Handsome Nosey Be, rough start in life :(

[Katy52]

Hello,

Firstly, thank you for all the info on this forum! It’s the first time I’m posting but I’ve been reading resources on here for weeks. You guys know your stuff!

I have adopted a 2.5 year old Nosey Be male who hasn’t been properly looked after, I would really appreciate some help rehabilitating him as I want to give him the best home

Firstly I wondered if someone could check his general appearance, he has white markings on his nose and around the eyes that I’m unsure about? On the nose it has a rough texture like the skin has been rubbed or something like old shed is attached?

He also has what look like wrinkles / excess skin along his side and around his front arms. Is it Edema or simply being skinny? (He has been raised on a poor diet of just mealworms & calcium powder with no D3)

I will write a follow up post detailing full husbandry - his current set up is entirely wrong so I am creating a new enclosure for him that I would really appreciate feedback on.

Thank you in advance for your time & help!
I want to give this guy the quality of life he deserves.

Katy

 

[nightanole]

Id say he looks "normal" and "amazing" considering raise on no d3 and non gut loaded mealworms. He doesnt look under or over weight (alot are pleasantly plump in my opinion).

The nose thing should go away in one shed. Odds are from rubbing raw and healing.

 

[Mrjamwin]

Hello Katy52 and welcome to the group. Thank you for what you are doing for this Cham.

 

[Beman]

Hi there welcome to the forum....

So the little man is a chunker... Your going to want to put him on a diet of healthy feeders. 3 feeders 3 days a week only. You can tell by how fat his casque is. It should have a flatter appearance on the top rather then looking like a muffin top.

He has gulular edema as well. The puffy section between his front legs should not be there. The wrinkles on the legs are actually typical on heavier chams.

The nose I am not sure. Could be stuck shed or maybe from rubbing or even both.

 

[ERKleRose]

I think his nose is from rubbing for the most part, as there’s some on his jaw, too. Does anyone else notice what could be old burns on the crest of his back, or am I just seeing things?

 

[Beman]

I think his nose is from rubbing for the most part, as there’s some on his jaw, too. Does anyone else notice what could be old burns on the crest of his back, or am I just seeing things?

I do not see old burns... A few spots look like they are holding shed though on his spikes.

 

[Katy52]

Thank you so much guys! Glad he generally appears okay.

Re. Weight - he’s been very stressed out by the move and barely eating the past 7 days that I’ve had him so maybe that will help reset his food intake and I will regulate it from now on.

Re. Rubbing - phew, I was worried it might be something very sinister! Doesn’t seem to be causing him any irritation and it looks superficial as opposed to anything deep. Apparently he used to ‘always ask to be let out’ of his old viv so rubbing would make sense if it distressed him (his viv was set up very incorrectly, poor thing).

Re. Edema - am I right in understanding that it fixes itself in time when on the correct diet and supplements? Anything additional I can do?

Thank you again for taking the time to help!

Katy

 

[Katy52]

I do not see old burns... A few spots look like they are holding shed though on his spikes.

I think both might be true, there’s def some areas of old shed and when he is showing paler colours I notice what seems like burns on his spine.

His old viv had a 100W bulb in a space only 60inches tall!!

 

[Beman]

Thank you so much guys! Glad he generally appears okay.

Re. Weight - he’s been very stressed out by the move and barely eating the past 7 days that I’ve had him so maybe that will help reset his food intake and I will regulate it from now on.

Re. Rubbing - phew, I was worried it might be something very sinister! Doesn’t seem to be causing him any irritation and it looks superficial as opposed to anything deep. Apparently he used to ‘always ask to be let out’ of his old viv so rubbing would make sense if it distressed him (his viv was set up very incorrectly, poor thing).

Re. Edema - am I right in understanding that it fixes itself in time when on the correct diet and supplements? Anything additional I can do?

Thank you again for taking the time to help!

