Worried Mother !!

[AnneKemp]

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Exo Terra, Rainforest, 18" x 18" x 24" high
Lighting - Compact Top lighting system
Temperature - 80f
Humidity - 60
Plants - All fake at the moment
Location - Kitchen

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Yemen, female, Around 5 Months (we think), Got her in January
Handling - Every Day
Feeding - Crickets gutloaded with fruit and Veg, also waxworms as a treat
Supplements - Reptivite, Ace-high
Watering - Spray her 3 times a day for upto 2 minutes or until i see her drink enough !
Fecal Description - No idea on the parasites, last poo was tiny bit of white slightly moist bit snotty !
History - She has been a delight to own no problems till now!
Current Problem -

2 Days ago i noticed when she was out that she was a bit shaky and sorta dragging her belly when she walked.
Have been reading the forum and learnt that it could be MBD so have upped the Calcium and Vitamins.
She is also just laying in her Viv, head down, she looks so sad. :-(
Today one of her legs looks a bit Funny, she is still eating and drinking fine, infact the appetite on her is great.
Hopefully within the next 2 weeks she will be moving to her new Flexarium with new lights the lot,
im just really worried about her now !!

 

[BocaJan]

It could be the start of MBD. Firstly...Take that compact bulb away now and replace it with a linear bulb. It has been shown that the compacts can affect chams eyes. I know that for a fact because I have a male who's eyesight was affected by the compacts. Secondly, you should be dusting with Calcium w/o D3 6 times a week, 1x/month use herpavite or a vitamin supplement and twice a month with Calcium w/D3. You didn't mention substrate, but if you have anything on the bottom of the cage other than paper towels you need to remove it.

You need a thermometer in the cage. I know you folks in England use aquariums to put your chams in instead of all screened cages, but the important thing is to make sure the temps don't get too high. 85 deg. F (don't know C) is all it should get up to.

 

[Miss Lily]

BocaJan, I use the exoterra habitat too. Just wanted to explain the lighting system a bit more - the 'compact top' is the lighting fixture/unit that sits on top of the cage into which you put the heat bulb and uv linear light bulbs. You cannot use the bad compact (coiled) bulbs in these fixtures, as they only house the proper heat and strip bulbs.

 

[Chase]

I would also suggest not holding her everyday. Also agree with what BocaJan said, could be the start of MBD, her legs kind of looked like it but if it's early, you might be able to save her. It can be tricky to save a Chameleon with MBD.

 

[coolmoon]

Do you know what strength uvb bulb you have and how far away from the light is she? A 5.0 she needs to be within 12" of the light. Shes a sweet looking little girl.

 

[alhickabee]

Can you be more specific in regards to your supplements and supplementation schedule.

Brad's veiled care-sheet has a lot of great information, especially on supplementation:
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

 

[BigR]

Actually the "Compact Top" is used for for compact fluorescent bulbs. The "Dual Top" is for linear UV tubes and a halogen spotlight. So yes, get rid of the compact UV bulbs.

http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/fixtures_info.php

 

[Miss Lily]

Actually the "Compact Top" is used for for compact fluorescent bulbs. The "Dual Top" is for linear UV tubes and a halogen spotlight. So yes, get rid of the compact UV bulbs.

http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/fixtures_info.php

Oops, sorry, my bad! Well spotted BigR! I meant dual top not compact - I didn't think it looked quite right as I typed it in. Just after that my computer decided not to work and I've only just got back online! I wasn't aware that there is more than one 'top' type for the exoterras. (Mine is the dual top in case I created confusion!) Thanks for clearing that up BigR!

 

[kinyonga]

Although your supplement schedule needed changing, to correct MBD she needs extra calcium. If you take her to a vet she can be given shots of calcium and when her blood calcium levels are high enough, a shot of calcitonin. This is IMHO the quickest way to get things back on track.

Calcium, phosphorous, D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and they need to be in balance. You need to look at what you are feeding the insects, what you are feeding to the chameleon and what you are supplementing with to attain a balance.

Appropriate basking temperature is important too. Proper heat allows for proper digestion and thus plays a part in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB allows the chameleon to produce D3 which allows it to use the calcium in its system.

Most insects used as feeders are said to have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous...so dusting at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder helps to make up for this.

I only use vitamins twice a month and I use one that has a prOformed beta carotene source of vitamin A because beta carotene doesn't build up in the system like prEformed vitamin A can. If you need to provide the chameleon with prEformed vitamin A you can always give it some separately. PrEformed vitamin A builds up in the system and can prevent the D3 from doing its job, so it needs to be used carefully.

I also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder. D3 from supplements also builds up in the system so don't overdo it either.

Any damage that has already occurred in your chameleon may not be corrected, but if the treatment is done quickly hopefully no more will occur.