Dexter Love
New Member
Dawniegirl... you are so helpful!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Injured chameleon... PLEASE HELP!
- Thread starter Dexter Love
- Start date
Dawniegirl
New Member
Once again...
You said you aren't giving him any supplements...for how long have you not been giving it any? Did you ever give it any? If so, what brand(s) and how often?
You said..."Zoomed duel lighting 120volt. The basking light is on for at least 8 to 12 hours and the red night light on the rest of the time"...is one of these a UVB?? You don't need any light or heat on a Jackson's at night.
That chameleon does not look to be in good condition. The tail is thin and its eye(s) are swollen. I think its time to see a vet.
Be aware that carnivore care likely has D3 and preformed vitamin A in it and although you want to get the chameleon back to good health you don't want to overdo the fat soluble vitamins.
You said you aren't giving him any supplements...for how long have you not been giving it any? Did you ever give it any? If so, what brand(s) and how often?
You said..."Zoomed duel lighting 120volt. The basking light is on for at least 8 to 12 hours and the red night light on the rest of the time"...is one of these a UVB?? You don't need any light or heat on a Jackson's at night.
That chameleon does not look to be in good condition. The tail is thin and its eye(s) are swollen. I think its time to see a vet.
Be aware that carnivore care likely has D3 and preformed vitamin A in it and although you want to get the chameleon back to good health you don't want to overdo the fat soluble vitamins.
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It sounds like your chameleon has Metabolic Bone Disease and is probably the reason it fell. Holding onto their own legs is a symptom of the disease. MBD is when there is insufficient calcium given in the diet, usually in combination with lack of UVB rays. Without UVB rays your chameleon cannot absorb any calcium that you do give it. Reptiles are particularly sensitive to their calcium needs and without enough in the diet they pull it out of their bones to compensate. This leads to weak bones, weakness (probably why he fell) and other problems.
You need a UVB bulb ASAP and in the meantime get him out into natural unfiltered (not through a window) sunlight as much a possible. You need to also be gutloading your crickets before feeding them to your chameleon because otherwise you offering him nearly no nutrition.
Water should also be given daily to jacksons chameleons. As a jacksons they don't need supplementation quite as often as some other species. However, yours is currently in a calcium deficient state so you need a calcium powder that does not have vitD or phosphorus in it and you need to be very lightly coating all of his crickets with it for the next few months.
Chameleons get sick slowly (this has been building up for a long time already) and they heal slowly so it's very important to make these changes ASAP. If he is at the point where he is laying on the ground and doesn't want to eat then he needs to go to a competent reptile vet even more ASAP. He needs fluids and a big dose of calcium. I would not suggest giving carnivore care as it has a lot of proteins and your cham is chronically dehydrated so it could damage the kidneys quickly. And he's not starving so it's not necessary at this point. It's important to find a vet who is good with reptiles when you're looking for a vet because regular dog and cat vets will not know how to help him best. Many chameleons bounce back from MBD, but you need to get him help quickly to give him a chance. Good luck and please ask more questions if you have them!
You need a UVB bulb ASAP and in the meantime get him out into natural unfiltered (not through a window) sunlight as much a possible. You need to also be gutloading your crickets before feeding them to your chameleon because otherwise you offering him nearly no nutrition.
Water should also be given daily to jacksons chameleons. As a jacksons they don't need supplementation quite as often as some other species. However, yours is currently in a calcium deficient state so you need a calcium powder that does not have vitD or phosphorus in it and you need to be very lightly coating all of his crickets with it for the next few months.
Chameleons get sick slowly (this has been building up for a long time already) and they heal slowly so it's very important to make these changes ASAP. If he is at the point where he is laying on the ground and doesn't want to eat then he needs to go to a competent reptile vet even more ASAP. He needs fluids and a big dose of calcium. I would not suggest giving carnivore care as it has a lot of proteins and your cham is chronically dehydrated so it could damage the kidneys quickly. And he's not starving so it's not necessary at this point. It's important to find a vet who is good with reptiles when you're looking for a vet because regular dog and cat vets will not know how to help him best. Many chameleons bounce back from MBD, but you need to get him help quickly to give him a chance. Good luck and please ask more questions if you have them!
Elizadolots
New Member
All the Petco's I shop at feed and water their crickets. You should check with your Petco to see if they do the same thing. It's still a good idea to gutload them with fresh stuff for 24 hours before feeding them off. However, a Petco fed cricket is definitely better than a lot of other crickets out there (I know a store that feeds their crickets cardboard).
