new veiled chameleon owner and potential health issues

muffypuff

New Member
Hello!
I have recently received a 2 year old male veiled chameleon from a friend who cant care for him anymore.

I was told by his previous owner that he had trouble using his tounge and wouldnt eat or drink very much and was syringe fed.

When I received him, he was in a 18x18x36 inch enclosure with a one of those dual light fixtures with one side having a compact uvb light and a blue day bulb. His substate was a combination of eco earth and bark with a lot of fake plants and those rope things you see in petstores marketed towards chameleons. His feeders were also dusted exclusively with the calcium plus d3 supplement powder.

As soon as I got him I was very concerned for his health and got him a vet appointment for next week and upgraded his enclosure.

Its been almost a week now and I have tried to interact with him as less as I can to try to not stress him out. I have made magnetic feeding cups attached near his favorite branches to encourage him to eat but he won't touch his food at all.
I have tried dubias, superworms, mealworms, horned worms, crickets, and black solider fly larvae but none of those seem to interest him. I tried to tong feed him the bugs a few times also but the closest I got to him eating was him licking calcium powder off one of the crickets. I havent noticed him pooping either. I did at one point give him some of fluker's reptiboost for insectivores that I have on hand via syringe and he ate about 2 ml's worth before he climbed away. I have also noticed him starting to shed.

I am really worried about him not eating and I'm not sure what to do. And the lack of uvb he had in his previous enclosure makes me think he might have some kind of issue like MBD but im not sure. The loose substrate used previously also makes me worry about potential impaction.

Is there anything I can do to help him eat or feel comfortable?
I'm also a new chameleon owner so any advice would also be appreciated.

Current Set up Details:

He is currently in a 24x24x48 inch zoo med reptibreeze xl I bought for him.
His light setup is a T5 5.0 uvb tube light and a 100 watt basking bulb.
He has a zoo med dripper and I hand mist his cage a few times a day with a spray bottle. All of the water i use has the repti safe conditioner added.
I have a combination of natural wooden branches and dowel perches attached to the cage with magnets and zipties.
I have a few pothos plants in the enclosure to help with humidity and to give cover and the bottom is lined with papertowels and bowls to catch water.
His basking branch is about 90 degrees and lower in the cage it gets about 70 degrees. Humidity is always around 40-50%. I have a digital thermometer and temperature gun to help me keep track.


I'm sorry for the long post. And if there is anything I should add or change about my setup, please let me know.
 
Hi and welcome. :) It does sound as though he may have some issues related to lack of appropriate uvb or too much vitamin D3. Can you post some pics of him? Is he getting any supplements now?
 
Thank you for your reply! :)
And here is a picture of him. He just came out of hiding and is under his basking spot.
He weights about 155 grams if that helps.

His feeders have been dusted with the calcium only supplement which he hasnt touched. The brand specifically is the zoo med repti calcium without d3. I also have the same brand with d3 and rep cal herptivite multivitamin but i havent used either of those yet.
 

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He is a big boy... Holding a lot of fat in the casque... But I am also seeing Edema which would not surprise me if he was only being given calcium with D3. Make sure you do not give him D3 for at least 4 weeks so it is able to clear from his tissues.

I am not seeing any major signs of MBD... Front left leg is questionable though unless it is simply how he is holding it.

Was his casque this big when you got him? How was his eating prior to you?

Impaction is actually not as common as you would think unless they are digesting larger pieces. So bark would be a concern not so much the eco earth. Still a risk but can pass through unlike bark. Has he passed a fecal in your care?

Basking should be no hotter then 80-83 so consider reducing that 100 watt bulb or raising the fixture higher.
 
Here are more pictures:

I lifted his basking light fixture and checked that the temperature is 80 degrees and also ordered a 75 watt basking bulb just in case. I will continue to dust his feeders with the calcium only supplement for the next 4 weeks like you mentioned.

And yes, his casque has been this big since i got him.

I was told by his previous owner that he was not eating or drinking very much. He also did not have a dripper in his inital enclosure.

He did eat for the first time today since I got him. He ate one black solider fly larvae but i noticed he didnt stretch his tongue very much and instead he climbed onto the cup, leaned his face into the feeding cup and sticked his tongue out a little bit to grab the larvae. I'm worried there is something wrong with his tongue. Is this normal behavior when eating?

