Overweight Cham?

kinyonga said:
I'm not a vet so what I say comes from my experience and that of others, studies I've read and vets I've dealt with along the way, etc.

Generally...if a chameleon is eggbound giving her calcium won't likely fix things. If a chameleon is eggbound the usual solution is to have her spayed to save her life.

If she's around the time she should have laid sometimes a little extra calcium in liquid form can help or oxytocin given by a vet...but the timing has to be right. Also, calcium needs D3 in order to be absorbed and it also needs to be in balance with vitamin A and phos.

If calcium is given and the eggs are too big because she's eggbound it might be possible that it will cause an egg to rupture or something else to happen.

The most common reason for eggbinding seems to be over feeding and temperatures that are too high along with improper supplementing sometimes.

An X-ray could help the vet figure out if the chameleon has follicular stasis irs eggbound.
Click to expand...
That’s very helpful information, thank you. Unfortunately a vet exam is out of the question. I cannot afford it. Do you have any suggestions on what i should do? I just recently found out shes a female and i have been over feeding. she’s over a year old and has never laid but it’s clear to see she is carrying eggs. She has had the laying bin for a couple weeks and has not taken any interest in it.
 

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veiledmav said:
That’s very helpful information, thank you. Unfortunately a vet exam is out of the question. I cannot afford it. Do you have any suggestions on what i should do? I just recently found out shes a female and i have been over feeding. she’s over a year old and has never laid but it’s clear to see she is carrying eggs. She has had the laying bin for a couple weeks and has not taken any interest in it.
Click to expand...
I’m sorry to say this but if a vet is out of the question bc I can’t afford it. The best thing is to give her away for proper care to live a full life. U need a vet and many people have said this who have years of experience
 
veiledmav said:
That’s very helpful information, thank you. Unfortunately a vet exam is out of the question. I cannot afford it. Do you have any suggestions on what i should do? I just recently found out shes a female and i have been over feeding. she’s over a year old and has never laid but it’s clear to see she is carrying eggs. She has had the laying bin for a couple weeks and has not taken any interest in it.
Click to expand...
How deep is ur lay bin please make sure it’s 6-7 inches
 
kinyonga said:
I'm not a vet so what I say comes from my experience and that of others, studies I've read and vets I've dealt with along the way, etc.

Generally...if a chameleon is eggbound giving her calcium won't likely fix things. If a chameleon is eggbound the usual solution is to have her spayed to save her life.

If she's around the time she should have laid sometimes a little extra calcium in liquid form can help or oxytocin given by a vet...but the timing has to be right. Also, calcium needs D3 in order to be absorbed and it also needs to be in balance with vitamin A and phos.

If calcium is given and the eggs are too big because she's eggbound it might be possible that it will cause an egg to rupture or something else to happen.

The most common reason for eggbinding seems to be over feeding and temperatures that are too high along with improper supplementing sometimes.

An X-ray could help the vet figure out if the chameleon has follicular stasis irs eggbound.
Click to expand...
I spoke with my dad today. He told me that he is not taking the lizard to the vet until i try the liquid calcium first. I do not have my license yet, so i can’t take her myself and i told him that it was really necessary to take her to the vet asap, but he won’t do it until we try this. I’m aware that it is most likely not going to do anything, but i have to do it if it gives her a chance of a vet visit. Can you tell me how to administer the liquid calcium without causing her much more issues? I plan on buying the Arcadia 6% uvb, and i am currently not using a calcium powder that contains d3. Should i start using one so she can absorb the liquid calcium? And how can i give her other vitamins that she would need to go with it?

Again, i am not expecting this to work, but if i try this for like a week, then he agreed to a vet appointment.
 
Your chameleon will need D3 to go along with the calcium...sunlight is a good source. Not through glass though...and th need to be able to move out of the sun when they get too much.

The D3 can come from exposure to direct sunlight or from a supplement with D3 in it. Regarding D3....D3 produced from exposure to the UVB light or sunlight (not passing through glass) allows the chameleon to produce D3 it needs to absorb the calcium. It shouldn't overdose as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB at will. D3 from supplements is ready to go and can build up in the chameleon and cause health issues...especially if the vitamin A levels are off...so we only use it twice lightly in a month and let the chameleon get the rest of the D3 from its exposure to the UVB/sunlight.

Vitamin A comes in two forms...prEformed and prOformed. PrEformed comes from animal sources and will have names like retinol, retinyl, acetate, etc ...it is ready to go and can build up in the system and cause health issues.
PrOformed comes from plants and is carotenoid based...so beta carotene for example ...and it cannot overdose....but there is controversy as to whether chameleons can convert it or not.

Vitamin A and D3 are somewhat antagonistic to each other so they need to be in balance...so you have to be careful.

To give the calcium liquid, you need to be able to give it to the chameleon without getting it into the lungs...so put it far back in the throat/mouth. (The opening to the lungs is right at the front of the mouth.) You will need a syringe without a needle (or dropper like the ones people use to give liquid vitamin drops to a human). Do not squirt it hard into the mouth....ease it in a bit at a time giving the chameleon time to swallow in between. The liquid calcium is kind of syrupy so it's harder for them to deal with than water.

I hope I'm explaining it in a way that isn't too hard to understand. Maybe you can Sophie this to your Dad and he can help you?
 
veiledmav said:
I spoke with my dad today. He told me that he is not taking the lizard to the vet until i try the liquid calcium first. I do not have my license yet, so i can’t take her myself and i told him that it was really necessary to take her to the vet asap, but he won’t do it until we try this. I’m aware that it is most likely not going to do anything, but i have to do it if it gives her a chance of a vet visit. Can you tell me how to administer the liquid calcium without causing her much more issues? I plan on buying the Arcadia 6% uvb, and i am currently not using a calcium powder that contains d3. Should i start using one so she can absorb the liquid calcium? And how can i give her other vitamins that she would need to go with it?

