Odd Behavior from my Veiled Cham. - Please Help!

S

scyrusurcys

New Member
I have a 4mo. old Veiled cham that is shedding. He has been shedding for about 2 days now and is ~90% finished with the process. My concern is that he hasn't been eating since he started shedding and he also crawls on his stomach about 75% of the time when he's roaming around in his vines.

Another thing is that he sometimes stops using his rear legs for grasping anything when he's crawling or sitting still. If I position my hand to pick him up, however, he'll use them. Is this just part of the shedding process?

Thanks, guys.
 
Has this behavior only surfaced in the last 2 days, during the shed?
What is your supplement schedule?
Do you provide adequate UVB lighting?

-Brad
 
Shedding...

What is the 10% that has not shed yet? Is it his legs? If so, they may be uncomfortable from the unshed skin. Chams that have dry shed on their legs or head won't move or eat as well until the shed is gone. Chams will usually rub the parts of their body that are shedding against things to help the shed come off. Can you give him a warm shower to help with the remaining shed? The process of getting wet and then drying a few times can help get the unshed skin off.
 
Brad Ramsey said:
Has this behavior only surfaced in the last 2 days, during the shed?
What is your supplement schedule?
Do you provide adequate UVB lighting?

-Brad
Click to expand...

Yes. He was acting and eating very healthy before this happened. For the first week I had him, I dusted 4-6 small crickets in T-Rex Chameleon Dust and fed them to my cham - which he ate with ease. The next week (last week), he was given large crickets (without dust) and ate 3-4 of them within a 3 day period. After that, he stopped eating and started shedding.

As for the bulb, I have a 75W R-Zilla Day White Light incandescent. I asked the Asst. Manager at the Pet Depot I bought it from if it would radiate UV light and he told me that it would be a great bulb for a chameleon. Was he wrong?

PardalisGirl said:
What is the 10% that has not shed yet? Is it his legs? If so, they may be uncomfortable from the unshed skin. Chams that have dry shed on their legs or head won't move or eat as well until the shed is gone. Chams will usually rub the parts of their body that are shedding against things to help the shed come off. Can you give him a warm shower to help with the remaining shed? The process of getting wet and then drying a few times can help get the unshed skin off.
Click to expand...

I did the favor of peeling the skin from his feet that was still partially attached (mainly held on by his claws). The other few % is on his "lips" and the very tip of his tail. I'll try giving him a nice warm mist bath and see if he perks up any.
 
That bulb has no UVB whatsoever. Petstores are so often clueless. You need to get a ZOOMED REPTISUN 5.0 TUBE flourescent light ASAP. Not using his backlegs could mean MBD from lack of UVB. How long have you had him?
 
I would also be careful with peeling off shedding skin-that can be very painful for them. It would be better to mist them a bit and let them do it themselves.
 
I would get him to a vet ASAP to get a proper diagnosis.
We can only speculate in most cases.

You said..."he also crawls on his stomach about 75% of the time when he's roaming around in his vines"...not able to lift its body off the branch or floor can be a sign of MBD.

You said..."he sometimes stops using his rear legs for grasping anything when he's crawling or sitting still. If I position my hand to pick him up, however, he'll use them"...this could also be a sign of MBD...or constipation/impaction.

You said..."T-Rex Chameleon Dust "...what does this contain in the way of phos., calcium, D3 and vitamin A?
 
I agree with what has been speculated so far.

In a MBD case fiberoids could have developed causing a pinched nerve or just limited rotation. Possible that he has a broke bone.

Constipation/impaction can cause a pinched nerve in some cases.

Another possability is that he fell. Could have landed awardly or he could have been in a weakened state if MBD existed. Pinched nerve, broken bone, something dislocated.

None of these are really good possabilities. A vet is in order in this case. An x-ray will probably be necessary, not something you can do at the house. I would suggest that you keep reviewing your care, set-up, and equipment here.
 
kinyonga said:
You said..."T-Rex Chameleon Dust "...what does this contain in the way of phos., calcium, D3 and vitamin A?
Click to expand...

