Please help me out here!

[Sarabeth71]

I am raising my first chameleon and I feel like I am failing completely! I know for a fact that I am supplementing him wrong so could someone please explain to me what exactly I should be doing? He is not doing well right now. He keeps falling out of his tree, and is clearly dehydrated. I just added a humidifier to the room to raise the humidity, but is there any other reason for him falling? Is that because of the dehydration or am I doing something else wrong too?!?
I researched chameleon care for over a year before I purchased one of my own and now I just feel out of my element, so please give me a break. I love my little guy very much!

 

[Djborx]

Have a look at this. Point number 4 is about food, but I recommend reading the lot.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/chameleons/
I know referring to links is boring, but I found this very helpful in the beginning.
You will also need to provide more details like age, what kind of chameleon, lighting, enclosure and such for the community to help you out.

 

[Sarabeth71]

Thank You! That link was helpful. Marshal Mittens is almost 8 months old. I have had him since he was 3 Months. He is a blue barred Ambilobe and he lives in a 2' X 2' X 4' mesh enclosure with a live tree and some fake vines. I feed him around 15 crickets a day (I've tried super worms but he wouldn't touch them), which I gutload with a bug burger that I make myself. I'm embarrassed, but I don't remember the light bulb I have! I know that one has UVB and the other is a 75 watt Repti Basking Spot Lamp.

 

[Leslie11]

Supplements

Are you gutloading your feeders with nutritious veggies and fruit? I dust my feeders that I am feeding every day with Calcium without D3. I give them a multivitamin 2x a month, and Calcium WITH D3 2x a month.
You can put a plant in the shower, sit him on it and bounce room temp water off the wall for about 30 mins. Helps hydrate.

 

[Sarabeth71]

I haven't been gut loading with fruits and veggies since I have been using Repashy bug burger mix. Should I use the fruits and veggies in addition or alternately? Also, I have heard about the shower idea, but my little guy does not love me too much and really hates being handled so I wasn't sure if moving him might stress him out too much. I try to hand feed him to build trust, but I've mostly just accepted that he isn't the sociable type.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

Hello, sorry to hear about your little guy. We will try and get his health figured out. First, please post your chams info. There is a form at the top of the health forum, it is one of the first couple posts and it is called how to ask for help. Fill it out as completely as possible and then post your answers. We can then better answer your questions.

Of the bat, falling could be related to MBD, which would be the result of improper supplementation. We wont know tho until you fill out the questionaire. Bug burger is a good store-bought gutload. much better than some of the other. It can never hurt to add fruits and veggis

 

[laurahlove]

Are you dusting your feeders? He could be getting MBD.

 

[Lathis]

First off, I'm really sorry you are having issues with your cham. I love my little guy with all my heart, so I understand your stress.

Secondly, Marshall Mittens is the cutest name for a chameleon that has ever happened.

A few folks above have mentioned the possibility of MBD. Based on the limited information you have given so far, it sounds like you are probably doing some things right and maybe other things not quite right.

1.
For gutloading, the Bug Burger is good to use. It is generally recommended to also provide fresh veggies to make sure that the insects' nutrition is well rounded. I used BB plus turnip greens, apple cores, green pepper cores, and little bits of other things we eat around the house. Its easy to start saving scraps once you get in the habit.

2.
Gutloading is absolutely critical, so you are on the right path there. You also must provide supplements in powders. You have not mentioned any supplements, so my apologies if this is something you are already doing. You will need at least two different products: a plain calcium with no D3 and no phosphorus (http://www.amazon.com/Repashy-Super...14533895&sr=8-1&keywords=Repashy+SuperCal+NoD) and a multivitamin with D3 (http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Repti...UTF8&qid=1414533924&sr=8-1&keywords=reptivite).

3.
It sounds like you have had him for about 6 months? UVB bulbs do slowly go bad with time and need to be replaced. 6 months is the generally recommended schedule for people without a device to measure the UV output. It is probably time to replace his bulb.

4.
You are worried about him being dehydrated. Have you tried extra long mistings or dripping water on his nose to stimulate drinking? Can you run a dripper so he has access to water for several hours at a time? You can get a Little Dripper (http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Labs-...qid=1414534065&sr=8-1&keywords=little+dripper) at most local Pet Stores or you can make one yourself. The trick is to get about 1 drip a second and position the water so that it splashes on a vine where he can sit under it.

Someone else already posted this, but the caresheet is an excellent resource of the all the basics. There is a lot of misleading and wrong information on the internet and pet stores often give out really bad advice. Read through the caresheet and see if you are on track.

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

Also, so we can help you better, can you copy and paste this form and fill in all the information you can?

https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

Pictures are also really important. Try to get a good photo from the side showing how your chameleon's arms and legs bend.

 

[carol5208]

If you never used calcium, that could result in your chameleon having the problems you are describing. As the others have requested, fill out the form so we can try and help you figure out what is going on. If you post some pics of him, we can tell you if he has MBD or not. Also a pic of the enclosure would be helpful also. Lastly, it is important that you are using the correct lighting. So look at the bulb and tell us what it says. UVB bulbs need to be changed out about every 5-6 months or so incase you are not aware.

 

[Juliaf3]

I have nothing to add. You have some very experienced and respected owners giving you very sound advice. Take it

 

[Sarabeth71]

Your Chameleon -Ambilobe, Male, 8 months. I've had him for about six months.
Handling - I rarely ever handle him. I did quite a bit at first but it stressed him out so I try to just let him be.
Feeding - I feed him around 15 crickets a day. I gutload them with a bugburger.
Supplements - I use ZooMed calcium with D3 and recently got one without. I dont have a multivitamin yet as I'm waiting for the local store to ship them in.
Watering - I spray his cage at least twice a day with warm water for around 20-30 seconds. I see him drink sometimes, but often I have to get the water on him before he will drink it.
Fecal Description - My chameleon has never been tested for parasites because the nearest herp vet is an hours drive away from me. His droppings have recently been more yellow (hence the attempt to raise humidity)
History - Marshal is pretty relaxed except for when people get hands near him. I am the only person who holds him. I got him when he was 3 months old and during the summer, I would try to give him "outside play time" so he could bask in the real sunlight. Now it's snowing so he's stuck indoors

Cage Info:
Cage Type -Screen Cage that is 2X2X4
Lighting - I have a ZooMed bulb and a basking lamp. I have his lights set on a timer for 12 hours on and 12 hours off.
Temperature - During the day his basking spot is around 85 F and the bottom of the cage is around 70 F. Overnight it drops to around 65 F.
Humidity - My humidity is a little low, probably around 45% most of the time. I have been increasing my misting and I do have a dripper in his cage.
Plants - I am using a live palm. I cant remember the exact type but I know that it is cham friendly and I have some fake vines for him to crawl on.
Placement - my cage is at floor level and is not near any vents or windows
Location - Maine

 

[Sarabeth71]

These are some current pictures of him and a weird poop he had a few days ago. Sorry the photos arent that great. He's not very photogenic