Loosing toenails

[VanCham]

I've got a friend with a female veiled chameleon who is ~10 months old, and she started loosing her toenails a few months ago. So far shes lost three. She has a good setup, a UV fluorescent tube light on one side of the cage, a heat lamp for night time, and a dripper that runs 24/7. She appears very healthy, eats ~6 crickets daily, drinks from the dripper, munches on kale and bok choi sometimes. She has a 1.5m by 1.5m by .5m cage, and gets let out sometimes for a supervised runaround. So i'm just wondering what the toenail loss could be from? Oh yes, she also eats butterworms and all meals are dusted with calcium powder(but not the calcium + D3 stuff). Any suggestions? Thanks!!

 

[curly]

Sometimes the screen on the side of the cage catches the nailes and will pull them out...How big are the holes in the screen?

 

[VanCham]

ohh ya i actually was just looking over some previous queries on this issue(AFTER i posted, haha)...that seems to be the common suggestion..theres a metal screen with small holes, but its the lid of the cage, and she never climbs on it...so i'm kinda stumped...its not a calcium deficiency, to be sure...she is a pretty large veiled, with a very strong grip, and shes held daily...could it just be from handling? sometimes peeling her off to put her back in the cage (shes very domestic)?

 

[curly]

sometimes peeling her off to put her back in the cage ?

That will do it..

 

[VanCham]

i thought that might be it...thanks a lot!!

 

[curly]

Your welcome...there grip is so strong if you pull them they could break something so coax her onto your a hand by gently touching right above the tail....NEVER pull them.
Mike C.

 

[lele]

theres a metal screen with small holes, but its the lid of the cage, and she never climbs on it...so i'm kinda stumped...its not a calcium deficiency, to be sure...she is a pretty large veiled,

Is she in a glass tank or other enclosure with only a screen top? Be careful that temps don't heat up and that it is large enough for her. I know some keepers in the north use partially enclosed setups to help with humidity and temps (then there are others - me - who struggle with misters and humidifiers) but things need to be closely monitored.

Cyrus has lost several toenails from a lot of climbing on the screen as a baby - still waiting for them to grow back and am afraid they may not. He slips on certain surfaces due to it

lele

 

[Dave Weldon]

...and all meals are dusted with calcium powder(but not the calcium + D3 stuff)...

Howdy,

Are you saying that she doesn't get any Ca/D3 dusted food items? Unless she spends her days outside, I think that most would agree that she needs a dust with D3 somewhere between twice a week down to twice a month. Let us know.

 

[VanCham]

ya she gets that as well, and the UV light. she just doesnt get the D3 every time like the calcium...she gets the D3 average once weekly...

 

[Fate X]

is the aluminum screen easier on a chameleons claws?