vitamin A deficiency symptoms

I haven't delt with this myself but from what I've heard one of the main issue is with eyes. missing prey items a lot might be a sign of eye issues.

to be on the safe side I've started rotating between herptivite (doesn't have vitamin A) and reptivite (does have vitamin A)
 
i believe my cham has had a vit. A deficiency listed by the symptoms

i basically used liquid vit A capsules , very small amounts and admister it with a hormworm or other feeder for a few days, i immediately saw result of improvement from the eyes and a little moe accuracy with tongue...although my chameleon still shoots at a short distance it is still an improvement. it appears panther chameleons deal with this issue more often than any other chameleon species that has been kept in captivity.

though your best bet to be safe is go to a vet and get bloodwork done, if possible
 
Hmm...I disagree with some of the details of that article. But the symptoms listed are about right. Usually the first signs are eye problems, edema and possibly skin problems.

Which details did you disagree with? I didn't find anything misleading about it and dont want to post something that isn't accurate.

i believe my cham has had a vit. A deficiency listed by the symptoms

i basically used liquid vit A capsules , very small amounts and admister it with a hormworm or other feeder for a few days, i immediately saw result of improvement from the eyes and a little moe accuracy with tongue...although my chameleon still shoots at a short distance it is still an improvement. it appears panther chameleons deal with this issue more often than any other chameleon species that has been kept in captivity.

though your best bet to be safe is go to a vet and get bloodwork done, if possible

I have the same problem with my Ambilobe his eye is better after administering vitamin A drops on the feeders. However, he has a very short tongue strike which I fear he won't recover from.
 
Which details did you disagree with? I didn't find anything misleading about it and dont want to post something that isn't accurate.

I didn't like the nutritional suggestions. The "vitamin rich" foods listed for gutloading are not the best options and some are actually not good to use regularly (spinach, broccoli, oats) and the "good foods" are questionable...caterpillars (some are toxic), cicadas (can imagine them choking on these huge chitinous bugs), cockroaches (doesn't distinguish from "wc" roaches), earthworms (parasites), pinkie mice (also listed under an earlier section as being "missing" from most diets)? I don't really think any of those are very good suggestions, especially for newbies looking for info. And I wish that they would have said that the treatment listed (oral or injectable vit A) should only be done by a vet or under a vet's guidance. It is easy to overdose vit A so I would hate for anyone to just go get human capsules and give them massive amounts without realizing the risk (which does happen). But those are flaws within the article itself...the vet that wrote it was primarily a dairy cow vet so she probably doesn't have any reptile experience. It's not all bad, it just racked up enough points in my book that I don't really like it for those reasons. The part about the disease itself sounds pretty good.
 
Which details did you disagree with? I didn't find anything misleading about it and dont want to post something that isn't accurate.



I have the same problem with my Ambilobe his eye is better after administering vitamin A drops on the feeders. However, he has a very short tongue strike which I fear he won't recover from.

i talked to Cainschams and Texas Panther Man, both adivsed me to handfeed and "exercise" his tongue whenever possible, let him try to reach for the food a couple times and then let him have the food. tongue problems can be improved if worked on, mine has increased its distance by an inch. dont lose hope yet:). And it is VERY frutrating when a cham has vit.A deficency a i now realize.

Does your ambilobe have less of an appetite?, mine eats a good size roach every 3-4 days maybe with a superworm.

what i feel has helped my cham is being outside with some sun
 
i talked to Cainschams and Texas Panther Man, both adivsed me to handfeed and "exercise" his tongue whenever possible, let him try to reach for the food a couple times and then let him have the food. tongue problems can be improved if worked on, mine has increased its distance by an inch. dont lose hope yet:). And it is VERY frutrating when a cham has vit.A deficency a i now realize.

Does your ambilobe have less of an appetite?, mine eats a good size roach every 3-4 days maybe with a superworm.

what i feel has helped my cham is being outside with some sun

Interesting...physical rehab for a chameleon lol. I will try that though thanks. My Ambilobe eats like a horse he never missed a beat with his feedings, 2 crickets and either a superworm per day or a hornworm if I have some. If I can just get this tongue issue resolved he will be back to 100%.
 
Interesting...physical rehab for a chameleon lol. I will try that though thanks. My Ambilobe eats like a horse he never missed a beat with his feedings, 2 crickets and either a superworm per day or a hornworm if I have some. If I can just get this tongue issue resolved he will be back to 100%.

lol no problem, it makes sense since the tongue is a muscle. and my cham will turn 1 year old next month. so mine is most likely just slowing down because of age. how old is yours? And yeah man it would make it alot easier if he can eat by himself, which im sure in time it will get there:)
 
Ace...your chameleon isn't even middle-aged yet. He shouldn't be slowing down yet.

that was what i thought, however he doesnt eat as much as i previously thought. he is always active, drinks fine, and actually eats/deficates in routine within that time of feeding, i see no signs of decreasing health. He simply doesnt eat as much as "he should". he was weighted on a scale at the vet, he wieghed 125 grams. i know its strange for the amount of food he eats seems it is not enough but he is not getting skinny.

i have been monitering him for weeks now. I do not know what else to think but he is a finicky eater.

but if you have any ideas that there might be something else wrong, please lett me know:)
 
Maybe he is a she 0.0

Im just messing... I wish I could help you =[ I havnt had to deal with Vit A def and *crosses my fingers* Hopefully I never will.
 
Ace...Are you dusting at every feeding with calcium?
What do you gutload/feed your insects specifically?

i do not dust calcium at every feeding but i do at most feedings calcium without d3. might he have too little/too much? and losing appeitie?

dubias are fed cricket crack and oranges and carrots atm, but have used other fruits and veggies like romaine lettuce, kale, mustard greens, strawberries, banana...etc

maybe i should try other fruits and veggies worht using to gutload and spark appetite to my cham?
 
Bananas are high in phosphorus so I wouldn't use them too often. Dandelions are good for calcium (and other nutrients too, of course). I have always dusted at every feeding with a phos.-free calcium (except for the vitamin feedings twice a month). I doubt that it would hurt for you to dust at every feeding with phos.-free calcium too. As long as the crickets don't look like ghosts I doubt that you could overdo it.
 
Back
Top Bottom