Also, I mentioned in my first post that I used fluker's reptiboost and syringe fed a little to my chameleon. I wanted to make sure if thats ok and if i should continue to offer this or stop.
 

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Here are more pictures:

I lifted his basking light fixture and checked that the temperature is 80 degrees and also ordered a 75 watt basking bulb just in case. I will continue to dust his feeders with the calcium only supplement for the next 4 weeks like you mentioned.

And yes, his casque has been this big since i got him.

I was told by his previous owner that he was not eating or drinking very much. He also did not have a dripper in his inital enclosure.

He did eat for the first time today since I got him. He ate one black solider fly larvae but i noticed he didnt stretch his tongue very much and instead he climbed onto the cup, leaned his face into the feeding cup and sticked his tongue out a little bit to grab the larvae. I'm worried there is something wrong with his tongue. Is this normal behavior when eating?

Also, I mentioned in my first post that I used fluker's reptiboost and syringe fed a little to my chameleon. I wanted to make sure if thats ok and if i should continue to offer this or stop.
Ok so I do not see any major signs of MBD in the limbs. Does not mean that he is not dealing with it causing internal issues though. Same with the overdosing of D3.

The casque being that size indicates major fat storage. This also means he has built up fat around his organs because the last place the fat goes to is their casque. So this poses risk to organ function.

The tongue issue could be from the overdose of D3. But could also be from lack of Vitamin A. Did they have him on straight calcium with D3 or was it a multivitamin?

Personally I would not force feed, you could cause more damage with this and you could aspirate the cham.
 
I'm glad it doesnt seem like he has MBD.
I was really worried about that.
He was previously only on a calcium with d3 supplement. I did not see any multivitamins come with him.
I will definitely talk about the casque and organ function issue with my vet during the upcoming appointment.
And I won't syringe feed anymore either.
 
I'm glad it doesnt seem like he has MBD.
I was really worried about that.
He was previously only on a calcium with d3 supplement. I did not see any multivitamins come with him.
I will definitely talk about the casque and organ function issue with my vet during the upcoming appointment.
And I won't syringe feed anymore either.
Ok so there is a chance that he is not extending his tongue well due to a vitamin A deficiency. Buy reptivite No D3 version. This has vitamins and preformed A. Use it 2 times a month on his feeders lightly dusted (1st and 15th). Then once you get through the 4 week wait on using D3 you will add D3 into the rotation. This will be used on the opposite weeks from the Reptivite 2 times a month. All other feedings would be calcium without D3.

Make sure your vet actually has cham experience. I have seen chams made much worse because a vet did not know and gave the incorrect meds etc... The only way they can test for organ function is doing a blood draw... You want a vet that knows what they are doing to do this because they pull it from the tail base.
 
I bought the reptivite no d3 supplement and started my chamelon on it. He seems to show more interest in food and hangs around his feeding cup often.

And I will definitely talk to my vet about his experience with chameleons and doing a blood draw as well.

Thank you so much for your help! It really means a lot! :)
 
I bought the reptivite no d3 supplement and started my chamelon on it. He seems to show more interest in food and hangs around his feeding cup often.

And I will definitely talk to my vet about his experience with chameleons and doing a blood draw as well.

Thank you so much for your help! It really means a lot! :)
How is your buddy doing now? I'm having the same issues with tongue use and I think he was probably only on a multivitamin with D3 before I got him so I'm going to give him a break and only do calcium for a few weeks. Mine has been eating but when he does he gets as close as he can to the bug and barely extends his tongue...
 
How is your buddy doing now? I'm having the same issues with tongue use and I think he was probably only on a multivitamin with D3 before I got him so I'm going to give him a break and only do calcium for a few weeks. Mine has been eating but when he does he gets as close as he can to the bug and barely extends his tongue...
Thank you for checking in.
Unfortunately, hes not doing well.

I was refered to an experienced reptile vet farther from where I live and they did a radiograph, blood work, and a fecal test.

There is a lot going wrong with his organs, and there is a serious issue with his skin.

