dreamforthedead
New Member
I second this..
My pictures of Jade
- Thread starter jade4321
- Start date
I second this..
I understand that you may have a partial reason for calcium deficiency with the coccidia, however, this alone should not cause a deficiency severe enough to cause the bending of bones. Your chameleon's legs should be straight from shoulder to elbow and then from elbow to foot and your chameleon's legs are not straight. They do not appear swollen as with gout to me, they look bent from insufficient calcium levels. There is more at work here than just coccidia. The crickets you feed your chameleon are only as good as the food they eat. Gutloading is absolutely crucial!
Parsley, broccoli, and even carrots (what you mentioned as your gutload) are ALL high in oxalates, which prevent calcium from being absorbed from the diet. None of those foods are high in calcium, they are in fact higher in phosphorus, which also impedes the absorption of calcium from the diet. Carrots are good to have IF they are mixed with plenty of other vegetables that are high in calcium.
UVB rays trigger the synthesis of vitamin D in the skin of chameleons and vitamin D is needed for the absorption of calcium. Everything revolves around calcium, and there are lots of things that can interfere with it! Most UVB rays are blocked by glass so you must provide a UVB specific bulb like reptisun or reptiglo 5.0 bulbs. Without the ability to absorb calcium your chameleon will take calcium out of the bones to fuel other metabolic processes that require calcium (such as muscle contraction and heart function), which causes the bones to be weaker. This is the metabolic bone disease. So even if coccidia is the only problem with calcium (which it isn't in this case), it is still metabolic bone disease because the bones are weaker than they should be due to insufficient levels of calcium (regardless of the cause).
You did a good thing taking your chameleon to the vet, and coccidia is a good thing to know about so you can treat it effectively. BUT you have other things that need to be addressed asap to prevent future problems or progression of early MBD. MBD in females can cause death once they start trying to lay eggs.
In addition to gutloading you need to dusting your feeders with these powdered supplements:
Calcium with no phosphorus or D3 at EVERY feeding
Calcium with D3 once every 2 weeks
Multivitamin once every 2 weeks
You obviously care for your chameleon so please make sure you make the appropriate changes to give her a long, healthy life. Please ask if you have further questions!
Parsley, broccoli, and even carrots (what you mentioned as your gutload) are ALL high in oxalates, which prevent calcium from being absorbed from the diet. None of those foods are high in calcium, they are in fact higher in phosphorus, which also impedes the absorption of calcium from the diet. Carrots are good to have IF they are mixed with plenty of other vegetables that are high in calcium.
UVB rays trigger the synthesis of vitamin D in the skin of chameleons and vitamin D is needed for the absorption of calcium. Everything revolves around calcium, and there are lots of things that can interfere with it! Most UVB rays are blocked by glass so you must provide a UVB specific bulb like reptisun or reptiglo 5.0 bulbs. Without the ability to absorb calcium your chameleon will take calcium out of the bones to fuel other metabolic processes that require calcium (such as muscle contraction and heart function), which causes the bones to be weaker. This is the metabolic bone disease. So even if coccidia is the only problem with calcium (which it isn't in this case), it is still metabolic bone disease because the bones are weaker than they should be due to insufficient levels of calcium (regardless of the cause).
You did a good thing taking your chameleon to the vet, and coccidia is a good thing to know about so you can treat it effectively. BUT you have other things that need to be addressed asap to prevent future problems or progression of early MBD. MBD in females can cause death once they start trying to lay eggs.
In addition to gutloading you need to dusting your feeders with these powdered supplements:
Calcium with no phosphorus or D3 at EVERY feeding
Calcium with D3 once every 2 weeks
Multivitamin once every 2 weeks
You obviously care for your chameleon so please make sure you make the appropriate changes to give her a long, healthy life. Please ask if you have further questions!
Never said parasites weren't an option here. I offered you a lot of information based on my experiences, the experiences of others, as well as my veterinary training. I did not spend some of the little free time I have to be a "know-it-all", I did it to help you since your chameleon needs it. Maybe you should actually ponder the good information given...
Is there something I can help clarify?
"Synthesis" means "make something", so in this case UVB is needed for the skin to make vitamin D. The cells of the stomach need vitamin D to be able to take calcium out of the food and into the bloodstream where it can be used by the body and go to the bones.
Most vets are not familiar with reptiles in generals, and chameleons are unique among reptiles with some special things that most people aren't familiar with. Reptiles alone are extremely different than mammals. So your vet probably did the best they could with what they know, but here on the forums you get special advice from people who have been keeping chameleons for many years and know the secrets. We share the knowledge so other people's chameleons can do well, but it's not always what you'll hear from other people who aren't familiar with chameleons because they're just extrapolating what they know about other species, which isn't always correct.
Most vets are not familiar with reptiles in generals, and chameleons are unique among reptiles with some special things that most people aren't familiar with. Reptiles alone are extremely different than mammals. So your vet probably did the best they could with what they know, but here on the forums you get special advice from people who have been keeping chameleons for many years and know the secrets. We share the knowledge so other people's chameleons can do well, but it's not always what you'll hear from other people who aren't familiar with chameleons because they're just extrapolating what they know about other species, which isn't always correct.
Should not be inside the enclosure! They can get too close and burn themselves. Seen it a hundred times with reptiles, they do it all the time. Put it on the outside of the cage, but remember UVB rays don't go through glass or plastic so there needs to be no more than screen or wire mesh between the bulb and your chameleon for rays to get through. But no light (especially the basking light) should ever be inside the cage where your chameleon may get burned. It only takes once...
Good that you have a UVB bulb though! Remember that UVB bulbs only last about 6 months and then they need to be changed, even if they're still shining because they slowly stop emitting UVB rays and usually by 6 months they aren't emitting enough UVB to be sufficient.
Can you post pictures of your setup?