Again, i am not expecting this to work, but if i try this for like a week, then he agreed to a vet appointment.
Click to expand...
If your dads worried bout vet cost you could save up by mowing neighbors lawns, bake sale, landscaping, selling toys and etc so then u could pay for it and he just has to take you
 
you could also garage sale, if ur dad lets you mine won’t but get paid for chores around house (sadly for me I just have to do that stuff, it’s crazy tho how lazy are gen is bc my neighbor who is same age gets paid 10$ per trash he takes out 😂) you could also sell books some used book stores buy books from people
 
@Josiah134 said...neighbor gets paid "10$ per trash he takes out"... You will be better off in the long run because sadly most of us have to work for a living and that kid will expect to do very little work for a lot of money....and where will he get a job like that?

I'm impressed by you!
 
kinyonga said:
Your chameleon will need D3 to go along with the calcium...sunlight is a good source. Not through glass though...and th need to be able to move out of the sun when they get too much.

The D3 can come from exposure to direct sunlight or from a supplement with D3 in it. Regarding D3....D3 produced from exposure to the UVB light or sunlight (not passing through glass) allows the chameleon to produce D3 it needs to absorb the calcium. It shouldn't overdose as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB at will. D3 from supplements is ready to go and can build up in the chameleon and cause health issues...especially if the vitamin A levels are off...so we only use it twice lightly in a month and let the chameleon get the rest of the D3 from its exposure to the UVB/sunlight.

Vitamin A comes in two forms...prEformed and prOformed. PrEformed comes from animal sources and will have names like retinol, retinyl, acetate, etc ...it is ready to go and can build up in the system and cause health issues.
PrOformed comes from plants and is carotenoid based...so beta carotene for example ...and it cannot overdose....but there is controversy as to whether chameleons can convert it or not.

Vitamin A and D3 are somewhat antagonistic to each other so they need to be in balance...so you have to be careful.

To give the calcium liquid, you need to be able to give it to the chameleon without getting it into the lungs...so put it far back in the throat/mouth. (The opening to the lungs is right at the front of the mouth.) You will need a syringe without a needle (or dropper like the ones people use to give liquid vitamin drops to a human). Do not squirt it hard into the mouth....ease it in a bit at a time giving the chameleon time to swallow in between. The liquid calcium is kind of syrupy so it's harder for them to deal with than water.

I hope I'm explaining it in a way that isn't too hard to understand. Maybe you can Sophie this to your Dad and he can help you?
Click to expand...
Will she have to eat a plant to get the vitamin a? That sounds like a dumb question lmao but i’m just a bit confused on that part. Her cage is on the small side and i don’t have the money to upgrade it quite yet, however i am applying for a job tomorrow and i can save for it. The smallest version of the Arcadia light that found won’t fit on the top of her enclosure so i’m not so sure how i’ll manage that yet. Thank you so much for the information. You’ve been very helpful :)
 
Josiah134 said:
If your dads worried bout vet cost you could save up by mowing neighbors lawns, bake sale, landscaping, selling toys and etc so then u could pay for it and he just has to take you
Click to expand...
These are all very good ideas, but i am applying for a job tomorrow, so fingers crossed i get it and i can provide a much better environment for my cham!
 
You said..."Will she have to eat a plant to get the vitamin a? That sounds like a dumb question lmao but i’m just a bit confused on that part"...no...look in the vitamin powder you're using it will tell you if beta carotene is in it likely.

You said..."Her cage is on the small side and i don’t have the money to upgrade it quite yet, however i am applying for a job tomorrow and i can save for it"...good luck!

You said..." The smallest version of the Arcadia light that found won’t fit on the top of her enclosure so i’m not so sure how i’ll manage that yet"...we can help you figure that out.

You said..."Thank you so much for the information. You’ve been very helpful"...no problem.
 
Last edited:
kinyonga said:
@Josiah134 said...neighbor gets paid "10$ per trash he takes out"... You will be better off in the long run because sadly most of us have to work for a living and that kid will expect to do very little work for a lot of money....and where will he get a job like that?

I'm impressed by you!
Click to expand...
Thankyou so much that means a lot to me because I work really hard and I feel like no One notices even next year when Im fourteen I’m applying for a job at Starbucks( one of the only places that hired fourteen year olds)so I can afford a car in the future
 
@veiledmav ....I hope your chameleon will be ok...
If it shows signs of decline (lethargy, sitting low in the cage, sleeping during the day, etc) post here right away.

Fingers crossed that you get the job...good on you for having the ambition to help your chameleon.
 
There are some great and experienced chameleon vets and there are some that haven’t a clue about them. Let’s make sure you get to a great vet. What part of Florida are you in?
 
kinyonga said:
You said..."Will she have to eat a plant to get the vitamin a? That sounds like a dumb question lmao but i’m just a bit confused on that part"...no...look in the vitamin powder you're using it will tell you if beta carotene is in it likely.

You said..."Her cage is on the small side and i don’t have the money to upgrade it quite yet, however i am applying for a job tomorrow and i can save for it"...good luck!

You said..." The smallest version of the Arcadia light that found won’t fit on the top of her enclosure so i’m not so sure how i’ll manage that yet"...we can help you figure that out.

You said..."Thank you so much for the information. You’ve been very helpful” ... no problem.
Click to expand...
It just occurred to me that i am not using a vitamin powder in the gutload for the crickets. Does spirulina contain vit a?
 
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