Bunke
New Member
Hello everyone! Excuse my grammar from time to time, i'm not from a english speaking country.
First of all I just want to make clear that there's alot worse cases and there's people who have put alot more affort in sick chams than I have. This is just the our story!
Sheldon is a panther chameleon of the specie Diego Suarez, He's about 8 months old and he's been in my care for about 6-7 months.
As many of you who have been reading me earlier threads knows that Sheldon got sick a couple months ago and I/we had a hard time to figure out what it was and what to do. This is our story!
I've always been having reptiles since I was little, but never a chameleon. One day I came over one while browsing Youtube, and I got caught the same moment I first saw it, so gorgeous, so colorful, so beautiful! I checked more videos asap and then I was hooked. I started to google around where you could get one in Sweden, if they even exist here. I found a reptile shop in Malmö,Sweden called 'Tropikhuset' which means 'The Tropical House' and I made my way for it asap! When I went their to look for a chameleon the owner showed me those new hatched babys about a month old, and they caught my hearth! I went home and could't get those small creatures of my mind! I keept google about chameleons, I red all about care taking, went through all kind of blogs , forums and sites. I understood quickly they are harder to keep for than most reptiles and need more time, so I wanted everything to be perfect. I searched and worked hard to get everything right, even the smallest detail.
I decided to build the first cage myself, and I did. In Sweden we dont got those big market places like WallMart or HomeDepot where you can, as I have understood it, get eveything you like. We got those big hardware stores but they don't got all this stuff as you guys do over the Atlantic. So I went to hell and back just to get the perfect screen I wanted and all the other stuff. So I built the cage and ordered all the calcium powder, vit's,lights and got all the live plants I needed for the cage, and BAAM it was ready for my little guy. I was so prepared as you can be and I got everything fixed, all I needed now was a chameleon.
http://i.imgur.com/RcyJD.jpg - This is Sheldon when I first got him.
When I got him home for the first time I was so happy and exited! I was worried all the time while I was working, if he had eaten anything of the feeders I had given him this morning, have he been drinking etc. most of you know the feeling. He got used to me really fast and enjoyed to come out of the cage and climb on me, and I got very attached to him. He grew fast and I was still amazed by him. When he had grow bigger I decied to order a repti breeze from the US cause you can't find that cage around here, only glass terrariums, so I ordered a XXL cage for him and so just so exited to get it.
I moved him over into his new 'crib' and I thought it looked awesome, and Sheldon liked all the space to move around. He lived in his new cage for about 2 weeks, then it started to happend.
I noticed he grabbed his own leg one time when he was turning around on a stick, then one more time, one more, one more. I knew something was wrong. So I made a thread here and asked and beg that the knowledge of our members could help me. Some high experienced members looked over my care sheet and said it all looked perfect expect the gutloading, it was not bad but could be better so that was most likely not the case here. I keept searching and trying to understand what it could be, everyhing said it was MBD, but he had no other signs than the grabbing and he got all the supplement he needed. The days went by and he seem to get better, but one day he crashed onto the cage floor...
I happened to be in the room at that time and I turned around to see what it was and I him saw on the floor kinda spasming holding his legs and biting and ripping the end of his tail. I have never felt so helpless in my whole life, I just stood there stunned and felt the tears comming, it totally broke my hearth.
When I could open the cage and was going to reach for him he managed to climb up again, fast as lightning. I was still chocked about what had happened. He fell a few more times that day and I decided to call the vet first thing in the morning. I barley sleept that night and was still worried when I waked up. I called the vet and got an appointment the same day.
At the vet I explained what had happened and how my care sheet looked and she thought is was strange too. They checked him for parasites and gave him two shoots, one vit and one calcium. They gave me a bottle with fluid calcium and showed and told me how to give it. To give him the fluid was easier said than done, everytime I came close with it he went bananas and hissed and snapped at me. So I went to you guys and one memeber gave me the idea to try to inject it into the feeders, so I did. Not the easiest thing to do when the crickets was so small, but I managed to do it. I did everything I could to help him at this moment, I cared for him all the days, was present most of the time be able to help him up again if he locked him self with his legs and was about to fall, I got him a new hood and new uvb lights just to make sure he could get as much as possible, putted towels all over the cage floor and all over the pots, if he fell, which he did, he would land soft. I made sure he ate and drinked alot, if he refused food at the moment I waited then tried again. I went all over the internet and see if I could find anything that would help to improve him, but I didn't.
http://i.imgur.com/Aprcukq.jpg- This is him when he was as worst, no clear signs of MBD.
