Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Any Ideas?

The only reason I can think of is a gout. This is the abnormal deposition of urates around the joints and various soft tissue sites such as around the heart and in the kidney and liver. These urates initiate an inflammatory reaction that can have serious consequences for the function of the organs, impeding their function. This is not very common in Chameleons as they are intolerant of this and die in the acute stages rather than being resilient and progressing to become a chronic case. The urate builds up due to one of two main causes: Dehydration: this prevents the excretion of metabolic waste products and thus leads to a high level in the body. Chameleons are very sensitive to dehydration and chronic failure to maintain adequate levels of hydration are the most common cause of this problem. Primary Kidney Dysfunction: in this case the kidneys cannot excrete the wastes, which again build up in the system. Far less common a cause than (i), the clinical signs associated with the build up of these urates is dependent upon where they have accumulated. The most common manifestation is joint swellings in one or more joints that may in themselves cause lameness. However, more acute problems can arise such as kidney failure or sudden death due to heart involvement. Treatment of cases involves the use of low protein diets and the drug allopurinol, but are rarely that effective. Prevention rather than cure is the answer to this problem. Also, you can go to this website:
http://www.chameleonjournals.com/vet/vetcare.cgi?show=8.0_Gout_Basics

I tend to believe your assesment. My vet thinks it is MBD. However, We gave my cham a calcium injection and I have been giving her liquid calcium daily. Plus she has been outside in unfiltered sunlight for 4 days and there has been little if any improvement.
Sure would like to know a diet that would possibly help.

More calcium tends to worsen the problem if there is no MBD
Read the vet topic article in chameleon journals about calcium and D3
A lower protein diet for a cham would consist of crickets gut loaded with a very low protein gutload. mostly greens and try www.cricketfood.com and ask them the protein content of their gutload.
Also if it's a veiled it can be fed more greens.

Hi-

You are going to have to provide more info. Please provide species, age, lighting, supplements, food, and set info.
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John @ Chameleon Paradise
1.1 Ambilobe Panthers
1.1 Nosy Be Panthers
1.1 Sambava Panthers
1.2 Rhampholeon uluguruensis