So I feel horrible and have cried the past 2 days. My Veiled, Periwinkle, was not feeling very good so I took her to the vet only to find out she had 3 broken legs and Metabolic Bone Disease. I have her in her travel container which is roomy but not huge like her cage, I didn't want to chance her breaking her last good leg. I have read that vets will put casts on them but unfortunately she is to small to put a cast on. I've also heard of making a splint out of tooth picks and wrap that sticks to itself. Can anyone help me please?? I want her to feel better!! No negative comments please I already feel horrible as it is):
Help please!!
- Thread starter Taylorrrr
- Start date
repdog
Member
I'm so sorry to hear about your baby. I don't have any experience with this. Did the vet give you some liquid calcium to help her out at all. How is your set up, maybe we can help with that as well and get her feeling better sooner. There is a form that should be filled out so everyone can help you. It might be under the care resources section. Sorry I don't know for sure where its located on here.
This is her cage, she has a uvb bulb but its currently over her little cage I have her in the uvb bulb is a 5.0. She is fed gut loaded crickets as well as waxworms and mealworms. I use a spray bottle to mist and she also has a constant drip system. I have a humidifier constantly going in my room. The weather has only been nice enough to let me bring her outside twice. Her cage stays at about 70° to 75° and the humidity is about 65 to 70
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Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Wow! 3 broken legs? I wonder if the vet could carefully stabilize them with vet wrap instead of trying splints if she's so small?
Don't beat yourself up, it doesn't help you or your cham. Be sure to get the daily amount of calcium into her, even if she is angry: just don't shoot a large amount of calcium down her throat, it could go in her lungs.
Good luck, many chams have come out of MBD and lived long lives.
You can do this.
CHEERS!
Nick
Good luck, many chams have come out of MBD and lived long lives.
You can do this.
CHEERS!
Nick
Chameleons Northwest
Avid Member
We have dealt with broken legs a couple of times here and have tried wrapping and not wrapping. Wrapping seemed to do more harm than good (unless it is a compound fracture- which MBD normally is not). Counterintuitive as it may seem, in our experience the legs heal best with as little interference as possible. When our vet wrapped a broken leg the chameleon wearied itself trying to unwrap it. And the moisture in the cage caused the wrap to fall apart anyway.
I agree with Nick about not beating yourself up over it. It happens. But I would buy a fresh UVB bulb. Just in case the one you have is not working. In fact, I would recommend a mercury vapor bulb for her while she recovers. Just make sure you measure her cage temps carefully over the course of a day or 2 under the new bulb. Especially since her mobility will be compromised.
be careful when handling her that you don't "squeeze" her hard enough to break other bones....until the calcium starts to work she will be very easy to "damage".
I would make sure that she gets a proper supplement regime and proper UVB lighting and appropriate basking temperatures now too....and continue them after her bones are strong again.
I would make sure that she gets a proper supplement regime and proper UVB lighting and appropriate basking temperatures now too....and continue them after her bones are strong again.
