Our male veiled cham is lethargic, weak, and won't eat

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - An approx. 9 month-old male veiled chameleon. In our care since May of 2011.
Handling - He is normally handled about two to three times a week. Lately, it's been two to three times a day in order to hand-feed him crickets.
Feeding - We normally feed him 5-6 crickets a day. 2-3 in the morning, and 3 before we shut off his day lamp. As for gut-loading the feeders...I don't really know what that means. We feed the crickets whatever veggies are available, though. Sometimes romaine lettuce, sometimes bok choi, sometimes cucumbers, carrots, etc.
Supplements - We don't dust the crickets with any supplements at all.
Watering - We mist 2 to 3 times a day (1 to 2 minutes each time) and have a drip system on for an hour a day. Normally, he drinks.
Fecal Description - Small amounts of white, lots of brown, and looks firm. He has not been tested for parasites.
History - None

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Screen cage, 16"W,16"L, 30"H
Lighting - ZooMed 75W infared heat lamp. Reptiglo 13W 5.0 UVB day lamp. Infared lamp is on at all times, and the day lamp is on for 12 hours a day, to imitate the day/night cycle. The day lamp is always on top of the cage, and we recently moved the infared lamp from the side of the cage to the top as well, fearing that he may be overheating.
Temperature - We don't know the temperature of the cage and we do not measure the temperature.
Humidity - We don't know the humidity levels. We create humidity by misting, but we don't maintain the humidity. We do not measure the humidity.
Plants - We are using fake plants.
Placement - It is in the far corner of our room, away from frequently opened windows and doors. The top of the cage is approx. 34" from the floor. The cage is resting on a plastic bin to collect run-off water, so it is not directly touching the floor.
Location - We live in a beach city, on the border of Mexico.

Current Problem - He is lethargic and weak. He is not eating and we don't see him drinking. He lies on the floor of the cage and doesn't not respond in his usual feisty manner when my fiance handles him. My fiance has been handling him more often lately, in order to hand-feed him. He seems to have an issue moving all of his legs. He tries to lift his legs, but it seems like he can't do it.

Any light you could shed on this situation would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Its very important to measure the heat and humidity in the enclosure. I would get rid of the red heat lamp as it really is not necessarily and you might have too much heat on him.

Also you should use a powder supplement on your food.

I'm sure some of the more experienced members are going to help you as soon as they see this thread.

Thank you, we'll be looking into temp/humidity measurement devices and supplements for his food.

Sorry your guy isnt doing well. but theres a few things you need to change.
1- you dont need to handle him to hand feed him. leave him on his plant and hold your hand infront of him. (more holding=more stress=sick cham)
2-you shouldnt feed him then turn the light off. he needs the heat to digest.
3- gutloading- feeding good fruits, veggies, nuts, seed, etc. Find sandrachameleons blog on gutloading.
4-SUPPLEMENTING IS REQUIRED! I cant stress this enough. calcium without d3 for every feeding, calcium with d3 twice a month, multivitamin twice a month. or you cna use an all in one supplement, called repashy all in one calcium plus for geckos. then you only need that one powder and its used on every feeding. (repashy is a site sponsor here)
5-measure your temps! veields should have a basking spot of 80-85 and it should get cooler as you go down the cage.
6-measure your humididty- too much can cause a respiratory infection, too little makes it hard for him to shed.
7-you can use your drip system all day (not at night)
8-get a regular house bulb for basking. start wtih a 40-60 watt, then check temps and adjust wattage as necessary. ALL lights are to be off at night. they need a 10-15 degree temp drop and total darkness to sleep.
9-POST PICTURES! of your set up, and of the cham, from both sides, profile type please.
10- and find a vet! you sound like he needs one.

Wrote all that down for future reference, and looking for a vet ASAP. Thanks

orloffelgin said:

Wrote all that down for future reference, and looking for a vet ASAP. Thanks

Click to expand...

Very welcome.
I dont want to seem harsh, that was all stated matter of factly.
can you post some pics? id like to see if its mbd. or see if i see somethin gthat could be causin git.
but a vet who knows chameleons is your best bet considering hes lethargic and weak.

Hi! Welcome to the board. Many of us found this place because we also had a chameleon with a health problem. You'll find there's a wealth of experience and knowledge here to help you.

I'm going to add something to the suggestions already made. I think you should give up feeding your chameleon before his bed time. They need to bask under their lights to properly digest their food. They are typically "good sleepers" hunkering down for the night so they don't do any after dark hunting.

Please pardon the blurriness. This is the link to the multiple photos I took:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v314/leslainaii_ohwihau/Galileo/

That is great to know. The amount we are feeding him correct, and we should just move his second meal to an earlier time, right?

Elizadolots said:

Hi! Welcome to the board. Many of us found this place because we also had a chameleon with a health problem. You'll find there's a wealth of experience and knowledge here to help you.

