chameleons head spike - help
- Thread starter steelix
- Start date
Chameleons Northwest
Avid Member
Sorry to hear about your cham. This is very serious, and indicative of several possible problems: Low nutrition levels, poor lighting, dehydration, etc. Please answer the questions below (taken from the health clinic how-to) and provide a photo or photos. Photos are VERY helpful. It is a serious problem, but don't be discouraged or fearful. We rescued a guy with a collapsed casque and he's doing great today. Please respond quickly. The sooner you get him on the road to recovery the better. A trip to the vet may be in order, but not necessarily. How is he doing otherwise?
Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By giving this info in your post, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to include all this info, but the more you do include the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile vet who can directly examen your animal can give a true diagnostic of your chameleon's health.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - What kind of cage are you using? What is the size?
Lighting - What kind of lighting are you using? How long do you keep the lights on during the day?
Temperature - What temperature range have you created? Basking spot temp? What is the temperature at night?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Location - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas?
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What kind of schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What are you dusting your feeders with and what kind of schedule do you use?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.
Pictures can really help as well.
Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By giving this info in your post, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to include all this info, but the more you do include the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile vet who can directly examen your animal can give a true diagnostic of your chameleon's health.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - What kind of cage are you using? What is the size?
Lighting - What kind of lighting are you using? How long do you keep the lights on during the day?
Temperature - What temperature range have you created? Basking spot temp? What is the temperature at night?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Location - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas?
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What kind of schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What are you dusting your feeders with and what kind of schedule do you use?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.
Pictures can really help as well.
ok i'm trying up upload a picture right now...
Cage Info:
Cage Type - What kind of cage are you using? What is the size? all screen could be a bit small.
Lighting - What kind of lighting are you using? How long do you keep the lights on during the day? from8am till approx 10pm and it's a red light
Temperature - What temperature range have you created? Basking spot temp? What is the temperature at night? not sure
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? mist the cage
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? no
Location - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? basement corner
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. male, 1 year, veiled
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What kind of schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? approx 16 crickets every second day always with calcium powder on them. buy them fresh
Supplements - What are you dusting your feeders with and what kind of schedule do you use?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Do you see your chameleon drinking? yes we spray basically directly into his mouth .. he comes to the side to drink
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. normal.. dark and white.. hasn't changed
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.
his spiked head.
will it comes back????
Cage Info:
Cage Type - What kind of cage are you using? What is the size? all screen could be a bit small.
Lighting - What kind of lighting are you using? How long do you keep the lights on during the day? from8am till approx 10pm and it's a red light
Temperature - What temperature range have you created? Basking spot temp? What is the temperature at night? not sure
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? mist the cage
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? no
Location - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? basement corner
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. male, 1 year, veiled
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What kind of schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? approx 16 crickets every second day always with calcium powder on them. buy them fresh
Supplements - What are you dusting your feeders with and what kind of schedule do you use?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Do you see your chameleon drinking? yes we spray basically directly into his mouth .. he comes to the side to drink
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. normal.. dark and white.. hasn't changed
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.
his spiked head.
will it comes back????
Justin Carl
Avid Member
Are you not supplying him with a light that give off UVB?
Looks like Metabolic Bone Disease to me.
Looks like Metabolic Bone Disease to me.
Chameleons Northwest
Avid Member
Here are a few notes to start off with. What would help you alot is to read over the "raising kitty" website created by one of the administrators on this forum (I linked to it here). I believe your main problem is lighting. It does look like MBD (calcium deficiency.) Very serious, and he should see a vet as soon as possible. It's hard to tell in the photos but his color looks off and the casque is definitely collapsed. MBD would be a slow, painful death, so do get this taken care of please. My responses to your input are in red below.:
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
ok i'm trying up upload a picture right now...
Cage Info:
Cage Type - What kind of cage are you using? What is the size? all screen could be a bit small.
Grab a tape measure and get dimensions. But for now, we'll concentrate on other matters.
Lighting - What kind of lighting are you using? How long do you keep the lights on during the day? from8am till approx 10pm and it's a red light
This may be your problem. You must have a UVB bulb. It is essential for the absorption of calcium. The UVB bulb helps your cham produce vitamin D3 for absorption of calcium. Without it a veiled cham can end up like yours. It not only affects the casque, but also bone, bone density, leg use, and the ability to move the bowels. In an indoor enclosure, the UVB bulb should be used 10 to 12 hours per day.
The most commonly recommended TUBE is the Zoomed 5.0. Do not buy a compact, coiled, or screw in UVB bulb, they are very dangerous.
