For about a month now, my Chameleon has been acting very weird. It's almost like she doesn't know how to move. Yes I know chameleons do the stop-go shaky motion when they move, but this is different. She grabs onto herself, thinking she is a vine and literally lets go sometimes and falls. So far, there are no visible injuries due to her falling ... yet. On top of that, she moves like she is drunk ... reaching for vines that aren't even remotely close to her and she randomly dangles from vines with one limb. I haven't noticed any change in her eating or drinking (I give her water with an eyedropper) and I have checked for any markings indicating that she is sick with something. I have already gone to the local pet stores and got no information. I have looked all over the internet and haven't found anything (but that doesn't mean its not there, I could just be noob )and unfortunately, there are no vets in the area that know anything about chameleons. If anybody has an answer to this I would greatly appreciate it, I'm getting kind of worried -.- Thanks in advance for any input.
What is the temperature in the basking area? Ambient? Do you dust the insects you feed her? With what? Do you gutload the insects? With what? Does she have access to sunlight or UVB light that doesn't pass through glass or plastic? Does she have crooked legs between the elbow and shoulder or in the thigh area? Does her tongue work properly? Its quite likely that she has MBD. I would take her to a vet ASAP....she/he should be able to tell you for sure if its MBD. If she does have it then the calcium/D3/phosphorous/vitamin A levels will need to be brought back to balance and whatever led to this will need to be corrected to keep it from recurring.
What is the temperature in the basking area? Ambient? The basking temp is 27-29 degrees C Do you dust the insects you feed her? With what? I do dust them, however I am at work and I dont know exactly what I use, I will update Do you gutload the insects? With what? I don't, any suggestions? Does she have access to sunlight or UVB light that doesn't pass through glass or plastic? Her lights sit on a screen (I use day and night lights). Again I have to check them when I get home Does she have crooked legs between the elbow and shoulder or in the thigh area? Does her tongue work properly? Limbs are fine, shes just drunk. Her tongue isn't as strong as it used to be, now that you mention it. A vitamin deficiency makes sense now ... I started dusting the crickets about 3 weeks ago because of this, but nothing has changed yet. Like I said, as of this moment I can't do anything but when I get home I'll check the powder and the light's. One thing I haven't done yet is feet the crickets REAL food .. I've heard people using a slice of orange, lime and some carrots ... what do you guys feed your crickets?
You said..."The basking temp is 27-29 degrees C"...sounds okay. Appropriate temperature is needed for proper digestion and thus absorption on nutrients. "I do dust them, however I am at work and I dont know exactly what I use, I will update"....most insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous...so I use a phos.-free calcium powder at most feedings to help make up for it. I also use a vitamin powder lightly twice a month. I use one with a beta carotene source of vitamin A so that it won't build up in the system. Preformed vitamin A can build up...but there is some controversy about chameleons being able to use the beta carotene. The chameleon also needs UVB light from direct sunlight or from UVB tube lights. Neither should pass through glass or plastic. UVB allows the chameleon to produce vitamin D3 which enables it to use its calcium. Because my veileds get no direct sunlight, I also dust lightly twice a month with a D3/calcium powder. D3 from supplements can build up in the system, so its important not to overdo it. For heat/basking I use a regular household light of a wattage that provides the temperature required. I house the bulb in a metal hood with a ceramic fixture. Re: gutloading insects...for the crickets I use a wide variety of greens (dandelion, kale, collards, endive, ROMAINE lettuce, etc.) and veggies (sweet potato, white potato, carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, etc.). Here is a gutload that has been highly recommended... http://adcham.com/html/husbandry/gutload.html I'm not a vet and I would recommend that you take your chameleon to one to find out for sure what the problem is...but it could be an imbalance. One more thing...you said "she"... how old is she? If she is over 6 months of age, she could be producing eggs even if unmated. Does she have a place in her cage to dig to show you she's ready to lay them?
She is 2 years old and no she doesn't have an area to lay the eggs. Would that explain why she hangs out in the lower area of the tank a lot? Is it ok for the bottom of the tank to be 20 degrees C? I usually have both lights running because they dont heat the tank too well...I'm definately going to have to replace the lights I think. I'm pretty sure the tank dimensions are alright, but just to make sure: height: 3 ft width: 2 ft X 2 ft So if she does have to lay eggs, what should I have set-up so that she is able to do so? Thanks a lot for your help so far, I appreciate it
The grabbing on to herself is a sign of MBD (metabolic bone disease). Roaming around the bottom of the cage is likely an indication that she is looking for a place to lay eggs. I hope its not to late to get her to lay them. Into the cage, I put a container that, when empty is big enough for the female to fit into with a couple of inches on all sides of her. I fill it about 2/3rds full of washed playsand that is moistened enough that it can hold a tunnel. This gives her a place to start to dig to indicate that she wants to lay eggs. When she is intent on it, I move her to a modified 65 liter container. I place a bag of washed playsand in the bottom of the container and add a branch for the female to climb on. You can add a rock or plant too as long as they are placed so that the chameleon can't tunnel under them and have them collapse on her. I cut away most of the lid of the cage and put a screen over the hole. I put the chameleon in the container and put the lid on. I place a light over the screen and leave her be. Don't let her see you watching her while she digs...she will likely abandon the hole. If she does it often enough it can lead to egg binding. I keep the bottom of my veiled cages at about 25C this time of year. Let me know how things go and if she shows any interest in digging....and we will go from there. I still recommend that she goes to the vets.
I checked out a few pictures on the net of females ready to lay eggs. Mine looks extremely similar. I managed to find a good reptile vet in my area so I'm going tomorrow. I will send an update. Again thank you very much for your input
Heading to the vet now, I'll give you info when I get back! This is the dust I use. http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=1798 I tried to find the box for the bulb I am currently using, but I threw it out. Regardless I will be getting a new light set up. For the size of my cage, one round bulb simply isn't enough to heat up the whole area.
Turns out she didn't have MBD ... she had a cancerous lump on her ovarie. Thats what we thought was the eggs The vet suggested surgery which was by far out of my range in cost so the only alternative was to put her down... Thank you anyways, I appreciate your time.
