Slight MBD???

[Kaianuanu]

Ive had my 3 month old panther for 2 weeks on friday and ive noticed his jaw flexes slightly when he chews on crix. Could this be a sign of slight MBD? Other than that he is as healthy as can be, he's quick, hunts great. He gets his dust every day. Rep cal calcium w/ D3 5 days a week and t -rex chameleon dust 2 days a week. As for UV he has a mercury vapor and all good temps.

 

[pssh]

Holy moly! That's waaaay too much d3! Especially with that brand. Only use it 2-3 times a month. Get a plain calcium without d3 to use 5 times a week. I don't know what t-Rex Cham dust is but if it's a multivitamin only use it once or twice a month.

Are you using a UVB meter to measure the UVB with the mercury vapor? Some of them are very very powerful and some aren't very good. It's generally not recommended to use them without a meter.

 

[Kaianuanu]

this dusting regimen is what the breeder recomended to me. They also have very beautiful large healthy panthers that they raised from babies.

 

[pssh]

With some brand using the d3 more often than 2-3 times a month would be acceptable, but repcal is so packed with d3 it shouldn't be used so often (with chams anyways.) besides, the UVB tube (or sun) should be the main UVB source with a little additional d3 just to make sure they're getting enough. If the main source is the sun, you don't even need to supplement d3.

 

[Kaianuanu]

No, his main UV is a Solar Glo Mercury Vapor

 

[kinyonga]

Pssh is right about the brands of supplements varying in content...but the amount of prEformed vitamin A can also affect the d3. Perhaps the breeder uses prEformed vitamin A?

 

[Cham101]

i am wary of what so called breeders recommend. The "breeder" i bought our veileds from recommended something that worked for the ones we bought from him but after having one get sick I have changed to the normal schedule everyone has recommended on here . Calcium w/o d3 every day or so or at least 3-4 times a week. calcium w/d3 once every other week and then the week you don't use d3 alternate between a vitamin and mineral supplement on the off weeks just once that week.

 

[PardalisGirl]

Pictures please.........

I am also concerned about the amount of D3 supplementation. I'm also really concerned about your use of a Mercury vapor light for a three month old panther. Mercury vapor lights are normally only used for VERY large enclosures. I use them on adult iguana cages and free range set-ups for big Melleri chameleons.

Which product are you using? I'd like to see a picture of your set-up and the dimensions as well. We have seen a lot of people here with products recommended by breeders that are not really suitable. You don't need to disclose who the breeder is. I'm not interested in bashing anyone in particular. I just want to make sure your young one grows up to be a healthy adult!

 

[Elizadolots]

I suspect many stores and small breeders don't have the background and experience that some of the core members (like the mods and kiyonga, julirs...others I'm forgetting) have. I suspect they take the "simplest" path when advising care for their animals. My first chameleon (Spike...what a survivor!) was sold to me with a jar of Reptivite with D-3...I was told it was perfectly wonderful to use every time I fed the chameleon...use it liberally!!!

eeeehhh...not so true....

This was a reptile store, not a pet store.

I understand that the person who sold you his baby chameleon has sort of a vaunted place in the hierarchy, but please do consider that veterans here have years even decades of chameleon breeding and raising in their history and they have refined their techniques to extend the lives of captive chameleons far beyond what was considered the norm.