My chameleon 1 foot is swollen

C

Carissa_jasmine

New Member
Hi it's been 3 days since I noticed my veiled chameleon foot swollen , she's eating nd drink right just battling to walk , I don't know what to do or give her I'm just so stressed want my baby to just be okay :( , she's about 5-6 month's now .
 
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Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:
  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species: veiled chameleon. sex: female. age of your chameleon: 5-6 month's. How long has it been in your care? 5 month's
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? 1 or 2 times a day
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? Crickets , mealworms , silk worms nd flies What amount? She's very fussy when she eats flies she eats about 5-6 but when it comes to crickets she will eat 1 or 2 and same with the silk worms and metalwork. What is the schedule? 12 or 3 How are you gut-loading your feeders? I put carrots in the crickets box nd lettuce with the mealworms
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Calcium powder nd once or twice a week.
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? I have some in like a rock shape bowl at the bottom of her cage and I also drop a bit down her cage. How often and how long to you mist? I don't mist what is that ? Do you see your chameleon drinking? Sometimes
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings: dark brown and white Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? No I don't know where there's a reptile vet in Durban
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you: yes she doesn't seem to be growing as well she's still finger size.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - long screen box shape. your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) Screen. What are the dimensions? Not to sure
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? Red uv reptile one What is your daily lighting schedule? 3-4 times a day leave it on for like an hour or two maybe more sometimes
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? Not to sure don't have a temperature thing. How do you measure these temps? I don't know how to but it get quite warm in there
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? Not sure. How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Don't have anything
Plants - Are you using live plants? No only fake plants. If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? In my house. Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? I live in a log cabin so yes there's vents but no high traffic near. At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? On a table
Location - Where are you geographically located? Durban

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about: her right foot is swollen and she's not growing , just wish I knew what to do to help my precious.
 
Carissa,

Unfortunately, there is quite a bit of your husbandry (the way you take care of your chameleon) that needs to be corrected. These guys are very finicky, and will not thrive without very specific parameters.

Here is a link to a care sheet, and it very simply lays out everything you need to know. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

The red light is not good for your little gal. She needs a basking light for heat and a linear UV bulb (not the swirly kind that comes in the kit). If you read the link, above, it will layout exactly what type is best.

She needs Calcium without phosphorus and d3 at every feeding. Twice a month, she needs a multivitamin, and calcium WITH d3.

Without calcium, d3, and uv from a special bulb, her body will pull calcium from her bones. This makes the tiny bones weak, and makes them break. That is likely what has happened with her foot.

Your girl will not drink from the bowl, she needs to have water sprayed (or misted) throughout her cage. This allows her to drink from the leaves, and from dripping plants, as well as clean her eyes. These details are in the caresheet I linked.

You absolutely have to measure her temps as well. If it is too cold, she can't digest her food. If it's too hot, she could suffer burns.

Worms should be used sparingly, and mealworms not at all.

I hope we can help you get everything right. Please carefully read the link, and if you have any questions, let us know.
Also, if you can't upload pics, email them to me, and I'll upload for you. [email protected]
 
And our chameleons are solitary creatures. She does NOT like to be held. It stresses her out and causes unseen problems. Even if she runs out of the cage to you, it is likely that she is trying to get away from her cage, and not to you.

Where is Durban?
 
Carissa_jasmine said:
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species: veiled chameleon. sex: female. age of your chameleon: 5-6 month's. How long has it been in your care? 5 month's
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? 1 or 2 times a day
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? Crickets , mealworms , silk worms nd flies What amount? She's very fussy when she eats flies she eats about 5-6 but when it comes to crickets she will eat 1 or 2 and same with the silk worms and metalwork. What is the schedule? 12 or 3 How are you gut-loading your feeders? I put carrots in the crickets box nd lettuce with the mealworms
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Calcium powder nd once or twice a week.
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? I have some in like a rock shape bowl at the bottom of her cage and I also drop a bit down her cage. How often and how long to you mist? I don't mist what is that ? Do you see your chameleon drinking? Sometimes
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings: dark brown and white Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? No I don't know where there's a reptile vet in Durban
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you: yes she doesn't seem to be growing as well she's still finger size.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - long screen box shape. your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) Screen. What are the dimensions? Not to sure
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? Red uv reptile one What is your daily lighting schedule? 3-4 times a day leave it on for like an hour or two maybe more sometimes
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? Not to sure don't have a temperature thing. How do you measure these temps? I don't know how to but it get quite warm in there
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? Not sure. How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Don't have anything
Plants - Are you using live plants? No only fake plants. If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? In my house. Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? I live in a log cabin so yes there's vents but no high traffic near. At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? On a table
Location - Where are you geographically located? Durban

