My chameleon is sick

[homozygousdominant]

I think my chameleon is sick, he is about 6 months old and he was healthy until now, sometimes he shakes on his branches and he looks weak but he does not have MBD, I have been feeding him everyday and until today he wouldn't eat and he has been laying on his stomach a lot as if he were tired and he usually roams around the cage a lot but now he has been sitting in one spot of his cage. I tried feeding him but he just looks at the crickets and does nothing. When i was holding him he would shake his head back and forth with his mouth open and I don't know why he is doing that. He never did that until today. And usually if i ever touched the side of my chameleon where his ribs are he would usually puff at my because he doesn't like that, but i tried it again today and all he does is just sit there and does nothing. So I need some help, thank you.

 

[Captive Creations]

Here is how to ask for help

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


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.


Pictures are helpful

 

[Elizadolots]

Hi. I'm sorry your chameleon is sick. As Linzee says, you should provide the information posted. Just because your chameleon's limbs do not look broken does not mean your chameleon does not have MBD. There are a lot of symptoms before things start breaking and if you can catch it in those early stages, you can hopefully avoid any permanent damage. Among those symptoms are shaking and laying on his stomach during the day.

I'm not saying your chameleon has MBD, I'm just saying it's one possibility and you should not discount it.

 

[HolyToledo]

Hi. I'm sorry your chameleon is sick. As Linzee says, you should provide the information posted. Just because your chameleon's limbs do not look broken does not mean your chameleon does not have MBD. There are a lot of symptoms before things start breaking and if you can catch it in those early stages, you can hopefully avoid any permanent damage. Among those symptoms are shaking and laying on his stomach during the day.

I'm not saying your chameleon has MBD, I'm just saying it's one possibility and you should not discount it.

Oh, yeah! Even my vet said my cham didn't have MBD at first but he has that or something like it and it started kinda like what you are saying. Hopefully that is not what is going on with yours but if so, catch it now!

Fill out the questions even if you think it is a pain. The people on here can help you out but only if they know all about how you keep your cham.

Is it possible for you to take it out in the sunlight at all? I think that has helped my little guy as much as the meds.

 

[homozygousdominant]

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


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.


Pictures are helpful

Sex- Male veiled, has been in my care for 4 months, i got him when he was 2 months
I handle him about once a week, he is completely tame
I feed my chameleon crickets/mealworms, about 8 crickets a day, with 5 mealworms, I put repti-calcium on my crickets, i feed him large
Watering- i water about 3 times a day, and yes he does drink
His poop is normal
History- nothing really wrong, its just that yesterday he was doing fine and today he looked bad, his legs don't tremble, he just shakes/shivers as if he were cold, and when he lays on his branches he is laying on them with his tummy, he usually stands up, this just started occuring today.
Cage type- i have a glass cage with a screen opening in the front, it is about 4 feet in length, and 2 feet in width, 48 x 24 x 24
lights- I use a UVB bulb and a heat lamp(100 watt) as recommended
Plants- i am using fake plants
Cage placement- in the middle of my room, it's near my fan but i don't turn it on very much, it's also near the window where fresh air gets in
Location-California


Current problem- he's trembling, i finally got him to eat today, but he seems weak when he eats, at first he ignored the food when i put him close to it, but when i took the crickets individually by tweezers he ate them, but he seems weaker and slower when he eats

 

[homozygousdominant]

and also, his hed bobbles too, not as if he wants to mate, but like an actual bobble head, he looks confused
and when i hold him he climbs on my fingers and then his head falls down with the rest of his body, his legs dont fall down with him or anything, like he is standing and then all the sudden his head falls with his body onto my hand, like hes out of energy

 

[Elizadolots]

See...this is why there's a form. If you'd just typed in your information, you would have given all the info people want, but you skipped loads of stuff. That leaves me with questions.

How are the feeders gutloaded?

How do you supplement?

What UVB bulb are you using?

What are the temperatures at the basking spot and the bottom of the cage?

What do you think "normal" chameleon poop looks like?

How do you "water" him?

What sort of water do you use?

Do you use a dripper?

 

[homozygousdominant]

how i water him, i dont know why but i spray him in the mouth very gently and he drinks like that, since he never really drank from the leaves, it is easier and it works
i use water from the sink at room temperature, i used a dripper at one point but it wasn't working very well so i discontinued it. His poops are about 1in. - 1.5in. The top of the cage is about 70-80 degrees, idk about bottom, it's certainly not cold on the bottom though. For gutloading i usually just give the crickets some cricket food, i forgot what it is called but it's food + water combined. I think im using a florescent spiral bulb

 

[Elizadolots]

Okay, I think you might want to post pictures of your whole set up, including the bulbs.

I think you can up the basking temperature. Are you using a separate basking bulb? The fluorescent bulbs don't give heat.

This board recommend just using a household incandescent bulb, like you can buy at the grocery store. Try a 60 watt bulb first and see what temperature that gets you.

As tall as your cage is, you can have that temperature as high as 90 degrees, though I really think 85-88 is better right now.

Make sure he has the ability to climb from the hot to the cool areas of the cage. That will let him go to the warmth when he needs it to digest but leave it when he's in danger of getting too hot.

You're going to get flack about the cricket food, but I'm not going to be the one giving it. In my mind, if you've fed the crickets well, that's a good thing. However, I do want to know what it is you are giving them.

