Meet Jack The worse case of MBD I've ever seen
- Thread starter jannb
- Start date
kelsxox
New Member
thats so saad ! i'd hate to ever see that happen ! I believe if your going to get any animal you should do a good amount of research before getting it.. I wish i would have known in advance my lil girl had MBD, but atleast and hopefully ill be able to prevent it & got her out of that place before it got even worse!
AbooLovesYOU
New Member
Very powerful pics, thank you for sharing Jack's story. Feels better to know he is getting the attention and care he deserves now.
cricketkilla
Member
I would like to share Jack's story in hopes that maybe it will help some of our newer member to understand the importance of having the proper husbandry, meaning lights, supplements, gut load, feeders, temps and humidity.
I received this email and pictures from my vet, Dr. Alfonso and he has allowed me to share Jack's story with you.
Hello friends. Sorry to bug you with this email but I just wanted you all to see what neglect at its finest can do to a chameleon. At the last Repticon show in Orlando we were given Jack, the veiled chameleon, which is supposedly 1.5 years old. The pics speak for themselves so I don’t need to tell you what is wrong or why I would be so darn mad.
I will be posting this on FB and also on the Chameo forums for everyone to see but you all being my closest friends get to see a sneak pic of the horrors that chameleons suffer for being so "cool".
The story as it goes is that Jack belonged to someone who owned him for the last 1.5 years. Apparently only recently Jack developed these abnormalities that are related to calcium deficiency or MBD. The previous owner took Jack to Vet near me and Jack was prescribed oral calcium glubionate, carnivore care feeding formula and, of all things, baytril. Why would anyone prescribe Baytril to a calcium deficient chameleon is anyone's guess, but this is why people lose faith in Veterinary medicine. Needless to say, the owner lost patience with Jack and his apparent lack of progress and dumped him on a coworker’s lap who turned to me for advice/adoption. Divy and I gladly took Jack in and promptly started him on a heavy dose of unfiltered sunlight with twice daily oral calcium glubionate. We are also offering 10-12 crickets daily properly gutloaded without own gutload as well as dusted with herptivite and Zoo Med's Repti Calcium. So far Jack seems to be improving and developing a much stronger grip as well as a great feeding reflex. He is not shooting his tongue yet but he accepts crickets from our hand with minimal effort. His grip is not strong enough to climb but at least he is not shaking, trembling or falling a lot.
We are not sure if he will have a good enough quality of life but we are trying to evaluate that as we go. It is simply sad to see such a wonderful specimen go to waste because of poor husbandry and neglectful ownership.
Sorry for the rant but I figured you would all understand,
Ivan
www.kirkmanareavet.com
I will keep you update on Jack as I receive up dates from Dr. Alfonso.
This is just so sad.. That poor animal, at least he is in the best hands. Jack will be in my thoughts for sure. Thank you for sharing this Jann.
VeiledChams
Avid Member
This thread is over 2 years old..
great example of the damage bad husbandry can do, though
great example of the damage bad husbandry can do, though
reptilover
New Member
thank you jann for rescuing this poor creature! hes in good hands and i cant wait for updates!!!
FrankTheTank
Established Member
wow...that made me tear up. people can be so horrible. I don't understand how anyone could treat an animal or human being like that. it's just really really sad. some people just don't have an ounce of compassion in their whole body. I really dont get it
Tifanydalpont
New Member
I have a Jack Too!!!
my jack had broken limbs when i got him at 3 month's old..I've had him for almost 4 years now..hope your Jack make's it
my jack had broken limbs when i got him at 3 month's old..I've had him for almost 4 years now..hope your Jack make's it
biochemnerd808
New Member
It always surprises me that people get a pet without doing the necessary research. Simply entering "Veiled Chameleon care" into google would bring them a whole long list of articles to read (I know - because I did it!).
I think as parents (or future parents... or grandparents) it is important that we instill a sense of responsibility into the next generation - my parents made me give them a presentation on proper care (this was pre-internet... had to go to the library!) and I had to also show them a year's budget plan on how I would pay for proper supplies, food, etc. before they would let me get a pet.
How is the cham now?
I think as parents (or future parents... or grandparents) it is important that we instill a sense of responsibility into the next generation - my parents made me give them a presentation on proper care (this was pre-internet... had to go to the library!) and I had to also show them a year's budget plan on how I would pay for proper supplies, food, etc. before they would let me get a pet.
