Sick Chameleon

[HunterS]

Hello all,
I need help, I have a veiled chameleon (I believe to be female and just over a year old). She is very social and will climb all over anyone that will pick her up, in the past two weeks she has become very lethargic to a point she can barely lift herself and will just lay in you hand. Her belly and hind legs are very swollen. I have been reading up about chameleon illnesses and am now unsure if she is carrying eggs or has MBD.

 

[Carlton]

Hello all,
I need help, I have a veiled chameleon (I believe to be female and just over a year old). She is very social and will climb all over anyone that will pick her up, in the past two weeks she has become very lethargic to a point she can barely lift herself and will just lay in you hand. Her belly and hind legs are very swollen. I have been reading up about chameleon illnesses and am now unsure if she is carrying eggs or has MBD.

She looks very gravid to me. They can produce infertile egg clutches without being near a male. She may be eggbound but at least she needs to be able to lay her clutch. Please fill out the "how to ask for help" questions so we can determine if she also has MBD or other problems. She may not be able to lay her eggs without help from a vet. Has she ever had a laying bin available n her cage?

 

[HunterS]

She looks very gravid to me. They can produce infertile egg clutches without being near a male. She may be eggbound but at least she needs to be able to lay her clutch. Please fill out the "how to ask for help" questions so we can determine if she also has MBD or other problems. She may not be able to lay her eggs without help from a vet. Has she ever had a laying bin available n her cage?

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, female, just over 1yrs old
Handling - Very comfortable being held until recent (about 2weeks)
Feeding - 10 sml-med crickets every night. Wax worms once every few weeks.
Supplements - recently started using calcium powder within the past 2weeks
Watering - I use the drip method, misting twice a day as well
Fecal Description - Brown and white
History - had her for over a year with no problems, she loves people

Cage Info: Coconut fiber base, usually 1" deep, currently changed to 4"
Cage Type - aquarium 20-30 gal
Lighting - basking lamp Exo Terra UVB 100 bulb,
Temperature - 90+ degrees in basking area (temperature gauge on floor)
Humidity - approx 50%
Plants - no live plants
Placement - Previously in basement living room, moved her to our bedroom yesterday so she would have more privacy.
Location - toronto, Ontario, canada

Current Problem - ..lethargic, currently still eating and drinking, very swollen belly and hind legs. Can barely support her own weight

We put approx 4" of coconut fiber at the bottom of her tank as recommended by the pet store so that she can lay her eggs. She seems very uncomfortable and can barely move, when she tried to come down off the branches onto the coconut fiber she can't manage to support herself properly and kinda face-plants.

Should we switch the coconut fiber to sand?

 

[Lpsouth1978]

There are several things that jump out at me. The first is the aquarium. While chams can be kept in glass enclosures, an aquarium is not recommended because it does not offer enough height. Chams spend their entire lives high in the trees and we should try to replicate that. Also they need good air movement, so at least 2 sides (front and top) should be screen and not glass.

The second problem I see is the coconut fiber substrate. Chams are notorious for accidentally ingesting substrates. Therefore, it is recommended that no substrate is used, in order to reduce the risk of a potentially deadly impaction.

Third, I assume that your bulb is a Mercury Vapor Bulb. While these bulbs produce both UVA and UVB, they are generally not recommended. I would recommend switching to a regular house bulb for warmth, and a stand alone UVB bulb. This will allow her to bask without the UVB and vise versa. Also the bulb needs to be replaced no later than 1 year. After that time it will no longer produce enough UVB even though it will still light up and produce heat.

If you only started using calcium powder in the last 2 weeks and you have had her for a year, it is very likely that she has some MBD, though she also looks to be gravid.

Do you supplement with multivitamins as well? Your schedule for dusting should be - every feeding with calcium w/no D3, 2x a month with calcium w/D3, and 2x a month with multivitamin.

How are you gutloading your feeders?

Overall, she LOOKS fairly healthy. I do not see any obvious signs of MBD in that photo, though that does not mean she does not have it. With a few changes in your husbandry, she can make a full comeback, but you must act swiftly!