There's a list of vets stickied in this forum: https://www.chameleonforums.com/area-area-country-vet-list-32880/
Elizadolots
New Member
That's rather harsh.
Olimpia
Biologist & Ecologist
That is the most asinine advice I've heard in a while. Animals are not disposable property - if you assume the responsibility of caring for one then you do just that, not just throw it out half way because YOU haven't been caring for it properly. Besides, if we don't correct the husbandry that caused these issues, they are likely to happen again to a second animal. Besides, he looks like there's a good chance of him turning around with care and patience.
Elizadolots
New Member
Exactly. As I said earlier, they are remarkably resilient once their situation has been straightened out.
I don't even think he looks that bad comparatively. He definitely needs some Vet help and some changes to get turned around but I've seen much worse. I don't think he looks "deathly" yet.
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
It sounds like your chameleon has Metabolic Bone Disease and is probably the reason it fell. Holding onto their own legs is a symptom of the disease. MBD is when there is insufficient calcium given in the diet, usually in combination with lack of UVB rays. Without UVB rays your chameleon cannot absorb any calcium that you do give it. Reptiles are particularly sensitive to their calcium needs and without enough in the diet they pull it out of their bones to compensate. This leads to weak bones, weakness (probably why he fell) and other problems.
You need a UVB bulb ASAP and in the meantime get him out into natural unfiltered (not through a window) sunlight as much a possible. You need to also be gutloading your crickets before feeding them to your chameleon because otherwise you offering him nearly no nutrition.
Water should also be given daily to jacksons chameleons. As a jacksons they don't need supplementation quite as often as some other species. However, yours is currently in a calcium deficient state so you need a calcium powder that does not have vitD or phosphorus in it and you need to be very lightly coating all of his crickets with it for the next few months.
Chameleons get sick slowly (this has been building up for a long time already) and they heal slowly so it's very important to make these changes ASAP. If he is at the point where he is laying on the ground and doesn't want to eat then he needs to go to a competent reptile vet even more ASAP. He needs fluids and a big dose of calcium. I would not suggest giving carnivore care as it has a lot of proteins and your cham is chronically dehydrated so it could damage the kidneys quickly. And he's not starving so it's not necessary at this point. It's important to find a vet who is good with reptiles when you're looking for a vet because regular dog and cat vets will not know how to help him best. Many chameleons bounce back from MBD, but you need to get him help quickly to give him a chance. Good luck and please ask more questions if you have them!
Exactly! A healthy cham would not injure itself falling in its own cage. The fact that your cham has after such a short fall is a major warning flag of poor nutrition. You can fix this, but it's going to take action ASAP so he has a chance. Be warned, many vets don't have a clue about treating chams. Many times they just start prescribing antibiotics without knowing if there is a specific infection or disease. MBD can be treated with proper UV lighting, proper gutloading, proper mineral and vitamin dusting. If the vet wants to give your cham antibiotics I'd go somewhere else.
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
will187
New Member
i really hope you can turn things around for this little guy, as im sure its stressing you out no end. also, dont blame yourself, its a common misconception that chams dont really need alot of specialist care, and people you buy them from are not very likley to stand with you for 6 hours or so, making sure you have all the equipment and know-how needed to keep these animals healthy.. theyre too frightened that folks will turn around and say.. "ya know what? i dont actually have the time/money for this.. ive decided i dont want to buy him/her." theres loads of great, caring breeders out there, but unfortunatley theres alot more scumbags that care more about the size of their wallets than the health and happiness of the chams they sell. so you cant be fully to blame here, although it makes sense to read up as much as possible BEFORE buying a new animal.. still.. lesson learned right?
the people here are fantastic, and i guarantee you they will do everything the can to help you. unfortunatley, i cannot offer any real advice, without re-iterating the words of those before me.. however i will say that it looks like your plant has perlite in the soil. this is BAD. chams can and will try to eat this, as it resembles a small worm or grub. although perlite is labelled as non-toxic, it is essentially a heat-treated volcanic rock, and can cause no end of problems to your chams innards if ingested. i would suggest either replacing the soil the plant is in, or, an easier alternative would be to cover the soil with LARGE rocks, making sure no perlite is visible, and that the rocks will not move easily. i really do wish you all the best and will try to help in any way that i can.
