I recently found out, Dexter, my veiled chameleon has MBD. i trusted my local pet store‘s advice instead of fully reading up/consulting a veterinarian and discovered he was lacking proper lighting and calcium in his diet. I’ve obviously corrected all faults and have been extremely diligent about getting him better. Initially he was unable to hold his head up and wouldn’t even hiss at me when i handled him. Now he’s holding his head up and trying to move around more, but is still unable to use his back legs.
But backstory aside, I just want to make sure he’s doing better. I can’t afford to go to the vet for frequent checkups so i’m hoping this forum will help me.
First question: has anyone with experience in MBD noticed that their cham couldn’t use their hind legs? Dexter will not use his hind legs at all and it’s really been scaring me. I know his legs are swollen and i know his bones are fragile but i feel like he should at least be stretching them. I noticed earlier he was able to grab onto a phone charging cord with his back legs while he was sleeping in my hand (I have to give him liquid calcium twice daily and at night he’ll fall asleep in my hand) so i’m hoping he’s starting to gain mobility again. I understand MBD is a slow rehabilitation process and i’ve only been treating it for a little over a week now. but i just want to make sure he’s progressing.
Second question: he’s stopped eating which the vet said was normal in his case but i’m just worried about the extent of time. it’s only been a couple days since he stopped and i think it’s because he can’t hold onto his branches and i know he doesn’t like catching crickets when he’s on the bottom of his cage. i just don’t want him to starve himself. he wasn’t drinking enough water and was extremely dehydrated but we’ve since gotten him rehydrated, now we’re just concerned with his lack of eating. i put in a new cricket every day and he doesn’t care in the slightest bit. i’ve even fashioned a perch for him to sit on at the top of his cage so he can feel tall and feel like his old self but he just sits there until he finally starts to push himself off and then he falls (onto the extremely cushioned floor).
I’m just so obsessed with this lizard and want to get him healthy again. I was told he had a 40% chance of making it which is a good enough statistic to give me hope. I guess i just need reassurance that we’re on the right path and i’m doing the right things to get him better.
Pictures were taken tonight while he was asleep on my bed (i moved him back to his cage right after said pictures were taken). ~ do the tiny black spots seem concerning to anyone?? Thanks in advance for any feedback!!
But backstory aside, I just want to make sure he’s doing better. I can’t afford to go to the vet for frequent checkups so i’m hoping this forum will help me.
First question: has anyone with experience in MBD noticed that their cham couldn’t use their hind legs? Dexter will not use his hind legs at all and it’s really been scaring me. I know his legs are swollen and i know his bones are fragile but i feel like he should at least be stretching them. I noticed earlier he was able to grab onto a phone charging cord with his back legs while he was sleeping in my hand (I have to give him liquid calcium twice daily and at night he’ll fall asleep in my hand) so i’m hoping he’s starting to gain mobility again. I understand MBD is a slow rehabilitation process and i’ve only been treating it for a little over a week now. but i just want to make sure he’s progressing.
Second question: he’s stopped eating which the vet said was normal in his case but i’m just worried about the extent of time. it’s only been a couple days since he stopped and i think it’s because he can’t hold onto his branches and i know he doesn’t like catching crickets when he’s on the bottom of his cage. i just don’t want him to starve himself. he wasn’t drinking enough water and was extremely dehydrated but we’ve since gotten him rehydrated, now we’re just concerned with his lack of eating. i put in a new cricket every day and he doesn’t care in the slightest bit. i’ve even fashioned a perch for him to sit on at the top of his cage so he can feel tall and feel like his old self but he just sits there until he finally starts to push himself off and then he falls (onto the extremely cushioned floor).
I’m just so obsessed with this lizard and want to get him healthy again. I was told he had a 40% chance of making it which is a good enough statistic to give me hope. I guess i just need reassurance that we’re on the right path and i’m doing the right things to get him better.
Pictures were taken tonight while he was asleep on my bed (i moved him back to his cage right after said pictures were taken). ~ do the tiny black spots seem concerning to anyone?? Thanks in advance for any feedback!!
