Broken Ribs? Calcium deficiency?

[BebeTacoma]

HELP! I think my baby veiled chameleon might have broken ribs! He has 3 small bumps up on his side and from what Ive read it sounds like a Calcium deficiency and I need help! He is roughly 3-5 months old and I got him at petco a few weeks ago. He has a dripper that I turn on periodically, a humidifier (70-80% all times), gutloaded crickets, millworms, branches, Geranium, vines, a large cage that is very airy, UV light (7 p.m.- 6 a.m.), heat lamp( only reaches about 75-80 on all the time), heat vines(he uses when hes cold), and a very concerned mama I havn't givin him and Calcium stuff because I didn't realize that he needed it, he is my first Cham and I am very concerned! Should I take him to the vet? I cant post picks but they are just three small bumps on the higher part of his side, probably broken ribs from Calcium deficiency, please help I feel like a bad Cham owner.

 

[carol5208]

If they are broken it would not have happened from you lack of calcium for the two weeks you have owned him. It was probaby the neglect of the pet shop not supplementing him or whoever had him before the pet shop. You can post some pics, but If you suspect that I would take him to the vet and have him xrayed. Are his limbs straight or curvy? If he has been lacking calcium he may have Metabolic bone disease or the start of it. Also remove the heat vines. He could get burned. He needs just the basking light and make sure he cannot get too close to it either because he can burn himself on that. Also, do not keep a light on at night. They need darkness to sleep properly. If you need heat, get a ceramic heater bulb.

 

[BebeTacoma]

His limbs are all normal looking the only signs of anything different is the tree little bumps, they dont really seem to bug him, but I want to make sure! I will defiantly take the heat vines out, even though he seems to like them, I dont want them hurting him. He cant get very close to his basking lamp, and his heat lamp is a black bulb that doesnt really put out light so I think I'm good there, thank you for the reply!

 

[carol5208]

Make sure you have two kinds of calcium: one without d3 which you will dust your feeders with at every feeding, one with d3 which you can use twice monthly and also get yourself a multivitamin to use twice monthly. As far as the black light, no lights are really recomended at night. The littlest amount of light can disrupt their sleep cycle. What would your temps be without the light? It would be good if you would post a picture so we can check your little guy out. Are you sure it is a boy?

 

[Zen Reptiles]

Geraniums are one of those plants that is controversial and considered better not to use because of a risk of toxicity.

The 70%-80% should be dipping down to 50%-80%. Chameleons benefit from drying out for an hour or so between mistings.

By UV Light 7pm-6am i hope you mean 6am-7pm. They need darkness while they sleep, just like you and me.

Heat light sounds good.

Depending where you live, the heat vines are optional. As long as they don't get superhot and heat up the cage excessively they should be perfectly fine, in fact they would help evaporate liquid water and maintain humidity.

As far as calcium deficiency goes (and without you posting pictures), it sounds like you have caught it early enough to fix.

Use CALCIUM +D3 3 times a week for 3 weeks.

After that, use PLAIN CALCIUM 3 times a week from then on for the rest of his life, Calcium +D3 once every two-four weeks very lightly, and a multivitamin every two-four weeks.

POST SOME PICS. If it's a bad case of MBD we can offer more advice like using calcium glubionate and different lighting options such as a Mercury Vapour Bulb

 

[BebeTacoma]

This morning when I got him up, the bumps were gone! But, Im still going to be getting him the Calcium and keeping a close watch on him for more bumps.. If they come back he will we visiting the vet. Thank you guys for youre help

 

[Olimpia]

I had a chameleon sustain a bad fall (hit the edge of something on the way down) and cracked a few ribs. His calcium supplementation was spot on and he was living outside in the sun so it was not related to his nutrition, just the fall itself. So while it's definitely important that you get your supplements in order, just remember that young chameleon ribs are about as thick as a dog's whisker and that accidents happen. So if he slipped, fell, and hit the edge of a pot on the way down then it was just bad luck.

But again, definitely get your calcium in order It's vital to their long-term health and growth, especially now that he's at that age where they grow like weeds.

 

[Olimpia]

And just a friendly reminder, please don't make multiple threads about the same thing. You can just comment on a thread you already made and it will pump it up to the top of "new threads," where it is more likely to be seen. Making several threads just makes it harder for us to follow what answers you're getting or what extra info you're sharing.

 

[Higgins]

Are nematodes a possibility? Can you post pictures of the bumps?

 

[juniorsmommy]

yes definitely go to vet soon. they might not be broken ribs but are probably from MBD. Metabolic Bone Disease is common. We just had the same thing. Have the vet take xrays and you will see how thin the bones are. After an increase in calcium Juniors bumps are gone and his bones are much stronger after a couple months. Good Luck.

 

[BebeTacoma]

My Cham is going to go to the vet on Monday at 4 because the bumps are back and i still dont know what they are, im almost positive that its broken ribs because of the way it looks. Thank you for all replies! I appreciate it, a lot.

 

[Elizadolots]

Could you post pictures? Chameleon ribs are not like mammal ribs so you might be seeing something utterly normal for a chameleon.