannyXO]

You said…”he did shed twice and got 90% of the stuck shed off i did the showers the longer misting sessions which aided in all that stuck shed coming off”…they are dry shedders…moisture doesn’t help them shed. We’re you pulling pieces of shed off or letting them fall off on their own?

You said…”Vet suspects Parasites, Ruled out gout and respiratory. he was given vitamin D injections, Fluids, a dewormer and Liquid Calcium.” …so he/she didn’t test for parasites…just gave him a dewormer that will only kill certain parasites and not others…instead of testing to be sure she/he was treating the right parasite? How did he rule out gout? Hopefully he/she gave your chameleon the right amount of D3 and didn’t overdo it.

You said…”i am back monday for lab work”…blood tests? Anything else?

In regards to the shedding they fell off on their own, i never went to peel stuck shed. She did a stool culture that id get back in a few days, and she basically said the limbs would be swollen and wouldnt move much and the organs were palpable. And yea i asked about dosages and all that and she rest assured she wouldnt do too much. And for the follow up on monday is for overall wellness and then the labs. Obviously things can changes from today until Monday so if the prognosis is good then hopefully nothing more

 

[elizaann2]

In regards to the shedding they fell off on their own, i never went to peel stuck shed. She did a stool culture that id get back in a few days, and she basically said the limbs would be swollen and wouldnt move much and the organs were palpable. And yea i asked about dosages and all that and she rest assured she wouldnt do too much. And for the follow up on monday is for overall wellness and then the labs. Obviously things can changes from today until Monday so if the prognosis is good then hopefully nothing more

Agreed!