Advice Please for Rescue Yemen

[jandy]

Hi,
My daughter was offered a yemen about 4 weeks ago and she asked me if I would like her as I used to keep 3 rescued chams. Gi (my daughter) asked for pictures of her to send to me and that is when the shock hit!! The poor thing was in a glass viv with no light, warmth, uvb, branches and sat on a heat mat. She was looking awful. Gi immediately went and saw the guy and had to pay for the cham to get her out of there. Gi went to see a breeder who took a look at her and gave her about 12 hours to a couple of days to live. Gi then went to a rep vet who agreed there really wasn't much hope, but gave Gi liquid calcium and critical care which had to be given by syringe straight to the chams tummy. Gi worked really hard and after 3 weeks the cham, now called Griz cause she has a temper lol, came to me.
Griz does now eat hoppers if I feed them to her and she drinks water by ducking her mouth in a bowl when the dripper is on. Unfortunately her front legs were broken and now they are stronger, but she can't climb higher than a few inches as she falls off the branches.
I have bought a Reptibreeze, but i'm not sure what to put on the bottom for her and is there some way of encouraging her to climb? I dust with calcium etc, but is there anything more I could feed her to help build her up. The skin had fell off her tail and its growing back.
Any advice would be very welcome.

 

[MollyT]

First of all I would like to welcome you to the forums and also say that it is a great thing you and your daughter did for this poor chameleon. There is a help form that I really think you should fill out. You can find it in the 'How to ask for help' thread in this forum, or hopefully someone that knows how to post links can just post the link for you. Filling that out would help the members here to know her situation better and make it easier to tell what is wrong with her. I am in no way an expert, really I'm a noob, but it sounds to me like she might have mbd. Since she didn't have light and I'm assuming wasn't given supplements, there is a big possibility that is what is wrong with her. Someone with more experience will be able to tell you more. I just wanted to wish you the best of luck with her. Oh...and also post pictures.

 

[mcbdz]

Hello and welcome to the forums. I also would like to say it is such a wonderful think you and your daughter are doing. I know there are lots of members on here that will post as the day goes on but, thought I'd put up the links for you to be able to give more of a pic of what is already going on. here please fill this out. Just copy and paste then fill in answers:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/
Also you can read here and get lots of info.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/supplementation-mbd-1-a-2451/
Again, It is such a great thing you are doing and hope Griz continues to improve for you.

 

[carol5208]

can you post some pics please? yes it does sound like mbd. did your vet give her any calcium injections? Did you get a uvb and basking light? I don't know what your temps are where you live, but it would be beneficial for you to get her out in the sun. I would keep the branches low in the cage and put towels on the bottom incase she falls. I am glad you are giving her a chance but am so angry at the previous owners. If her legs were broke and then healed, they will never be normal. It is amazing she is still alive.

 

[slinko9]

Welcome to the place to be if Chams are your passion!!!! And I truly admire the nobility of you saving such a crushed creature!!!! CHEERZ!!!!
As i was reading your initial post,,,you asked what to put on the bottom of your cage,,,usually the answer would be nothing,,,but as I was thinking,,,,why not a semi thick sponge sheet,,,that way you could take it out easily to squeeze your excess water out from your dripper and mister,,,,and at the same time,,,,have a soft place for her to land if she falls,,,,,just keep a few of them around so you could wash them to kill off bacteria on a regular basis!!! Just a thought!!!
Best of luck to you and your daughter And Griz!!!!

 

[ataraxia]

Hi there, glad to hear the little one is on the mend. At the moment it is best she doesnt climb. Letting her bones heal is priority along with regaining muscle coordination. I know you want her to look as normal as she can fast but this type of mbd recovery is everything short of that. She needs time and your loving care. She will climb when its time i guarantee you

Liquid calcium and if your weather permits, natural sunlight.

 

[Kate]

Hi there, welcome to the forum. Firstly you and your daughter have done a great thing giving Griz a second chance. I am guessing you are in uk as I recognise Critical care and hoppers. They don't have locusts in US. I wonder if you would like to fill in the how to ask for help form? The link is below. That way we may be able to help you more.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

 

[kinyonga]

You could turn the cage on its side if it's all screen so that if she does fall she has less of a drop to the ground. This may also keep her more in the UVB which will help her to produce the D3 needed to use the calcium for strengthening the bones.

 

[jandy]

Thank you for your welcome. I will post pictures asap. Griz is 11 months old and about 4 inches from nose to base of tail. I do give her liquid calcium if she is not eating too good. Not sure how many med size locusts she should be eating. Her front legs go all over the place and i have to encourage her to try and hold onto a branch.
The sponge idea is brill, thank you. I have a heat bulb and a uvb 5.0 bulb. Temp is about 26 c and humidity 40-50

 

[slinko9]

Thats A great idea kinyonga!!!!!

 

[draftgirl]

Welcome, and Thank you for saving such a tough cham. Everyone here has already said it, but this IS the place to be to find help and ideas. I wish you the best of luck and cant wait to see the pictures. ps. I see you have raised another cham lover with a big heart too. Cheers

 

[HolyToledo]

Kudos on taking on this baby!

If her legs are really that bad, I would suggest doing everything you can to keep her from climbing. I just put Twister on a towel covered board with vines and leaves so he felt like he was hiding in a tree but couldn't fall or climb and I could set his board in the window for all the natural sunlight we could find or put him under the UVB on cloudy days. His water dripped on a nearby leaf and I could mist him. He was a happy guy on his perch.

 

[absolutbill]

Welcome to the forums! As others have said, thanks so much for not only rescuing this poor little girl, but teaching your daughter compassion for the animal world. All the ideas I've seen listed are great ones. To expound on Toledo's idea about the towel-wrapped board, maybe get some screening or use fleece to make a little hammock for her under her perch. That way if she fell off she's got a soft landing. I think the sponge idea at the bottom of the cage is also a good idea - just make sure whatever you put there is changed out daily so that bacteria doesn't have a chance to grow. The last thing that Griz needs is to battle a respiratory infection. Best of luck and keep the questions coming!

 

[MollyT]

I just put Twister on a towel covered board with vines and leaves so he felt like he was hiding in a tree but couldn't fall or climb and I could set his board in the window for all the natural sunlight we could find or put him under the UVB on cloudy days. His water dripped on a nearby leaf and I could mist him. He was a happy guy on his perch.

This was so sweet, it nearly made me cry! He was lucky to have you!

How is Griz today?

 

[HolyToledo]

Just wondering how things are going and looking for an update, please?