MBD Rescued - Cage Accommodations?

[gavriel]

All,

The GF and I recently rescued a 5 month old Veiled cham who we had diagnosed with MBD through a local reptile specialist vet in the Northern Virginia area. Previous owners didn't supplement, have UVB or anything. He is slightly small for his age and is on oral medications now. Doc said he wasn't bad enough to warrant injections thank god. I have him in a moderate sized enclosure 16X16X20 because I'm afraid of him falling due to his strength and limited movement. However he is quickly gaining strength back and a mild temper. He is even patrolling his cage just like my panther does.

This leads me to my question. I have my panther in a large enclosure (4WX4TX2D). Can I build something similar for the Veiled with MBD, or should I keep it the normal 2W4T2D size due to his limited mobility? Also, I was planning to build a small suspension net of sorts for the bottom so if he does fall, he has some cushion and doesn't hit the bottom and injure his bones since he already has bone problems.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Just want to get an idea of anyone who may have done caging for an MBD chameleon; accommodations like branches, foliage, enclosure size, anything would help.

 

[repdog]

I would stay with the small one until he gains strength. See how it goes then change and build one larger. I also rescued a bearded dragon with the same issues and one year later he is doing great, in a larger cage, has branches to climb and can really climb now.

 

[gavriel]

That's the plan for now. Stick with something small until he gains strength and the vet believes his bones are strong again. I'm just planning months in advance however and want to make sure I have all the details worked out.

I see plenty of posts on enclosures and MBD, but never together discussing if any accommodations need to be made due to bent limbs and his minor mobility issues. Knowing what to expect down the road or how people have setup their enclosures to fit the needs.

Thank you for your reply.