panther with scoliosis

[rickiemillican]

hi guys. i'm new to the site and have yet to get a cham.. I was looking on craigslist and found a rescue couple that deal with rehoming reptials.. thay have a panther cham with scoliosis and I think I'm in love!! I would love to take him into my home but need to know if there is going to be special care I need to research before commithing to a handycap cham.. any info from anybody who has dealt with this kind of care would be great! thank you for your time and input..

the verry same cham I want to adopt

 

[sandrachameleon]

Doe they have any idea what caused the problem? born that way? MBD?
Has a vet given it a clean bill of health now?

 

[laurie]

I personally have never hear of a cham with scoliosis. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have it. i would try to find out as much as you can about the cham, ask how they are caring for it, and how long it has been in their care.

 

[GabeCastro]

I seen this cham on craigslist aswell. Guess we're both from the Bay Area

Just a few things i'd say, it looks like the cham has MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) This type of condition isn't curable. If the cham checks out with no parasites, eats well, looks well hydrated, and overall looks healthy minus the MBD, then you have a good chance of caring for him.

A few questions i'd ask is what was his cage set up like with the previous owner? Does he have MBD? Was he born with a crooked spine? Have you got a fecal test for him? Does he have any parasites? How were you supplementing him and whats his schedule? Lighting set up? Misting schedule? Humidity levels?

You'd want to ask allot of questions so it's easier to care for him in the long run. He could have tons of things wrong with him such as parasites, respiratory infection, skin fungus, eye problems, mouth rot, MBD, etc. Like I said...if he checks out fine then he'd be heading to a great home

Just giving you a heads up, because having a first cham with problems such as these will be a nightmare. Especially if you have 0 experience with chams, but you've come to the right place so you have tons of members to help you out along the way. He's a beautiful panther nonetheless.

Let us know how it goes, and please update us if you decide to get him or not. Also ask for more pictures and upload them here.

 

[rickiemillican]

conacted the rescue

so i called them and aperently it is a birthdefect and he is able to getaround just fine.. only difrent thing thay do for his care is vitiman spray for his back... looks like I'm going to adopt!!
thay are sending me more pics and i will post them as soon as i get them..

 

[FrankTheTank]

so i called them and aperently it is a birthdefect and he is able to getaround just fine.. only difrent thing thay do for his care is vitiman spray for his back... looks like I'm going to adopt!!
thay are sending me more pics and i will post them as soon as i get them..

I wouldn't be too sure it's not MBD. I had an iguana with a back like that, maybe worse, and it was from mbd. So it's possible they got bad information or don't want to scare you off from adopting him. But the good news is that my iguana got around just fine, and was a very healthy iggy, so I am not trying to scare you off either. I think he is beautiful. I would do it if you are really interested.

 

[rickiemillican]

I wouldn't be too sure it's not MBD. I had an iguana with a back like that, maybe worse, and it was from mbd. So it's possible they got bad information or don't want to scare you off from adopting him. But the good news is that my iguana got around just fine, and was a very healthy iggy, so I am not trying to scare you off either. I think he is beautiful. I would do it if you are really interested.

thanks for the info and dont worry I'm not scared.. I will post the pic as soon as i get them.. Its one thing to have a Pet and a compleatly outher to care for one that needs the help and comfort.. I would love to make him a happy cham no matter what effort it takes because he needs it..

 

[FrankTheTank]

thanks for the info and dont worry I'm not scared.. I will post the pic as soon as i get them.. Its one thing to have a Pet and a compleatly outher to care for one that needs the help and comfort.. I would love to make him a happy cham no matter what effort it takes because he needs it..

Well I definitely can't say for sure about panther chams, but I know it never effected my iguana. He was a grumpy one, but that was my fault for not spending enough time with him. I don't think you will find that you have many different issues than you would with a regular panther. Might need to make sure you are supplementing correctly, but that's all the advice I would give. Good luck!

