Chameleon legs looking weird

[Lindsayd42]

I took him out of his cage the other day and noticed his front right leg looked weird and his back left leg, he is around 7 months old, kept in an exo terra glass enclosure with the vents in the side and top, as I cannot keep a completely screened one humid enough where I live, he eats either 8 crickets or 4 superworms, I dust them 2 times a week, he has a uvb and heat bulb, I took him to the place I got him from and they said it looked like he bumped his leg, but it doesn’t seem to be getting better, any ideas?

 

[Lennoncham]

It looks like MBD. He will need to see a good exotics vet.

Can you please fill out the how to ask for help form?

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

 

[Lindsayd42]

It looks like MBD. He will need to see a good exotics vet.

Can you please fill out the how to ask for help form?

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

• Your Chameleon - veiled chameleon, male, around 7 months according to the store I got him from, have had him around 5 months
• Handling - 4-5 nights a week for around 45 minutes to an hour
• Feeding - either 4 superworms or 7-8 crickets, give them collard greens
• Supplements - flukers calcium with vitamin D3 , phosphorus free, dust the food about 2 times a week
• Watering - spray bottle 3-4 times a day, 2-3 minutes, not often seen drinking
• Fecal Description - yellow-white color, wet looking, half inch poop, never tested for parasites
• History - Came from small animal shop located near my house

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - exo terra 18H 12W 12D, vents on side, screen top
• Lighting - 10.0 UVB 13 WATT bulb zoo led brand, exo terra 75 WATT basking bulb , turn on around 2pm, off around 10pm
• Temperature - basking spot around 90 degrees Fahrenheit , lowest night temp around 70, thermometer humidity gauge
• Humidity - 50-60%, spraying water into the cage, measured with thermometer humidity gauge
• Plants - no
• Placement - next to door, top of cage around 4 feet from floor
• Location -Pennsylvania

 

[JoshD49]

Definitely MBD! He needs a vet and some calcium. Sorry to say this but there is a lot of damage and even if it stabilizes he will likely have bowed legs for the rest of his life.

You need to change your supplements to calcium without d3 every feeding, calcium with d3 twice a month and multivitamin twice a month on off schedules to the calcium with d3.

You need to buy a proper gutload for your feeders as well such as cricket crack, repashy bug burger or if your going to make your own there needs to be a bigger variety then just greens. Veiled Chameleons will eat the greens if you just put it in his cage.

Your lighting needs to be on for 12 hrs and off for 12 hrs. Your not giving him enough time under the basking and uvb to properly digest.

As for the immediate you need to get him to a vet ASAP.

Also you need to read this!
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

Welcome to the forums and do not get discouraged because he will need you to learn a lot now that he's already got MBD. Keep learning!

 

[Thehippie]

ok, don't handle unless he wants it and is willingly climbing onto you because it can cause an excess of stress. superworms are only a treat try roaches bsfl or silk worms for now. you need to be dusting calcium no d3 every feeding calcium d3 twice a month and multivitamin twice a month. gutloads are really important in addition to the cricket crack or repashy mentioned above I would use fresh greens and fruits to gutload. your cage should be a minimum of 2x2x4 is your lighting compact or linear? do you have fake plants, vines? you need a 12 hr on and off light schedule

lastly, he needs a vet asap, there is a lot of damage so you will need to start giving liquid calcium, the vet can give you correct dosages and show you how to give the calcium.

 

[Lindsayd42]

Definitely MBD! He needs a vet and some calcium. Sorry to say this but there is a lot of damage and even if it stabilizes he will likely have bowed legs for the rest of his life.

You need to change your supplements to calcium without d3 every feeding, calcium with d3 twice a month and multivitamin twice a month on off schedules to the calcium with d3.

You need to buy a proper gutload for your feeders as well such as cricket crack, repashy bug burger or if your going to make your own there needs to be a bigger variety then just greens. Veiled Chameleons will eat the greens if you just put it in his cage.

Your lighting needs to be on for 12 hrs and off for 12 hrs. Your not giving him enough time under the basking and uvb to properly digest.

As for the immediate you need to get him to a vet ASAP.

Also you need to read this!
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

Welcome to the forums and do not get discouraged because he will need you to learn a lot now that he's already got MBD. Keep learning!

Thank you so much! I was worried it might be that and when the man at the store I got him from felt his bones and said they didn’t feel soft and he probably just hit it, it just didn’t sit right with me so I wanted to get others opinions. I will ask my mom to make a visit with our local exotics vet first thing tomorrow as I’m only 17, and get to the store and get the other calcium and proper vitamins.

 

[JoshD49]

We are here to help but his life is very much in your hands right now. Please do not forget to work on the other suggestions.

Unfortunately almost all pet stores have no idea how to care for these animals and tend to give out very bad advice. You coming here will teach you so much more then you would have thought.

Again welcome and please post updates after the vet visit.

 

[Beman]

As mentioned make sure your uvb bulb is a linear t5 unit. From the description it sounds like yours is a compact bulb that goes into a dome fixture which does not provide enough.