Holding on to her front legs with her back legs

[nymphadora]

I need help! My chameleon is a female jackson (not to sure on her age... maybe a couple months) she had been eating fine and I had a drip system in place. She has recently started to grab her front legs with her back legs making her not able to move around. She has fallen a couple times and when I pick her up she turns dark brown and has her mouth open wide but never lets go of her front legs. I have not been able to find anything like this on the web. I posted a picture of her a couple minutes ago.

 

[ataraxia]

usually a sign of mbd. please fill this form out.

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.


Cage Info:

Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

It could be MBD.

 

[bigben2057]

she looks like she is in pain maybe she needs some calcium?

 

[Elizadolots]

Hi, welcome. I do agree that you should fill out "the form".

ataraxia posted the questions. Copy that, paste it into a reply and add the information appropriate to your situation.

That will give everyone a groundwork for their comments.

 

[chameleoman]

She definatley has mbd get her to a vet

 

[nymphadora]

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?—Jacksonii Chameleon, Female, Age(Not Sure around 2 months she is approximately 3 in), She has been in my care for 3 weeks.
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? --2 times a week if that.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?—I have been feeding her 5 small crickets a day in the mornings. I have been feeding the crickets lettuce and giving them the fluckers water gel.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? --I have been using the Rep-Cal Calcium without D3, Rep-Cal calcium with D3, and Rep-Cal Herptivite. I gave her each about once a week (but I only started to give them to her 2 weeks ago).
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? – I use a drip system that last a couple hours and haven’t been misting because the humidity has been around 55 on the humidity meter which is in the tropical region.
Do you see your chameleon drinking? I have only seen her drink 1 time and that was when I first put the system in 2 weeks ago.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? I do not believe she has been tested for parasites, her droppings have been dark brown with some white and yellow. I did hear that yellow means she may be dehydrated.
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.- I got her from the reptile convention in san jose, ca about 3 weeks ago.


Cage Info:

Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? --It is a 18x18x30 cage, with all walls screen.
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?-- The lights I have are a 50 wat bulb (zoo med basking spot lamp), Exo Terra 18" Repti Glo 5.0 UVB Bulb, and a Flukers 60 Watt Black Night Bulbs. Our Lighting schedule is when we wake up (normally from 7-9am) we turn the basking light and exo terra lights on and we do not turn them on until exactly 12 hours later. We then turn the night light on until we wake up the next day and then do it all over again.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? --The temperature is never been higher than 85 and it never lower than 65. We measure the temps with Zoo Med Economy Dual Thermometer / Humidity Gauge.
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? --We measure the temps with Zoo Med Economy Dual Thermometer / Humidity Gauge. We use a drip system a mist from time to time.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? --We currently have no living plants.
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? –The cage is on top of a 2 ft dresser. It is not near a vent or fan. As for high traffic it is only myself and my boyfriend who are in the room. We never have anyone over. And the top of the cage is about 5 ft relative to the ground.
Location - Where are you geographically located? Hayward, California

 

[carol5208]

A couple of things that might not have to do what is going on due to the fact that you have only had your chameleon for 2 weeks. For future, gutload your crickets with fresh fruits and veggies. Lettuce is like basically feeding them water. You are providing no nutritional value whatsoever in your gutload. The plain calcium should be used daily and the other two each twice a month. There is a chance your chameleon is not drinking from the dripper. Therefore you need to mist your cage, not only to have a rise and fall in humidity to mimic their natural environment but for drinking purposes. Mist the cage heavily so the foilage is wet so she has the opportunity to drink from the leaves, brances, vines etc. You pic is not the best, but she could be dehydrated if not drinking although you stated her urate was white to yellow which is ok. Orange means dehydrated. Could you post some more pics please? Get RID of the night light! They do not need any type of light or heat at night unless yours temps are reaching down into the 50's degree range.
It is hard to see in my opinion if she has MBD. Her left arm does not look curved like MBD but what you described about her grasping her front legs with back is a sign of it. Get her out for some natural sunlight if possible. I would definitely get her to a vet.

 

[suzi]

I agree that a vet visit is in order, here is a link I found on Jackson care. I wish you luck with your little fellow

https://www.chameleonforums.com/jacksons-care-56085/?highlight=Supplementation+Jackson

 

[nymphadora]

Thank You Everyone for the help! I am going to take her to the vet today. Does anyone know any good insurance I could get for her? So the vet wont strip me of everything I have?

 

[animalnut]

Dr. Schuchman at Boulevard Pet Hospital in Castro Valley. He's the closeset rep. doc. He's good.

