Handling my cham everyday...

[apondozzi]

Hi I recently took my cham(5 months old) to the vet to get checked out. His front legs have slight bends in them, but she assured me it wasn't mbd and that he probably had a fracture at some point and it just healed that way, or perhaps he wasn't getting enough calcium/sunlight as a baby. anyway, she gave me some calcium drops and told me to give to him once a day. Wouldn't daily handling be a big no-no? i've been giving him his calcium everyday, and he is a very friendly little guy, acts like he doesn't care at all when handled, but I'm worried that he'll come to associate being handled with the stress that goes along with being force-fed the calcium drops. Or possibly will start refusing to eat from my hand. I have noticed that he has been a little fussier than normal as far as eating, but it could just be a phase. Any advice as far as an alternate method of administering the drops? Or maybe some reassurance that I'm not stressing out my cham to a dangerous degree? Thanks for looking.

 

[Ocelot357]

Hi I recently took my cham(5 months old) to the vet to get checked out. His front legs have slight bends in them, but she assured me it wasn't mbd and that he probably had a fracture at some point and it just healed that way, or perhaps he wasn't getting enough calcium/sunlight as a baby. anyway, she gave me some calcium drops and told me to give to him once a day. Wouldn't daily handling be a big no-no? i've been giving him his calcium everyday, and he is a very friendly little guy, acts like he doesn't care at all when handled, but I'm worried that he'll come to associate being handled with the stress that goes along with being force-fed the calcium drops. Or possibly will start refusing to eat from my hand. I have noticed that he has been a little fussier than normal as far as eating, but it could just be a phase. Any advice as far as an alternate method of administering the drops? Or maybe some reassurance that I'm not stressing out my cham to a dangerous degree? Thanks for looking.

MBD is when the cham doesn't get enough sunlight when young, so unfortunately, i think your cham does have mbd.

 

[jannb]

You might want to get another vet to give you a second opinion. There's a couple of really good chameleon vets in the LA area. Dr. Greek and Dr. Stein.

Dr. Tom Greek
23687 Via Del Rio
Yorba Linda, CA 92887
714-463-1190 or 866-940-7028

Dr. Geoff Stein
(Dr. Shipp's Animal Hospital)
351 N. Foothill Rd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
310-550-0101

 

[OldSkoolxReasons]

If the cham in question is your avatar pic I would say there is most likely calcium deficiency of some sort. You can clearly see the bend in the legs. Get him to another vet as jann suggested. Get him in the real sunlight(unfiltered by glass, or plastic) as much as possible. Good luck.



Justin

 

[ChamOh]

i would say treating sickness trumps the "handle only when necessary" thing. and your guy seems to be okay with it so don't worry about it.

 

[apondozzi]

I do get him in natural sunlight, as least 30 minutes a day. She assured me he didn't have it, explaining that one of the first things they do is feel the jaw of the cham, the softest bone in their body. His jaw was normal. I trust her opinion, she came recommended from someone in my area(which is not LA) who frequents this forum.
My question was about excessive handling.

 

[kinyonga]

Ocelot357 said..."MBD is when the cham doesn't get enough sunlight when young, so unfortunately, i think your cham does have mbd"...although lack of UVB or sunlight can lead to MBD its only one of the possibilities. Lack of calcium, too much prEformed vitamin A, inappropriate temperatures, etc. can also lead to it.

 

[apondozzi]

MBD is when the cham doesn't get enough sunlight when young, so unfortunately, i think your cham does have mbd.

mbd can develop later in a chams life, even if they got the most sunlight a young chameleon has ever got in history.

Bit of a snap diagnosis?

 

[Olimpia]

Is it not an option to inject an insect with the calcium dosage of the day and just hand feed him that? Seems like a win-win to me, if you can find a needle syringe.