I had my Chameleon for a little over a month I believe. I was just going for any type of lizard, but ended up getting Mclovin. I got him at pet smart and they didn’t really tell us much about how to care for him only about his habitat. I was ignorant and selfish believing that all I had to do was just feed him crickets, mealworms, etc. without having any supplements. When I finally did some research, I immediately bought a calcium supplement about a week or two ago. Ever since he’s limbs seem swollen, he shakes when he moves, he sometimes keeps one eye closed, and he stopped eating four days ago. He still drink water and I force feed him with a different supplements since yesterday. Please help, I feel so stupid and guilty for not properly taking care of him. Any advice for his problem or just taking care of him is definitely welcomed.
Does my veiled chameleon have MBD?
- Thread starter McLovin’
- Start date
kelly_girl199
Avid Member
do you have UVB bulb for her?
Yes. Is he a her? I thought Mclovin was a he the whole time because of the little spur on the back of the feet. I used to leave the red light on at night and the other one for daytime. He slept fine with the redlight at night. I stopped using the redlight two days ago and just use the other one for daytime, leaving him in darkness at night. Though I think I should leave both on during day time, right?
Nursemaia
Chameleon Enthusiast
Answer the how to ask for help questions please and I think it looks female as well but posting pics of the back feet will tell us for sure. The swelling looks like gout and I wouldn't force feed supplements as you could be overdoing it. I'd recommend a vet visit. Plus force-feeding is dangerous unless you know what you're doing.
Thanks for the advice! I will certainly do that when I get he/she back. If I forget to ask or the vet doesn’t tell me the gender, I will send a pic as soon as possible.
I will get you the pics as soon as I get him or she back from the Petsmart vet. Hopefully Mclovin will be better so I won’t have to force feed because your right it is dangerous. I was only able to force feed him mealworms and veggies/fruit. For supplements, I’m not really sure for which one I should use 2-3 days a week or if I’m supposed to use one every feeding. I’m confused because the guy at petco use D3 supplement 2-3 days a week and this site says to use it once every two weeks to not have an overdose of D3. I used to feed him twice a day with 2-4 large crickets. Usually it’s just three, so six large crickets a day. This are the supplements I bought at Petco.
In would replace the red light with a regular white household incandescent light of a wattage that puts the basking area in the low 80's F. Chameleons don't sit in red light normally...sunlight is not red.
Regarding supplements...its recommended that you dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at almost every feeding with a phosphorous-free calcium powder. This is I tended to help the usually poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous found in most feeder insects.
It's recommended that you dust the insects twice a month with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving it to produce the rest from its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues. It's also recommended that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources of vitamin A won't build up min the system like prEformed sources will. This leaves it up to you to decide if/when the chameleon needs any prEformed vitamin A. Dust with all of them lightly.
It's also recommended that you feed/gutload insects such as crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms with an assortment of greens (dandelion greens, kale, endive, escarole, collards, etc and veggies such as carrots, zucchini, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, etc and a bit of fruit such as apples, pears, meloin, berries, etc. Don't use dog food or cat food, etc.
It's important that the basking temperature is in the right range since this aids in digestion and so plays a part in nutrient absorption.
Water is important for hydration and kidney health.
Btw...the colors and pattern say male.
Regarding supplements...its recommended that you dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at almost every feeding with a phosphorous-free calcium powder. This is I tended to help the usually poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous found in most feeder insects.
It's recommended that you dust the insects twice a month with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving it to produce the rest from its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues. It's also recommended that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources of vitamin A won't build up min the system like prEformed sources will. This leaves it up to you to decide if/when the chameleon needs any prEformed vitamin A. Dust with all of them lightly.
It's also recommended that you feed/gutload insects such as crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms with an assortment of greens (dandelion greens, kale, endive, escarole, collards, etc and veggies such as carrots, zucchini, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, etc and a bit of fruit such as apples, pears, meloin, berries, etc. Don't use dog food or cat food, etc.
It's important that the basking temperature is in the right range since this aids in digestion and so plays a part in nutrient absorption.
Water is important for hydration and kidney health.
Btw...the colors and pattern say male.
Crashbandit05
Avid Member
If you live somewhere that's warm, getting her outside in natural sunlight will be extremely beneficial.
Graves923
Chameleon Enthusiast
I am hoping this doesn't turn into another sad petsmart story...
As mentioned before, fill out the "How to ask for help" form found here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/ and post below. We'll be able to help you make adjustments to your set up and husbandry better then a shotty petsmart vet (if they even take him to a vet).
