My chameleon is acting weird

[Jaykc]

So yesterday when i got home i went to feed my chameleon and his waliing looked really strange, it was very spazy and its didnt look good. This had happened one time before a few months ago so i wasnt too worried because it had just gone away the next day. But today when i came home, he looked fine walking so i thought everything was fine and i fed and misted him. Then when i came bsck into my room a few mins after i had fed him he was in a reslly strange spot and his ankle looked bent in a weird way, not like it was broken more dislocated. What was even weirder was he wouldnt move at all when i cam close to him, i would go right up to him and almost touch him and he wouldnt try and climb away, which most of the time he does. So i decided to leave him and check on him in a bit, and now he is just sitting on one of his main plants, a few inches from where i had left him and i cant tell if something is wrong. I was paranoid that it was mbd yesterday and im not sure if that and ths ankle looking strange are just a coincdence but i definently feel like somethings up and im looking for any help i can get. Ill leave some pictures of him for you guys to get a feel. Btw he is a 8 month old veiled. I cover all of his food with repti calcium and vitamind and i have his uvb on around 14 hours a day, the onlt thing i can think of with mbd is that im giving hin to much vitamind and that he has too much phosperous which leads to him not aborbing calcium.

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

Can you post a better picture of him? Maybe a close-up of his ankle? Also, can you fill this form out with some more specifics?

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.

 

[Jaykc]

I have an 8 month old veiled, i have been taking care of jom for 4 months. I dont handle him much i have been trying to more though when i got him he was very shy so ive been trying to make him less afraid and it has been working, but slowly. I moslty feed him meal worms and superworms and about once a month crickets. I gut load the crickets when i have them and put repticalcium on the meal worms, i also put reptivite on the worms, and i think i have been doing this too often around every other day. I mist him 2-3 times a day. His poop is brown and the urate is usually bright yellow. I have a 4 ft tall screen cage. Im using a 70 watt heat bulb in a foshan shine tech lamp, but have been changing these because my other hest lamp brole and this one is now too storng so im buying one with a dimmer. Basking spot is around 90 degrees snf the rest of the cage sits around 75 during the day and high 60s at night. I dont have much to keep humidity up besides misting and using plasticnwrap on the sides to keep in moisture. I have a few live plants some spider plants snd a tree, not sure what kind but im sure it is non toxic. My cage is nesr windows in a relstivly quiet area, and i live in massachusetts in the US.
I cant get a picture of his ankle, he is alseep now and i dont want to wrestle him out of his cage tonight, ill be able to get one in the morning tho

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

You should get rid of those mealworms ASAP because they can cause impaction/digestion problems. 90 degrees for a basking sport is just about 5-10 degrees too hot. Aim for around 80-85. Can you post a full picture of his enclosure?

 

[Kristen99]

Uvb?

 

[Jaykc]

You should get rid of those mealworms ASAP because they can cause impaction/digestion problems. 90 degrees for a basking sport is just about 5-10 degrees too hot. Aim for around 80-85. Can you post a full picture of his enclosure?

Will do when i get home, and are all worms going to screw up his digestion or just meal? And hes been gettinf burnt from the light, thats why i ordered a new one.

 

[Graves923]

Raise the light off the screen in the mean time... Mealworms are not nutritional and are hard to digest. Supermorms are easier to digest but are not very nutritional so they should not be a staple feeder. Crickets and roaches with proper gutloading (Fresh leafy greens like dandelion greens, escarole) should be used as a staple with superworms being a treat item. Supplementation is also important and should be researched.

What is your current supplement schedule? How often do you use plain calcium and what brand? How often do you use calcium with D3 and what brand? Any multivitamin?

Find out the name of the tree and plants in your cage. A plant that is non-toxic to humans could be toxic to chameleons.

Yellow urates is a sign of dehydration. You need to spray his whole cage for atleast 2-3 minutes multiple times per day.

Here is the caresheet for veiled. Read through it: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
Read the articles here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/

 

[JacksJill]

UVB for 14 hours a day should only be 12 hours of light and 12 dark. He probably isn't getting enough sleep.

 

[Jaykc]

Uvb?

Raise the light off the screen in the mean time... Mealworms are not nutritional and are hard to digest. Supermorms are easier to digest but are not very nutritional so they should not be a staple feeder. Crickets and roaches with proper gutloading (Fresh leafy greens like dandelion greens, escarole) should be used as a staple with superworms being a treat item. Supplementation is also important and should be researched.

What is your current supplement schedule? How often do you use plain calcium and what brand? How often do you use calcium with D3 and what brand? Any multivitamin?

Find out the name of the tree and plants in your cage. A plant that is non-toxic to humans could be toxic to chameleons.

Yellow urates is a sign of dehydration. You need to spray his whole cage for atleast 2-3 minutes multiple times per day.

Here is the caresheet for veiled. Read through it: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
Read the articles here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/

Raise the light off the screen in the mean time... Mealworms are not nutritional and are hard to digest. Supermorms are easier to digest but are not very nutritional so they should not be a staple feeder. Crickets and roaches with proper gutloading (Fresh leafy greens like dandelion greens, escarole) should be used as a staple with superworms being a treat item. Supplementation is also important and should be researched.

What is your current supplement schedule? How often do you use plain calcium and what brand? How often do you use calcium with D3 and what brand? Any multivitamin?

