problem with calyptratus skin-help

zarko

New Member
my chamelo calyptratus is about 2 -3 yers old. last 6-10 months he looks like he is allways in process of sheding.
there is no time when he is clean of his old skin...the skin comes off normally in parts and he has no problems with the procces but he is constantlly in mess..
i feed him with home care cricket, sueperworms and mealworms...they r in top nutrition level cause i feed all (about 30 reptiles) and about 80 Tarantulas with them...
i sprinkle the food every 4-6th feeding cause crickets r very nutritios ..i feed them alfaalfa, dendoline leafs, act...
pleas help me
thanks
zarko
www.gekkogecko.co.yu
 
* Cage Type - is 110cmwith depth is 70cm and hight 80cm
* Lighting -spot light 100W classic and uva/uvb new one and the old one for extra light
* Temperature - under light 35C other about 24-26
* Humidity - 50-70% after misting
* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
* Location - reptile room


Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - about 3 year male clayptratus
* Feeding -superworms rearlly cricket staple and mealworms ...realrly
* Supplements -repton but every 6 th feeding cause i keep my cricket in top gutloading conditions
* Watering - tep watter, misting not direckly ..every day -almost
* Fecal Description -ok
* History - he was with me since 5-6cm
* Current Problem - he looks lie he is always in sheding process..
 
www.gekkogecko.co.yu/galerija sa slikama/Chamaeleo calyptratus.htm

check the pic on my site
and here is one here
chamaeleocalyptratusjemqj3.jpg
 
i have a mineral povder that irearly use it has vit A 630 000iu
what it means performed? sorry my english :)

i goutload my crickets with alfaalfa food for rebits...chicken food and greens
i have iguana so green food is without oxalat asid and so on...i have reserched that stuff
do u wanna say that he is lacking A ?
 
I am actually having the same problem with my three year old veiled … more in a shedding state then not. I thought it might be a vit A deficiency so I have been dosing him with preformed vitamin A once week for the past month … just a dab with a Q-tip on his gums since its very difficult to open his mouth. I am also wondering if the powersun UVB bulb may be causing this but one thing at a time for now.

-roo
 
Don't worry about your English!

Preformed vitamin A...
"Vitamin A found in foods that come from animals is called preformed vitamin A. It is absorbed in the form of retinol, one of the most usable (active) forms of vitamin A."
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamina.asp

Preformed vitamin A can be overdosed...and can damage the liver. One of the symptoms of vitamin A overdose is skin abnormalities...I don't know if it includes shedding more often or not. I know that in turtles, excess preformed vitamin A can cause thickening of the skin and excess shedding...don't know if it might apply to chameleons or not.

You would need a vet to determine if your chameleon's shedding has to do with vitamin A or not. I'm only giving you "food for thought". I might not even be on the right track. It could be something else that is causing it.
 
Preformed vitamin A can be overdosed...and can damage the liver. One of the symptoms of vitamin A overdose is skin abnormalities...I don't know if it includes shedding more often or not. I know that in turtles, excess preformed vitamin A can cause thickening of the skin and excess shedding...don't know if it might apply to chameleons or not.

Thought I would point out that a lack of preformed vitamin A in the diet can cause skin problems as well, including problems with shedding.
 
Thought I would point out that a lack of preformed vitamin A in the diet can cause skin problems as well, including problems with shedding.

Yep … and my reasons exactly for why I am dosing with preformed A. In my research, I haven’t seen shed problems as a symptom of Hypervitaminosis – maybe I missed it somewhere or just haven’t found it in my vit A researching.

If anything my veiled isn’t getting enough vitamins. He is a very finicky eater … wont touch the feeders you can really gutload like roaches and crix. His diet is basically consists of supers, wax, silks, horns and the occasional stick/mantid/WC bug. When I do dust, he takes his sweet time eating the feeders and many times I just don’t feel he is ingesting the supplements. He has had 4 doses and I willing to do 2 more but that’s it.

-roo
 
and do u see any singhs of enpruvment?

what is the best gutloaded food for preformed vit A ? i would like to give him via his food not suplements or orally?
 
zarko...you said..."repton but every 6 th feeding cause i keep my cricket in top gutloading conditions"...you didn't say what you gutload your crickets with....and what exactly is repton?

