ChameleonRave
Avid Member
Okay so a week or so ago I purchased a female (cb) Pygmy Chameleon to go with my two males from a forum member, I won't name them unless they want to be named. Well I did get a great picture of this healthy baby (4 month old) Pygmy Chameleon, so a few weeks later I finally ordered her. She got to me in somewhat rough shape which is what we are trying to figure out. She arrived in a superworm container (smaller one) with damp paper towels a few sticks and a stem with leaves on it from a cut off of a schefflera arboricola plant. When I opened the container I didn't see a Chameleon, but I seen a bump under the paper towel. She was crammed under neath wet paper towels, cold and somewhat limp. After I got her out she wasn't moving much and didn't have any grip, she looked as if she was crippled from the transport. I waited a few days and kept checking on her, thinking maybe it was just a small deformity and she could be fine, but the past few days have gone south for her. She hasn't been eating, barely moving (far too less movement for a Pygmy Chameleon), her limbs seem to either be broken or have sever MBD. This poor little pygmy chameleon is slowly withering away, but I'm trying everything I can do. I ask ONLY EXPERIENCED PYGMY CHAMELEON KEEPERS/BREEDERS to respond to this situation. The seller is being great with all of the help and more than I could have asked for with her cooperation through out this. So without further ado here are some photos and the care sheet.
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Bearded Pygmy Leaf Chameleon - (Rieppeleon brevicaudatus) - Female - around 4 months - Almost 2 weeks
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
To clean it's enclosure which is rarely
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Pinhead Crickets, Bean Beetles, Fruit Flies - 7- 15 - Daily - Dry gutload and wet gutload
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
RepCal Calcium w/o D3, Calcium w/D3, Multivitamin - Caclium w/o D3 every feeding so far, I plan to dust with Calcium w/D3 and Multivitamin once a month
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking
Mistings, 20 seconds or so, until it's wet enough for it to drip - No
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
Solid, brown with yellow/white urates - Not that I know of
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
None
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Small critter keeper due to it's size - about 3" x 6" x 5" or something along those lines, it's small. Also, she is too small to live in with the two adult males.
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
ReptiSun 5.0 Linear Tube Light that is past 6 months use since they don't require UVB, I use it probably 5 out of 7 days for about 3-4 hours a day.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Mid 70's - Mid 60's -Temperature gauge (digital)
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
60% and above, misting multiple times a day, hygrometer
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Yes, clippings from Pothos
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
On top of TV stand - None - about 4.5 feet
Location - Where are you geographically located?
South Dakota
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
The Chameleon moves hardly at all compared to how much Pygmy Chameleons should move in the day, the legs seem to be broken or have MBD severely, due to this she has a hard time eating/drinking, also she is closing both of her eyes, mainly her left eye and periodically her right.
Zac
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Bearded Pygmy Leaf Chameleon - (Rieppeleon brevicaudatus) - Female - around 4 months - Almost 2 weeks
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
To clean it's enclosure which is rarely
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Pinhead Crickets, Bean Beetles, Fruit Flies - 7- 15 - Daily - Dry gutload and wet gutload
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
RepCal Calcium w/o D3, Calcium w/D3, Multivitamin - Caclium w/o D3 every feeding so far, I plan to dust with Calcium w/D3 and Multivitamin once a month
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking
Mistings, 20 seconds or so, until it's wet enough for it to drip - No
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
Solid, brown with yellow/white urates - Not that I know of
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
None
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Small critter keeper due to it's size - about 3" x 6" x 5" or something along those lines, it's small. Also, she is too small to live in with the two adult males.
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
ReptiSun 5.0 Linear Tube Light that is past 6 months use since they don't require UVB, I use it probably 5 out of 7 days for about 3-4 hours a day.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Mid 70's - Mid 60's -Temperature gauge (digital)
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
60% and above, misting multiple times a day, hygrometer
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Yes, clippings from Pothos
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
On top of TV stand - None - about 4.5 feet
Location - Where are you geographically located?
South Dakota
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
The Chameleon moves hardly at all compared to how much Pygmy Chameleons should move in the day, the legs seem to be broken or have MBD severely, due to this she has a hard time eating/drinking, also she is closing both of her eyes, mainly her left eye and periodically her right.
Zac
Looks like all four legs are broken, which would help explain the lethargy. I wouldn't want to move either. MBD seems unlikely to me because my babies were raised on fruit flies (almost no gutloading) for the first 3-4 months with minimal supplementation and no UVB (since pygs may or may not need it) and they all turned out very normal without any evidence of MBD. In my experience they seem resistant to MBD due to their more unique care requirements. Does the seller have a picture of her from before shipping? Do the legs look normal then if so? That would help pinpoint when the breaks occurred. If she was like that before then she should not have been shipped in the first place. For their future shipping I would advise not to use wet paper towels at all. They can be heavy against that tiny of a body, and being wrapped in them can restrict breathing, and it can make it much colder than needed, or even much hotter than wanted depending on temperature of shipping trucks. My pygs were shipped to me in a paper bag with the top folded over with a few tightly crumpled newspaper blobs and a sprig of fake plant in a padded box with more newspaper cushioning. All three were clinging to the sprig when I unpacked them and they had minimal bruising. Yours might have been thrown around really badly during shipping, or there could be underlying MBD, or it could be a little of both. 