Sheldon keept falling and I got sick of it, I was so worried all the time and could't stop thinking about it, I considered to do the horrible thing and end his suffering. I had this thought many times, but I didn't gave up on him, after all I still loved him and he still liked to crawl up on me. He wasn't getting any better , but still not worse either. After a about a month with this treatment he just stayed still in one spot all the day long, I was really worried now. He barley moved at all, only when I puted food infront of him he raised, took it, and laid down on the branch again. He did this for about two weeks and I had almost given up all hope. But suddenly one day something strange happened...
Sheldon started to move again! And just this little sign gave me new hope. He ran around all over the cage and ate like a maniac!! I was stunned! He was still abit shaky from time to time, but still alot better! I felt alot better and even I was back on track again. Sheldon keept going stronger and better and better by the time and today he's back to normal again!! If I look back 4 months from now I could't belive this would be true.
When he first bited his tail it was crocked and turned black and I thought he was going to lose his tip of his tail but i'm happy to tell you it looks good today!
http://i.imgur.com/29dwfEQ.jpg - This is the tail today, looking good.
http://i.imgur.com/Mccttbj.jpg - This is Sheldon today, not as colourful as other species, but still beautiful to me!
I want to thank everyone who have helped me through this and giving me hope that he would make it to the better and not giving up on him, thank you, you are awesome.
One comment that have helped alot, and I would like to share to all other who are struggling with their chams health- Your chameleon is having the best medicine he can get, a dedicated owner!
I can't remember you name, but thank you!
Thank you for taking your time to read this, it feels good for me to write this down.
Thank you, this is our story!
First of all I just want to make clear that there's alot worse cases and there's people who have put alot more affort in sick chams than I have. This is just the our story!
Sheldon is a panther chameleon of the specie Diego Suarez, He's about 8 months old and he's been in my care for about 6-7 months.
As many of you who have been reading me earlier threads knows that Sheldon got sick a couple months ago and I/we had a hard time to figure out what it was and what to do. This is our story!
I've always been having reptiles since I was little, but never a chameleon. One day I came over one while browsing Youtube, and I got caught the same moment I first saw it, so gorgeous, so colorful, so beautiful! I checked more videos asap and then I was hooked. I started to google around where you could get one in Sweden, if they even exist here. I found a reptile shop in Malmö,Sweden called 'Tropikhuset' which means 'The Tropical House' and I made my way for it asap! When I went their to look for a chameleon the owner showed me those new hatched babys about a month old, and they caught my hearth! I went home and could't get those small creatures of my mind! I keept google about chameleons, I red all about care taking, went through all kind of blogs , forums and sites. I understood quickly they are harder to keep for than most reptiles and need more time, so I wanted everything to be perfect. I searched and worked hard to get everything right, even the smallest detail.
I decided to build the first cage myself, and I did. In Sweden we dont got those big market places like WallMart or HomeDepot where you can, as I have understood it, get eveything you like. We got those big hardware stores but they don't got all this stuff as you guys do over the Atlantic. So I went to hell and back just to get the perfect screen I wanted and all the other stuff. So I built the cage and ordered all the calcium powder, vit's,lights and got all the live plants I needed for the cage, and BAAM it was ready for my little guy. I was so prepared as you can be and I got everything fixed, all I needed now was a chameleon.
http://i.imgur.com/RcyJD.jpg - This is Sheldon when I first got him.
