Chameleon acting sick. Too much d3

Alessandra4999

Alessandra4999

New Member
Hi everyone. I have a 6-month-old Jackson chameleon. He has 100 W heat lamp and a 10 UVB basking lamp. He is usually active during the day and hunts but since yesterday he's been sleeping most of the day and not eating. I used a little tube feeder to hydrate him with water but I don't think he's dehydrated. I think I may have given him too much D3 with his crickets and now his organs might be shutting down and he had some yellow urine recently. I am not sure what to do in the meantime I am trying to find a vet to go to ASAP but I really hope he doesn't die because of this and can survive. If I gave him too much d3 is there a way for him to empty out all the calcium?
 
Please copy and paste the form below into your response and fill it out with detail. I will tag our Jackson's experts to help you. @Mendez @JacksJill



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.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 
Hi, welcome! How far away is that 100 watt heat lamp from his basking spot? In my opinion you only need a 60 watt bulb for heat. What is the temp at his basking spot? Jackson’s chameleons are a montane species that doesn’t like high temperatures. They like 80 degrees at the most to bask. What supplements are you using and how often?
 
What makes you believe that he has had too much D3? How often do you give your cham the D3 supplement? What brand are you using? Different brands have different amounts of D3, so the more info you provide us, the better we can help. Like Linda said above, a 100W basking bulb is probably overkill, but it will come down to your ambient temperatures and how far away the bulb is from the basking site. Also, what type of heat bulb are you using (e.g. halogen, incandescent, LED). Nowadays, you have to be careful when buying incandescent bulbs because everything is phasing towards LED. Manufacturers are producing incandescent-looking bulbs that are in the 60-100 Watt range in light output but are actually equivalent to a 15W LED. Your bulb may say 100W (and then in small text underneath it will say "equivalent" and then state it's actually a 15W LED). If you live anywhere in California, it's nearly impossible to find an incandescent bulb in a hardware store. If you can tell me the brand (or better yet, have the box the bulb came in), we can help determine if your bulb is adequate for you jackson's chameleon.

Do you see your jackson's chameleon basking under the basking bulb? The D3 synthesis process requires heat, so if anything is wrong with the bulb, this could be an issue.

You say the urates are yellow. How do his eyes look? Do they look nice and round or are they sunk in? Hydration is going to be determined by your humidity/misting schedule, so be sure to fill out the form posted above by @Beman.
 
Mendez said:
What makes you believe that he has had too much D3? How often do you give your cham the D3 supplement? What brand are you using? Different brands have different amounts of D3, so the more info you provide us, the better we can help. Like Linda said above, a 100W basking bulb is probably overkill, but it will come down to your ambient temperatures and how far away the bulb is from the basking site. Also, what type of heat bulb are you using (e.g. halogen, incandescent, LED). Nowadays, you have to be careful when buying incandescent bulbs because everything is phasing towards LED. Manufacturers are producing incandescent-looking bulbs that are in the 60-100 Watt range in light output but are actually equivalent to a 15W LED. Your bulb may say 100W (and then in small text underneath it will say "equivalent" and then state it's actually a 15W LED). If you live anywhere in California, it's nearly impossible to find an incandescent bulb in a hardware store. If you can tell me the brand (or better yet, have the box the bulb came in), we can help determine if your bulb is adequate for you jackson's chameleon.

Do you see your jackson's chameleon basking under the basking bulb? The D3 synthesis process requires heat, so if anything is wrong with the bulb, this could be an issue.

You say the urates are yellow. How do his eyes look? Do they look nice and round or are they sunk in? Hydration is going to be determined by your humidity/misting schedule, so be sure to fill out the form posted above by @Beman.
Click to expand...
His eyes are nice and round. I took him to the vet today and they gave me food to syringe feed him as well as injections for antibiotics. Attached in the link is the type of light fixture I use for the basking lamp and the uv light. I am not sure if this fixture is the issue or I should lower to 80 watts. https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/en...xywZ7DNDx83kEx-OfCTiZQtGf05Ms2r0aAvOHEALw_wcB
 
Mendez said:
What makes you believe that he has had too much D3? How often do you give your cham the D3 supplement? What brand are you using? Different brands have different amounts of D3, so the more info you provide us, the better we can help. Like Linda said above, a 100W basking bulb is probably overkill, but it will come down to your ambient temperatures and how far away the bulb is from the basking site. Also, what type of heat bulb are you using (e.g. halogen, incandescent, LED). Nowadays, you have to be careful when buying incandescent bulbs because everything is phasing towards LED. Manufacturers are producing incandescent-looking bulbs that are in the 60-100 Watt range in light output but are actually equivalent to a 15W LED. Your bulb may say 100W (and then in small text underneath it will say "equivalent" and then state it's actually a 15W LED). If you live anywhere in California, it's nearly impossible to find an incandescent bulb in a hardware store. If you can tell me the brand (or better yet, have the box the bulb came in), we can help determine if your bulb is adequate for you jackson's chameleon.

Do you see your jackson's chameleon basking under the basking bulb? The D3 synthesis process requires heat, so if anything is wrong with the bulb, this could be an issue.

You say the urates are yellow. How do his eyes look? Do they look nice and round or are they sunk in? Hydration is going to be determined by your humidity/misting schedule, so be sure to fill out the form posted above by @Beman.
Click to expand...
 
The uvb that type of compact bulb gives doesn’t penetrate more than 2-3 inches from the bulb. It doesn’t even reach your Cham. What you need is a T5HO fixture with a long linear uvb bulb, either reptisun 5.0 or Arcadia 6%. Either of these will get enough uvb to your basking branch which should be 8-9 inches below the light. You can use the dual fixture you have and just put in a 60 watt white incandescent bulb or a 60 watt white halogen bulb for heat because Jackson’s usually don’t like to bask in over 80degrees. You can leave the other side of the fixture empty.
 
As for over dosing with D3, did the vet think he was overdosed? What was his diagnosis? Your guy must have had an infection for the vet to give him antibiotic injections.
 
I use 40 -60 watt bulbs for basking for Jackson's depending on age and room temperature. If you can't get a lower watt then move the fixture higher off of the cage. Young jackson's should stay under 78 F basking.
 
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