I have a bit of an Issue.. Help?

Inka

New Member
As this is my first post, I would like to apologize if this is posted in the wrong category.
I have a bit of an issue on my hands at the moment.
In the next 60 days or less, I will be taking in a Veiled Chameleon. From what I understand it is a Juvenile.
The pet store I am receiving it from had an associate who dropped him and didn't tell anyone about it. Both of its arms were broken.
That associate has been fired, to say the least. This was back in November. The Pet store had an Exotics vet come in to examine the Cham and started treatment back in November and he/she is recovering slowly but surely.

A friend who works there has already spoken to her manager and She has agreed to me taking the Chameleon. No one who works there wants to take it in. The company has also agreed to pay for all medical until it has made a full recovery.
I have some concerns about how I should set up the enclosure due to his current state. Money and time are not a problem.
My main concern is providing it with everything it needs.

Please understand that although I do keep reptiles, I have never kept Chameleons before I am spending the next several weeks doing as much research as possible, and buying any and everything I need to give this Chameleon the best care I can and will have it set up before I go and get him.
Since he is still healing I'm worried that if I give him/her a standard enclosure that he may fall while climbing. The other idea I had was to put him in a quarantine enclosure until he is stronger but, I'm worried about stressing him out. I don't have pictures of the Cham as of yet, hopefully within the next week or so I can get some if needed and get a list of the medications it is on as well.
Any other information, tips and/or tricks would also be extremely helpful. Thank you for your time.
 
I would set it up in a hospital type cage...low so it doesn't fall climbing around until it's had a chance to heal..branches near the floor of the cage for the same reason. I don't know how it's mobility is but if it can't move around much watch that it doesnt get overheated sitting under the light too long. I would have no substrate of course.

Make sure your supplements are spot on and that you use a proper UVB light.

I would recommend the long linear reptisun 5.0 tube light for UVB.
For basking all you need is a regular incandescent household bulb...wattage that puts the basking area in the low to almos mid 80's if it's a juvenile.

For supplements...I dust with a phos free calcium powder lightly at almost all feedings...twice a month with phos free calcium/D3 powder lightly and twice a month lightly with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene source of vitamin A.

Please post photos once you get them.

What other reptiles do you keep?
 
I would set it up in a hospital type cage...low so it doesn't fall climbing around until it's had a chance to heal..branches near the floor of the cage for the same reason. I don't know how it's mobility is but if it can't move around much watch that it doesnt get overheated sitting under the light too long. I would have no substrate of course.

Make sure your supplements are spot on and that you use a proper UVB light.

I would recommend the long linear reptisun 5.0 tube light for UVB.
For basking all you need is a regular incandescent household bulb...wattage that puts the basking area in the low to almos mid 80's if it's a juvenile.

For supplements...I dust with a phos free calcium powder lightly at almost all feedings...twice a month with phos free calcium/D3 powder lightly and twice a month lightly with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene source of vitamin A.

Please post photos once you get them.

What other reptiles do you keep?
Thankyou! I was worried about how he would regulate his temperature I had thought about raising the bottom so to say and give him more hiding places. My fiance got to interact with him today and from what he has told me, He can pull himself up with one arm. He's a little shakey when moving his limbs but the uninjured leg does not shake at all when moving. Just his limbs that were broken. ( Found out it was 3 limbs that broke.) I have one or two pictures that my fiance got earlier today.
I have kept iguana's and Bearded dragons in the past. I currently have: 2 ball pythons, ( One being a Spyder ball that we rescued) A Texas Black Rat Snake, A Malaysian Red Short-tail Python and I have a really sweet Honduran Curly hair Girl.
 
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These Pictures were taken today, It has been 3 months since his fall, I should be able to speak with the vet personally within the next few days.
 

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Looks like it has MBD and will likely need some liquid calcium to get its bones strong again. it will also need proper supplements and well fed/gutloaded insects, a good source of UVB light and proper temperatures too to help it get over it and prevent it from getting worse. I'd like to see a couple more photos please.
 
All of the other ones My fiance took are pretty blurry. I can still post them though. He's still at the pet store for the moment. Within the next week or so I should be able to bring him home.I was thinking of using a 24" T5HO fixture and a 22" Arcadia 12%
 

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Thank you. I have posted here and in An Advanced Herp group on Facebook.
I was wondering just so I know for future reference. How can you guys tell he has MBD? The bumps in the legs are the original breaks that are now healing. When the sales Associate dropped him it was from about four ft to a hard floor. I'm surprised he's doing as good as he is and I'm determined to get him out of the care of that pet store. I probably should have specified that in my post.
 
Your in good hands with feedback but I wanted to give you some additional resources since you are on the rapid learning plan.

Great intro site by Bill Strand with tons of accurate info: https://chameleonacademy.com/
Great podcast by Bill as well: www.chameleonbreeder.com
In case you need to give meds orally: http://www.muchadoaboutchameleons.com/2014/05/how-to-give-different-medicines.html

On the podcast find the episodes on Sweetpea. She is a cham that has pretty severe MBD like your boy does. Her cage has been totally set up for her. Lots of climbing branches close to one another. And tons of live plants. But there are tons of podcasts and he actually has it set up for the podcast app on your phone as well as the website.

You will want them to do a fecal on him before you bring him home to ensure he does not have parasites as well. This is important as some parasites are much worse to get rid of then others and require totally different tear down for cleaning due to reinfection possibility.

Now as for your lighting.... T5HO yes. But if you are looking at doing a hospital bin or a regular cage modified for his climbing needs. You need to get the 6% UVB bulb if your doing a single or dual fixture. This should be place 10-12 inches from the basking branch to get the proper UVB levels. Now if you go with a Quad fixture with one reflector for all bulbs then you need the 12% bulb and this would be placed approximately 7-8 inches above the highest basking branch. With a quad you can place the fixture on the top of the cage then measure 7-8 inches down. With him having MBD you could do this with a single bulbs as well just ensure you get him a 2x2x4 cage so that you can lose the top 10-12 inches for space. Otherwise you will want to lift the fixture off the top of the cage a few inches to accommodate for the distance as to not lose too much space in the cage.
 
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