Answer these questions:
unfortunately, whomever you get your advise in caring chameleon is definitely not a knowledgeable person in chameleon care. there are so many fatal mistakes in your care.. that i was surprised he only get MBD.. is his eyes sunken too? if it is, then not only he got MBD, but he also likely dehydrated.. real bad
Cage Info: It’s a completely screened in cage, about 3’x2’
Cage Type - What kind of cage are you using? What is the size?
this cage is fine for baby chameleons.. just remember get him a big one 24"X24"X48" when he reached adulthood
Lighting - What kind of lighting are you using? How long do you keep the lights on during the day? I’m not sure of then name, but it has a bulb that looks like a “squirly Q”. it was the type the pet store recommended. I turn it on in the morning around 8:00 and off around 10:00 at night.
This might be 1 of the main reason your cham get MBD. chameleon need 2 type of lighting. UVA and UVB. UVA can b provided by basking lamp, while UVB can b provided by reptisun 5.0 TUBE. Lights should be on 12 hours a day. no less and no more. recommended time 6 am to 6 pm. after 6 pm, all lights including all heat should be OFF. your kitchen should be pitch dark as chameleon needs to go to sleep. He usually will wake up if there is a hint of vibrations in the cage or a hint of light. unless if your room temperature dropped below 60 F, which i doubt
Temperature - What temperature range have you created? Basking spot temp? What is the temperature at night? He is in our kitchen so surrounding temp is around 70, He also has a ceramic heating element, it works like a light bulb w/o light only heat. It stays on all the time and is pointed into his branches.
get rid of the ceramic heat element. and get the real basking lamp. Constant heating everyday will stressed your chameleon. at night they need 10 degrees temperature drop from the day. Basking spot should reach 87 to 95 F. while other areas should be at lows 70
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? I don’t know the exact details, but I have coconut peels for the bottom of the cage and water him daily with about 1 cup of water, the ground stays damp. I also spray him around every 3 days.
Substrate will kill your chameleon. 1. if he accidentally ate the substrate, he can get impaction. Damp substrate is a breeding ground for mold and bacteria which will kill your chameleon. 1 cup a day is just not enough. Daily misting is required. He needs 3 misting a day. not once every 3 days. You risk your chameleon getting dehydrated. Buy a hygrometer. Humidity in the cage should fluctuates between 50 to 70%
Plants – Real vines, they are dead now, but I cut them out of the woods and made him a perch with them, the rest are all fake
Did you do any preparation be4 putting the branch there? washing it with soap and bake them? if not you should... bacteria and parasite can stay hidden in the branch... once it's humid enough, it will infect your chameleon. you need live plants in there... ficus benjamina, hibiscus, golden pothos, schefflera is perfect for chameleon
Location – it is inour kitchen, no fans or vents. Not really a high traffic area
good.. he needs as low traffic room as you can provide
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon – veiled, boy
Feeding – I feed him about 2 dozen large crickets a week and meal worms stay in a bowl in his cage, I refill it when needed. I put some powdered gutload in with the meal worms and the crickets eat it while in the cage. It only has 4% calcium. I think that is what started it. I am going to get some better stuff tonight.
you better not getting the supplement from the store that recommend you all this to begin with. Get herptivite, repcal, and miner-all O.
dust your cricket (don't Smothered them with supplement. oversupplementing can also lead to bone problem). Herptivite MTh, Repcal TF, Minerall WSat. Sun no supplement
Supplements – none, gonna get some today
Watering – a dripper, yes I have seen him drink.
Fecal Description – large I think for him, mostly brown, I have seen some yellow or almost white ones in there too.
I think your chameleon is also dehydrated. a yellow urate is one of the sign. a healthy one should be almost white
History – none that I know off
Current Problem – MBD and how to fix it.
Get your cham to a vet.. any more waiting, i can guarantee you that he'll die for sure. it really is a result of poor husbandry..I'm sorry for that. You definitely is one of the classic victim of misinformation by petstore.
