our cham
- Thread starter johnandlyn
- Start date
Julirs
New Member
I second the MBD-that front leg looks mighty twisted and her coloring suggests being gravid. Has she been under UVB and properly supplemented? I know that you just got her, but what were her living conditions before you had her? I would set up a laying container in her cage just in case, and a Vet visit may be in order.
johnandlyn
New Member
beau
she gets around ok and climbs up everything in her cage, we came home yesterday and took the pic you can see that was around 9pm, she has been ill and has been treated and we have been told to keep up with using a calcium supplement every other day as altough she has been given all clear (as far as we know) she still needs it and will continue to do so. Set up we have is similar to previous except our basking light is inside the cage whereas before it was screened of about a foot above the tank. The woman we spoke to did mention that they didn't feed her fruit or veg, which we thought you should? So appears to have lived of medium crickets and wax worms. She also mentioned she was ill due to lack of misting so we have done this as regular as poss since we got her yesterday.
she gets around ok and climbs up everything in her cage, we came home yesterday and took the pic you can see that was around 9pm, she has been ill and has been treated and we have been told to keep up with using a calcium supplement every other day as altough she has been given all clear (as far as we know) she still needs it and will continue to do so. Set up we have is similar to previous except our basking light is inside the cage whereas before it was screened of about a foot above the tank. The woman we spoke to did mention that they didn't feed her fruit or veg, which we thought you should? So appears to have lived of medium crickets and wax worms. She also mentioned she was ill due to lack of misting so we have done this as regular as poss since we got her yesterday.
summoner12
Avid Member
What kind of lighting do you have? Do you have just a heat lamp? You need to have a UVB lamp for calcium processing and a normal incandescent lamp for heat. They should both be outside of the cage, placed on top. Do NOT buy a compact UVB or a Mercury vapor lamp. It sounds neat to get heat and UV in one lamp, but they can be too hot and the UVB can be hard to focus without a meter.
Check out this website to learn about how your chameleon will use UV and what kind of lamps work well. Most keepers, especially experienced keepers on this forum will tell you that a ZooMed Reptisun 5.0 linear tube along side a basic heat lamp is what you need.
Check out this website to learn about how your chameleon will use UV and what kind of lamps work well. Most keepers, especially experienced keepers on this forum will tell you that a ZooMed Reptisun 5.0 linear tube along side a basic heat lamp is what you need.
You said..."we have been told to keep up with using a calcium supplement every other day as altough she has been given all clear (as far as we know) she still needs it and will continue to do so"...D3, vitamin A, calcium and phosphorous play important parts in bone health and they need to be in balance.
Exposure to UVB allows the chameleon to produce D3 which allows it to use the calcium in its diet. I dust with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder twice a month to ensure that they get enough. D3 from supplements can build up in the system, so its important not to overdo it.
Insects used as feeders usually have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous so dusting at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder helps to make up for this.
I also dust with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene source of vitamin A twice a month. Beta carotene won't build up in the system like preformed will. Excess preformed vitamin A can prevent the D3 from doing its job and lead to MBD. Some people give a little preformed vitamin A once in a while because its not proven as to whether chameleons can convert the beta carotene.
Temperature plays a part in digestion so it plays a part in nutrient absorption too.
You said..."The woman we spoke to did mention that they didn't feed her fruit or veg, which we thought you should? So appears to have lived of medium crickets and wax worms"...(waxworms are fattening and should only be used as a treat)..crickets, superworms, silkworms, roaches, etc. can be used. There is no problem raising them on insects alone, but they do eat greens (dandelion, collards, kale, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.), veggies (carrots, sweet potatoes, sweet red peppers, squash, zucchini, etc.) and a bit of fruit (apple, pear, melon, berries, etc.). The greens and veggies are also a good gutload/diet for the crickets, superworms and roaches.
Here are some sites that you might like to look at...
http://www.adcham.com/
http://www.chameleonnews.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/20060502...rnals.com/vet/index.php?show=5.Vitamin.A.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/index.htm
https://www.chameleonforums.com/supplementation-mbd-1-a-2451/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
Exposure to UVB allows the chameleon to produce D3 which allows it to use the calcium in its diet. I dust with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder twice a month to ensure that they get enough. D3 from supplements can build up in the system, so its important not to overdo it.
Insects used as feeders usually have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous so dusting at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder helps to make up for this.
I also dust with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene source of vitamin A twice a month. Beta carotene won't build up in the system like preformed will. Excess preformed vitamin A can prevent the D3 from doing its job and lead to MBD. Some people give a little preformed vitamin A once in a while because its not proven as to whether chameleons can convert the beta carotene.
Temperature plays a part in digestion so it plays a part in nutrient absorption too.
You said..."The woman we spoke to did mention that they didn't feed her fruit or veg, which we thought you should? So appears to have lived of medium crickets and wax worms"...(waxworms are fattening and should only be used as a treat)..crickets, superworms, silkworms, roaches, etc. can be used. There is no problem raising them on insects alone, but they do eat greens (dandelion, collards, kale, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.), veggies (carrots, sweet potatoes, sweet red peppers, squash, zucchini, etc.) and a bit of fruit (apple, pear, melon, berries, etc.). The greens and veggies are also a good gutload/diet for the crickets, superworms and roaches.
Here are some sites that you might like to look at...
http://www.adcham.com/
http://www.chameleonnews.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/20060502...rnals.com/vet/index.php?show=5.Vitamin.A.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/index.htm
https://www.chameleonforums.com/supplementation-mbd-1-a-2451/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
johnandlyn
New Member
She said she was all better, now wondering if theres more to it, our uvb is repti-glo 5.0, so im better getting another tank i think, do you think this will effect her settling in?
johnandlyn
New Member
i was thinking of getting a Exo Terra Flexarium 38 do you think that would be good for her? in your mind what would you do with her regarding her front leg?she is eating well
johnandlyn
New Member
shes in a glass tank sizes are 1ft high 1ft deep and 1ft 7 wide i got this as i thought she would be better in a smaller tank as she is still young and would be able to find her food easyer?would it be ok if you could give me a list or an idea of the supplements she needs and when to give them to her im very greatfull for the help and advice
johnandlyn
New Member
i would say around 5in including her tail according to her live stock guarantee she is 1yr old.iv dusted her crickets with calypso cricket dust which as pure natral calcium and chameleon dust which is all in 1 super food is it wrong to mix these together these where all they had in the shop we are limited with reptile resouce only having a cupple of shops within 15miles of where we live also how often would you feed her and how many crickets? weve been told she needs feeding everyday and nutrobal every otherday which we think is calcuim.
macro junkie
New Member
38 is big enough up to about 3 or 4 months..to keep her in to adult i would recommend getting a 100 gallon flexi..this is what i have
i have the 5.0 uv inside and the basking lamp outside.
macro junkie
New Member
you house your adult yemens in a 38?males and females?38 is tiny imo for a adult.my male loves to climb and walk all day..the 38 was way to small for him..hes loving the 100 gallon now.i would prefer to use the 38 as it dont take up alot of space but it just seemed to small for him.
macro junkie
New Member
ah ok..i thought i got mixed up//it would be very sad to have adults in a 38..way to small..
johnandlyn
New Member
do you think i should get a Exo Terra Flexarium 38 for her?and would you take her to the vet just to check her leg?