the people here are fantastic, and i guarantee you they will do everything the can to help you. unfortunatley, i cannot offer any real advice, without re-iterating the words of those before me.. however i will say that it looks like your plant has perlite in the soil. this is BAD. chams can and will try to eat this, as it resembles a small worm or grub. although perlite is labelled as non-toxic, it is essentially a heat-treated volcanic rock, and can cause no end of problems to your chams innards if ingested. i would suggest either replacing the soil the plant is in, or, an easier alternative would be to cover the soil with LARGE rocks, making sure no perlite is visible, and that the rocks will not move easily. i really do wish you all the best and will try to help in any way that i can.
ataraxia
Avid Member
from the pictures i see many obvious signs this cham is in worst shape then some are putting him off to be. also jacksons arent as resilient as veileds by any means (imo not even close). yes of course the will to live is amazing in most creatures but imo jacksons arent as forgiving. this is being realistic not optimistic.
any update?
any update?
burnedrose
New Member
I have to disagree with you there. I bred Jackson's in hawaii for a bit and I found them to be MORE resilient than any Veiled or Pygmy. Then again, My chams were all "free ranged" on my screened-in porch (10ftx14ft, if I remember correctly, house three chams - I wouldn't really call in free range, though, as it was more just a big cage), with access to something akin to their natural temps/sunlight etc.
What I've found works best with Jackson's when they are ill is keeping the humidity up and making sure they have plenty of access to unfiltered sunlight. I had my first cham look to be about the same condition and the moment he had humidity and sunlight, he was like a whole new chameleon.
Elizadolots
New Member
My experience is largely with Fischer's and I suspect people think they are more fragile, less resilient than Jackson's. But I have found that they can bounce back from very bad situations and do well. I'm not saying there are no repercussions, but they can come back to be very satisfying pets for quite some time once the husbandry is straightened out.
It's not ideal that the animal has gotten to this situation, but neither is it a reason to give up on the animal and have it put down (which I assume was what panicbess had in mind). It
It's not ideal that the animal has gotten to this situation, but neither is it a reason to give up on the animal and have it put down (which I assume was what panicbess had in mind). It
Dexter Love
New Member
Update
After reading all of your very helpful replies... I have made several immediate changes to Dexters living area as well as to his food. Please forgive me for not getting back to you all sooner in regards to my little guys condition... I have been on 24 hr. watch with him and honestly this is the first time I have had to sit at the computer and log in. He is still quite weak however, his eyes are not nearly as swollen as before and after placing him outdoors in the sunshine and with the brand new UVB bulb... he is looking a bit better. I have also been feeding him small crickets gutloaded and dusted with supplementation.Still not the active chameleon he once was but, I will take any signs of improvement as a cause to keep my hope alive. After all it was my ignorance that may have caused this wonderful little creature to suffer the way he is... and let me reassure all of you... that I will do whatever possible to help him out, he is a living creature and to me personally... that makes my little Dexter far, far from disposable!!! I will continue to post updates and thank you all so much for your advice and guidence! I am sooooooooo glad there is an online community like this that can be of help to many people just like myself who were not fully aware nor given proper care and instructions prior to bringing home a chameleon. You are all very helpful and much appreciated. From the bottom of my heart Thank you!
After reading all of your very helpful replies... I have made several immediate changes to Dexters living area as well as to his food. Please forgive me for not getting back to you all sooner in regards to my little guys condition... I have been on 24 hr. watch with him and honestly this is the first time I have had to sit at the computer and log in. He is still quite weak however, his eyes are not nearly as swollen as before and after placing him outdoors in the sunshine and with the brand new UVB bulb... he is looking a bit better. I have also been feeding him small crickets gutloaded and dusted with supplementation.Still not the active chameleon he once was but, I will take any signs of improvement as a cause to keep my hope alive. After all it was my ignorance that may have caused this wonderful little creature to suffer the way he is... and let me reassure all of you... that I will do whatever possible to help him out, he is a living creature and to me personally... that makes my little Dexter far, far from disposable!!! I will continue to post updates and thank you all so much for your advice and guidence! I am sooooooooo glad there is an online community like this that can be of help to many people just like myself who were not fully aware nor given proper care and instructions prior to bringing home a chameleon. You are all very helpful and much appreciated. From the bottom of my heart Thank you!