Katy

Yes, so the edema should balance back out with the right supplementation and schedule, proper hydration and food intake along with proper lighting. It can take a few weeks for it to subside.

 

[Tony_S]

Welcome to the forum. I agree with the above comments. He's a little over weight but looks in good shape over all for being poorly cared for. You will have him looking top notch in no time. Don't hesitate to ask questions, everyone on here are very helpful and we just want the best for your chameleon.

 

[Beman]

Hi @Katy52 I figured it would be easier to reply here in your thread rather then the other one... So I love the repashy supercal no D. And I am currently using the Repashy calcium plus LoD. So your rotation would be using the supercal NoD at all feedings except two times a month (every other week say the 1st and the 15th) you would use the Calcium Plus LoD. The supercal is phos free plain calcium and then the repashy is your multivitamin that has D3 and Vitamin A in it.

Supercal noD in 6 oz bottle.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N3BKCGA?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

Calcium plus LoD in 3 oz bottle.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DLJRMV2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

 

[Katy52]

Hi @Katy52 I figured it would be easier to reply here in your thread rather then the other one... So I love the repashy supercal no D. And I am currently using the Repashy calcium plus LoD. So your rotation would be using the supercal NoD at all feedings except two times a month (every other week say the 1st and the 15th) you would use the Calcium Plus LoD. The supercal is phos free plain calcium and then the repashy is your multivitamin that has D3 and Vitamin A in it.

Supercal noD in 6 oz bottle.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N3BKCGA?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

Calcium plus LoD in 3 oz bottle.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DLJRMV2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

Perfect! Thank you so much for taking the time to help! Really hoping that with some extra care over his diet the edema will clear up and he will have a healthy & happy home with me

On a different note, I’m converting his reptibreeze enclosure and was planning to spline some clear vinyl into the front panel. I noticed from previous posts you have done this successfully - I’m concerned about the plastic smell the vinyl has. I’ve given it a few days to air but it still has a pretty strong smell. Did you have this issue initially? It is outdoor UVB safe vinyl, 20 gauge.

I may go with clear shower curtain liner instead?

 

[Beman]

Perfect! Thank you so much for taking the time to help! Really hoping that with some extra care over his diet the edema will clear up and he will have a healthy & happy home with me

On a different note, I’m converting his reptibreeze enclosure and was planning to spline some clear vinyl into the front panel. I noticed from previous posts you have done this successfully - I’m concerned about the plastic smell the vinyl has. I’ve given it a few days to air but it still has a pretty strong smell. Did you have this issue initially? It is outdoor UVB safe vinyl, 20 gauge.

I may go with clear shower curtain liner instead?

My pleasure to help.
So yes I have done this. I used the 20 guage marine vinyl from this company. https://www.etsy.com/listing/492482460/clear-marine-vinyl-by-the-yard-20-30-40?ref=yr_purchases
You order how many yards you want of it. It is UV resistant and has worked perfectly for me. I did choose to order something like this that has the UV resistance and is stronger then what you can get at a craft store. There is no odor. So no gas off time. I used the screen spline that I removed to put this in. You do want to hold in place so either have someone do it with you or get the really large paper clamps to hold one side while you put it in the other then take off and do the opposite side. Run the screen tool into the grove over the plastic so it is easier to put the spline in.

Shower curtain liner has a major odor when they are new. I suppose you could throw it in the washer to get that out but also it is going to yellow from the UV lighting.

 

[Katy52]

My pleasure to help.
So yes I have done this. I used the 20 guage marine vinyl from this company. https://www.etsy.com/listing/492482460/clear-marine-vinyl-by-the-yard-20-30-40?ref=yr_purchases
You order how many yards you want of it. It is UV resistant and has worked perfectly for me. I did choose to order something like this that has the UV resistance and is stronger then what you can get at a craft store. There is no odor. So no gas off time. I used the screen spline that I removed to put this in. You do want to hold in place so either have someone do it with you or get the really large paper clamps to hold one side while you put it in the other then take off and do the opposite side. Run the screen tool into the grove over the plastic so it is easier to put the spline in.