The ingredients are as follows (straight from the label):
Net Weight 50 Grams (1.75 oz.)

Crude protein, min 25%
Crude fat, min 1.5%
Crude fiber, max 3%
Moisture, max 8%
Ash, max 8%
Calcium, min 14%
Calcium, max 16%
Vitamin A Acetate 20,000 IU/kilo
Vitamin D-3, min 4,000 IU/kilo

No phosphorus - I made sure of that before I bought it.

I just installed a Repti-Sun 5.0 18" lamp ontop of his cage, so maybe this will get him to being more active, assuming the shedding process was what made him seem so down and lethargic.
 
Good news about the UVB lamp-they are essential to chameleon health. Good luck with the little guy and keep us posted-I agree that you are at a point where a Vet should see him.
 
If in fact MBD is the culprit (which I suspected but want more info before speculating) it's very likely that he will need some extra calcium that the vet will be able to prescribe.
As stated by others, he needs to have a vet visit. Shedding alone should not cause the symptoms you are describing.
Glad you got the 5.0!!! but, that doesn't necessarily fix everything, at this point he may need that big dose of Calcium.

-Brad
 
I'm going to get him to a vet as soon as I possibly can. He is very weak and lethargic, still - I found him stuck on the soil of his plant this morning when I woke up. When I put him on a low limb, I found that his coordination of grasping is somewhat dazed. He will grab his own front legs with his rear feet and he can easily lose his grip when perched.

About the UVB - I know this will not cure his ailment immediately nor completely, but exactly how much does it help towards calcium production? 25% daily value? 50%?

One last thing - I'm not saying that I won't get him to a vet, but I am just curious as to how an at-home treatment for MBD would be accomplished. What exactly will the vet do to treat him? Is it as simple as a high dose of calcium? And how long (or how many visits) will it take to complete the treatment?

Thanks guys, you have been awesome at helping me with everything.
 
The UVB light allows the animal to produce vitamin D3 which is the catalyst that enables Calcium to be effective.
SUPER important at all stages of life, but particularly in the first year when growth and development is happening at a very fast rate.

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/lights-and-lighting.html

We also supplement as an insurance policy...to make sure the animal is getting everything he needs for good growth. D3 is occasionally part of this.

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/supplements.html

You may only have to go to the vet only one time. You may be able to administer subsequent calcium doses yourself.

This cannot wait any longer. Today is almost too late...tomorrow will be worse...and so on.

-Brad
 
Life or Death..........

Brad is not kidding about the seriousness of the issue. The behavior you are now describing shows that your cham is teetering on the brink. Get the proper lighting today but also get to the vet TODAY. Tell them it is a life or death emergency so they squeeze you into the schedule....because it is. You can not handle this yourself. His life depends on you getting to the vet. His only chance is to get a calcium injection and the liquid calcium that the vet will give you. PLEASE get to the vet.....
 
I have more news, but it's not in favor of our situation. Appearantly, the only 2 vets that accept chameleons in my area will not take him because they're too busy. I told them that he looks as if he could die within the next couple of days but the best they could do was reference me to a vet that's over 2 hours away. Well, I gave them a call and I was told that the earliest they could see him would be on Monday of next week. I honestly don't think he'll make it that long with the way he's been acting.

Unfortunately, I may end up using the 15-day warranty I was given at Pet Depot if he dies within the next 2 days. :(

I guess I'm finding out the hard way that raising a chameleon is harder work than it seems.
 
If it were me, I would just go to the vet.
With or without an appointment, and wait until someone saw me.
You spoke with a receptionist....the actual vet needs to see the animal and asses the emergency.
Place him in a small box with a towel to grip onto and keep him warm.
Once you are there make your presence known and just wait.
I bet your chameleon will be seen today.

-Brad
 
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