You also need a white-light, reptile basking light that will bring basking temp to about 90degrees during the day, turned off at night. You don't need that red bulb.
Temperature - What temperature range have you created? Basking spot temp? What is the temperature at night? not sure
Buy a cheap stick-on thermometer for a few bucks and monitor the temps.
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? mist the cage
How often are you misting, and for how long. Is he drinking?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? no
Not the most important item just now, but as soon as you can, get him a ficus or schefflera from Home Depot.
Location - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? basement corner
Probably fine as long as it's not too cold at night (about 68degrees minimum, I believe, is recommended for veileds.) And as long as he is not forgotten about.
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. male, 1 year, veiled
This is still a critical growth time for him. He still needs optimum nutrition and lighting.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What kind of schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? approx 16 crickets every second day always with calcium powder on them. buy them fresh
He should have a vitamin supplement, as well.
Supplements - What are you dusting your feeders with and what kind of schedule do you use?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Do you see your chameleon drinking? yes we spray basically directly into his mouth .. he comes to the side to drink
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. normal.. dark and white.. hasn't changed
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.
his spiked head.
will it comes back????
Last edited:
Julirs
New Member
It looks to me like he could be BURNED. You have no idea what your temps are? That red light is bad news. The top of his knee looks to be fried. Please immediately substitute that red light for maybe a 60Watt bulb-and get a thermometer so you know what the temps are and get a UVB flourescent tube. This is very serious. Temps should be no higher than 90.
JoshCrane1
New Member
need uvb!!
yes i'ts one of those lights.. but it is red and it is a screw in light.
yes he drinks.. we keep giving him lots till he stops drinking.
and we coat all crickets with the calcium powder.
he doesn't act any differently then he's been for the past year. and why would he change now? any idea?
will his spike come back?
yes he drinks.. we keep giving him lots till he stops drinking.
and we coat all crickets with the calcium powder.
he doesn't act any differently then he's been for the past year. and why would he change now? any idea?
will his spike come back?
nightcrawler
Avid Member
now that i look at it twice i agree with you.
is the back lef knee, the spine, and the veil (head spike) black or kind of crispy?
also to see how hot it is put your hand where he would sit in the
basking area, with the light on, and see if you can hold it there for
about 30 seconds. if you can not hold it there more then 10 then
it is way way to hot.
SoCaliSon
Avid Member
If it will come back... I am not sure... But I do know there are several things that should be addressed and have most likely caused this problem...
I am going to give you a few quick things that are obvious... But the first thing... Is you need too do is go to the VET... Since you probably have no idea how to treat MDB... You will need to consult a vet, and make sure you follow the vets instruction for treatment. Then google for "Veiled Chameleon Care" and find a Care Sheet and print it out... There are hundreds of care sheets that can all point you in the right direction, and read it through several times making sure you are confident that you are providing the proper care for your Cham. You must provide UV for your cham and that is what appears to be the main issue. You need to buy a flourecent fixture and something along the lines of a Reptisun 5.0 tube light, Your cham is not getting any nutritional value from digesting his food if he doesn't have any UV. Then you need to buy a thermometer/hygrometer so you can monitor the temps in his cage.... and that is only the begining... Wish I had more time to help out... but I have to go... somebody will chime in.
I am going to give you a few quick things that are obvious... But the first thing... Is you need too do is go to the VET... Since you probably have no idea how to treat MDB... You will need to consult a vet, and make sure you follow the vets instruction for treatment. Then google for "Veiled Chameleon Care" and find a Care Sheet and print it out... There are hundreds of care sheets that can all point you in the right direction, and read it through several times making sure you are confident that you are providing the proper care for your Cham. You must provide UV for your cham and that is what appears to be the main issue. You need to buy a flourecent fixture and something along the lines of a Reptisun 5.0 tube light, Your cham is not getting any nutritional value from digesting his food if he doesn't have any UV. Then you need to buy a thermometer/hygrometer so you can monitor the temps in his cage.... and that is only the begining... Wish I had more time to help out... but I have to go... somebody will chime in.
nightcrawler
Avid Member
also are you positive it is a male?
it has the spurs on the two back foot?
a toe on the heal?
it has the spurs on the two back foot?
a toe on the heal?
nightcrawler
Avid Member
thats good enough to get a ball park idea.
i think the only thing you can do is take it to a vet.
do you know of any vets in your area that can treat reptiles?
i think the only thing you can do is take it to a vet.
do you know of any vets in your area that can treat reptiles?
