Update. Where to go from here

[Cheekyreagan]

So I've had my guy for a little under two months. I got him from an uneducated owner. He was not given enough crickets, water, or right supplements. I have him on the right track, fixed his cage (ordered a bigger one today) and it seems to be going fine. When i first got him he was always black or brown. Now he is always lime green. He moves around in his cage a lot. My favorite milestone: he used to barely eat. I was worried. Now he sees me and comes right to the door, turns bright green/yellow and eats all the crickets i offer right out of my hand. The problem is he is so skinny. His little legs look like toothpicks and his body seems frail. I've been giving him about 15 crickets a day trying to get his body weight up. Most recently feeding 2-3 wax worms in an attempt for him to gain weight. nothing is working. he seems happy. just so frail. The other thing that concerns me is i was told he was at least 6 months old. But from what I've seen on here he looks like the size of a 4/5 month old. Advice???? I will post pics below

 

[Cheekyreagan]

Here he is

 

[Decadancin]

I haven't seen anyone say anything about a vet visit yet. I would have a fecal done just to rule parasites out, but more importantly it looks like there may be some broken bones in his legs. (At least from that last picture.) I'd want some x-rays done to be sure.

 

[Nursemaia]

I agree. Looks like there might be some MBD going on

 

[PJK]

I haven't seen anyone say anything about a vet visit yet. I would have a fecal done just to rule parasites out, but more importantly it looks like there may be some broken bones in his legs. (At least from that last picture.) I'd want some x-rays done to be sure.

oooof sorry bout that ass kicking last night. I was rooting for them against the evil pats.

 

[Theveiled]

I also agree with the mbd and make sure you are misting him for minutes at a time. He looks dehydrated to me.

 

[Theveiled]

I would also try feeding wax and butter worms. They are very fatty and will help get weight on him
Edit: I see you are feeding some wax, but maybe add some butterworms? Hornworms will also help with his hydration.

 

[Cheekyreagan]

should I be misting him directly or just his cage? He gets very upset at me if they water sprays him. He doesn't have any broken bones. His legs are all nice and straight. How would you treat mbd without a vet?

 

[Theveiled]

should I be misting him directly or just his cage? He gets very upset at me if they water sprays him. He doesn't have any broken bones. His legs are all nice and straight. How would you treat mbd without a vet?

Mist the cage completely and if it lands on him that is perfectly fine! You want to mist throughly as some take minutes to start drinking (like mine)

 

[Theveiled]

As for the mbd, I dont have experience treating it, so others will have to chime in

 

[ZacharyLeesWife]

I agree with @Decadancin I definitely see the classic MBD legs, I circled the areas that I can see the bends for you. He needs a ton of calcium. He's also pretty dry, but that's already been mentioned as well. BSFL are super high on calcium, Hornworms will help with hydration, wax or butter worms are nice and fatty for putting some weight on him. And be sure he doesn't eat anything without plain calcium dust. He needs showers, it might upset him but hydration is critical. BUT unfortunately these are all home care, he needs to see a vet for scans. They can also prescribe liquid calcium which in my opinion is crucial at the state he's in.

 

[Cheekyreagan]

So what should my plan of action be if I cannot afford vet bills?

 

[ZacharyLeesWife]

Calcium, healthy calories, and hydration. The feeders that I mentioned above are the way to go, also add in silkworms if you can. Dubai are a good option as well, but I would try to keep the chitin in hard shelled bugs to a minimum because they are more difficult to digest. I think the BSFL is the best feeder for him by the look of him. Dust everything! Regular warm showers, aim the water at the wall so he's under the indirect drops. Good luck with him. We're always here for advice, you came to the right place!

 

[Decadancin]

oooof sorry bout that ass kicking last night. I was rooting for them against the evil pats.

Tough to win if you can't score more than a few field goals in the post-season...

 

[kinyonga]

A vet can test your chameleon to determine the levels of calcium but it looks like your chameleon has a mild case of MBD.

To correct MBD you need to provide extra calcium until the calcium, D3, phosphorous and vitamin A levels are back in balance and the bones are strong again. Calcium sandoz or calcium gluconate can be used to bring the calcium levels up more quickly.

After the balance is back, you have to keep those supplements in balance so it won't return.
Calcium is needed for strong bones and for muscle contractions and other things in the chameleon's system. It's recommended that you dust the insects at most feeding with a good phosphorus-free calcium powder.

D3is needed so the chameleon can use the calcium in its system. D3 produced by the body from exposure to the sun or a proper UVB light will allow the chameleon to make the D3 needed for this without overdosing the chameleon as long as the chameleon can move from the light to the shade. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to an overdose so we recommend that you only dust twice a month with a phosphorus-free calcium\D3 powder and leave the chameleon to get the rest from its exposure to the light..

Vitamin A from prOformed sources such as beta carotene will not build up in the system so it's recommended that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder with prOformed source of vitamin A. Its not certain as to whether chameleons can convert prOformed sources so some people give a little preformed vitamin A once in a while. Vitamin A from prEformed sources will build up in the system and can lead to health issues so it's recommended that you use it with caution. Vitamin D 3 and vitamin A are also antagonistic to each other and need to be in balance.

The chameleon will get enough phosphorous from the insects.

I hope this helps and that your chameleon will recover.