sick chameleon

N

nekrosoft13

New Member
ok, my chameleon is sick, and i have no idea what to do. for the past few days, he seems weak. Can't stay up on branch, sometimes fells off. Usually stays on the ground now. But still has good appetite, catches critcets just fine. I had this chameleon for about a year now, this is first sign of trouble.

Please help.
 
It's impossible for anyone here to reply with any real help until you give us some information. All husbandry. Including lighting, temps, cage size and type, supplement schedule, how water is provided, misting schedule, list of feeder insects offered and what they are gut-loaded with, plants in the enclosure and what type of chameleon you own.
Pictures would also be very helpful.
What you describe could be many things. I see a vet visit in your very near future. Provide us with info and people here can help you ask the vet the right questions.
Please respond with the data soon, these animals often don't give you a lot of time once they start showing signs of an ailment.
While you are waiting for responses surf through the health forum and do some research, but first call the vet.

-Brad
 
Brad Ramsey said:
It's impossible for anyone here to reply with any real help until you give us some information. All husbandry. Including lighting, temps, cage size and type, supplement schedule, how water is provided, misting schedule, list of feeder insects offered and what they are gut-loaded with, plants in the enclosure and what type of chameleon you own.
Pictures would also be very helpful.
What you describe could be many things. I see a vet visit in your very near future. Provide us with info and people here can help you ask the vet the right questions.
Please respond with the data soon, these animals often don't give you a lot of time once they start showing signs of an ailment.
While you are waiting for responses surf through the health forum and do some research, but first call the vet.

-Brad
Click to expand...

this is the cage,
lg_5966_36b51.jpg

26\" x 24\" x 12
lighting i have two lights, one for day, one for night. temps are about 70-80f
by supplement, you mean calcium and vitamins? every other feeding. as for feeders, its mostly crickets, i tried wax worms, meal worms and caterpillars (forgot the name, but i found the link on this forum before). but this chameleon won't touch anything but a cricket, he simply won't eat any worms. crickets were feed with carrots and lettice.

This is my first chameleon, so maybe i did something wrong, i don't know :|


img1646ys1.jpg

img1649la6.jpg
 
Hey,
Looks like he has MBD... Metaboic Bone Disease. This is due to lack of calcium and the right lighting in the enclosure. It is like osteoporosis in chams. The second picture looks as if he has a curve in his spine by his back legs. That is a really strong indicator. Also his back legs look a little bowed out. You need to start giving him liquid calcium asap. If you can take him to a vet, they will also provide shots of VD3 along with the calcium which will drive the calcium directly into the bones. Where do you live??? My guy had the same thing. It is a tough road back to recovery but now he is doing great. If MBD is not treated, they can lose function of their tounges, stop eating and eventually die.
 
P.S. When they are sick, they tend not to want to eat anything besides crickets. That what mine did. If you can, try to offer him phoenix worms cuz they are high in calcium.
 
PSS

You also want to check your lighting. I had a reptisun 5.0 UVB but when my little guy got MBD, I bumped it up to a 10.0 UVB. The calcium and UVB are vital. So is the eating.
 
2 lites, one for night and one for the day?, chameleons only need lighting in the daytime and they should have 2 lights during the day one UVB tube (flourescent, preferably Zoomed 10.0) and a basking lite. (typical spectrum lighting)
what you need to do is go to the vet and maybe it is not too late for him to survive and have a decent life, a vet will give a shot with calcuim and vitamins and send you home with a calcuim supplement. Time is crucial at this point!!!!
drew
 
ok, another question, please reply ASAP, before i place order

you mean this 10.0?

FS-C10.jpg


will this hood fit both the 10.0 and
eh-20.jpg

and this basking light?
in500593large_d1bd.jpg


or this hood?
rp433.jpg
 
Last edited:
Your cham is very small for it's age and I suspect MBD as well.
There are several problems with your husbandry...I'll address the ones I know now from your posts.
You need to look at gut-loading for feeder insects, carrots and lettuce don't even approach being a good gut-load (read gutload clarification thread that has been recently resurected)
It doesn't sound like this animal has never had the proper lighting. This needs to be corrected now.
Basking light outside of enclosure at a distance and wattage that will create a temp at the basking branch of around 85-90 degrees.
A flourescent tube: zoomed 5.0 or as previously suggested 10.0.
Any calcium supplement online is useless to you at this point. Your cham MUST go to the vet for treatment at this point.
Additionally:
I believe a larger enclosure is needed.
What live plants are you using in the enclosure?
How does your cham get moisture throughout the day?
What are the ambient temps, basking temp and level of humidity?
What supplements are you using and how often?
How many different feeders are you offering?
You've not had a problem so far because that's how long it takes for it to get this bad and you missed the catching early signs of trouble.
Chameleons are sensitive and specific animals, but they're also pretty tough. It takes about a year to kill one.
Get to the Vet!

