Our male veiled cham is lethargic, weak, and won't eat

[camimom]

Some angles can make it really hard to tell, so I fully understand why assurances are good.

Feeding more than once a day is always an option and in this case, as the chameleon isn't doing well it might really be the best idea, but the animal needs digestion time. I think it's usually recommended not to feed unless there's 4 hours of "light" left.

I said 2 hours, so you saying 4 is better. I don't really know how much time is good, but i would think the more time the better.

ANd with a cham who is sick, shorter feeding times might make him less tired. JMO.
I normally feed Kink in teh morning- then again at 5:30 when i get home from work, and his ilghts go off at 8.

 

[ChameleonNerd]

I know im late, but definitely mbd, and good luck with the vet!

 

[K9Luvn]

I didn't see a UVB light in any of the pictures either. I knew experienced keepers like you would be able to the OP. Thank you for helping them.

Let us know how the vet visit goes.

 

[camimom]

I didn't see a UVB light in any of the pictures either. I knew experienced keepers like you would be able to the OP. Thank you for helping them.

Let us know how the vet visit goes.

I wonder if the 5.0 reptiglo day lamp, is the uvb bulb.

To the OP, is that one a uvb bulb, or just for basking?
If so, then you need a uvb bulb now.

 

[K9Luvn]

I wonder if the 5.0 reptiglo day lamp, is the uvb bulb.

To the OP, is that one a uvb bulb, or just for basking?
If so, then you need a uvb bulb now.

Awe yes it is.... it is the compact florescent type. I was expecting to see the linear tub type... not one that is put into a dome lamp.

 

[camimom]

Awe yes it is.... it is the compact florescent type. I was expecting to see the linear tub type... not one that is put into a dome lamp.

i use the coils. never had problems. but ill be switchin gto tubes once i get my cage built.

 

[lojack13]

here ya go.
http://www.store.repashy.com/calcium-plus-bag.html
It says for geckos. but dont worry we all use for chams.

Thanks, camimom!

 

[camimom]

Thanks, camimom!

Very welcome! it can be used on every feeding.

 

[orloffelgin]

Alright! We are back. The vet diagnosed it as a calcium deficiency. Galileo received a calcium shot and a Vitamin A and D shot. We purchased a humidity/heat thermometer set, some wax worms to vary his diet, and ReptiCalcium with D3 powder because the reptile store didn't have Repashy CalciumPlus in stock. The supplement we purchased was recommended by the vet's assistant, so we weren't too concerned. We'll be going back in for a check up next week...the vet said we may be hand-feeding for up to 4 weeks, until he is completely recovered. However, he said that Galileo should be restored to health after we adjust the lighting arrangement in the cage and start dusting his food with the vitamin and calcium supplement.

After he ate some crickets (before the vet visit), he began to regain a bit of energy. He's now back at home (his cage rearranged to prevent injury from a fall) and has already eaten 2 powdered crickets and a powdered wax worm! The drip is going to be on for most of the day now, and we replaced the infared bulb with a 71W house bulb, placed at the top of the cage. The vet advised us to use the infared bulb at night, though, because chameleons can't see red. We'll also be sure to gut-load his food!

Thank you so much everyone! You were all so very helpful and kind. I feel that we can owe a good amount of his upcoming recovery to you.

Oh, and in response to K9Luvn: yes, the day lamp is UVB. It's the dome lamp at the top of the cage.

 

[camimom]

Alright! We are back. The vet diagnosed it as a calcium deficiency. Galileo received a calcium shot and a Vitamin A and D shot. We purchased a humidity/heat thermometer set, some wax worms to vary his diet, and ReptiCalcium with D3 powder because the reptile store didn't have Repashy CalciumPlus in stock. The supplement we purchased was recommended by the vet's assistant, so we weren't too concerned. We'll be going back in for a check up next week...the vet said we may be hand-feeding for up to 4 weeks, until he is completely recovered. However, he said that Galileo should be restored to health after we adjust the lighting arrangement in the cage and start dusting his food with the vitamin and calcium supplement.

After he ate some crickets (before the vet visit), he began to regain a bit of energy. He's now back at home (his cage rearranged to prevent injury from a fall) and has already eaten 2 powdered crickets and a powdered wax worm! The drip is going to be on for most of the day now, and we replaced the infared bulb with a 71W house bulb, placed at the top of the cage. The vet advised us to use the infared bulb at night, though, because chameleons can't see red. We'll also be sure to gut-load his food!

Thank you so much everyone! You were all so very helpful and kind. I feel that we can owe a good amount of his upcoming recovery to you.

Oh, and in response to K9Luvn: yes, the day lamp is UVB. It's the dome lamp at the top of the cage.

Yup, calcium deficiency= mbd.
stores dotn cary repashy, you have to order online from the repashy site (they ar a site sponsor)
dont use the d3 daily. if you can take him outside for natural sun, do it!
and even though he said use the red light... dont.. we cant say if they can see red or not. but chams need darkness to sleep, and a 10-15 deg temp drop.
and the calcium injection should help.
I would order some pheonix (calci/repti) worms from mulberryfarms.com
they are high in calcium, good for an mbd cham.

how old is your uvb bulb? if older than 6 months, replace it.

 

[orloffelgin]

We got it together with him in May. Do they not work effectively after 6 months?

 

[orloffelgin]

Also, the phoenix worms are looking pretty do-able for him. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[kinyonga]

Glad to hear that you took your chameleon to the vets! Once you get the calcium deficiency corrected you will need to make sure you husbandry is good to keep it from happening again.

Here's some information I hope will help you with supplementing, etc.....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

A wide variety of insects that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it.

Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Please note that various supplements have various amounts of D3 and vitamin A and so some can be given more often than others. The idea still is not to overdo the fat soluble vitamins like D3 and prEformed vitamin A.

Here are some good sites for you to read too...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.

 

[camimom]

We got it together with him in May. Do they not work effectively after 6 months?

at most around nine months they stop being as effective. so we recommend replacing them every 6 months or so.
And the pheonix worms are great for them. they will really help with the calcium intke. and you can feed them daily. with the crickets.

 

[Elizadolots]

orloffelgin, it sounds like you are on the way! That's great.

I think I would use the calcium with D3 daily until you can get either the Rapashy or calcium without D3. Calcium without D3 can be hard to get in stores.

A week or so of getting the extra D3 is probably not going to hurt him more than not having the calcium would.

If you want calcium without D3 immediately and the stores don't have it, buy a bird's cuttlebone (readily available all over the place...grocery stores often have them) and grind it up really fine in a food processor.