When I got him home for the first time I was so happy and exited! I was worried all the time while I was working, if he had eaten anything of the feeders I had given him this morning, have he been drinking etc. most of you know the feeling. He got used to me really fast and enjoyed to come out of the cage and climb on me, and I got very attached to him. He grew fast and I was still amazed by him. When he had grow bigger I decied to order a repti breeze from the US cause you can't find that cage around here, only glass terrariums, so I ordered a XXL cage for him and so just so exited to get it.
I moved him over into his new 'crib' and I thought it looked awesome, and Sheldon liked all the space to move around. He lived in his new cage for about 2 weeks, then it started to happend.
I noticed he grabbed his own leg one time when he was turning around on a stick, then one more time, one more, one more. I knew something was wrong. So I made a thread here and asked and beg that the knowledge of our members could help me. Some high experienced members looked over my care sheet and said it all looked perfect expect the gutloading, it was not bad but could be better so that was most likely not the case here. I keept searching and trying to understand what it could be, everyhing said it was MBD, but he had no other signs than the grabbing and he got all the supplement he needed. The days went by and he seem to get better, but one day he crashed onto the cage floor...
I happened to be in the room at that time and I turned around to see what it was and I him saw on the floor kinda spasming holding his legs and biting and ripping the end of his tail. I have never felt so helpless in my whole life, I just stood there stunned and felt the tears comming, it totally broke my hearth.
When I could open the cage and was going to reach for him he managed to climb up again, fast as lightning. I was still chocked about what had happened. He fell a few more times that day and I decided to call the vet first thing in the morning. I barley sleept that night and was still worried when I waked up. I called the vet and got an appointment the same day.
At the vet I explained what had happened and how my care sheet looked and she thought is was strange too. They checked him for parasites and gave him two shoots, one vit and one calcium. They gave me a bottle with fluid calcium and showed and told me how to give it. To give him the fluid was easier said than done, everytime I came close with it he went bananas and hissed and snapped at me. So I went to you guys and one memeber gave me the idea to try to inject it into the feeders, so I did. Not the easiest thing to do when the crickets was so small, but I managed to do it. I did everything I could to help him at this moment, I cared for him all the days, was present most of the time be able to help him up again if he locked him self with his legs and was about to fall, I got him a new hood and new uvb lights just to make sure he could get as much as possible, putted towels all over the cage floor and all over the pots, if he fell, which he did, he would land soft. I made sure he ate and drinked alot, if he refused food at the moment I waited then tried again. I went all over the internet and see if I could find anything that would help to improve him, but I didn't.
http://i.imgur.com/Aprcukq.jpg- This is him when he was as worst, no clear signs of MBD.
Sheldon keept falling and I got sick of it, I was so worried all the time and could't stop thinking about it, I considered to do the horrible thing and end his suffering. I had this thought many times, but I didn't gave up on him, after all I still loved him and he still liked to crawl up on me. He wasn't getting any better , but still not worse either. After a about a month with this treatment he just stayed still in one spot all the day long, I was really worried now. He barley moved at all, only when I puted food infront of him he raised, took it, and laid down on the branch again. He did this for about two weeks and I had almost given up all hope. But suddenly one day something strange happened...
Sheldon started to move again! And just this little sign gave me new hope. He ran around all over the cage and ate like a maniac!! I was stunned! He was still abit shaky from time to time, but still alot better! I felt alot better and even I was back on track again. Sheldon keept going stronger and better and better by the time and today he's back to normal again!! If I look back 4 months from now I could't belive this would be true.
When he first bited his tail it was crocked and turned black and I thought he was going to lose his tip of his tail but i'm happy to tell you it looks good today!
http://i.imgur.com/29dwfEQ.jpg - This is the tail today, looking good.
http://i.imgur.com/Mccttbj.jpg - This is Sheldon today, not as colourful as other species, but still beautiful to me!
I want to thank everyone who have helped me through this and giving me hope that he would make it to the better and not giving up on him, thank you, you are awesome.
One comment that have helped alot, and I would like to share to all other who are struggling with their chams health- Your chameleon is having the best medicine he can get, a dedicated owner!
I can't remember you name, but thank you!
Thank you for taking your time to read this, it feels good for me to write this down.
Thank you, this is our story!