-Brad
 
Last edited:
Brad Ramsey said:
Do not buy a fixture that houses both a basking light and the uvb light.
These need to be seperate.

-Brad
Click to expand...

looking for a vet, anyone that had simular issues, what would be estimate of cost? little limited on funds being college student and all.

so what would you recommend?
 
Check this site but (of course) put your state in place of Colorado.
http://www.arav.org/Members/CO.htm
I couldn't tell you the actual expense, you'll have to call the vet and find out.
If it were me I would beg, borrow or steal the money to take care of an animal that I have assumed responsibility for.

-Brad
 
Brad Ramsey said:
Your cham is very small for it's age and I suspect MBD as well.
There are several problems with your husbandry...I'll address the ones I know now from your posts.
You need to look at gut-loading for feeder insects, carrots and lettuce don't even approach being a good gut-load (read gutload clarification thread that has been recently resurected)
It doesn't sound like this animal has never had the proper lighting. This needs to be corrected now.
Basking light outside of enclosure at a distance and wattage that will create a temp at the basking branch of around 85-90 degrees.
A flourescent tube: zoomed 5.0 or as previously suggested 10.0.
Any calcium supplement online is useless to you at this point. Your cham MUST go to the vet for treatment at this point.
Additionally:
I believe a larger enclosure is needed.
What live plants are you using in the enclosure?
NONE, i have plants, but none are life
How does your cham get moisture throughout the day?
every other day i mist the enclosure, and he has a bowl with fresh water.
What are the ambient temps, basking temp and level of humidity?
don't have thermometer, but temp in enclosure is between 75-90
What supplements are you using and how often?
i have two, TeraFauna ReptoCal, and Zoo Meds Reptivite, every other feeding.
How many different feeders are you offering?
crickets, mealworms, hornworms, silkworms, i tried silkworks and hornworms twice, he never touches them.
You've not had a problem so far because that's how long it takes for it to get this bad and you missed the catching early signs of trouble.
Chameleons are sensitive and specific animals, but they're also pretty tough. It takes about a year to kill one.
Get to the Vet!

-Brad
Click to expand...
.....................................
 
Last edited:
No one here has absolutely diagnosed your cham (we can't)
He needs to go to the vet and be checked out by a doctor in person.
If he does have MBD administration of calcium is extremely important and his best chance.
There are no guarantees with animals or medicine but what else can you do?

-Brad
 
also ordered this

Products
------------------------------------------------------
1 x The Silkworm Kit (SILKWORM-KIT) = $21.98
1 x 1/2 lb. Roach Coach (RC-0.5) = $3.98
1 x Hornworm Pod (HORN-POD) = $10.98


from Coastal Silkworms, should be here in 2-3 days.
 
Your chameleon is definitely not getting enough water. Chameleons will not drink out of a bowl of standing water and need to be misted 2 or 3 times a day for a pretty good amount of time (10+ minutes) to be allowed time to drink. If your guys makes it (and he won't if you don't take him to a vet and soon) then you need to install a dripper and be sure to mist a lot.

Do you gut load your insects? Crickets are a great food source, but if you aren't feeding them healthy things to pass along to your chameleon, then you may as well just feed him dirt. Mealworms should only be fed occasionally. They aren't the easiest thing for them to digest and they are difficult to gut load.

An adult chameleon, if being fed a proper diet, doesn't need a vitamin supplement every other feeding. Once or twice a month should be sufficient. At this point, I would be using the calcium every feeding.

All of this is just useless info if you don't get your guy to the vet. He will die. MBD is not an easy death either. They slowly lose all function and essentially waste away. If you do get your cham to the vet, I seriously suggest you do some intense research on chameleon care and change the problems with your husbandry.
 
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