shaking and trembling cham when climbing?

[Jago1990]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled Cham, around 10 months old. Male
Handling - At least once a week, for 30 mins
Feeding - multiple foods. crickets, locusts mainly. feeding them on lettuce and carrot. have previously fed on fruit flies, maggots and mealworms. i leave carrot and lettuce in the bottom of his viv for when the crickets and locusts at the moment are in there. feed several crickets/locusts every 2/3 days.

Supplements - none
Watering - a generous misting of the bottom of his cage once a day, and a light misting of himself and the top. he has a drinking pot, he does occasionaly drink
Fecal Description - moist brown and white fecal
History purchased from a pet shop.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - glass with a mesh lid. 2ft tall by 1ft wide and 1ft deep
Lighting - exo-terra uv sun-glo 220-240v 25w bulb with a masking bulb aswell
Temperature - daytime temp, 23 degrees Celsius, is beginning to drop low at night, heat mat in the substrate.
Humidity - 55
Plants - no plastic plants and vines
Placement - on a table, at around waste height
Location - the middle of England

Current Problem - my cham seems a little docile... and shakes a little when climbing... only noticed this, this morning.....

i hope you can help... i shall attach pictures and a video....link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mr6dz0EJ2I

 

[Oski]

Hi there that video does not work, A few things that I noticed from the information given.

That size setup is not really suitable for an adult Male, to be honest, needs something bigger, Most people on here do not use substrate, as can cause impaction if eaten.

Also they need supplements,this is very important along with gut loading the feeders,

And I am not sure on the sunglows, I am not to sure if this is adequate, I was under the impression the low wattage ones, give out a little uv to help a little but not enough,More of a daylight bulb, I may be wrong there,

most people use a domed basking bulb, + a separate linear uvb bulb like a reptisun 5.

Where was he from?

 

[laurie]

Most likely the problem comes from a lack of supplements. A veiled needs calcium with no d3 on every other feeding, calcium with d3 twice a month and a vitamin once a month. Your veiled needs to see a vet who can give him injections to get his calcium back up to where is needs to be. I would take him to a qualified vet now, if he were my cham. That way you will find out all that is really going on with the poor boy.

 

[Julirs]

Sounds like early stage MBD caused by improper supplementation and no UVB. He looks OK for now, but will get worse quickly unless you invest some time and money. That cage is terribly under sized for a male Veiled. You need something at least 18X18X36 inches, but preferably 2X2X4 feet.

 

[Jago1990]

thank you everyone for your replies. "spot" is booked into the vets specialist tomorrow afternoon. he does seem to be going downhill a little, i may remove all of his vines etc. just so he wont climb and fall until i get him to the vets.

 

[Amanda1801]

thank you everyone for your replies. "spot" is booked into the vets specialist tomorrow afternoon. he does seem to be going downhill a little, i may remove all of his vines etc. just so he wont climb and fall until i get him to the vets.

He will need vines and leaves to hide in for security etc. They are pretty shy. Mine was so calcium deficient that you could barely see his bones on his x-rays and he has several fractures in each leg, around 10-11 leg fractures in total, but he has never fallen or anything, and if he's going to the vets tomorrow, he should be fine.

My cham has MBD and has it really badly due to his previous owner not supplementing him and he shakes/trembles when he climbs. You'll need to take him to a vet that can deal with reptiles (I'm not sure where you are, but it shouldn't be too difficult to find someone) as most vets without experience are petrified of treating reptiles (speaking from experience - I work with vets and am training to become one myself!).

I agree with what some other people have said - he prob needs a bigger vivarium too, mine is currently in the same kind (and size) vivarium that yours is, and he's getting his new reptibreeze vivarium next week as it will be larger and provide much better ventilation as they need an amount of airflow etc.

I suggest that you do a forum search or have a look through for posts on supplementing Spot's diet, heating and humidity levels, substrate and drinking just so that you can make sure you're on track. I'm also in England, so feel free so send me a private message if you need any help or anything - people on this forum are great and will help you out as much as you need!

Amanda

 

[Jago1990]

right, a quick update. i would like to thank everyone for their help and suggestions.

i managed to get Spot a cancellation appointment at the vets ( in Hucknal for Amanda) good and bad news..... got to see someone in the vets, unfortunately they where not the reptile specialist.... but, he checked over Spot and gave him a small antibiotic injection... weather this will help i am unsure... as i did mention that i was worried about his calcium...... although he did not think that this was the situation due to his recent brilliant apatite over the weekend.

but, the vet said he was going to contact the specialist tonight and get back in touch with me... as well as i'm going back on Wednesday to see the specialist.

new batch of crickets (placed in bag and shaken with calcium D3 free) and left in his viv... along with some lettuce.

all i can do now is hope he is ok until wednesday

 

[Oski]

Hi there,

I would definitely get a proper UVB bulb,

Like my above post I am sure the Sun glows are like a Daylight bulb,gives a more broad light spectrum that helps promote photosynthesis in plants etc,

The Sunglow is NOT a UVB bulb.

The Solar glow on the other hand is a mvb but that is not what you have, and they are like 100watt+,they do provide both UVB/heat, but most people use a separate linear Uvb + a separate basking light.

So currently you have no UVB, I am sure,

Here.

http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/sun_glo_halogen_spot.php

 

[carol5208]

just curious...how long have you had him?

