Nachitos road to recovery

[MissSkittles]

@Ghostbirb are your parents fully aware of the incredible job you’ve done bringing sweet Nachito back to good health?

 

[Ghostbirb]

@Ghostbirb are your parents fully aware of the incredible job you’ve done bringing sweet Nachito back to good health?

Yes they tell me all the time about how amazing she looks compared to when we first got her

 

[Ghostbirb]

Nachito was staring at me thought her cage door so I decided to open it and set up a pothos she might like to climb on out side of the cage. Well she climbed on my arm instead and then after a few seconds went back to her cage XD

 

[Ghostbirb]

I’ve gotten Nachito some hornworms recently and omg they grow so quickly! Like they where tiny just two days ago and now they are huge

Edit, also how big is too big for a chameleon to eat?

 

[Ghostbirb]

Here’s some photos of her compared to my hand and then the current largest hornworm.

 

[Beman]

Here’s some photos of her compared to my hand and then the current largest hornworm.View attachment 327358View attachment 327357View attachment 327359

What is the length of the hornworm. Does not look overly big compared to the tip of your finger. If it is sitting around an inch to a little over I would feed it. Mainly because it also does not have the extreme girth to it so she will be able to pierce through the skin of it.

 

[Ghostbirb]

What is the length of the hornworm. Does not look overly big compared to the tip of your finger. If it is sitting around an inch to a little over I would feed it. Mainly because it also does not have the extreme girth to it so she will be able to pierce through the skin of it.

Alight, any tips on what to do with them when they get too big

 

[Beman]

Alight, any tips on what to do with them when they get too big

So when I get hornworms I take them on and off food for 24-36hour periods. I essentially put the container on ice packs. This cools them down and they stop eating. So I normally do 24-36 hours on ice packs then off for 24 hours then back on ice etc. This slows the growth process. Otherwise since I only have 1 chameleon I would end up with way too many huge hornworms lol.

 

[rbrock]

So when I get hornworms I take them on and off food for 24-36hour periods. I essentially put the container on ice packs. This cools them down and they stop eating. So I normally do 24-36 hours on ice packs then off for 24 hours then back on ice etc. This slows the growth process. Otherwise since I only have 1 chameleon I would end up with way too many huge hornworms lol.

Good information, glad to know this.

 

[Sonny13]

Nachito was staring at me thought her cage door so I decided to open it and set up a pothos she might like to climb on out side of the cage. Well she climbed on my arm instead and then after a few seconds went back to her cage XDView attachment 326796View attachment 326795

I’m always happy seeing a new post overhere and she and you have done soo extremely great, a real school example for a perfect learning curve and recovery. Wanted to see Nachito again from when you took her in and needed search in the archives, but found it https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/back-again.186479/ herewith members can read about her complete road to recovery.

Keep up the good work

 

[Charlottethechameleon]

Most important thing to get on right away, IMHO, is the MBD so it won't get worse.

This should help to get you started...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/thr...-like-how-it-happens-and-how-to-fix-it.95071/

That blog on MBD and those pictures of those poor babies just burst me into tears im beyond emotional when i give so much time and dedication i to my chams and beardie to ensure their lives are healthy and happy i dont understand how someone can not make themselves knowledgeable to take care of those wonderous beautiful creatures...my heart is aching contemplating charlottes surgery on friday im so fretful of losing her I hope and pray Im making the right decision for her yet i feel so desperate that if I dont do the surgery I will lose her either way. Today she passed tiny amount of blood when she what I thought was trying to poo only that blood drop came out I still feel she empacted problem is it right at the time that shes showing receptive colors but i can see and feel those eggs in her belly shes outdoors every day with me of course watching her 3 to 4 hours a day maybe to much calcium and uvb is that possible Im so worried things wont go as planned.

 

[Ghostbirb]

So when I get hornworms I take them on and off food for 24-36hour periods. I essentially put the container on ice packs. This cools them down and they stop eating. So I normally do 24-36 hours on ice packs then off for 24 hours then back on ice etc. This slows the growth process. Otherwise since I only have 1 chameleon I would end up with way too many huge hornworms lol.

Also not sure on how often to feed than don’t want Nachito to get to chonkey.

