So I have a 13 month old male veiled who was a MBD rescue. Previous owner kept in a glass tank, no UV lighting, ect…you all know the story. I used to manage a reptile store that dealt with a lot of fresh imports so I have some experience with sick chameleons. But I have never had one that was as jacked up as this guy is. Anyway he has made significant improvements in the 6 months that I have had him but I have a few questions about some stuff that still is not perfect.
When I first got him his casque was slightly soft but it has firmed up (although still crooked). I am assuming that as he is full grown and the bones have hardened it will never straighten out?
He is missing a few toes and has some fused vertebrae in the end of his tail. I think he might have joint problems in his feet. He can definitely climb normally but when he rests he sometimes uses a loose grip with one or more feet. See the picture below where he is basking with one foot dangling.
When he arrived his tongue was only about 4 inches long (he had been fed from a small cup) and his aim was terrible. He can now shoot accurately to about 6 inches but still misses more frequently than most. Will his tongue ever reach full length?
When he opens his mouth I can see there are several sections of teeth that are missing. Will these ever regrow?
My biggest concern is he has a dark strip of skin running up the front of his casque. I assume it is a burn scar, or maybe an area where too many layers of shed skin were stuck for too long? It does not look like living tissue and he constantly has problems shedding that area. Any suggestions/ideas?
He is currently being housed on a home made canopy. He has a basking area that is between 95-100F and a reptisun 10.0. Over the winter he eats mostly crickets and sometimes super worms. Over the summer he eats mostly large grasshoppers that overrun my property. I feed about 4-5 days a week and dust every 2-3 feedings with minerall. He also eats a good amount of his pothos.
Here he is… still pretty good looking if you ask me.
When I first got him his casque was slightly soft but it has firmed up (although still crooked). I am assuming that as he is full grown and the bones have hardened it will never straighten out?
He is missing a few toes and has some fused vertebrae in the end of his tail. I think he might have joint problems in his feet. He can definitely climb normally but when he rests he sometimes uses a loose grip with one or more feet. See the picture below where he is basking with one foot dangling.
When he arrived his tongue was only about 4 inches long (he had been fed from a small cup) and his aim was terrible. He can now shoot accurately to about 6 inches but still misses more frequently than most. Will his tongue ever reach full length?
When he opens his mouth I can see there are several sections of teeth that are missing. Will these ever regrow?
My biggest concern is he has a dark strip of skin running up the front of his casque. I assume it is a burn scar, or maybe an area where too many layers of shed skin were stuck for too long? It does not look like living tissue and he constantly has problems shedding that area. Any suggestions/ideas?
He is currently being housed on a home made canopy. He has a basking area that is between 95-100F and a reptisun 10.0. Over the winter he eats mostly crickets and sometimes super worms. Over the summer he eats mostly large grasshoppers that overrun my property. I feed about 4-5 days a week and dust every 2-3 feedings with minerall. He also eats a good amount of his pothos.
Here he is… still pretty good looking if you ask me.