How is the cham now?
sarahlynne
New Member
Wow I didn't know MBD could be so easy to get
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
It isn't really that easy. If a cham is exposed to the correct lighting and correct nutrition you won't see this. But, as we are trying to keep an animal that has adapted to need direct sunlight inside our houses it happens because people just don't understand metabolisms other than their own. In a lot of ways it is similar to rickets in mammals...and you don't see that too often these days.
jannb
Chameleon Enthusiast
After Dr. Alfonso finished with all of Jack's treatments he was adopted out and lived for about a year to a year and a half.
Reptilover I didn't rescue Jack. Dr. Alfonso did.
dom1959
New Member
i want to share my recent experience...
in october i started looking in to getting a dream pet!
i read online, went to the best reptile focused pet store in the area,
asked a ton of questions and read a ton online. i bought my veiled boy!
time goes along everything seems good, i am reading everyday (ocd)
i supplement, i gutload, i have arcadia lights and reptisun 10.0 cfl
crix, butters, horns, dubia, phoenix worms, if you can buy a bug online i will buy it.
a post appeared re chams grabbing at their own feet. i think hmm i have seen minion doing this in the last couple weeks. call vet on 4-17, see vet on 4-19.
just got the call about bloodwork which confirmed the xray. his bone density is not what it should be and he has a fracture that looks to be healing.
we caught it really early but MBD is here.
i have read probably 400 hours plus on the forum along with books and google searches and it happened to me. so be aware of your cham... if it does something out of the ordinary research it and don't be scared of the vet!
in october i started looking in to getting a dream pet!
i read online, went to the best reptile focused pet store in the area,
asked a ton of questions and read a ton online. i bought my veiled boy!
time goes along everything seems good, i am reading everyday (ocd)
i supplement, i gutload, i have arcadia lights and reptisun 10.0 cfl
crix, butters, horns, dubia, phoenix worms, if you can buy a bug online i will buy it.
a post appeared re chams grabbing at their own feet. i think hmm i have seen minion doing this in the last couple weeks. call vet on 4-17, see vet on 4-19.
just got the call about bloodwork which confirmed the xray. his bone density is not what it should be and he has a fracture that looks to be healing.
we caught it really early but MBD is here.
i have read probably 400 hours plus on the forum along with books and google searches and it happened to me. so be aware of your cham... if it does something out of the ordinary research it and don't be scared of the vet!
djfishygillz
Avid Member
I'm sure you have made a lot of dogs the happiest in the world though! The ones that get a second chance at life would thank you for a lifetime if they could talk...
Shauna_T
Avid Member
I know this is an old thread... I absolutely agree with what your saying on one hand, but I also believe that people should do extensive research before getting any animal. Ignorance is only there because they were too lazy (imo) to do the research to find out how to take care of an animal and find out if it is something they can handle. Maybe lazy is too strong of a word because I really do agree with you and I guess just because I research that way doesn't mean everyone should...but they should lolAnyhow.....
Back to the MBD veiled... This veiled can live a good life and with someone who cares. He's deformed, but he can survive just fine. I have actually seen worse. When the bones are like mush and the animal can't eat or drink and can't pull the tongue back into his mouth all the way and when it just flails its arms about without moving anywhere, that is the worst. Or worse, make it an egg bound female veiled that might be carrying about 100 eggs.
The last thing I do is point the finger at the individual who had the animal. A lot of it is just ignorance. You can assume these people don't care or are horrible for allowing these things to happen, but in most cases when it comes to reptiles, they JUST DON'T KNOW.
It is a long battle to inform people of what could and does go wrong with reptiles when the husbandry is lacking. Believe it or not, people who absolutely love their chameleons and call on me have no clue what happened to make their chameleon so sick or deformed. I've seen grown men in tears because they feel guilt over the outcome. So don't assume they don't feel guilt. Every person who brought a chameleon to me feels guilt whether the chameleon is sick or just needs a new permanent home.
There is too much to cover and there are few regulations, IF ANY, to protect reptiles from faulty products that actually hurt our animals and lights that fry them.
Before you judge the individual without knowing what truly happened or what kind of person owned it, consider that they care enough to hand it over to another person or facility where the animal WILL get care. After all, this chameleon was handed to a vet... or a friend of a vet who was sitting next to him.
To be honest, this thread got a little sickening with the dog stories.
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