That blog on MBD and those pictures of those poor babies just burst me into tears im beyond emotional when i give so much time and dedication i to my chams and beardie to ensure their lives are healthy and happy i dont understand how someone can not make themselves knowledgeable to take care of those wonderous beautiful creatures...my heart is aching contemplating charlottes surgery on friday im so fretful of losing her I hope and pray Im making the right decision for her yet i feel so desperate that if I dont do the surgery I will lose her either way. Today she passed tiny amount of blood when she what I thought was trying to poo only that blood drop came out I still feel she empacted problem is it right at the time that shes showing receptive colors but i can see and feel those eggs in her belly shes outdoors every day with me of course watching her 3 to 4 hours a day maybe to much calcium and uvb is that possible Im so worried things wont go as planned.

I wish you luck with your girl!

I’m always happy seeing a new post overhere and she and you have done soo extremely great, a real school example for a perfect learning curve and recovery. Wanted to see Nachito again from when you took her in and needed search in the archives, but found it https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/back-again.186479/ herewith members can read about her complete road to recovery.

Keep up the good work

I’m so happy I was able to take in my girl! I never thought I would have a chameleon and a bugs in my room lol. I think I’m hooked on reptiles now
So thankful she’s mine now and has a happier life!

 

[Beman]

Also not sure on how often to feed than don’t want Nachito to get to chonkey.

How often to feed over all or how often to feed her the hornworms?

 

[Ghostbirb]

How often to feed over all or how often to feed her the hornworms?

I feed her every other day 2 roaches and 4 crickets. She sometimes get a waxworm for hand training. I’m not sure if I should feed a hornworm for a every meal or every few meal kind of thing.
She is also estimated to be hitting her 9-10 month old range. (I’d say more like 10 months compared to her previous owners adoption date and others guesses on this forum)

 

[Beman]

I feed her every other day 2 roaches and 4 crickets. She sometimes get a waxworm for hand training. I’m not sure if I should feed a hornworm for a every meal or every few meal kind of thing.
She is also estimated to be hitting her 9-10 month old range. (I’d say more like 10 months compared to her previous owners adoption date and others guesses on this forum)

Now you want to start working her down more in feeders every other day before taking her to 3 days a week with 3 feeders. I would do that over the next month so that she can get used to the reduction. For example reduce by one feeder each week until you are feeding 3 feeders every other day. Then the next step is kicking her over to 3 feeding days a week from every other day feeding. After they lay you feed them well for a few days. Otherwise they stay on a strict diet and temp of no hotter than 78-80 to control clutch size.

This is the guide I give others for females.
As she matures you will have to start cutting back her food. By about 6 months she should be getting about 5-8 small feeders each day. At about 7 months you want to slowly reduce by cutting down feeder amounts so that she is on a feeding schedule of 3 days a week with 3 feeders. You want them to be on this schedule by the time they are 9-10 months old.

 

[Ghostbirb]

Now you want to start working her down more in feeders every other day before taking her to 3 days a week with 3 feeders. I would do that over the next month so that she can get used to the reduction. For example reduce by one feeder each week until you are feeding 3 feeders every other day. Then the next step is kicking her over to 3 feeding days a week from every other day feeding. After they lay you feed them well for a few days. Otherwise they stay on a strict diet and temp of no hotter than 78-80 to control clutch size.

This is the guide I give others for females.
As she matures you will have to start cutting back her food. By about 6 months she should be getting about 5-8 small feeders each day. At about 7 months you want to slowly reduce by cutting down feeder amounts so that she is on a feeding schedule of 3 days a week with 3 feeders. You want them to be on this schedule by the time they are 9-10 months old.

Ok I’ll started the reduction! what do u think would be best for feeders diversity for those days? She has crickets, dubias and now hornworms

 

[Beman]

Ok I’ll started the reduction! what do u think would be best for feeders diversity for those days? She has crickets, dubias and now hornworms

So if your reducing to 5 this week 1 hornworm, 2 dubia and 2 crickets etc... Do one hornworm each feeding you can switch up the others as you want.

 

[Ghostbirb]

So if your reducing to 5 this week 1 hornworm, 2 dubia and 2 crickets etc... Do one hornworm each feeding you can switch up the others as you want.

Ok!

 

[Ghostbirb]

How long/big would a 10 month old veiled chameleon be? My girl is about 10 months old (I think). I was told she was small for her age when I got her and I’m trying to find out if she is still small for her age? Tried to get a measurement but am not 100% how long she is lol

 

[Sonny13]

This was my girl with 8 months, looks a bit similar. I think Nachito will grow a little more and she doesn´t look that far behind with others.