I’m concerned and can’t find answers.

[KBcham]

So, we got our Cham, Yoshi, about a week ago. We have made sure to have everything we need. Clean bottom cage, sufficient dripper, foliage (fake for now) that surprisingly holds water well, several levels of basking branches, and crickets that are gut loaded As well as dusted with calcium without D3 daily, vitamin A weekly and a multivitamin called reptivite every two weeks but we haven’t gotten that far yet. We make sure the water we mist with twice daily, the drip water and the water we soak the sponge in for the crickets is all conditioned to eliminate chlorine, we spot clean her cage daily. Recently she’s shown more variety of color. She use to be a vibrant teal green and now she’s showing darker spots and patches. Especially when we go to clean her cage. But over the last two days she’s becoming a bit grey, and it looks to me like she’s going to start shedding but from what I’ve read that usually happens fairly fast and it’s been a couple days with no sign of old skin sluffing off. Her legs and arms look straight and elbows bend without being grounded at all. But I noticed she isn’t grasping the branches all the way. Somethings not even grabbing them at all and rather just enough to keep balance. Last thing I noticed today was she has had little breaths which kinda sound like faint sneezes. It’s definitely not constant, just here and there. Today I’ve kept my eye on her and she’s only done it 2 times. But just now I saw her sitting on a branch with her mouth wide open. I checked the temp, and her highest perch which is about 8 inches below the top is reading 85 degrees. She’s eating about 10-12 crickets a day and has no problem hunting. I know to get a T5HO UVB, but then nearest pet store has to have them specially ordered and it can take up to two weeks. The vet said that the 10.0 linear bulb that fits in the dome light is sufficient for now but to get the t5 asap. I’m so worried that she’s sick. And I hate that I didn’t find this forum until after I purchased her. Please don’t attack me, I already feel terrible and I’m doing the best I can. I trusted the reptile store when they swapped out the bulb that came with the kit with the “right one”. They said it’s the one they use in store and the one they use on their own personal chams. So naturally I trusted them. Please just someone help calm my nerves or tell me what to do??

 

[KBcham]

Here’s a pic of her feet. I turned off the basking lamp for a bit because it’s already pretty warm in the room and thought maybe she’s just getting too hot. But notice she’s not gripping all the way.

 

[kinyonga]

Please post a few more recent photos of her showing all of her in the photo.

You said... "vitamin A weekly and a multivitamin called reptivite every two weeks"...why are you giving her vitamin A separately and then usuing reptivite which has prEformed vitamin A in it too? What from is the vitamin A you're giving her weekly?

You can feed her other insects of appropriate size...small silkworms, small superworms, black soldier fly larva, small roaches, etc. You shouldn't just feed her crickets although they are a good staple because they are easy to get, feed/gutload and keep.

Make sure you feed and gutload your insects well. For crickets, superworms, roaches, locusts I use greens, veggies, and a bit of fruit... dandelion greens, make, collards, endive, escarole, carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, berries, apples, pears, and melon, etc. These same things can be offered to your chameleon in appropriate sized pieces.

Supplementing is important too...I dust at almost every feeding with a phosphorus-free calcium powder to help make up for the usually poor ratio of phosphorus to calcium found in most feeder insects. Don make the insects look like ghosts...just dust lightly.
I dust twice a month with a phosphorus-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving it to produce the rest of the D3 from it's exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues while D3 from exposure to the UVB light won't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB at will.
I also use twice a month, a vitamin powder with a beta carotene proFormed source of vitamin A (no D3). PrOformed sources of vitamin A won't build up in the system like prEformed sources will so it's safe....but it leaves it up to you to decide when/if your chameleon needs prEformed vitamin A.

Hydration can be provided by a misting system and a dripper...both. Don't mist directly into the chameleon's mouth...you don't want it to aspirate the water. Make sure the listings are long enough to get the chameleon to drink...they are slow to start drinking sometimes. The dripper should run for quite a while too.

Appropriate temperatures (low 80's for female veileds of that age) allow for proper digestion and thus play a part in nutrient absorption.
What basking light do you use and what UVB light? All lights should be out at night.

Real well washed non toxic plants are recommended for veileds in particular since they eat vegetation. They also eat the substrate (intentionally and accidentally) and soil from plant pots so be aware not to use anything that can lead to an impaction. Female veileds can produce GG's without having mated once sexually mature so you need to provide an appropriate egglaying site in her cage at all times once she's mature.

Hope this helps!

Regarding her little breaths...does she only do it when you go close to her or at other times?

 

[KBcham]

I already am aware of everything you said. Yes, lights out at night. I’m waiting for the t5 to be in at the pet store due to it being a special ordered item and it’s christmas so shipping has slowed down. Lastly I am aware of what to feed her and how to gutload. And the suiments are recommended by a vet, who said vitamin A is important for them but can also not be enough in a multivitamin. And yes her little breaths are usually when I am close to her.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

Any more pictures please?

 

[KBcham]

 

[KBcham]

As far as worms go she hates them. We’ve tried three different kinds (super, butter and silk) and she won’t touch any of them. We were told by an expert who has at least 40 chams and breeds them and rehabilitates sick ones, that it’s ok to not give them food for a couple days as it is a natural process they go through in the wild. So if they get hungry enough they might experiment and try other things.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

As far as worms go she hates them. We’ve tried three different kinds (super, butter and silk) and she won’t touch any of them. We were told by an expert who has at least 40 chams and breeds them and rehabilitates sick ones, that it’s ok to not give them food for a couple days as it is a natural process they go through in the wild. So if they get hungry enough they might experiment and try other things.

I wouldn't do it on purpose. When they do that voluntarily, it is a hunger strike, but sometimes they will only eat one type of feeder for a while.

 

[KBcham]

I wouldn't do it on purpose. When they do that voluntarily, it is a hunger strike, but sometimes they will only eat one type of feeder for a while.

Well he said it’s normal for them because in the wild they won’t always have the food available to them and it may go scarce for a couple days. That’s when they start experimenting with other foods. Not saying starve her, just not feed for two days is what he meant. But it just sucks because everyone, professional, expert and average joe all have different suggestions. I’m just going to play it by ear.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

Well he said it’s normal for them because in the wild they won’t always have the food available to them and it may go scarce for a couple days. That’s when they start experimenting with other foods. Not saying starve her, just not feed for two days is what he meant. But it just sucks because everyone, professional, expert and average joe all have different suggestions. I’m just going to play it by ear.

But we are not in the wild, this is captivity, and some of those "opportunity feeding" instincts have been bred out. Just because it happens in the wild, does not mean that it is the same in captivity. Always offer her food, she will eat when she wants.

 

[kinyonga]

Looks like she's a translucent.

Glad you know everything I told you...I tell people that information because many don't know it when they come on this forum and end up with sick chameleons....so I tell people.

As for vitamin A...as I said...prEformed will build up in the system. Also...Vitamin D3 and vitamin A need to be in balance because they are antagonistic to each other. With so many vets, the first thing they seem to do is give them prEformed vitamin A and I don't understand why they do it because it makes me wonder how that keeps the balance. An overdose of prEformed vitamin A can lead to a type of nutritional MBD because the vitamin A interferes with the vitamin D and disorders of the liver and kidney and the results are anorexia and edema.
You might want to read this if you haven't already...especially the conclusion....it's by a well known chameleon vet....
http://www.uvma.org/chameleon/vitaminA.htm

Her little air puffs are likely her saying she's not happy with you coming near her.

As for the feet...not gripping...can't tell you for sure what's doing that.