 

[chameleongirl2]

i think its mbd, or she could be in desperate need of calcium any ways this is a problem for the vet

 

[ataraxia]

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?—Jacksonii Chameleon, Female, Age(Not Sure around 2 months she is approximately 3 in), She has been in my care for 3 weeks.
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? --2 times a week if that.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?—I have been feeding her 5 small crickets a day in the mornings. I have been feeding the crickets lettuce and giving them the fluckers water gel. Are you regulating her intake? your gut load needs to improve. look at sandrachemelons blogs for some great tips.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? --I have been using the Rep-Cal Calcium without D3, Rep-Cal calcium with D3, and Rep-Cal Herptivite. I gave her each about once a week (but I only started to give them to her 2 weeks ago).i would dust her crickets with plain phosphorus free calcium every feeding at the moment. also might want to look into purchasing some liquid calcium and injecting a feeder every feeding.
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? – I use a drip system that last a couple hours and haven’t been misting because the humidity has been around 55 on the humidity meter which is in the tropical region.this is not enough. your chameleon needs a mist or rain simulated to clean her eyes. she also will benefite from the water drops it will leave on the plant for hydration and humidity. misting needs to be 2-3 times a day for 3-5 minutes each session.
Do you see your chameleon drinking? I have only seen her drink 1 time and that was when I first put the system in 2 weeks ago.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? I do not believe she has been tested for parasites, her droppings have been dark brown with some white and yellow. I did hear that yellow means she may be dehydrated. this will resolve once you start misting.
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.- I got her from the reptile convention in san jose, ca about 3 weeks ago.


Cage Info:

Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? --It is a 18x18x30 cage, with all walls screen.
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?-- The lights I have are a 50 wat bulb (zoo med basking spot lamp), Exo Terra 18" Repti Glo 5.0 UVB Bulb, and a Flukers 60 Watt Black Night Bulbs. Our Lighting schedule is when we wake up (normally from 7-9am) we turn the basking light and exo terra lights on and we do not turn them on until exactly 12 hours later. We then turn the night light on until we wake up the next day and then do it all over again.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? --The temperature is never been higher than 85 and it never lower than 65. We measure the temps with Zoo Med Economy Dual Thermometer / Humidity Gauge. im not asure without pictures to see how far you have this bulb away from the cage. if it resting on the cage, i know your basking temps are high. even a normal 50 watt house bulb resting on the cage with a basking perch around 8 inches away is to hot for a jacksons. you basking temps should be mid to high 70's. ambient temps high 60's to low 70 's. night time in the 60's. properly check you basking temp by placing your guage or probe at the basking site. leave it for 15 minutes and check. raise or lower you basking site or bulb as needed.
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? --We measure the temps with Zoo Med Economy Dual Thermometer / Humidity Gauge. We use a drip system a mist from time to time. you stated above you havent been misting.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? --We currently have no living plants.
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? –The cage is on top of a 2 ft dresser. It is not near a vent or fan. As for high traffic it is only myself and my boyfriend who are in the room. We never have anyone over. And the top of the cage is about 5 ft relative to the ground.
Location - Where are you geographically located? Hayward, California

has she always grabbed her legs or is she just recently started this? make sure to contact the breeder of this.

 

[kinyonga]

You said you are using black night bulbs....do they produce UVB?

 

[KatiLemons]

What about supplements?

 

[nymphadora]

Ataraxia- She has only recently started to grab her legs. We first noticed it least week but she only did it 1 time and was fine until about 2 days ago when she fell and wouldn’t let go of her legs. She normally eats all 5 crickets (small size) that I put in her cage. Today I watched her eat 2 out of the 5 within the first couple of min of them being in there, but I only see 1 left since this morning. Also For the cage I believe we have the lights far enough because she has no burns but I will definitely check the temperature with the method you suggested. We will improve the gut load and misting. Thanks for the tips. We are taking her to the vet on Monday because it is closed on the weekends.

Kinyonga- I don’t know if the night bulb produces uvb but the other one does. The bulb I got is this one http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...ic-bulbs/-/flukers-60-watt-black-night-bulbs/

KatiLemons- I posted what supplements I use in the form that I filled out that is in this post.

 

[bigben2057]

Jackson chameleons do not need a heat source at night unless it is like 57 degrees in your house get rid of it.They like cooler temps at night.

 

[nymphadora]

Just an update.
So I took my baby chameleon to Dr. Schuchman at Boulevard Pet Hospital yesterday and he notified me that she does not have mbd. He said that she just may be a little confused and that she will grow out of it. I wanted to thank everyone for all of the help you have all given me. Thank You very much!