Chameleon Info:
Cage Info:
Current Problem - My jackson has been fine for over a year since we got him. But started about a week ago, I noticed swelling in his back right and front left leg, and he began to dangle them off of his branch. There is no discoloration, but his grip is a little weak and he seems to have trouble lifting them too high (due to swelling I'd guess). He still shows interest in food, and is eating pretty normally, but he doesn't move around as much as he used to, and shows less interest in drinking - even when he gets misted and showered. He still likes to sit beneath his water dripper though. I'm confused about what could be wrong, prior to this he was eating and drinking relatively normally, and he always got crickets dusted in calcium. Is there any way it could be MBD? I can't imagine how. I thought maybe he was getting an overdose of the vitamins, so I've just given him plain, well fed and hydrated crickets, yesterday and today.
I would take him to a vet, but the only one that treated chams has moved away and there are no other exotic vets in the area. Is there anything I can do to help him at home, besides trying to get him to drink?
- Your Chameleon - Jackson's, male, 2 years old. I've had him since he was 9 months old.
- Handling - Only when necessary, he takes showers in the sink sometimes.
- Feeding - Mostly crickets, he won't accept anything else. He used to eat mealworms but he doesn't like them anymore. He eats off and on, maybe 4-6 crickets a week. He has access to food all day. Crickets get fed greens, banana and apple slices, all well hydrated.
- Supplements - I use repcal 0% D3 on every cricket, and reptivite once or twice a week.
- Watering - I have the little dripper which runs all day. I also offer him a dropper of water once or twice a day because he prefers that. I mist him twice a day with a warm spray bottle. He gets the whole bottle each time which lasts about 5-10 minutes. He drinks in the morning, but he hasn't been drinking a lot lately.
- Fecal Description - His stool is dark brown with white, slightly yellow urate. It's well formed, with nothing noticeably strange in it. He has never been tested for parasites.
- History - He was a gift from a family member, and came from a pet store. A month or so after I got him, he lost the tip of his horn, but it never seemed to bother him. He sheds regularly.
Cage Info:
- Cage Type -He has a 48'' x 24 x 24 mesh screen enclosure. It sits in a well lit front room with little traffic.
- Lighting - He has a zoomed 5.0 tropical UVB light right now. I'm placing an order to replace it today with this light: http://www.bigalspets.com/reptisun-...son+Shopping&gclid=CN-P1e2l5ssCFdgRgQodF_4DKg HIs light gets turned on in the morning around 8 and goes off between 5-6.
- Temperature - His room is controlled at around 70 degrees. Temperature never drops below 65.
- Humidity - Humidity levels stay around 40%. Higher when he gets misted.
- Plants - No live plants, he has fake vines and flowers to climb on and hide in. I tried giving him a plant that had blooming flowers but he didn't like it.
- Location - I"m located in western Maryland, when the weather is nice enough with not too much wind, he gets moved outside onto the deck (where we have a sun setter for shade) for the sun and fresh air, which he seems to like.
Current Problem - My jackson has been fine for over a year since we got him. But started about a week ago, I noticed swelling in his back right and front left leg, and he began to dangle them off of his branch. There is no discoloration, but his grip is a little weak and he seems to have trouble lifting them too high (due to swelling I'd guess). He still shows interest in food, and is eating pretty normally, but he doesn't move around as much as he used to, and shows less interest in drinking - even when he gets misted and showered. He still likes to sit beneath his water dripper though. I'm confused about what could be wrong, prior to this he was eating and drinking relatively normally, and he always got crickets dusted in calcium. Is there any way it could be MBD? I can't imagine how. I thought maybe he was getting an overdose of the vitamins, so I've just given him plain, well fed and hydrated crickets, yesterday and today.
I would take him to a vet, but the only one that treated chams has moved away and there are no other exotic vets in the area. Is there anything I can do to help him at home, besides trying to get him to drink?