As mentioned before, fill out the "How to ask for help" form found here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/ and post below. We'll be able to help you make adjustments to your set up and husbandry better then a shotty petsmart vet (if they even take him to a vet).
- Your Chameleon - Veiled chameleon, male most likely, unsure what age is possibly 4-6 months juvenile, it been in my care for a little over a month.
- Handling - Sometimes twice a day for 30 minutes each. I let him chill in a fake tree in a different room.
- Feeding - I feed him twice a day with 2-4 large crickets. Basically 6 large crickets. Feed him early afternoon and again by 7pm. Mostly only give crickets apples.
- Supplements - Just bought zoo med calcium with D3 and Zilla calcium spray supplement. I’m not sure what type of schedule I use with the supplements, but I’m planning to use calcium spray supplement 3-4 days a week and the D3 calcium once every two weeks if that’s correct.
- Watering - I use the little dripper twice a day for 10 minutes. I mist 2-3 times a day. Yes, I see my chameleon drinking. I used to use a water bowl and he drank perfectly fine with it.. can I still use that technique or just only stick with the little dripper?
- Fecal Description - His poop is just a regular dark brown last time I checked. When I first bought him he used to have a white thing with his poop. No, I haven’t been told if my chameleon ever been tested for parasites when I bought him.
- Cage Type - It’s glass, forgot what the dimensions were. Planning on buying a different cage soon.
- Lighting - I’m using zoo meds mini combo deep dome lamp. Not sure what type of bulbs they are, my dad bought them. Just ones red and the other white. I’m planning to do 8am - 8pm. Then total darkness at night.
- Temperature - I’m not fully sure what the temperature are but I try to keep it in the 80° in daylight and 60° at night. Planning on buying a thermometer.
- Humidity - I’m not sure what the humidity levels are, I’m planning on buying a humidity thermometer soon.
- Plants - one live plant. It’s a pothus plant.
- Placement - On my dresser. No air vents only thing above it is my tv.
- Location - Arizona. I’m getting rid of the stuff at the bottom don’t worry.
It must be the picture. When I last saw him he had his toenails.
Will do! I live in Arizona. Will it be to hot for a chameleon, and if not, how long can they stay outside?
Thanks for the advice! I will switch the light quickly. When I started to give him powered calcium, I would shake them in a bag with it. They would turn fully white, is that too much? Also, I feed the crickets just apples, is that fine?
Graves923
Chameleon Enthusiast
Here is a bunch of info on nutrition and supplementation: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/food/
Specifically look at the gutloading and supplements section. When dusting you want to dust lightly. If the feeders look like ghosts, its too much. You just want to make the crickets look a little dusty. Also, at 4-6 months old, he should be fed around 10+ crickets. Try to keep the feeding in the first half of the day too. After they eat they need to warm up to help there body digest properly so feeding at 7pm might not be good in the long term.
Cage: He definitely will need a taller cage, asap. Chameleons need a lot of vertical space since they feel safe the higher they are. Eventually, when he reaches an adult size, he will need a minimum 48" tall x 24" wide and deep cage.
Lighting: As mentioned before, ditch the red light since its useless. A house bulb (non-LED) is good for a basking bulb. For UVB you want a UVB 5.0 bulb. You may have to check the bulb that came with the fixture you have but if I remember correctly mine came with a 2.0 which is not strong enough.
Misting: I would run the dripper more often. Misting 2-3 times per day can work but you'll need to watch for signs of dehydration. Try to mist for about 5 minutes or so each session.
Here are some more articles you can read through for a lot more helpful info: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/
Specifically look at the gutloading and supplements section. When dusting you want to dust lightly. If the feeders look like ghosts, its too much. You just want to make the crickets look a little dusty. Also, at 4-6 months old, he should be fed around 10+ crickets. Try to keep the feeding in the first half of the day too. After they eat they need to warm up to help there body digest properly so feeding at 7pm might not be good in the long term.
Cage: He definitely will need a taller cage, asap. Chameleons need a lot of vertical space since they feel safe the higher they are. Eventually, when he reaches an adult size, he will need a minimum 48" tall x 24" wide and deep cage.
Lighting: As mentioned before, ditch the red light since its useless. A house bulb (non-LED) is good for a basking bulb. For UVB you want a UVB 5.0 bulb. You may have to check the bulb that came with the fixture you have but if I remember correctly mine came with a 2.0 which is not strong enough.
Misting: I would run the dripper more often. Misting 2-3 times per day can work but you'll need to watch for signs of dehydration. Try to mist for about 5 minutes or so each session.
Here are some more articles you can read through for a lot more helpful info: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/
Thank you so much! Your advice is extremely helpful! I’m grateful for your time and responses.