My immediate recommendations are:

1. Remove the substrate
2. Make a lay bin and get it in there ASAP, if she cannot clim into the bin on her own you can place her in it and even start a hole, this will sometimes get them started with the laying process.
3. Get her to a Vet with chameleon experience IMMEDIATELY
4. Start making the other changes outlined above

I hope that she gets better quickly!!

 

[ToniandGizmo]

My gravid veiled always looked like this when she was gravid. Usually did not take too long after mating.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

My gravid veiled always looked like this when she was gravid. Usually did not take too long after mating.

Not all females will always show those gravid colors. Each chameleon is different. I have a gravid female who does not show any gravid coloring unless she sees a male, then she goes to those colors.

I am not trying to say that she is definitely gravid, but she may be, and certainly looks plump enough to be. The best course of action would be to get her to a vet. They can find what is wrong, and help fix the problem. If she is egg bound, she will probably die without the help of a vet. If she has MBD, the vet can help with the recovery. And if she is impacted, the vet can help clear the impaction. In any case she needs to see a vet.

 

[carol5208]

Here is a video for you to learn how to set up a laying bin. I would get her to a vet. She may need a shot to induce her to lay the eggs.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video-77225/

 

[SycoSquirl]

Chameleon Info:

Feeding - 10 sml-med crickets every night. Wax worms once every few weeks.

Is anyone else concerned with the night feeding? I was told to feed early in the day ( i feed my male 9 month veiled by no later then 10am) so that they have the heat of the whole day to help them break down and digest the food.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

Is anyone else concerned with the night feeding? I was told to feed early in the day ( i feed my male 9 month veiled by no later then 10am) so that they have the heat of the whole day to help them break down and digest the food.

The time of feeding doesn't concern me at all. I feed all of my chams before and after work. I promise you that a chameleon in the wild does not care whether it is 8:00am or 7:00pm. If the opportunity arises to feed they will take advantage of it. Any food that is left in their gut overnight will be digested the following day with no ill effects.

 

[oblgobl]

Hi, you mention you only recently started using calcium power but what about D3 and multi vitamin supplements has she ever had any? and how often?
I'd worry about MBD if she hasn't had the right supplements for a year although I can't see any signs in the picture.
Appart from the clouring she does look gravid but like it's been said some females won't change colouration. A vet visit is needed to confirm if she's gravid or not, and she might need some medicine to help her lay. You defenitely need to put a laying bin in her enclouser as a matter of urgency, but to me it sounds doubtful she'l be able to lay without medical assistance.

Like Lpsouth1978 said you defenitely need to get her out of the aquarium and into an enclouser with alot of height, 36" heigh is the absolute minimum for a female but 48" is recomended. After you get all this sorted out I'd also recomend lowering your basking temperature to 85.
When conditions are perfect in the wild (plenty of food warm temps) a female will become receptive and mate and if she doesn't will possibly produce infertile eggs. So for their well being we keep their temps lower and limit their food intake this greatly reduces the chances of them producing infertile clutches. Producing and laying eggs is a massive strain on a female even infertile ones, and will reduce their lifespan especially if it happenes regularly. So it's really important to try and prevent it from happening although you can never 100% guarantee it won't happen.

Please get her to a vet as ASAP she won't last long like this.

 

[HunterS]

Thank you all for your feedback, I have created a laying bin for her but am worried about getting a new reptile tank for her while she is gravid (don't want to put additional stress on her). I will definitely get one after she lays her eggs. I put a starter hole in the soil and places her in the bin. If she doesn't show signs of starting to lay within the next 24hours I will take her to the vet right away. Before I put the laying bin in she still hadn't begun searching the bottom of the tank for a laying spot, could this mean that she is not ready yet? In the photo I've attached, you can see the outline of eggs in her side.

 

[ToniandGizmo]

Not all females will always show those gravid colors. Each chameleon is different. I have a gravid female who does not show any gravid coloring unless she sees a male, then she goes to those colors.

I am not trying to say that she is definitely gravid, but she may be, and certainly looks plump enough to be. The best course of action would be to get her to a vet. They can find what is wrong, and help fix the problem. If she is egg bound, she will probably die without the help of a vet. If she has MBD, the vet can help with the recovery. And if she is impacted, the vet can help clear the impaction. In any case she needs to see a vet.

Thank you so much for that information! I only had my one female so my experience was to say the least "limited". Very good fact to know.