Shower curtain liner has a major odor when they are new. I suppose you could throw it in the washer to get that out but also it is going to yellow from the UV lighting.

Gaaah I wish I could order this but I’m in the UK. I ordered the closest to transparent marine vinyl that I could find, it said it was UV and weather proof for outdoor use but it still has such a strong smell!?

I’ll keep hunting and try something else

 

[Beman]

Gaaah I wish I could order this but I’m in the UK. I ordered the closest to transparent marine vinyl that I could find, it said it was UV and weather proof for outdoor use but it still has such a strong smell!?

I’ll keep hunting and try something else

hmmm... Try laying it out and see if it gasses off... Other option is the thicker clear shower curtain and wash it first. Then hang it to dry or toss in the dryer on air dry. That pulls the smell out of them.

 

[Katy52]

Welcome to the forum. I agree with the above comments. He's a little over weight but looks in good shape over all for being poorly cared for. You will have him looking top notch in no time. Don't hesitate to ask questions, everyone on here are very helpful and we just want the best for your chameleon.

Thank you so much Tony! I’ve had many types of animals over the years and I wish they all had forums like this!

 

[Katy52]

Hi guys,

Hope everyone is having a good week

As mentioned at the start of this thread, I adopted an adult panther who has been raised badly. I've been gradually correcting things and would really appreciate some feedback and pointers.

Below is my husbandry for general checks and a couple health problems in particular.

Thank you in advance for your time - I really want this guy to have the best forever home with me!


Husbandry Form

Your Chameleon - Male, Nosey Be panther chameleon, a rescue but believed to be 2.5 years

Handling - he was previously handled a lot and free roamed the previous owners house. Most days he will ask to come out of his enclosure in the afternoons, he then explores hanging plants / hanging branches & ropes. I don't interact with him, just transport him if he wants to leave his enclosure.

Feeding - previously only fed mealworms I'm weening him off these, he has accepted the following: Staple: dubias, silkworms Secondary: BSFL, waxworms, morioworms

Feeding 3 x per week and offering 4 feeders a time (Not all are eaten some days as I try him on new things, it's hit and miss. Previous feedback on his appearance mentioned he was overweight)

Gut loading - sweet potatoes, watercress, dandelion greens, bell pepper, zucchini, carrots, green beans, oranges. Arcadia Insect Fuel as a back up.

Supplements - Daily: Repashy SuperCal no d3, alternate sundays: Repashy Calcium plus LoD

Watering - Exo Terra Monsoon: 1 minute of misting in the morning at 7:30am (30 min before lights on) - 3 minutes of misting at 7:30pm (30 min before lights off). The room has 50% baseline so it mostly needs boosting at night.
Dripper runs during the day onto plant leaves.
R/O water in the mister, regular tap water in the dripper.

Fecal Description - creamy white/ light orange urate along with semi-solid brown poop

Cage Type - customised reptibreeze, 46x46x92, clear vinyl back & sides & top door, mesh lower door & ceiling for chimney effect. No substrate, water drains through holes drilled into the base, umbrella plant on top to weigh it down. (this cage came with him, I know it needs to go up a size and is next on my list)

Lighting -

UVB: Arcadia ProT5 22" with Arcadia Forest 6% bulb.
Basking: 75 watt halogen bulb

Basking branch 7 inches below top of screen, basking bulb is 5 inches above screen, mounted at an angle to overlap with UVB (is this basking light / UVB / branch set up okay?)

