twistr
New Member
I do not believe the UVB light has anything to do with it with in a few hours personally but, if is having a good day then I am GREAT with that.
Veil keeping eyes closed during daytime.
- Thread starter twistr
- Start date
I do not believe the UVB light has anything to do with it with in a few hours personally but, if is having a good day then I am GREAT with that.
twistr
New Member
I have started all of the above hoping the vet visit will give me more of an idea in what else is needed. Thanks for every ones help.
twistr
New Member
Update after Vet visit
Ok so Tweekr (VC) went to the vet on Saturday (they got him in on a cancellation) He did have the MBD you guys were concerned about but not too bad. The doc had me just keep an eye on him with the corrections made New cage, light, and more vitamin dusting. I took him back yesterday as the doc had to reschedule my appointment for the 2nd do to wheather issues. I am proud to say he is looking MUCH better he loves his new cage although I'm sure if I could get the crickets to stay in one spot at the top of the cage where he prefers to be he would be much happier, but none the less he is doing GREAT and even the doc said he sees a difference in the elbow/knee joints already. Thank you guys and gals sooooo much for all the help. Will post more recent pics of new things and Tweekr in couple days. Thanks again yall have been such a big help, and stress reliever.
Ok so Tweekr (VC) went to the vet on Saturday (they got him in on a cancellation) He did have the MBD you guys were concerned about but not too bad. The doc had me just keep an eye on him with the corrections made New cage, light, and more vitamin dusting. I took him back yesterday as the doc had to reschedule my appointment for the 2nd do to wheather issues. I am proud to say he is looking MUCH better he loves his new cage although I'm sure if I could get the crickets to stay in one spot at the top of the cage where he prefers to be he would be much happier, but none the less he is doing GREAT and even the doc said he sees a difference in the elbow/knee joints already. Thank you guys and gals sooooo much for all the help. Will post more recent pics of new things and Tweekr in couple days. Thanks again yall have been such a big help, and stress reliever.
justjumpit621
New Member
You should cup feed if you want to keep them in one spot. Get a deep plastic cup just deep enough so they can't jump out and tie it wherever you want. Just make sure he realizes there are crickets in there.
Hi, i am looking for advice on my new yemen cham. I got him 2weeks ago and within a week of bringing him home his left eye has shut and he sometimes 'gasps' for breath through his mouth. there is also a slight crusty discharge from his nostrils. He was at the last stages of shedding when i got him so i figured he may just have something stuck in his eye. i have been cleaning it twice a day with a saline solution and after this cleaning, he does open his eye but it will be closed again by the next morning. i have also increased his misting.
He gets fed a variety of small crickets, locusts, meal worms and waxworms which are gutloaded and dusted 3days before feeding with calcium and nutrobal. He is in a large viv, gets 12 hours light a day and also has a red heat lamp on 24hours a day at 92. any advice would be very much appreciated!
He gets fed a variety of small crickets, locusts, meal worms and waxworms which are gutloaded and dusted 3days before feeding with calcium and nutrobal. He is in a large viv, gets 12 hours light a day and also has a red heat lamp on 24hours a day at 92. any advice would be very much appreciated!
farrahsc
New Member
It sounds like he has an upper respiratory infection since he is doing the open mouth breathing, he needs to see a vet to get antibiotics. Is his enclosure glass or screened? Also chams need a good temperature drop at night and only leave the heat bulb and UVB bulb on 12 hours a day. You also need to replace that red bulb with just a standard house hold bulb, 40 watt should do. 92 degrees is a bit high for them.
Twistr...glad to hear that things are improving!
Welcome to the forum Ellie!
It sounds like a respiratory infection to me too.
You don't dust the crickets/insects until the minute before you are going to give them to the chameleon. The dust falls off if you do.
You said..."gets 12 hours light a day and also has a red heat lamp on 24hours a day at 92"...you don't need any heat at night unless the temperature is below the mid 60'sF and there should be no light at night at any rate. What light does it get during the daytime?? It needs to get UVB light and there should be no glass or plastic between the UVB and the chameleon. The UVB can come from a special UVB light or from exposure to direct sunlight.
Here's some information you might find helpful......
Exposure to proper UVB, appropriate temperatures, supplements, a supply of well-fed/gutloaded insects, water and an appropriate cage set-up are all important for the well-being of your chameleon.
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.
Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.
Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects before you feed them to the chameleon with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).
If you dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).
Dusting twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite.)
Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)
Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200604210...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
Welcome to the forum Ellie!
It sounds like a respiratory infection to me too.
You don't dust the crickets/insects until the minute before you are going to give them to the chameleon. The dust falls off if you do.
You said..."gets 12 hours light a day and also has a red heat lamp on 24hours a day at 92"...you don't need any heat at night unless the temperature is below the mid 60'sF and there should be no light at night at any rate. What light does it get during the daytime?? It needs to get UVB light and there should be no glass or plastic between the UVB and the chameleon. The UVB can come from a special UVB light or from exposure to direct sunlight.
Here's some information you might find helpful......
Exposure to proper UVB, appropriate temperatures, supplements, a supply of well-fed/gutloaded insects, water and an appropriate cage set-up are all important for the well-being of your chameleon.
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.
Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.
Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects before you feed them to the chameleon with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).
If you dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).
Dusting twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite.)
Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)
Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200604210...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
