Stressed Veiled Chameleon?

[Quack]

I have a veiled chameleon he has a cage that is 3' long x 1 1/2' wide x 4 1/2' tall. He's been in there for 4 months, and this past 2 weeks or so he's been really stressed out. He has a temperature gradient of 93-108F at the basking spot, 80-85F at the top, and 72-75F at the bottom. Humidity is 60-80%. Here are pictures of the set up(bottom and top) and him.

 

[ghettomike]

108 degrees is way too hot. low 90's is the hottest spot for a veiled in my opinion an the humidity may be a bit high for him as well if it stays that high. I like how you used an old countertop for your cage and it even has a sink for built in drainage, thats awesome.

 

[Thompson]

He probably would like a few more plants for coverage. I agree lower the temps to like 75f-80f and have the basking spot temp for him at 85-90 degrees. The humidity is fine just as long it only goes to 80% when you spray his cage and goes back down to 60%.

 

[justjumpit621]

What do you supplement with? It looks like he has MBD.

 

[beeze]

He's way too hot for one thing. Keep that basking spot at 89 or 90. If you will fill out this Ask For Help info all the members here will help you to see what's going on with your guy.

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

 

[Quack]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon unknown age (he was from a pet store, someone brought him in) I've had him for almost 1 1/2 years(Dec. 8 2008)
Handling - Only to clean his cage it stresses him out.
Feeding - I feed him crickets, mealworms, superworms, dubia roaches, and waxworms on occasion. 8-10 feeders, depending on size. every day - every other day. I feed the feeders commercial gut load, potatoes, dark leafy greens, and oranges for the dubia.
Supplements - For calcium, I use Jurassipet calcium with D3 and for vitamins, I use Reptivite vitamins
Watering - I mist with a garden mister 2-4 times a day and I've seen him drinking out of the waterfall I have for him.
Fecal Description - Brown, yellow, and white. I haven't seen fresh fecal matter because he usually goes while I'm at school at the basking site and the light dries it out. No he has never been tested for parasites.
History - None.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - A combo of glass, screen, and wood. It's dimensions are: 36" long x 18" wide x 54" tall.
Lighting - I have 2 Reptiglow 5.0 compact florescent bulbs, and 1 100 W softwhite floodlight. 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night
Temperature - 93-108F basking, 80-85 cage top, and 72-75 cage bottom. Lowest overnight temp is 70. I measure temps with a zilla digital thermometer/hygrometer.
Humidity - 60%-80% I mist with a garden mister and there's a waterfall in the tank. I measure humidity with a zilla digital thermometer/hygrometer.
Plants - I'm using Swedish Ivy which I'm trying to grow and silk plants.
Placement - My cage is in my living room but he doesn't seem to notice anyone. The top of the cage is roughly 7' off of the floor.
Location - I'm in southwest Ohio.

Current Problem
My chameleon is very stressed and possibly has MBD

 

[kinyonga]

I don't see any apparent signs of MBD...but IMHO you are oversupplementing with D3 and vitamin A...which, from what I have read, may be balancing each other out in a way, but might be causing organ damage. I'm not a vet though and you really need to have tests done to be sure.

What is in your commercial gutload in the way of phos., calcium, D3 and prEformed vitamin A?

You are using compact UVB's and a lot of them can cause problems too.

As has already been said over and over....the temperatures in the cage are too high.

I'm not sure, but I think the ivy may be toxic too. Anybody else know???

Waterfalls can be "bacteria factories" if not kept very clean.

 

[beeze]

Get some calcium without d3 to use at every other feeding. Only feed every other day. Only use d3 twice a month and multi vitamins once a month.

Waterfalls harbor bacteria and it's best to use a dripper and misting for water.

Compact florescent bulbs are not recommended and can cause eye problems that lead to blindness. One long tube 5.0 is all you need.

For basking use a household bulb, try a 40 or 60 watt and try to get his temps down. You are keeping him way to hot. All screen cages are recommended, glass heats up fast.

Do you have a local reptile vet? A visit at this time would be recommended.

 

[FFSTRescue]

Adult onset MBD usually begins with neurologic signs, such as twitching and muscle tremors, which can't be picked up in a photo. So if you see symptoms that seem to involve the nervous system, contact a vet for diagnosis.

 

[BillH]

I'm not sure, but I think the ivy may be toxic too. Anybody else know???

SWEDISH IVY (Plectranthus nummularius - often sold as Plectranthus australis)
is on the safe plant list

 

[justjumpit621]

I thought he might have or had MBD at one point because of his very round casque. Here is a check list I posted for someone else when they got their veiled chameleon, you probably have some of the stuff already.

- UVB light fixture, you can get a cheap one at walmart.
- Reptisun 5.0 UVB linear tube. This is the #1 recommended UVB light to use, it is the only one to be proven safe.
- Pothos, you can find them practically anywhere now.
-Vines, fake or real. I am fortunate enough to have wild grape vines around my house.
- Phosphorus free/ D3 free calcium, recommended brands are repcal or zoo med repticalcium.
- Calcium with D3, also recommend repcal or zoo med repticalcium.
- A multivitamin/mineral supplement, recommended brand herptivite.
- You will have to ask about the supplementing schedule for babies but an adult will need Calcium w/o D3 every other day (every feeding), Calcium w/ D3 twice a month, and multvitamin once a month.
- Cover the water bowl with screen so the cham can't drink out of it, and cover the substrate with screen also as a precaution.
- A spray bottle for misting around 5 times a day.
- Reptile Water purifier drops
- Small crickets! Do not feed mealworms! You can also try phoenix worms for a variety.
- Gutload. A powdered gutload such as cricket crack is good, but fresh veggies such as carrots, dandilion greens, collard greens, pears, apples, bananas, and some other safe foods are a must. Whatever you can get. You have to gutload your feeders the day before feeding so they are packed full of nutrients.