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about: her right foot is swollen and she's not growing , just wish I knew what to do to help my precious.
Click to expand...
Make sure the feeders aren’t too big for her. They need a better gutload, and lettuce is only water. I suggest Cricket Crack or Sticky Tongue Farms Vit-All. At her age, give her as much as she’s willing to eat. For supplements, you need a phosphorus free and vitamin D3 free calcium supplement every feeding, a phosphorus free calcium with D3 supplement twice a month, and a multivitamin twice a month. She needs a dripper and a mister for watering, get rid of the bowl. She needs a linear t5 High Output uvb bulb and fixture and a white light heat bulb for her basking spot. Get rid of the red light and make sure it’s completely dark at night. Make sure the basking light and uvb are on for 12 hours a day, then pitch black at night. Pick up a temp. gun and an electronic humidity/temp. monitor from the hardware store. Could you post a pic of her foot and enclosure? I would find an exotics vet that has experience with chameleons near you a make an appointment. I would also possibly start her on liquid calcium.
 
Some good feeders are small crickets, hornworms, silkworms, butterworms, dubia roaches, red runner roaches, and black soldier fly larvae and blue bottle fly spikes. Use small superworms sparingly and the same for mealworms, but cut them out as she gets older. Too many black soldier fly larvae could cause constipation, too, so watch out for that.
 
Oh no :( , makes me sad that I thought I was doing good meanwhile :( , Durban is in south Africa and we don't have much shop's here that sell crickets nd insects ,I got told the red light is good for her by one of the pet shop's here in south Africa , they only sell meal worms at the pet shop's nd crickets , with the calcium powder it has vitamin d3 in it , and that's the only one they sell here in south Africa . How do I clean her eyes nd how often should I clean them ?
 
Here are the images Carissa sent.

Carissa,

With five months in this setup, your girl very likely has Metabolic Bone Disease. She really needs to see a vet.

We recently had a new member that was going through much the same thing, I will link to her thread. Her little girl is doing much better now.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/veiled-on-the-ground.165614/

She hasn't had hers as long, so you may have a longer road to recovery. But check out everything she has done.

Your chameleon needs a lot more ventilation than she is getting in that setup. Most of us use screen enclosures to allow for more airflow.

She also should have vines and sticks going every which way, all the way up to about six inches below the heat source (so she doesn't burn herself). However, let a veteran on here chime in, because in @Kali11 's case, she had to keep her low for a bit, to keep her from falling.

I'm far from the best person on here to help. I'm just trying to save some veterans from having to type up the same basics, again and again.


IMG_20181010_164251.jpg
IMG_20181010_164301.jpg
IMG_20181010_164534.jpg
 
Carissa_jasmine said:
Oh no :( , makes me sad that I thought I was doing good meanwhile :( , Durban is in south Africa and we don't have much shop's here that sell crickets nd insects ,I got told the red light is good for her by one of the pet shop's here in south Africa , they only sell meal worms at the pet shop's nd crickets , with the calcium powder it has vitamin d3 in it , and that's the only one they sell here in south Africa . How do I clean her eyes nd how often should I clean them ?
Click to expand...

You can't clean her eyes. She does it herself, when there is moisture in the air. That's part of why misting her cage is so important. Stay away from the meal worms, and stick to the crickets then. I don't what type of online shopping you have available to you.

http://a.co/d/6mDF1A5, this it the calcium you need every day. Use the stuff with d3 twice a month.
 
She needs a screen cage on a tall stand to make her feel more secure. Make sure the cage is taller than it is wider. You could build a safety net halfway up the cage so she doesn’t fall. Put branches and vines, mostly horizontal everywhere! Add plants, real or fake, everywhere, too! It makes her feel more secure and allows her to drink water. I would find a vet and bring her ASAP. Also, are you sure that’s a veiled chameleon? Look online for feeder insects and supplies.
 
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