 

[Amanda1801]

right, a quick update. i would like to thank everyone for their help and suggestions.

i managed to get Spot a cancellation appointment at the vets ( in Hucknal for Amanda) good and bad news..... got to see someone in the vets, unfortunately they where not the reptile specialist.... but, he checked over Spot and gave him a small antibiotic injection... weather this will help i am unsure... as i did mention that i was worried about his calcium...... although he did not think that this was the situation due to his recent brilliant apatite over the weekend.

but, the vet said he was going to contact the specialist tonight and get back in touch with me... as well as i'm going back on Wednesday to see the specialist.

new batch of crickets (placed in bag and shaken with calcium D3 free) and left in his viv... along with some lettuce.

all i can do now is hope he is ok until wednesday

Great start, well done

He's likely to have a calcium deficiency and still have an appetite - and calcium is needed for muscle contractions and such, not just bone, so it makes sense if he's having problems with shaking and such.

Best of luck on weds with the specialist - let us know how you get on!

Oh, word of advice - a good vet will expect you to fill in a care sheet with all the details on (temps, humidity, feeding/supplementing schedules etc.) so maybe write this down and take it with you so you have it all ready

 

[Jago1990]

http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/sun_glo_halogen_spot.php

is that the one you suggest i have Oski ?

the one i currently have is this:

http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/sun_glo_neodymium.php the "tubular" shaped bulb rather than the Tear-drop shaped one... the one i have is the 25W

 

[Jago1990]

just curious...how long have you had him?

ive had him since around april time

 

[Jago1990]

Great start, well done

He's likely to have a calcium deficiency and still have an appetite - and calcium is needed for muscle contractions and such, not just bone, so it makes sense if he's having problems with shaking and such.

Best of luck on weds with the specialist - let us know how you get on!

Oh, word of advice - a good vet will expect you to fill in a care sheet with all the details on (temps, humidity, feeding/supplementing schedules etc.) so maybe write this down and take it with you so you have it all ready

thankyou, yes i will make a care sheet for him when i take him next. just going to keep an eye on him untill i hear something or take him on Wednesday.

 

[Oski]

is that the one you suggest i have Oski ?

the one i currently have is this:

http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/sun_glo_neodymium.php the "tubular" shaped bulb rather than the Tear-drop shaped one... the one i have is the 25W

Hi mate, No none of them I put that link up to show you,as its what you have, same bulb different style, they are a daylight bulb NOT a UVB source,i think.

You will Need a proper UVB bulb,+ your normal basking bulb, The most recommend on here would be a Repitsun 5, Linear bulb+starter unit, and a normal basking bulb for heat,

 

[Jago1990]

Hi mate, No none of them I put that link up to show you,as its what you have, same bulb different style, they are a daylight bulb NOT a UVB source,i think.

You will Need a proper UVB bulb,+ your normal basking bulb, The most recommend on here would be a Repitsun 5, Linear bulb+starter unit, and a normal basking bulb for heat,

thankyou Oski..... could you recommend a good place to purchase one of these ?

 

[Oski]

thankyou Oski..... could you recommend a good place to purchase one of these ?

No worries, I get confused with all the different bulbs etc, But I think that bulb, is not adequate,I am sure they are a daylight bulb. not a full UVB bulb.

I have used this company in the Uk quite a few times.

They have the bulbs in 5.0 and 10. And different sizes, + starter units,
They also stock reptibreeze cages.which are ideal for a male Yemen.

http://www.internetreptile.com/zoo-med-reptisun-50-uvb-18in-15w-fs-18-4698-p.asp,

Where about are you in the UK?

 

[Jago1990]

i believe i have a reptisun uv cpmact bulb like this ....... http://www.bestpetsuppliesguide.com/zoo-med-reptisun-reptisun-5-0-compact-uv-fluorescent-bulbs/


as you can see with my lighting ....

 

[Jago1990]

No worries, I get confused with all the different bulbs etc, But I think that bulb, is not adequate,I am sure they are a daylight bulb. not a full UVB bulb.

I have used this company in the Uk quite a few times.

They have the bulbs in 5.0 and 10. And different sizes, + starter units,
They also stock reptibreeze cages.which are ideal for a male Yemen.

http://www.internetreptile.com/zoo-med-reptisun-50-uvb-18in-15w-fs-18-4698-p.asp,

Where about are you in the UK?

yes, i have seen these before.... i know what you are on about now. and yes me too i do get confused with the different bulbs....


i am from the East Midlands.... near Nottingham

 

[Amanda1801]

As for a basking lamp, depending on the height above your vivarium etc. a normal household incandescent bulb should do. I'm using a 60W at the moment which has been fine, but my house is so cold im switching back to his 100W bulb. If you get a "spot" bulb rather than a normal one, the heat is more directional. I get mine from sainsburys for about £1.99 for two.

Also, I sent you a private message about other feeders to offer him that are naturally higher in calcium

 

[Jago1990]

As for a basking lamp, depending on the height above your vivarium etc. a normal household incandescent bulb should do. I'm using a 60W at the moment which has been fine, but my house is so cold im switching back to his 100W bulb. If you get a "spot" bulb rather than a normal one, the heat is more directional. I get mine from sainsburys for about £1.99 for two.

Also, I sent you a private message about other feeders to offer him that are naturally higher in calcium

thankyou Amanda... i believe i have replied to your pm ? you sent me the links ?

so replace my glo-sun one with a spot bulb ? will this work with my lighting housing i have? if you can see my picture attachment in the previous post.... i have a twin housing unit that holds the bulbs horizontal...

thanks again