I think you need to re-establish the dripper. Just because you don't see him drinking doesn't mean he's not. Spraying into the mouth is fraught with peril and has the added problem of "what do you do when you can't be there for a few days?". Make sure your dripper goes from leaf to leaf to leaf so he has multiple opportunities. Then just monitor the poop to make sure he's staying hydrated. Do NOT be concerned with not seeing him drink. I have one I've had for a year and a half. I've seen him drink 2 times.

 

[reptilover]

Are u using some kind water conditioner? Is your uvb bulb shinning through screen or glass? I noticed u said all glass with screen in front. Glass takes out most if not all UVB rays. Are u misting 2-3 times a day? Even if he doesnt drink It humidity spikes are good for his environment.
Supplements calcium without d3 daily and calci with d3 monthly?
Don't forget vit. A small doses every month or every other?
Gutloading crickets? Try 10-15 crickets a day with one or two worms a day or every other.

Or see If a vet if it gets worse or not better. Sooner always better

A picture may also be helpful.

 

[cody55]

hey my chameleon has been shedding since yesterday and is still shedding but is just on the screen cage just sitting there now doing nothing whats up with this

 

[DavidBuchan]

First thoughts would be if he really has been healthy all this time maybe he is just heading into his 'teenage' phase and isn't hungry today. But you mention other symptoms so it seems like there may be a problem. Here is a great all-round caresheet for veileds - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html
What was the problem with your dripper?
Here is a starter blog about gutloading, commercial gutloads are never as good as they say they are - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/ferretinmyshoes/446-basics-gutloading.html

I have to say the symptoms you describe do sound like mbd.........a few pics would really help to get to the bottom of this one.

HolyToledo mentioned sun - if you are in California and are lucky enough to have some sunshine right now then this is what is best of course

 

[DavidBuchan]

hey my chameleon has been shedding since yesterday and is still shedding but is just on the screen cage just sitting there now doing nothing whats up with this

Hello, welcome to the forum If you have any problem then posting a new thread would make it easier to reply to you. If you don't know how then you can send me a message by left clicking on my name.

 

[homozygousdominant]

Yes i will be posting pictures soon when I get the chance, I have 2 lights, basking lamp which is the hot bulb, and then a fluorescent bulb which is 75 watts i believe. He does have many spots he can climb down to when he is hot and there is a spot where he always sits at when he needs to get warm. Right now my dripper is broken so i'll have to go buy a new one.

 

[Captive Creations]

I am not sure what kind of tank you are describing is there any way that you could take a photo of him and a photo of his set up? That would be really helpful. When misting him be very careful not to spray in his mouth as it could enter his lungs. its better to drip it on his nose and let it run in. Are you using anything to clean the water before misting him. if you cant get anything to clean the water right away a good idea is to boil the water the night before and let is cool over night on the counter so it is room temp and you can use that. you could also try setting up a dripper and use it 3-4 times a day. Even if he isnt drinking it will get him use to it and he may come around to using it. its a much easier way to provide water. he should have 3-4 misting sessions. My chameleons drink from their drippers for between 3-5 minutes almost every misting.
You said " his poops are about 1 inch. -1.5 inches. we also need to know the color of its poop. "normal Poop" is brown fecal with a white urate at the end.
How do you measure his humidity and Temperatures?
There should be 2 measuring temp one on the top in its basking spot and the other at the bottom. they should have a temperature gradient.
You need to look at the gut loading link you were given as well the commercial
gut load is not a sufficient gut load for your cricket.
also your chameleon should be getting his cricket dust everyday with Calcium WithOUT D3. Twice a month alternate Calcium with D3 and a multivitamin I use rep- cal multivitamin and Zoo med Repti Calcium with and with out D# but their are a bunch of other out there.

Also Seeing a picture of the "spiral"bulb would help us find out what it is.

* It sounds to me like there could be more things not corrent with your husbandry and in order for us to help and find out whats causing this and fix it your chameleon is not going to get better, MBD is what is sounds like and is not something that you want to keep getting worse. His quality of life will depend on fast action. so its important that you fill out the entire form that I posted for you so we can help you get him back on track before he obtains permint damage . MBD is very scary and you chameleon could die from it.

I am not trying to scare you. I really only want to see you and your chameleon on track. and you being the best keeper you can be. if you fill out the form we can get you guys back on track

 

[Captive Creations]

Yes i will be posting pictures soon when I get the chance, I have 2 lights, basking lamp which is the hot bulb, and then a fluorescent bulb which is 75 watts i believe. He does have many spots he can climb down to when he is hot and there is a spot where he always sits at when he needs to get warm. Right now my dripper is broken so i'll have to go buy a new one.

For a dripper you can use any kind of bottle or cup that holds water and is plastic. just poke a small hole using a hot needle and fill it with water. Good temporary fix!
The other light has to be a UVB bulb does it have a company name on it like Retisun 5.0 or Repti Glow

 

[cody55]

my chameleon has been in good shape till yesterday he doesnt look bad he just was shedding yesterday and is still shedding today i woke up at 11 this morning and he was on the screen cage just sitting there hes only moved alittle whats up with this

 

[homozygousdominant]

oh and also, i have been feeding him mealworms ONLY for the past 4 days or so because I ran out of crickets, can feeding him mealworms too much maybe have done something to him?

 

[homozygousdominant]

and the uvb bulb, i just bought at the reptile store, some spiral bulb, i lost the box to it so I can't really tell what kind it is, but it had a little chameleon on the front of the box

 

[reptilover]

Sounds to me like step one pump up the D3 and UVB it sounds like were lacking. Act fast enough you can save a possible mbd case