So worried I'm about to cry for Milton....

[MadiiMcMB]

I found a bump on his side today, and I've done some research about it. It looks like a possible broken rib.... I feel terrible. He took a long fall a few days ago, but nothing seemed hurt or anything, he landed on a plastic bag full of paper towels... Is there anything I can do to help him?

He's five months old, I've handled him for only a little bit a few days of the week and only long enough to climb onto something, other than that I let him free range in my room or on our enclosed porch (today he ate a male mosquito, so now I am also worried for him about that...) I feed him crickets gutloaded with carrots, zucchini, romaine lettuce, and a sprinkle of cricket food, and dust lightly with calcium with no d3 every day, and with d3 three or four times a month. I use a regular 60 w bulb for heat, and reptile UVB 100 bulb from exo terra for his uvb.

Is the uvb not strong enough, too strong, am I over doing the calcium, please can someone help me figure this out? I've done so much research and still can't get a completely solid right or wrong. The last thing I want to do is hurt my little guy!

 

[jannb]

I am not a vet but i don't think there's anything you can do for a broke rib. Just try to keep him as inactive as possible for the next few weeks so it can heal.

I am not familiar with your UVB bulb. I recommend the Reptisun 5.0 tube bulb.

 

[MadiiMcMB]

The bulb looks like a fluorescent house bulb, but it's only 13 watts, and mostly emits UVB. But I will get a fixture and bulb to see if that works better.

I may be over reacting... Milton had jumped out of my hands when I was helping him up onto his favorite spot in my room, and dropped about four or five feet onto the floor. that was a few weeks ago, but I think that's what could have broken his rib. He's not inactive really, or movement inhibited in any way, he's twisting and moving normally. He was chill for about two weeks, not as mobile, as if he knew not to move. He did move to eat, and to keep active for a bit. Now he's normal, happy and healthy. though I am still concerned about him snagging a dead male mosquito (it was hanging in a web)

 

[jannb]

The bump on his side in the picture does look like a broken rib. An x-ray will tell you for sure.

You might find my blog for new keepers helpful.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[Carlton]

The bulb looks like a fluorescent house bulb, but it's only 13 watts, and mostly emits UVB. But I will get a fixture and bulb to see if that works better.

I may be over reacting... Milton had jumped out of my hands when I was helping him up onto his favorite spot in my room, and dropped about four or five feet onto the floor. that was a few weeks ago, but I think that's what could have broken his rib. He's not inactive really, or movement inhibited in any way, he's twisting and moving normally. He was chill for about two weeks, not as mobile, as if he knew not to move. He did move to eat, and to keep active for a bit. Now he's normal, happy and healthy. though I am still concerned about him snagging a dead male mosquito (it was hanging in a web)

The mosquito is not a problem at all. The bump you are seeing might actually be a callus (a healed seam) from a previous fracture, not a new one. Their ribs are not true hard bone, but sort of halfway cartilage spongy bone. They heal on their own as long as there wasn't injury to organs underneath. He sounds like he's doing OK. His legs look nice and straight too. How old is your UV bulb? If over 4 months or so I'd replace it just to help out.

 

[nightanole]

"carrots, zucchini, romaine lettuce, and a sprinkle of cricket food"

You need to fix your gut load. Your basically feeding the crickets water and corn once your break down the nutrition.

If anything, the easiest thing to gut load with is bugburger. Its more or less a complete gut load. You just mix some up with water, micro wave, then pour it into an ice cube tray. Then just throw a cube in the cricket tank every couple of days and throw out the old one. If you want a dry gutload then cricket crack would work.

Your gut load didnt cause the harm, but it will help you out if you correct it now.

If you want to diy the gut load more:
http://www.greenigsociety.org/foodchart.htm

Feed them anything that says "staple". You can even offer them to the cham, they will start eating fruits and veg as they get older.