Find out the name of the tree and plants in your cage. A plant that is non-toxic to humans could be toxic to chameleons.

Yellow urates is a sign of dehydration. You need to spray his whole cage for atleast 2-3 minutes multiple times per day.

Here is the caresheet for veiled. Read through it: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/
Read the articles here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/

I forget the tree but in sure its fine because i found the plant on this website. I just got the dimmer heat lamp and made sure his basking spot was a good temp and is now at 78 degrees. Ill attack pictures of the calcium and vitamin powder. The way i have been getting him calcium and vitamind id sprinkling both into a cup and mixing the worms or crickets in with it. Ive been doing the vitamins every other day though which i read i should not be doing. Ill try and move towards crickets, but they are so hard to take care of and they almost always day within a week when i get them. And ideas with that? Thanks for the help

 

[Jaykc]

I forget the tree but in sure its fine because i found the plant on this website. I just got the dinner heat lamp and made sure his basking spot was a good temp and is now at 78 degrees. Ill attack pictures of the calcium and vitamin powder. The way i have been getting him calcium and vitamind id sprinkling both into a cup and mixing the worms or crickets in with it. Ive been doing the vitamins every other day though which i read i should not be doing. Ill try and move towards crickets, but they are so hard to take care of and they almost always day within a week when i get them. And ideas with that? Thanks for the help

 

[Jaykc]

UVB for 14 hours a day should only be 12 hours of light and 12 dark. He probably isn't getting enough sleep.

Yeah i get home late some nights so i dont turn off his cage light till 10ish and then the daylight comes in around 6:30, so he usually wakes up anyway, but ive been closong my curtains and trying to keep him asleep as long as possible.

 

[Jaykc]

This is a picture of his enclosure

 

[Carlton]

Yeah i get home late some nights so i dont turn off his cage light till 10ish and then the daylight comes in around 6:30, so he usually wakes up anyway, but ive been closong my curtains and trying to keep him asleep as long as possible.

There's this wonderful invention called a lamp timer....cheap at any hardware store. You should try it!

 

[Graves923]

You need a calcium powder WITHOUT D3 asap. Both your mutivitamin and calcium powder both have D3 which builds up in the chams system and can actually cause MBD when over supplemented. You also need to make sure your supplements do not have any phosphorous.

 

[Mawtyplant]

You should get rid of those mealworms ASAP because they can cause impaction/digestion problems. 90 degrees for a basking sport is just about 5-10 degrees too hot. Aim for around 80-85. Can you post a full picture of his enclosure?

90 is fine for a veiled.. 80-85 is in fact not hot enough.

So, everybody already give you the advices to stop the mealworms i agree

I think you are right.. you provide too much of vitamins too much of D3 so you need to cut all your D3 artificial source for the moment.. This can be a vitamin A problem (can lead too similar problem than lack of D3 (https://www.petcoach.co/article/chameleons-signs-treatment-and-prevention-of-vitamin-a-defi/ read this for educational purpose)

Vitamin A and D3 (K and E..) need to be balanced.. if you provide too much of D3 it reduce the "space" for the vitamin A (i think.. i dont remember where ive seen this) it is possible to provide other clear picture of your chameleon?
So go buy some vitamins without D3 and let the UVB provide the D3 he need for the moment

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

I agree with that but it depends on the basking spot proximity and other variables, but I have just heard of some veiled getting burns from temperatures in the 90s.

 

[Mawtyplant]

I agree with that but it depends on the basking spot proximity and other variables, but I have just heard of some veiled getting burns from temperatures in the 90s.

90 degres is colder than human body temperature.. i doubt a chameleon can get a bad burn with human touch

seriously, i agree but this is not a question of temperature here but more a question of bulb.. personally the rule is easy : alway leave a safe distance between the bulb and the cham, no hallogenes and nothing without real self testing with hands under for several minutes and infrared gun temperature..

 

[Jaykc]

You need a calcium powder WITHOUT D3 asap. Both your mutivitamin and calcium powder both have D3 which builds up in the chams system and can actually cause MBD when over supplemented. You also need to make sure your supplements do not have any phosphorous.

Ok will do thaks for the advice

 

[Jaykc]

90 degres is colder than human body temperature.. i doubt a chameleon can get a bad burn with human touch

seriously, i agree but this is not a question of temperature here but more a question of bulb.. personally the rule is easy : alway leave a safe distance between the bulb and the cham, no hallogenes and nothing without real self testing with hands under for several minutes and infrared gun temperature..

Thats tru ive been moving my thermstat around his highest basking spot but ill try the hand thing

 

[Jaykc]

90 is fine for a veiled.. 80-85 is in fact not hot enough.

So, everybody already give you the advices to stop the mealworms i agree

I think you are right.. you provide too much of vitamins too much of D3 so you need to cut all your D3 artificial source for the moment.. This can be a vitamin A problem (can lead too similar problem than lack of D3 (https://www.petcoach.co/article/chameleons-signs-treatment-and-prevention-of-vitamin-a-defi/ read this for educational purpose)

Vitamin A and D3 (K and E..) need to be balanced.. if you provide too much of D3 it reduce the "space" for the vitamin A (i think.. i dont remember where ive seen this) it is possible to provide other clear picture of your chameleon?
So go buy some vitamins without D3 and let the UVB provide the D3 he need for the moment

Will do thanks for the help