Heika said..."a lack of preformed vitamin A in the diet can cause skin problems as well, including problems with shedding"...vitamin A deficiency can cause skin problems too...
 
I see no improvement after one month/4 doses and I’m not going to do it much more. It’s not like his constant/prolonged shedding is causing any noticeable issues. He is due for a vet check up and I will discuss some other suggestions/options with them at that time. I don’t know of any gutload that has preformed vitamin A … I used vitamin A gel caps (Retinyl Palmitate) purchased at a health store and I don’t suggest doing what I am doing until you talk to a vet about it – overdosing on vit A will cause some serious problems. It’s not for certain that your veiled has any issues involving vitamin A.

I looked at your pics and your veileds shedding issue doesn’t look as bad as mine. The skin on mine is very “stuck” to him and it takes time to come off whereas the pics of your guy show that it’s coming off quite nicely – that's unless you have other pics not on your site showing something different. One thing that helps with some bad areas is to swab on a little mineral oil with a Q-tip – that works quite well.

-roo
 
ok thans....
i feed critkets with alfaalfa, chicken food, and greens- dendoline, carot and so on...everything thaty my 3 year old iguana eats.

Ill give up on solution of giving performed A, cause (if u beleive) there is no one vet in Serbia that is specialised in reptiles...i have order Repritles medicine and surgery -to learn more so me pets can be vetter.
his shed is comeing off nicelly, but he is allways in proces. i have never helped hem shed so i gues it is not in bad state..
thaks all of you ...
 
That's a great book and I thinks its best for now not to treat with any preformed A ... your veiled looks to be in great condition too.

-roo
 
thanks...
it is the only chameleo in Serbia that has lived over 2 yeras ..he is 3 years now

i ma getting interested in rhampoelons but i have to dill with tem. problem cause it gets over 30C in my rep. room in hotest days of summer....
about the book i was looking to buy it but it is har to get it to my countrey ...so i am still wating ...
 
You said that you do not mist directly? I suggest you start misting derictly with with hot water because when the water comes out it cools down. That helps a lot with shedding. I don't know I am not an expert, but trying to throw down some thoughts.
 
i dont mist directly, but he gets his watter on him !
i dont like hot watter cause i messes my watter pump more quickly...
and it evaporates more ...room tem of the water is my choice
 
It could be too dry in his enclosure. Maybe mist more frequently or get a humidifier. The only time my chams take a long time to shed is when humidity levels drop in the days nefore their shed and during their shed.
 
zarko...I was only saying to check the amounts of preformed vitamin A in case you were giving the chameleon too much without knowing it...I was not suggesting that you weren't giving your chameleon enough. You would need a vet to tell you if you were giving it too much or to little. I just wanted to make this clear.

roo said..."I haven’t seen shed problems as a symptom of Hypervitaminosis – maybe I missed it somewhere or just haven’t found it in my vit A researching"...the following sites don't specifically talk about chameleons...but here is some information about too much vitamin A causing shedding problems...
http://www.e-healthypetfood.com/html/hypervitaminosis_a.html
"Other effects of hypervitaminosis A inc1ude excessive shedding and eye problems".

Turtles..."There are several reasons why a turtle may slough the full-thickness of the skin, and they are all related to medical problems, such as thermal burns, chemical burns, trauma, bacterial infections (especially from anaerobic bacteria) or from injectable vitamin A administration and overdose."
http://www.animalnetwork.com/reptiles/detail.aspx?aid=21905&cid=3977&search=

Snakes..."The result of an overdose can be shedding intervals of 4 weeks for over a year."...
http://www.boa-constrictors.com/com/Haltung/Krankheiten.htm

roo said..."I don’t know of any gutload that has preformed vitamin A"...
http://www.jurassipet.com/Products/JurassiDiet_GL.html
It contains fish oil...a preformed source of vitamin A.

There is more out there, but I'm too tired to look for it now. Hope this helps.

Checking the amounts of things in what is used to gutload crickets...
"In choosing your gutload, it is important to check the levels of sodium, vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, and fat. These ingredients are all beneficial to your chameleon at the proper levels, however, these items will often be included at elevated levels due to the preparation process or poor ingredient choices."
http://www.chameleonnews.com/gutload.html
 
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