bent casque?

[zombiepixel]

I've started noticing that Trogdor's casque is bending. Nothing has changed in his setup and he's been eating and drinking like a horse.

For the last month we have been treating him for hooks and coccidia. He has been in an enclosure without live plants this entire time because I don't want to infect and create hiding places for the parasites. I worry this has over stressed him.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - 18x16x20 reptibreeze
Lighting - reptisun 10 uv tube, and a standard flood bulb for heating.
Temperature - basking area is consistent +-80 degrees
Humidity - around the 45-50 normally 75%+ after a misting
Plants - no live plants right now because he has been in quarantine.
Placement - home office location, light traffic.
Location - norther california

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - 6.5mo male veiled
Handling - 1 every 3weeks or less, only when I need to clean
Feeding - crickets gutloading on collard greens and occasionally carrots and cricket chow from mullberry farms. He also get the occasionally wax or meal worm.
Supplements - he gets calcium w/o D3 twice a week, calcium w/ D3 once a week and multivitamin once a month.
Watering - habba mister every 3hrs for 30secs. I also hand mist with warm water pretty much every morning.
Fecal Description - standard brown with whitish urates, sometimes they are a little on the orange side. He has been in treatment for hooks and coccidia off and on for about a month. We will probably get another fecal this week sometime.
History - He is scared of everything and very aggressive.
Current Problem - casque is bending at the tip.

 

[jannb]

I think you are using to much D3. I would cut back to twice a month. You need to keep him well hydrated while on the meds for the parasites, it really dries them out.

When is the last time you changed your UVB bulb? You took the plastic of the light, right? Do you have the long tube style bulb or coil?

BTW You need some branches and vines in the cage for him or are they out for the treatments?

 

[zombiepixel]

I have hardly ever seen him drink, he is so skiddish, so I keep him as hydrated as possible. I have a UV tube, There is plastic on these things? It doesn't look like it. I've had the same bulb for about 4 months, so i'm planning on getting another in about about month.

Yeah he had a great little ficus but i took it out because of the treatments. It sucks...

 

[summoner12]

I have hardly ever seen him drink, he is so skiddish, so I keep him as hydrated as possible. I have a UV tube, There is plastic on these things? It doesn't look like it. I've had the same bulb for about 4 months, so i'm planning on getting another in about about month.

Yeah he had a great little ficus but i took it out because of the treatments. It sucks...

You don't need a 10.... and you curtainly don't need to change it after 5 months. a 5.0 would be better to use.... I would raise his 10.0 up a few inches above the screen. and then in three months maybe lower it back to the top of the cage. 10.0 lamps put out a lot of UVB and at 6", it'll be a bit too much for him.

Check this out: Link

 

[summoner12]

Also I wouldn't use the cricket chow from mulberry. if it's their brand it is just chicken meal. Maybe try getting some Cricket Crack from Steve Sims on the forum.

what do you mean 'on and off treatment'? What are you using as treatment? there are some ways of treating coccidia, search the forum there should be a thread about it.

 

[zombiepixel]

OK sorry, I stand corrected I have a reptisun 5.0, sorry it has been a while since I bought one and I use a 10.0 for my beardie.

I don't hardly use the cricket chow especially lately so i'll just stop that altogether.

What I meant by "on and off treatment" is that we treated him with Albon for about a week when we first started. then switched over to Panacur for 5 days, stopped for about a week then ran another cycle. This was all by our vets orders. We need to do another fecal soon, hopefully we will have some good news.

 

[summoner12]

I have not had to deal with coccidia but there is a drug out there that is better than albon and doesn't knock your cham on his ass...

What do you use to clean the fake plants and cage with? Using hydrogen peroxide (the stronger stuff from a hair salon supply store) is very very good at killing parasites left hanging around a cage. The stuff is pretty cheap as well.

I can't think of what that other drug is that i've heard about. I just haven't had to deal with it so it hasn't stuck in my head. I do know it costs a lot of money if you buy a bottle... Maybe try hitting up Dave Weldon in a PM, I know he is on the ball with this stuff.

 

[jannb]

Albon is very hard on chameleons. When you get a fecal if he still test positive for coccidia I would ask the vet to give you Panazuril. I'll see if I can find you the info on it so you can take it with you to your vets.

 

[zombiepixel]

I purchased a steam cleaner that reaches temps over 250 degrees to clean the all the furniture in the enclosure.

about half way through the cycle we noticed the negative effects from the albon. We finished it, I think I may have skipped a day. We were going to suggest Panazuril from the vet but since he was already that far into the cycle we decided to just get it over with. He stopped eating but came right back afterward.

 

[summoner12]

That's the stuff, thanks Jann!

 

[Lovereps]

Supplements - he gets calcium w/o D3 twice a week, calcium w/ D3 once a week and multivitamin once a month.

Hopefully, some very experienced Veiled keepers will chime-in to answer this question:
Other than possibly using the D3 calcium too often--Isn't calcium 3x a week not often enough for a 6 1/2 month old Veiled?
I know that MBD can cause the casque to bend and maybe it just isn't quite enough calcium for this particular Veiled....
This site http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/supplements.html
states:

Calcium should be provided on a few feeders 3 to 4 times a week, Calcium with D3 should be provided 1 to 2 times per week for young chameleons (up to 6 months old) and reduced to once or twice per month for adults.

 

[Syn]

My veiled had the same problem. He was rubbing his casque against the top of the cage because he was so close to the top.

Since I have rearraged his setup his casque hasn't bent any further and looks to be getting better.