The skin around the mouth is mostly made up of scar tissue which makes it painful for him to open his mouth and eat. This is something that should of been treated years ago. We aren't sure how this happened but considering how neglected he was before, I can only imagine.

On top that, he has a vitamin deficiency.
He has very black teeth and his bones arent very strong. He cant support his body very well and drags his body as he walks.
According to my vet, there was a paper written about a similar case with a veiled chameleon, but he couldnt recover from it and passed away shortly. This is very little information about this illness and reptile veterinary care is more behind compared to dog and cat veterinary care.

I was told at this point, all i can really do is inject painkillers and supplements to help him eat. I'm actually going to pick up the meds tomorrow and learn how to administer them. All the information I received was via phonecall regarding test results with my vet yesterday. Im sorry if everything sounds jumbled, im still trying to process everything.

I'm taking him to the vet very soon to get checked again to see if we can find anything else. I will speak to her more the next chance I get so I can share information here. I want to give as much information as possible about this so I can help anyone with similar issues. I will post an update as soon as I can.

Again, thank you for checking in on me. The symptoms you are describing does sound like an earlier version of what my chameleon developed in the previous owner's care. I do encourage keeping an eye on his eating habits and seek veterinary help as soon as you can. I hope your chameleon gets well soon.
 
Thank you for checking in.
Unfortunately, hes not doing well.

I was refered to an experienced reptile vet farther from where I live and they did a radiograph, blood work, and a fecal test.

There is a lot going wrong with his organs, and there is a serious issue with his skin.

The skin around the mouth is mostly made up of scar tissue which makes it painful for him to open his mouth and eat. This is something that should of been treated years ago. We aren't sure how this happened but considering how neglected he was before, I can only imagine.

On top that, he has a vitamin deficiency.
He has very black teeth and his bones arent very strong. He cant support his body very well and drags his body as he walks.
According to my vet, there was a paper written about a similar case with a veiled chameleon, but he couldnt recover from it and passed away shortly. This is very little information about this illness and reptile veterinary care is more behind compared to dog and cat veterinary care.

I was told at this point, all i can really do is inject painkillers and supplements to help him eat. I'm actually going to pick up the meds tomorrow and learn how to administer them. All the information I received was via phonecall regarding test results with my vet yesterday. Im sorry if everything sounds jumbled, im still trying to process everything.

I'm taking him to the vet very soon to get checked again to see if we can find anything else. I will speak to her more the next chance I get so I can share information here. I want to give as much information as possible about this so I can help anyone with similar issues. I will post an update as soon as I can.

Again, thank you for checking in on me. The symptoms you are describing does sound like an earlier version of what my chameleon developed in the previous owner's care. I do encourage keeping an eye on his eating habits and seek veterinary help as soon as you can. I hope your chameleon gets well soon.
I'm so sorry. That has to be really hard. You're doing all you can for him and you're keeping your Cham comfortable which is all that matters. Thank you so much for sharing with us.♥️♥️♥️ I'm taking my bud to the vet this month to see what's going on.
 
Thank you for the kind words! It means alot to me.

I have attached photos of my chameleon's face to this post. (He's not very happy today)

I just came back from the vet and received both the medication, and the medical report.
He has mild osteopenia in the spine, limbs, and skull. His kidneys are enlarged. He has MBD and hypocalcemia which explains the weakness of muscle, tongue paralysis, and constipation. I was told that in severe cases of hypocalcemia, it causes seizures in chameleons, which i will definitely keep an eye out for. And there is the scar tissue on his mouth that makes it hard to eat.

He is on two oral medications (liquid calcium and painkiller) and one injectable medication (antibiotic).

The liquid calcium is given twice a day and the painkiller is given once a day. The antibiotic is given every other day and has to be kept in the freezer and thawed before injecting.

The names of the medications are:
  • calcium carbonate (liquid calcium)
  • meloxicam (painkiller)
  • ceftazidime (antibiotic)
There isnt a guarantee that he will completely recover but will at the very least make everything less painful and stop everything from getting worse. Thank you everyone again for checking in on me and I hope your vet appointment goes well.
 

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As a temporary fix, I’ve used sliced banana pieces and put multivitamin on them, and hand feed by touching it to his lip when he opens his mouth to ‘hiss’
 
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