My Cham woke up blind. (fine now)

[WyattN.]

So I don't know why in world this happened but it did, my Cham Halo sleeps in my room and when I woke up this morning she was blind. It was weird because she wouldn't track my hand when I put it in her cage near her like usual and I was confused, so I put my hand under her belly to get her on me and she quickly flipped around and opened her mouth and hissed.... at the cage door. 90 degrees to my left. So I. Managed to calm her down by stroking her back, and got her on my hand. Since I was a little weary to put her in my cage, case she might fall. After about a half hour later she seemed okay but she was still walking like a blind old man. Fifteen minutes later I put her back in her cage after giving her a cricket.... which she missed twice. It's been another half hour and she seems alright now. Any suggestions?

 

[kinyonga]

What UVB light are you using on her cage? What basking bulb? Did you startle her?

 

[WyattN.]

Not exactly sure, zoomed heating bulb, no

 

[Syreptyon]

You’re not sure what uvb bulb you’re using?! That is completely unacceptable. How do you know you’re providing your Cham with acceptable lighting conditions if you didn’t even pay attention to what bulb you bought?

If you really don’t know what light you’re using, get rid of it immediately and replace it with a reputable linear uvb bulb. I guarantee your chameleon is not okay. Healthy Chameleons under absolutely no circumstances just randomly go blind for no reason temporarily. Your chameleon has a serious problem and you need to address it ASAP or it may require a vet visit

 

[Kristen99]

you should fill out the help form maybe you aren't doing everything right and that's not normal once so ever so I don't think your chameleon is perfectly healthy like you claimed in another thread you should absolutely know what type of uvb you have. Happy to help but this is where you should be looking to those who have more experience then questioning their knowledge and assuming you have got it all figured out.

 

[kinyonga]

@Syreptyon will we be able to help this (I think young)person learn or help the chameleon if we come down on them so hard we chase them off the forum?

If you startled your chameleon or she just doesn't want to be touched by you she may run "blindly" away from you and may not be able to focus on catching the bugs either because she is afraid of you.

It might be a good idea if you answer the questions below so we can make sure you have things right......
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

It might also be a good idea if you handle her less until she gets used to you and when you are around her move slowly so you don't scare her.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

@Syreptyon will we be able to help this (I think young)person learn or help the chameleon if we come down on them so hard we chase them off the forum?

If you startled your chameleon or she just doesn't want to be touched by you she may run "blindly" away from you and may not be able to focus on catching the bugs either because she is afraid of you.

It might be a good idea if you answer the questions below so we can make sure you have things right......
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

It might also be a good idea if you handle her less until she gets used to you and when you are around her move slowly so you don't scare her.

Agreed. We should be less harsh on other members, or else they won't want to seek help in the future.

 

[Tattersb]

@Syreptyon will we be able to help this (I think young)person learn or help the chameleon if we come down on them so hard we chase them off the forum?

If you startled your chameleon or she just doesn't want to be touched by you she may run "blindly" away from you and may not be able to focus on catching the bugs either because she is afraid of you.

It might be a good idea if you answer the questions below so we can make sure you have things right......
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

It might also be a good idea if you handle her less until she gets used to you and when you are around her move slowly so you don't scare her.

Thank you!

 

[WyattN.]

I'm sorry I was out at the time and didn't know exactly what my uvb bulb was called. It is a reptisun 13 watt tropical mini compact fluorescent.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

I'm sorry I was out at the time and didn't know exactly what my uvb bulb was called. It is a reptisun 13 watt tropical mini compact fluorescent.

Linear fluorescent bulbs are recommended. Do your research on types of lighting suitable for your enclosure.

 

[WyattN.]

Yes,we consulted a vet and she recommended us the same type just 10.0 instead of the 5.0 I had been using. It turns out she had very mild MBD tho we caught it early and she's seems good now. I'm now giving her a sort of boost thing that will help her get better so yah should be better in no time.

 

[Graves923]

What does your supplement schedule look like? What supplements do you use? Do you gutload the feeders with fresh leafy greens/veggies?

