legs paralysis

[mesqualito]

* Cage Type - glass 60/90/180
* Lighting - repti glo UVB 5,0 lighting 16h per day + normal room sunlight coming from window?
* Temperature - from 24 to 30 Lowest overnight temp is 17. measured by thermometers.
* Humidity - humidity is 50% Yemen cameleons- no spraying water. I use higrometer to measure.
* Plants - no living plants.
* Location - top of container is quite near the top of the room- because container is high.
* Your Chameleon - chamaeleo calyptratus ( Yemen Chameleon), both sex, age- obout 6 months. Grown since birth/egg. Born mostly under care from pervious chameleons + some new from Tansania.
* Handling - they are not pet animals- they live quite freely in their containers
* Feeding - gryllus asymilis / acheta domestica/ locusta
*What is the schedule ? They get a lot- usually something to eat is there waiting.
* Supplements - calcium and vitamin set - every feeding.
* Watering - dropping water every second day.
* Fecal Description - ok- normal consistence, tested for worms.
* History - grown here so no additional info here. Sickness probably came from cameleons bought from freedom. There were chameleons/agamas.


* Current Problem - first both rear legs paralysis, then front legs, then immobilized die. Tail is working even when back legs dont. They also eat while rear legs dont move. When front legs stop- they stop eating- just lie. Legs stop moving instantly- with no pervious symptoms of sickness. It takes obout one week since sickness advances from first pair of legs to front legs.
Veterinary appointment is on way- but its not easy to find specialist here.
Anyone knows what is happening?

 

[Silkyslim]

Does he poo often? I remember reading about someone with similar symptoms and it turned out that their little cham was impacted and it restricted blood flow to the back legs.

I also believe there was a noticeable color change around the area that was immobilized. Can you see anything like that?

What supplements are you using specifically? How often do you use each of them? Ideally you want 3 different types of supplement.

It also sounds like you are keeping multiple chams per cage? Is this true?

 

[mesqualito]

Yes-more young chameleons. Im not actually the owner, but owner is experienced breeder- they are kept together- both male and female- since they are small and until they grow- they are separated into pairs (while becoming more territorial and sex oriented).
Breeding is different from having pet for fun I think and since they grow in groups they get on very well with each other.
Obout symptoms found on forum- I checked them too- and there is nothing like falling interior damage or color changes when it comes. Today I had one of those chameleons in my hand- he acted like healthy one but couldn't move his legs- it was extremly sad and helpless, thats why I decided to write here. All diet supplements, overall food quality, lighting etc are good- problem is this illness highly probably brought from Tansania. Any ideas obout cure?

 

[Amanda1801]

Ok, first of all, am I right in thinking you are keeping captive bred chameleons with wild caught chams? Never a good idea, as you can't know whether the WC ones have any parasites, illness, disease etc. The WC should be quarantined before putting with others - do a search for quarantining and you'll find plenty of threads.

I'm fairly new, but I'm thinking they also need higher humidity levels - if you aren't spraying/misting them, how are you maintaining their humidity? I find with mine a dripper alone doesnt keep it high enough

You say theres no live plants - what are you providing for them in their enclosure? Could you include some photos of the set up?

 

[kinyonga]

What exact supplements are being used and how often for each?
What does the owner feed/gutload the insects with specifically?

I doubt that an impaction would affect the front legs.
Were the wild caught ones quarantined before being put with the captive bred ones?

You said some came from Tanzania?? Veileds come from Yemen....so how did they come from there?

Can you post some pictures please?

 

[mesqualito]

The point is that they were not quarantined I think- and problem is to regnize illness and find cure.
All those things like supplements and watering are claimed to be good by the breeder, all is totally fine, chameleons are healthy, vital and breeding with no signs of any problems. As I mentioned- it's an experienced breeder. Those legs paralyze came with few new bought- as I were told- in pack from Tanzania (cought in wild I suppose).
I mean I'm nearly sure that problem is more like a viral illness or something. Question is obout illness with those symptoms. I can put a photo tomorrow- but as I told- they look totally normal- just cant move legs. All colour, eyes,vitality,eating (until front legs)... all is fine. Anyone ever met problem like this?

 

[SageZA]

Why are you Dusting with vitamins and calcium together everyday?? The vitamins should be given once a week at most. and the calcium powder should be lightly dusted onto food daily. The prey should not be encrusted in it.

Why is he in Glass? This is not recommended with a veiled Chameleon?

When last have they had natural sunlight?

I feel for this cham really :/

 

[kinyonga]

Does the owner have more babies from other clutches that this is not happening to? Are they in the same room and raised under the same conditions? Are there other chameleons in the room besides the parents of the babies that this is happening to? Did any of the WC adults die from this? Where the WC's that produced these eggs the females or the males or both?

You said there is no water sprayed...so how is the water provided?
Whether you think its important or not, if you don't answer the questions how would we have a chance of figuring out what it is? Do you think that if you take them to the vet the vet will just look at them and not ask questions and just tell you right away what is wrong with them??I'm not saying that if you answer the questions we will be able to figure it out, but if what you said already is all you want to say, then, I'm sorry I don't know how any of us can help.

IMHO if its a virus and there are other chameleons in the room besides the ones that are dying, whey aren't they dying? Is the virus then only spread by contact? If the WC adults didn't die from the same thing then they must have some immunity to it or survive it already or something...or they would have developed it and died too. Same for if its a bacteria. If the owner has others in the same room from other clutches that have not gotten it, then it must/may not be transmitted through the air.

Also...just because other chameleons the owner has, both babies and adults are okay doesn't mean that something he/she is doing husbandry-wise is not causing it. The WC adults may not have been healthy.

 

[mesqualito]

I will post a message tomorrow- I know what You mean, but they are not mine- so I cant do that much obout it, and You asked obout vitamins- they are given always with food but in small dose per feeding instead of big vitamin portions from time to time.
Obout light- they have all those lights described in beginning questions plus normal daily natural light from outside plus some other lights that I dont know obout plus they spend most of summer outside in big cages with kind of natural surroundings.
Owner is kind of stubborn...I need exact informations instead of bad feelings projections to actually help change something. I know You all want to help- and Im really glad- but please dont start with negations.

 

[mesqualito]

Does the owner have more babies from other clutches that this is not happening to? Are they in the same room and raised under the same conditions? Are there other chameleons in the room besides the parents of the babies that this is happening to? Did any of the WC adults die from this? Where the WC's that produced these eggs the females or the males or both?

You said there is no water sprayed...so how is the water provided?
Whether you think its important or not, if you don't answer the questions how would we have a chance of figuring out what it is? Do you think that if you take them to the vet the vet will just look at them and not ask questions and just tell you right away what is wrong with them??I'm not saying that if you answer the questions we will be able to figure it out, but if what you said already is all you want to say, then, I'm sorry I don't know how any of us can help.

IMHO if its a virus and there are other chameleons in the room besides the ones that are dying, whey aren't they dying? Is the virus then only spread by contact? If the WC adults didn't die from the same thing then they must have some immunity to it or survive it already or something...or they would have developed it and died too. Same for if its a bacteria. If the owner has others in the same room from other clutches that have not gotten it, then it must/may not be transmitted through the air.

Also...just because other chameleons the owner has, both babies and adults are okay doesn't mean that something he/she is doing husbandry-wise is not causing it. The WC adults may not have been healthy.

Hello- please give me time for reply- I need to get some sleep and read it all carefully not to make any mistake answering. Also Ill try asking owner as much as possible before posting a reply. Thansk a lot for taking interest in this subject- but at the moment I barely construct word after word.

 

[kinyonga]

What country are you in and what's your language if you don't mind me asking?