Need help with 4 year old male yemen

[IanH]

Hi guys, brand new to chameleons although kept beardies and snakes before. Got the offer of a chameleon with full set up a few days ago, thought it was to good to pass up so went to collect it earlier.

Sadly i think it has been neglected quite badly I'm no expert on the matter but just going by what i have read online. I'll list everything I know is wrong first so please bare with me if i am wrong

First thing i noticed was there was no UVA/UVB bulb in place, the guy we got him off said it had burnt out earlier today but even then im guessing it was past its time. Will be buying a new one tomorrow.

There's no dripping water set up, just a water bowl. The guy has said its been like that since he's had him although he's never seen him drink. He also said he mists it once in a while. Obviousy will mist more often but need to look into sorting a drip set up?

All glass viv. It's a converted cabinet by the looks of it, about 5ft tall, 3ft across and 1ft deep (i havn't actually measured yet) The only ventilation is 4 holes along the back with plastic vents. Plan on pulling one of the sides of glass off and replacing with mesh?

His food hasn't been calcium coated, or if it has not very often as when he gave me the tub he said "heres some white stuff, don't know what that is" !??

Theres some shedded skin still stuck on his side/spine, don't know if this is an issue as i know it can be with snakes?

His claws are very sharp, do these get trimmed or naturally stay sharp?

Theres a bizzare white cone/horn shape on his side? looks like a growth of some sort?

He seems to move very slowly and takes a few attempts to grab onto a branch, poor co-ordination?

He has a very strong grip though, struggled to get him off my hand earlier! he's aware of everything around him as he puffed up earlier and starting hissing while moving him and if we walk near he will his. Although i suspect he hasnt been handled much so i am not surprised by this.

I'm sure there's more i need to know but will be cramming in as much info as i can to give this guy the life he deserves, even if its just a few more years, no animal should be treated like this

Will try to upload some pics as i'm sure you would be able to tell me more after seeing him/the viv.

I'm also in the UK, not sure if this is a UK based site or not sorry!

EDIT

Got a few pics off my phone



Also is that normal for him to sleep leaning? he is leaning on the light so i turned it off as there is no guard on it and afraid he may burn himself

 

[jpowell86]

Poor guy, sounds like he has ran the gamut. I'm glad that he is no longer in the other individual's care. And you're right, pics would definitely help. Pics of your enclosure for sure, but for the time being, pictures of the Veiled himself. Just by your description, I can tell you a vet visit is a must. Try to coax him to hydrate. I can't believe that all he has been offered is a bowl of water his entire life. When chams are lethargic and uncoordinated, you don't want to overload them with more stressors. Even water being sprayed out of a bottle hitting his body could be a stressor for this poor guy in his current state. I would suggest showering him. Put him in the shower and make sure he is on something that is supportive and can be easily grasped. Let the water run in the shower for about 45 minutes. Luke warm not hot. And don't let the water actually hit him. Hopefully the extra humidity will help some. I really have to keep stressing the vet visit though. They can aid in getting him hydrated properly. If he hasn't had proper UVB light and supplementation, he could very well have MBD. This will have to be addressed quickly as well. I truly commend you for taking the fellow, but he is going to need a lot of care and being that this is your first cham, I assure you it won't be an easy task. But...it's worth it. Thank you for looking for help and answers to your questions. Keep them coming because everyone here on the Forums will want to make sure this guy gets back on his feet.

 

[IanH]

I did not expect him to be in this state to be honest, we were only meant to go to see him but as soon as i saw him i had to take him because i know i can give him better care. Ideally i would have liked to have learnt a bit more first but felt forced as if i had left him his conditions would not have improved or some one else would have taken him and assumed the set up he had was fine. The guy who had him wasn't his original owner, just ended up getting left with him after the owner moved out, so can't really blame him for the care.

Visit to the vet is top of my list, will be phoning around tomorrow and shortly after getting a new uvb bulb and some calcium powder and food. managed to upload a few pics but will try to upload some better ones tomorrow, don't want to stress him out to much

 

[Decadancin]

Welcome to the forums! I'll try to help with some of your questions... You may have to expand the quoted text to see it all.

First thing i noticed was there was no UVA/UVB bulb in place, the guy we got him off said it had burnt out earlier today but even then im guessing it was past its time. Will be buying a new one tomorrow. Since you are in the UK, the best UVB bulbs I know of are the T5 High Output linear Arcadia bulbs. Any linear UVB of at least 5% will do, but most will need changing every 6 months. The T5 Arcadia 6% or 12% need to be changed every 12 months.

There's no dripping water set up, just a water bowl. Water Bowl is likely not being used, but a few chams may drink from one. Most get their water from drops on leaves or drinking during misting. He also said he mists it once in a while. You should mist a few times daily, and a dripper is a good idea if you have drainage in the enclosure. Some veiled chams will get their moisture from eating leaves, so make sure any live plants are non-toxic.

All glass viv. It's a converted cabinet by the looks of it, about 5ft tall, 3ft across and 1ft deep (i havn't actually measured yet) The only ventilation is 4 holes along the back with plastic vents. Plan on pulling one of the sides of glass off and replacing with mesh? Not a bad idea, make sure not to use too fine a mesh so there is less of a chance of nails getting stuck in it. They could do damage and even rip them out.

His food hasn't been calcium coated, or if it has not very often as when he gave me the tub he said "heres some white stuff, don't know what that is" !?? That is concerning, but you should dust with calcium w/o D3 each feeding, Calcium with D3 every two weeks and a multi vitamin every 2 weeks as well.

Theres some shedded skin still stuck on his side/spine, don't know if this is an issue as i know it can be with snakes? It should come off on its own. Just keep an eye on it to make sure. If you mist a bit more this may help the shed release.

His claws are very sharp, do these get trimmed or naturally stay sharp? My 3 year old has RAZORS for nails. Don't trim them, and if you do handle him you could use gloves.

Theres a bizzare white cone/horn shape on his side? looks like a growth of some sort? This could be an internal infection of some sort, but just a guess. I would need to see pictures to have a better idea. A vet visit may be a good idea just from the history of care (or lack thereof). Make sure it is a vet that has reptile experience, and hopefully chameleon experience.

He seems to move very slowly and takes a few attempts to grab onto a branch, poor co-ordination? Could be a sign of MBD, a condition caused by insufficient calcium and nutrition. This can lead to broken bones as well as other health issues. Again, pictures would help.

I'm sure there's more i need to know but will be cramming in as much info as i can to give this guy the life he deserves, even if its just a few more years, no animal should be treated like this Very True!

I'm also in the UK, not sure if this is a UK based site or not sorry! Not a UK based site, but lots of the members are from across the pond. Some may have good vet info if you tell us the area you live by.

Best of luck with your new chameleon, and I will be looking for pics to follow up!

 

[jpowell86]

Thanks for the pictures. His physical appearance is not as bad as what I had in my head. The weakness and lethargy are concerning. Glad you are getting him to a vet tomorrow. Yes please move that light. It is not programmed in a chameleons head to move towards the ground for basking purposes. It needs to be at the top of the enclosure. That light can cause some very serious burns. Chameleons don't respond to heat the way we do...in fact their sensory perception is fairly awful in regards to heat/burns.

 

[Lathis]

Poor little guy. Best of luck with him. He's in much better hands now.