Sometimes lighting is not the only contributor to MBD and fixing one thing might not help if other thing are out of whack. I highly recommend filling the help form out and posting here so we can check other areas of your husbandry.

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."It turns out she had very mild MBD tho we caught it early and she's seems good now"...how did the vet determine that she has a mild MBD?

You said..."I'm now giving her a sort of boost thing that will help her get better so yah should be better in no time"...what's the name of the boost thing he gave you for her?? When a chameleon has MBD it's because of a nutrient imbalance which needs to be corrected by giving it calcium and making sure it has a proper UVB light and appropriate basking temperatures. It's also important that you provide proper supplements and feed/gutload your insects properly so that it won't return. It's recommended that you dust the insects just before feeding them to the chameleon with a phosphorus-free calcium powder at almost every feeding...and twice a month with a phosphorus-free calcium/D3 powder and twice a month with a vitamin powder. You can feed/gutload crickets, superworms, locusts and roaches with dandelion greens, kale, endive, escarole, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, carrots, etc and a bit of melon, berries, apple, pears. Basking temperature should be in the low to mid 80's F and I have used the Repti-sun 5.0 long linear tube UVB light for years.

 

[WyattN.]

We talked to a chameleon vet and described what she had looked like and how she reacted. And the vet told us that she had MBD and that we needed to give her more calcium and to try this calcium boost that is mixed into a smoothie like paste and given to them via syringe. So far she hasn't showed any more symptoms but we are keeping a close eye. The reason she got MBD is because I was looking around on the forum because Halo had salt being ejected from her naisal salt glande and I didn't know what it was and so I looked it up on the forums and someone had said just stop giving them calcium dusted crickets and just go back to normal for a couple days, and I tried that. But it gave her MBD.

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

We talked to a chameleon vet and described what she had looked like and how she reacted. And the vet told us that she had MBD and that we needed to give her more calcium and to try this calcium boost that is mixed into a smoothie like paste and given to them via syringe. So far she hasn't showed any more symptoms but we are keeping a close eye. The reason she got MBD is because I was looking around on the forum because Halo had salt being ejected from her naisal salt glande and I didn't know what it was and so I looked it up on the forums and someone had said just stop giving them calcium dusted crickets and just go back to normal for a couple days, and I tried that. But it gave her MBD.

Hello @WyattN. Happy you are here !!. I want to say MBD is not something a chameleon gets over night or even a week , months !!. Determining factor would be x-rays . It’s a guess other wise . Can you fill out the help form ? You will Be better helped .

 

[kinyonga]

I'd still like to know the name of the boost thing you are giving her.is it carnivore care??
She has no outward signs if MBD and wouldn't develop it from a couple if days without calcium. It takes a lot longer than that.

 

[Graves923]

Please fill this form out.... I even took the time to copy and paste the whole form here so you dont have to click the links that other members provided.... this way we can narrow down what is possibly wrong with your husbandry.

In my experience, you cant diagnose slight/mild MBD without x-rays. Usually when the MBD is to the point where the chameleons bones are visibly bent/crooked, its pretty sever and has been going on without correction for sometime.

Any recent photos of this chameleon?

We would like to try and help you out but we need all the info we can get from you to understand the situation fully.

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?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

@WyattN., do you know how to properly handle and medicate a chameleon?

 

[Dürja]

I just have to ask, is your vet a licensed reptile vet? Do they have legitimate experience with chameleons? From what you're saying it sounds like at least the latter is not true. Even a lot of exotics vets have little experience with chameleons. Even then, any exotics vet that legitimate recommends a compact fluorescent bulb is incredibly suspect in my opinion.

That said, as mentioned filling out the help form is going to be step one to receiving the help you and your chameleon need.

 

[WyattN.]

@WyattN., do you know how to properly handle and medicate a chameleon?

The vet we talked to did tell me how to. I either stick it on her lips and she licks it up or I hold her and gently pull her lip down and slowly put so in.