Veiled Chameleon Health Concerns

We have just recently switched spock to superworms and he seems to be enjoying them more than mealworms. Also, everyday we feed him chopped up lettuce because its honestly the only thing he will eat with the worms. We tried other things to go with it that chameleons can eat but he refuses. And he isn't in a type of tank made for fish because it has vents on both sides. It doesn't open in the front but has a wire top so im guessing it could be made for smaller animals like hamsters though it is a fairly large tank. I've been thinking about moving him to a larger habitat like a ferret cage or bird cage that we have because both are much larger than what he's in now, but im worried about him injuring himself because of the spacing of the wires. And I've been looking at Petco's websites and have found a dripper that would be good for him. Once again I thank you all for helping me out since this is my first time with a chameleon and all of your tips have been very helpful!

*Note* We feed our crickets/superworms All-Bran cereal and fresh broccoli every day!
 
Try feeding him red pepper stripes or thin wedges of apple or thin slices of butternut squash.

As for feeders, crickets are a good basic feeder since they are readily available, easy to gutload and not hard for them to digest. You can/should feed the crickets a wide assortment of greens such as dandelions, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, kale, etc and veggies such as carrots, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, squash, zucchini, etc. This can also be fed tot eh superworms....and the chameleon.

Do you dust the insects with supplements before feeding them to the chameleon?

Many of the insects we use as feeders have a poor ratio of calcium to phos so it's important to dust them with a phos - free calcium powder at most feedings to make up for it. I also dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene source of vitamin A a day twice a month with a vitamin D3 powder.

If you don't provide appropriate temperatures, UVB light and supplement/feed the insects well you will end up with health issues.
 
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Good to know it's not a traditional aquarium (horizontal with no vents)! Since chameleons are arboreal (tree dwelling) they need more vertical space than horizontal space, and without vents the air becomes stagnant easily, which lets mold and bacteria grow quickly since they need humid air and lots of dripping water for hydration. The ones with vents on the sides but mostly made of glass aren't bad, and they hold humidity well. But they also hold heat well, which can actually be a problem sometimes because you want the top half to be notably warmer than the bottom half since chameleons are cold blooded and need to go to warm places to warm themselves up as well as cool places so they don't overheat. The biggest problem with the cage type that you're using is that a veiled chameleon will grow out of it before its a year old. An adult veiled needs at minimum a cage three feet tall and nearly two feet wide, and honestly a 4 foot tall cage is best. Here is more information on choosing a cage: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/enclosures/

You can either purchase a dripper or use a thumb tack to poke a hole in the bottom of a cup or juice container and just make your own dripper. 3 of mine are little chocolate milk plastic bottles. As long as it's a slow steady drip that lasts for about an hour it will work just fine.
More information on drinking methods: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/water/

Superworms are better than mealworms, but shouldn't be the most of the diet. Their tough skin/shells are harder to digest, especially if there is a lot of it. Crickets are softer bodied and easily gutloaded on a wide variety of healthy foods. Gutloading is the process of increasing the nutritional value of insects that you feed your chameleon. It involves feeding the insects a special diet so they can ultimately provide your chameleon with the proper nutrition it requires. So rather than just feeding your chameleon some vegetables, you actually want to feed your crickets and superworms most of the good vegetables. Mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion leaves, collard greens, escarole lettuce, papaya, and watercress are some of the best ingredients to give them. Broccoli is actually not a good choice to feed the bugs as it will actually decrease the available calcium.
More information on feeding and gutloading: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/food/

Here is an overall caresheet on veiled chameleons: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

Let us know what other questions you have! :)
 
Actually, Spock is an adult by now I think.. He hasn't grown any bigger over the past 6 months or so and since we don't know when the previous owners bought him, he could be older than 1 year. We are going to petco today to buy crickets because we haven't had the chance to get any yet, but we normally have them here. Also everyone, im kind of freaking out right now because spock was walking around in his home and grabbed onto his foot and fell to the bottom. His crest on his head is bent on the top and gets angry when I touch it. I'm really worried. Should I take him to a vet?
 
Never mind guys! He seems to be okay now since this happened early in the morning. He doesn't seem to have any broken bones or anything!
 
Grrr. Spock is just getting himself into trouble! He has been falling constantly now and I don't understand why. One of his eyes are sunken in and every time he tries to close it, it looks like he is trying to squint (that eye only). I have noticed that there is a reddish brown spot on his eyelid now too. Any ideas on what is wrong??
 
That's the problem. There are no vets in Louisiana that do chameleons. I'm kind of out of luck here. Also, he seems to be okay after I replaced the substrate in his tank with reptile carpet so he can't eat it all. His eyes are a little better after I let him soak in some room temp. water in the sink (up to his stomach). If he begins to get worse, I will end up having to travel to a different state just to see if he is okay! :(
 
Of course it's difficult to know via a forum what exactly is ailing your cham but some things you've mentioned are signs of MBD.
MBD is a potentially life-threatening problem if not treated promptly and correctly.
Which things? Falling, bent casque, grabbing his own feet--all can be caused by MBD.
Even eye troubles can be caused by MBD...
More details here:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/wha...ase-mbd-looks-like-how-happens-how-fix-95071/
It was written by veterinarian" ferretinmyshoes ", who kindly shares some of her very sparse time and bountiful knowledge on the forum.
She also keeps a number of chams and replied to your post a few posts back, before you added some troubling symptoms.

I heven't looked over all you've written but, if you have a UVB bulb which sits on top of glass or plastic--or the light from it passes through glass or plastic before it gets to him---then your cham is not getting any UVB.
UVB gets converted to heat when it passes through glass/plastic--which is why you'll never get sunburned in a car with the windows closed.
Without UVB, your cham could eats pounds of calcium but his body will not absorb any of it.

As for calcium and multivitamin powders...
the calcium without any D3 is the one that must be used daily
D3 is used only 2x a month because, though needed, too much D3 causes serious health problems
Multivitamins 2x a month for the same reason--too little and too much are bad

As for Louisiana not having any vets to treat chams, there actually are a number of them, particularly down near New Orleans.
Have a look here for a few:
http://www.arav.org/find-a-vet/#Louisiana
If you aren't in that area, then a forum member may know of a vet in your area, if you let us know what area you are in.
 
I live in Carencro, in Lafayette Parish. His UVB lamp is sitting on top of the wire top to his tank ( it has vents on the sides!). He has gotten better after I soaked him in warm water and his eyes aren't sunken in anymore and he has started eating again so it may have just been dehydration. I think he could have been falling because the branches he grabbed onto may have been too wet, as I have a habit of over misting him.I hope its not MBD because we really don't have the money to be spending right now, and he actually isn't even ours. I would be devastated if we lose Spock because he belongs to my school, and if something happens to him the blame is on me.

Also, we took him to a reptile competition at Petco today! Spock won 2nd! What I don't understand though is in many other states today everyone got ribbons! All I got was a $4off coupon.. The 1st place winner too.. How unfair!
 
Spock was fine this morning, but now he just looks horrible. He keeps his eyes closed, his ribs show, he refuses to eat, and he feels freezing cold. I'm terrified right now and I don't know what to do. I don't have enough money to take him to a vet.. They will charge so much.. :(
 
If Spock needs medication, we will have to use our funds for our trip to Germany. He is perfectly fine in the morning but in the afternoon and through the night its like he is about to die. I don't understand what is happening :(
 
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