 

[GabeCastro]

Either way, i'm glad you're adopting him!!!

I was worried nobody was going to take him in. Please upload pics as soon as you get them.

Just be sure to read up on MBD and look for signs when you meet up for the cham. Usually any signs of distorted bones in a chameleon is related to MBD.

But i'm Glad theres people like you out there willing to help

Good luck and keep us updated

-Gabe

 

[carol5208]

I cannot see why they would be spraying vitamin spray on his back? How would that help anything? He looks like a beautiful cham and glad you are willing to give him a shot at a good life.

 

[rickiemillican]

I cannot see why they would be spraying vitamin spray on his back? How would that help anything? He looks like a beautiful cham and glad you are willing to give him a shot at a good life.

if i rember rite it is high in calcium.. the only outher special care is heneeds to be fed with tongs as he misses aloght when eating from a distance..

 

[MollyT]

So glad to hear you are adopting him! Good luck with the little guy! I'm so happy to know he is going to a good home!

 

[deadhd5]

I am so glad to see that this cutie (I can't believe I just used that word) is being adopted by someone who is obviously willing, ready, and able to give him a happy and comfortable life!

Kudos to you and I will be looking forward to your future postings and updates on this special little guy.

Any idea what you will name him?

 

[rickiemillican]

I am so glad to see that this cutie (I can't believe I just used that word) is being adopted by someone who is obviously willing, ready, and able to give him a happy and comfortable life!

Kudos to you and I will be looking forward to your future postings and updates on this special little guy.

Any idea what you will name him?

no idea yet i normaly wate untell i see howmy pets behave before I name them.. but as soon as i get him I will let you know.. I just hope I get his home set up before someone else gets a glimps of him..

 

[Decadancin]

I cannot see why they would be spraying vitamin spray on his back? How would that help anything? He looks like a beautiful cham and glad you are willing to give him a shot at a good life.

I was wondering the same thing! I would think a proper diet would work, but if it is truly a birth defect, why would a spray be needed? Never heard of that before, but I'd love to know if any have done this. Defect or not, looks gorgeous! Best of luck with your first cham!

 

[ChameleonMom]

As the mother of a wonderful little boy with Down Syndrome, I have a special place in my heart for those who bring children and animals with special needs into their lives! It would have been so easy for you to walk away from this little guy, but instead you have realised that he needs love and attention....and you are the one thats going to give it to him. You have my respect AND my gratitude. I know you'll do just fine by this little guy and give him the forever home he needs! Thank you for making my day today!

 

[rickiemillican]

As the mother of a wonderful little boy with Down Syndrome, I have a special place in my heart for those who bring children and animals with special needs into their lives! It would have been so easy for you to walk away from this little guy, but instead you have realised that he needs love and attention....and you are the one thats going to give it to him. You have my respect AND my gratitude. I know you'll do just fine by this little guy and give him the forever home he needs! Thank you for making my day today!

thank you for your kind words..

 

[pssh]

Being unable to shoot properly is a symptom of MBD (or damage to the tongue.) make sure you figure out how they were suplementing and with what so you can get everything figured out.

 

[Alexl]

I know few chameleons with malformed spines (hatched like this, no metabolic bone disease). I read he was rescued, so probably you don't know his history. Therefore I would suggest x-rays and other tests to exclude MBD. If he is malformed since hatched, you should be aware of more malformations you can't see yet. My former prof always said "a malformation never comes alone" and this is sadly true. All malformed chameleons I autopsied after their death til know had multiple problems, e.g. heart failure, a shortened tongue muscle or no ovaries. Due to this, they died before reaching average life expectancy of their species. But that's no reason you shouldn't keep a chameleon with scoliosis. As long as it is not disturbing him, he can live a happy life.

 

[rickiemillican]

so I have called 2x for more info on this cham and more Pics and nothing..
he has just said he has aloght of emails and he will answer soon.. but still nothing.. I'm woried that thay are not serious about homing him..