Light Schedule - both on for 12 hours, 8am - 8pm

Temperatures -
27-31C / 80-87 F basking temp (measured with probe hanging at cham height above basking branch)
20-25C / 68 - 77F ambient (measured with a second digital temp & humidity reader at lower end of cage)
(London weather is currently hot so I suspect the ambient temp would normally be a lower range)

Humidity -
50-60% daytime (the room has 50% baseline)
70-80% nightime

Plants - all live plants: pothos, zebra fern, bromeliad, button fern, monstera, pepperomia, umbrella tree

Placement - low traffic bedroom, away from windows, 1.2 metre off the floor, I made blackout blinds to cover the panels in the evening if bedroom lights are on.

Current Problem -

1) Stuck shed / bad shed - he has been shedding in separate body parts for nearly 3 weeks - previous owner said he often sheds in parts. All shed has now come off apart from one foot pad that is still hanging on and an area on his nose.
This nose area has been white and rough since the day I got him, please see earlier photos in this thread. The general feedback then was that it was either from rubbing or previous shed that should rectify itself with this shed. However, this new shed has actually just added a layer to what ever that area is!? Could it be a build up of past sheds? Or a damaged area that this shed is sticking to?

Any advise on what to do with this nose area and his slow shedding in general?

2) Edema - he has had edema since I got him, I am weening him onto a varied diet and new supplements as per above. Are these all correct to help cure the Edema? Anything else I can do?

 

[Beman]

Hi guys,

Hope everyone is having a good week

As mentioned at the start of this thread, I adopted an adult panther who has been raised badly. I've been gradually correcting things and would really appreciate some feedback and pointers.

Below is my husbandry for general checks and a couple health problems in particular.

Thank you in advance for your time - I really want this guy to have the best forever home with me!


Husbandry Form

Your Chameleon - Male, Nosey Be panther chameleon, a rescue but believed to be 2.5 years

Handling - he was previously handled a lot and free roamed the previous owners house. Most days he will ask to come out of his enclosure in the afternoons, he then explores hanging plants / hanging branches & ropes. I don't interact with him, just transport him if he wants to leave his enclosure.

Feeding - previously only fed mealworms I'm weening him off these, he has accepted the following: Staple: dubias, silkworms Secondary: BSFL, waxworms, morioworms

Feeding 3 x per week and offering 4 feeders a time (Not all are eaten some days as I try him on new things, it's hit and miss. Previous feedback on his appearance mentioned he was overweight)

Gut loading - sweet potatoes, watercress, dandelion greens, bell pepper, zucchini, carrots, green beans, oranges. Arcadia Insect Fuel as a back up.

Supplements - Daily: Repashy SuperCal no d3, alternate sundays: Repashy Calcium plus LoD

Watering - Exo Terra Monsoon: 1 minute of misting in the morning at 7:30am (30 min before lights on) - 3 minutes of misting at 7:30pm (30 min before lights off). The room has 50% baseline so it mostly needs boosting at night.
Dripper runs during the day onto plant leaves.
R/O water in the mister, regular tap water in the dripper.

Fecal Description - creamy white/ light orange urate along with semi-solid brown poop

Cage Type - customised reptibreeze, 46x46x92, clear vinyl back & sides & top door, mesh lower door & ceiling for chimney effect. No substrate, water drains through holes drilled into the base, umbrella plant on top to weigh it down. (this cage came with him, I know it needs to go up a size and is next on my list)

Lighting -

UVB: Arcadia ProT5 22" with Arcadia Forest 6% bulb.
Basking: 75 watt halogen bulb

Basking branch 7 inches below top of screen, basking bulb is 5 inches above screen, mounted at an angle to overlap with UVB (is this basking light / UVB / branch set up okay?)

Light Schedule - both on for 12 hours, 8am - 8pm

Temperatures -
27-31C / 80-87 F basking temp (measured with probe hanging at cham height above basking branch)
20-25C / 68 - 77F ambient (measured with a second digital temp & humidity reader at lower end of cage)
(London weather is currently hot so I suspect the ambient temp would normally be a lower range)

Humidity -
50-60% daytime (the room has 50% baseline)
70-80% nightime

Plants - all live plants: pothos, zebra fern, bromeliad, button fern, monstera, pepperomia, umbrella tree

Placement - low traffic bedroom, away from windows, 1.2 metre off the floor, I made blackout blinds to cover the panels in the evening if bedroom lights are on.

