MBD

[BekkiA]

I have a 4 (ish) month old Ambilobe Panther Chameleon that I bought from a reptile store. The last two days he hasn’t eaten and has been hanging upside down a lot (something I haven’t seen him do before). He’s drinking well, has a UVB bulb as well as the morning sun through the window and I’ve been dusting his crickets semi regularly with calcium and vitamins. Crickets and mealworms are fed well also. I read an article on MBD and now I’m scared he has it! He seems to be climbing ok but not his normal self. I hope I’m being paranoid. I’ve tried to attach some pics of his joints. I’m a new chameleon owner so their anatomy is still foreign to me. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Wildwilson]

I dont see anything off from the pics. But meal worms have no nutritional value and can compact your cham and lead to health problems and death. Please read the care sheets provided on the site.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I’ve been dusting his crickets semi regularly with calcium and vitamins.

Define “semi regularly.”
What kind of UVB do you have and how old is it?

 

[#Chams4life]

Your little guy does have MBD. Every time he eats it should be dusted with calcium. I also recommend taking him to the vet and get him checked, they can give him liquid calcium. Also make sure if he falls he lands on something soft, since his bones may still be hardening and you don't want breaks. Unfortunately his bones will never be straight and they will always look that way, but luckily with proper care they will become stronger.
How long have you had him for?

 

[BekkiA]

Thank you for your input! Is there anything I can do to help him (if he is constipated?).

 

[BekkiA]

I’ve only had him for about a month. Thank you

 

[BekkiA]

He has a 5.0 watt UVB as well as morning sunlight, I would dust his crickets every other day with calcium and the vitamins once a week. I can definitely do the calcium every day now though and get some liquid calcium for him as well. His UVB is approx a month old (got it when I got him).
Thanks again for your help

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Your little guy does have MBD. Every time he eats it should be dusted with calcium. I also recommend taking him to the vet and get him checked, they can give him liquid calcium. Also make sure if he falls he lands on something soft, since his bones may still be hardening and you don't want breaks. Unfortunately his bones will never be straight and they will always look that way, but luckily with proper care they will become stronger.
How long have you had him for?

@#Chams4life what is it that you see that tells you he has MBD?

 

[#Chams4life]

They way he is sitting, looks like he's struggling to prop himself up. The back legs also do not look right, they look bent. In the profile picture the right front leg is bowed and not how a normal chams legs should be.

 

[Syreptyon]

It might just be me, but doesn't his hind left leg look like it definitely has MBD? It looks like there is an extra joint in there, which is not good... Maybe it's just the image being deceptive, but it looks like that leg is zig-zagging in not a good way

 

[BekkiA]

So I’ve gotten a stronger bulb for him and upped his supplements. I also got the liquid calcium and gave him some of that today. He had a big healthy poop today so that gives me some relief that he’s on the mend. Still climbing well. I’ve attached some better pics of his legs from today.

 

[Chameleomom]

Front left leg has MBD and back left does not look right either

 

[Brodybreaux25]

For clarity, no single limb can get MBD. MBD is a system wide illness. I know our more experienced members know that, just wanted to make sure our junior members didn’t get the wrong idea!

 

[Graves923]

So I’ve gotten a stronger bulb for him and upped his supplements. I also got the liquid calcium and gave him some of that today. He had a big healthy poop today so that gives me some relief that he’s on the mend. Still climbing well. I’ve attached some better pics of his legs from today.

Woah there... time out... First, Do you know how much liquid calcium to dose?

Second, the 5.0 bulb will work fine strength wise.

Third, Are you supplementing Calcium with D3 twice per month? Plain calcium daily? Multivitamin twice per month?

Lastly, morning sunlight threw a window provides the same amount of D3 as putting the chameleon in a box... UVB doesnt penetrate glass.

The only way to correct MBD and stop its progression is to correct your husbandry. Specifically your chameleons diet and supplementation.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/panther/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/lighting/

 

[Char333p]

Dont know much bout mbd.. but def stop feeding him mealworms theyre so bad for them. Switch to superworms as a treat. Also its fine mine crawls on ceiling once while too. Totally normal.

Calicium without d3 almost every feeding.
Dust with d3 1ce every 2 weeks
Vitamins every 2 weeks also

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Woah there... time out... First, Do you know how much liquid calcium to dose?

Second, the 5.0 bulb will work fine strength wise.

Third, Are you supplementing Calcium with D3 twice per month? Plain calcium daily? Multivitamin twice per month?

Lastly, morning sunlight threw a window provides the same amount of D3 as putting the chameleon in a box... UVB doesnt penetrate glass.

The only way to correct MBD and stop its progression is to correct your husbandry. Specifically your chameleons diet and supplementation.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/panther/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/lighting/

... OP is pretty hesitant to post his supplements, been trying to get them since yesterday...

 

[Arpretty]

The abnormal curvature of the limbs pictured looks like a pretty clear indication of MBD to me.

 

[Chameleomom]

I agree with the above statement ^^ I don't see anywhere where someone said a single limb can get MBD.

 

[Wildwilson]

Sooo ive been following this thread for a while and i want to give my view on this. The leg does look strange in those first pictures. Especially the one where the back leg is stretched out. I was holding my 8 month old panther half an hour ago and i felt the same part of his leg and there was some skin/ muscle that was stretched out, giving his leg a weird looking shape. And i am absolutely certain my cham does not have mbd. So i do not think this cham has mbd. I believe the reason his leg looks odd is because of the muscle and skin that was stretched out. I am a medical student and i believe that diseases such as mbd for all life forms cannot be exclusive to one leg or area of the body. Just my point of view.

 

[Chameleomom]

I am referring to the 2nd set of pictures the OP put up...not the first set. As I said the front leg has MBD and the back does not look right either. This cham has MBD