I'm going to add something to the suggestions already made. I think you should give up feeding your chameleon before his bed time. They need to bask under their lights to properly digest their food. They are typically "good sleepers" hunkering down for the night so they don't do any after dark hunting.

Click to expand...

Tehe i said that too! just wanted to point that out.. haha

orloffelgin said:

That is great to know. The amount we are feeding him correct, and we should just move his second meal to an earlier time, right?

Click to expand...

If he will eat more crickets let him. but if not , dont force him right now. and yes move his second feeding to earlier. give him at least 2 hours of basking to digest.

Ok after looking at your link, I thin your cham has MBD. Metabolic bone disease.
Probably from the lack of supplements.
SO, a vet visit, DEF in order now.
You will need the right supplements, now.
if your vet is good, he should prescribe calcium injections.

remove the red light. not needed. regular house bulb for basking.

My fiancee has been contacting vets, and he believes he has a place. We'll be taking Galileo in soon. Would you personally recommend Repashy, or the slew of supplements?

orloffelgin said:

My fiancee has been contacting vets, and he believes he has a place. We'll be taking Galileo in soon. Would you personally recommend Repashy, or the slew of supplements?

Click to expand...

Ive used both.
I swear by repashy.

Used, it, loved it. fixed a slight tongue aim issue wiht my male veield after only two months.
and hes brighter.

and im glad you are going to a vet.
the mbd is not so advanced that it cant be corrected, and with proper care, galileo (cute name) can be happy and healthy again.

IF you dont know, i diagnosed mbd due to the extra looking joint in his arm, and the bowing in his legs.
mbd causes breaks and bowing.

more than likely, the mbd is whats causing him to be the way he is.

Good luck, keep us posted, and if you have more questions, just ask, or you always PM me. im on frequently throughout the day.

We're on our way out the door now. Thank you all so much!! I'll post an update later on.

orloffelgin said:

We're on our way out the door now. Thank you all so much!! I'll post an update later on.

Click to expand...

Good luck! Hope all goes well!

camimom said:

Tehe i said that too! just wanted to point that out.. haha

Click to expand...

ooops...so you did. You know what they say about great minds...

orloffelgin, you really don't need to give him 2 meals a day. Just give him all the crickets (dusted with calcium!) in the morning.

I agree with camimom about the MBD. As the vet will no doubt tell you, the damage that's been done (there appear to be some breaks in legs) won't be undone, but your chameleon can--once the proper balance of nutrients and lighting come together--live a healthy life and be a very enjoyable pet.

Elizadolots said:

ooops...so you did. You know what they say about great minds...

orloffelgin, you really don't need to give him 2 meals a day. Just give him all the crickets (dusted with calcium!) in the morning.

I agree with camimom about the MBD. As the vet will no doubt tell you, the damage that's been done (there appear to be some breaks in legs) won't be undone, but your chameleon can--once the proper balance of nutrients and lighting come together--live a healthy life and be a very enjoyable pet.

Click to expand...

Im glad im not the only one who saw the legs. even when i know what i saw, i still like to see someoen back me up. makes me know i KNOW what i saw.

ANd just for the sake of it, i do two feedings sometimes too. but only with Kink. hes a slow eater. and sometimes he will eat a couple bugs, then stop for a while. ill go off and do stuff, then come back and try agian, and hell eat some more...

Some angles can make it really hard to tell, so I fully understand why assurances are good.

Feeding more than once a day is always an option and in this case, as the chameleon isn't doing well it might really be the best idea, but the animal needs digestion time. I think it's usually recommended not to feed unless there's 4 hours of "light" left.

camimom said:

Ive used both.
I swear by repashy.

Used, it, loved it. fixed a slight tongue aim issue wiht my male veield after only two months.
and hes brighter.

and im glad you are going to a vet.
the mbd is not so advanced that it cant be corrected, and with proper care, galileo (cute name) can be happy and healthy again.

IF you dont know, i diagnosed mbd due to the extra looking joint in his arm, and the bowing in his legs.
mbd causes breaks and bowing.

more than likely, the mbd is whats causing him to be the way he is.

Good luck, keep us posted, and if you have more questions, just ask, or you always PM me. im on frequently throughout the day.

Click to expand...

Please excuse me, I hate to jump in here as I'm not giving advice, but I noticed you recommended Repashy for Chams. I'm trying to find a good multi-vite for my Cham, what exact repashy product is it? Can you post a link?
Thanks!

lojack13 said:

Please excuse me, I hate to jump in here as I'm not giving advice, but I noticed you recommended Repashy for Chams. I'm trying to find a good multi-vite for my Cham, what exact repashy product is it? Can you post a link?
Thanks!

Click to expand...

here ya go.
http://www.store.repashy.com/calcium-plus-bag.html
It says for geckos. but dont worry we all use for chams.