Current Problem -

1) Stuck shed / bad shed - he has been shedding in separate body parts for nearly 3 weeks - previous owner said he often sheds in parts. All shed has now come off apart from one foot pad that is still hanging on and an area on his nose.
This nose area has been white and rough since the day I got him, please see earlier photos in this thread. The general feedback then was that it was either from rubbing or previous shed that should rectify itself with this shed. However, this new shed has actually just added a layer to what ever that area is!? Could it be a build up of past sheds? Or a damaged area that this shed is sticking to?

Any advise on what to do with this nose area and his slow shedding in general?

2) Edema - he has had edema since I got him, I am weening him onto a varied diet and new supplements as per above. Are these all correct to help cure the Edema? Anything else I can do?

Everything looks good per the basking and angle this is fine. The only thing is the UVB if the distance is 7 inches for that as well. Since you are using a 6% bulb you really want the branch 8-9 inches down then where they rise up is in that 3-4 UVI level. If it is at 7 inches where he rises up is too high of a UVI exposure level.

Looks like the shed on the nose is about to let go. If he does not mind you messing with him see if you take a dry qtip if it will pop off. If it does not budge leave it or if he acts like it is bugging him then leave it. But if it is shed on top of shed this could by way it is not coming off as it should.

As husbandry is more on point shedding will get better unless their was prior damage to the scales in that area. When this happens they can be a little more stubborn about letting go.

Per the edema. You are doing everything correctly to correct this. This takes time it can be weeks just to see a slight difference. Again the longer he has the correct supplementation and diet the better the edema will get. Since this is most often linked to over supplementation depending on the supplement used time is what cures it. Fat soluble vitamins like D3 and A take much longer to expel because they are in the tissues unlike the water soluble ones that expel quicker with water intake.

 

[Katy52]

Everything looks good per the basking and angle this is fine. The only thing is the UVB if the distance is 7 inches for that as well. Since you are using a 6% bulb you really want the branch 8-9 inches down then where they rise up is in that 3-4 UVI level. If it is at 7 inches where he rises up is too high of a UVI exposure level.

Looks like the shed on the nose is about to let go. If he does not mind you messing with him see if you take a dry qtip if it will pop off. If it does not budge leave it or if he acts like it is bugging him then leave it. But if it is shed on top of shed this could by way it is not coming off as it should.

As husbandry is more on point shedding will get better unless their was prior damage to the scales in that area. When this happens they can be a little more stubborn about letting go.

Per the edema. You are doing everything correctly to correct this. This takes time it can be weeks just to see a slight difference. Again the longer he has the correct supplementation and diet the better the edema will get. Since this is most often linked to over supplementation depending on the supplement used time is what cures it. Fat soluble vitamins like D3 and A take much longer to expel because they are in the tissues unlike the water soluble ones that expel quicker with water intake.

Thank you for going through it all - if only I had someone as helpful to sort out the rest of my life too!

Yes the UVB & basking branches are both at 7" so the lights could overlap. If I need a 9" distance, could I raise the UVB light 2" instead of lowering the branch 2"? To prevent there being 'dead space' at the top of the enclosure?

 

[Beman]

Thank you for going through it all - if only I had someone as helpful to sort out the rest of my life too!

Yes the UVB & basking branches are both at 7" so the lights could overlap. If I need a 9" distance, could I raise the UVB light 2" instead of lowering the branch 2"? To prevent there being 'dead space' at the top of the enclosure?

Girl same! But I am happy to help with all cham life info lol

So yeah you want to raise the UVB fixture 2 measured inches then

When you get the larger cage for him then make your basking branch 8-9 inches down below the screen and you can have the fixture right on the top again.