Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 3 month old Veiled Chameleon. Ive had him for about a month,maybe more. Right now he is in a 38 gallon Reptarium with his two sisters. NO aggression so far.(honestly,ive seen chameleons younger then ours attack eachother ruthlessly but ours do nothing of the kind, they just leave eachother alone) But anyways, Ive noticed lately that the male is rather Shakey. LIke when he's walking around on the branches and stuff he seems to be unsure of his steps, and misses the branches with his feet. Like if he would try to walk a straight branch,it would be a task. He can never reach for the branch under him, hes always reaching his foot into outer space trying to grab something. His appetite is very good. Amongst the three of them,they eat about 2 dozen a day. And he eats more then anyone. I dust the crickets once a week, and they have a UV-A/Uv-B bulb on them 12 hours a day. Theyre not big on veggies but i got one of my females to eat some collard greens. Im still trying with the other two. Any idea why my cham has no judgement? He just went throught his second shed since ive had them about a week ago, but i noticed this before that. He also drinks regularly, The lady who bred them had them all drinking out of a water bowl,and they do it too, so it saves me the trouble of buying an expensive mister. I mist them occasionally to maintain humidity. They get sunlight during the day(not completely direct, one basking spot only) and they ate getting ready to move into a bigger cage(3x2x3),and i am in the process of preparing a humungous cage(9x6x3) complete with dividers incase things dont work out between them.

So any idea what this weird shakiness could be about? Its got me worried. I know he is eating,drinking,and getting his viatmins. Could it be because of his dislike for veggies?

be sure you are getting him enough uv rays. if he isn't within a foot of a uv flourescent light the uv rays really don't get to them. you need to strategically place the uv bulb in a common basking spot for it to be of any help. otherwise get a mercury vapor bulb. the uv rays from a mercury vapor bulb travel up to 7 or 8 ft. if you get a spot light designed one. i got mine off of ebay and have had wonderful results. i know you said you are sure it's getting all of it's vitamins but be sure it's getting enough calcium.

hi,

My pygmy chams all showed signs of unsteady steps and they all died within two weeks of each other. I am not saying yours will, but we don't know just what happened to mine and think maybe nutritional. Apparently, the subject of cham nutrition is very varied - even among the "experts,” (though none really claim to be expert b/c so much is still unknown.)
Here are a few articles on supplements and MBD for you to read

www.chameleonnews.com/year2003/jan2003/nutrition/nutrition_jan_03.html

www.chameleonjournals.com/vet/vetcare.cgi?show=6.0_Vitamin_D3_and_Calcium

www.mythicalchameleons.com/vetcases.htm

www.adcham.com/html/veterinary/mbd-fractures-kramer.html

lele

>>I have a 3 month old Veiled Chameleon. Ive had him for about a month,maybe more. Right now he is in a 38 gallon Reptarium with his two sisters. NO aggression so far.(honestly,ive seen chameleons younger then ours attack eachother ruthlessly but ours do nothing of the kind, they just leave eachother alone) But anyways, Ive noticed lately that the male is rather Shakey. LIke when he's walking around on the branches and stuff he seems to be unsure of his steps, and misses the branches with his feet. Like if he would try to walk a straight branch,it would be a task. He can never reach for the branch under him, hes always reaching his foot into outer space trying to grab something. His appetite is very good. Amongst the three of them,they eat about 2 dozen a day. And he eats more then anyone. I dust the crickets once a week, and they have a UV-A/Uv-B bulb on them 12 hours a day. Theyre not big on veggies but i got one of my females to eat some collard greens. Im still trying with the other two. Any idea why my cham has no judgement? He just went throught his second shed since ive had them about a week ago, but i noticed this before that. He also drinks regularly, The lady who bred them had them all drinking out of a water bowl,and they do it too, so it saves me the trouble of buying an expensive mister. I mist them occasionally to maintain humidity. They get sunlight during the day(not completely direct, one basking spot only) and they ate getting ready to move into a bigger cage(3x2x3),and i am in the process of preparing a humungous cage(9x6x3) complete with dividers incase things dont work out between them.
>>
>>So any idea what this weird shakiness could be about? Its got me worried. I know he is eating,drinking,and getting his viatmins. Could it be because of his dislike for veggies?

first thing you need to do is move him to his own cage. If he is sick you dont want to expose the others. I would move him also to make sure he is eating his share in his sick times. Also be able to watch him a bit better. The ohter chams might be bothering him too much - maybe he is ready to go out on his own?

It would be best IMO.

After you remove him and take some special care of him and if things dont work out...You may want to take him to a vet - if you are really worried. I know that balance is of key importance. If he does not have that he wont have the confidence to do much...

Whatever you decide - good luck

-adam

Thanks for your help everyone. After much research I have come to the conclusion that the little guy has MBD I thought I was doing everything right to prevent this,but it snuck up on us. His front two legs are kind of bent,so it looks like he has more elbow then he should, which is why he cannot walk properly. He rests his head and belly on the branch when he is sititng there. Im so upset,this is aweful. But of course,even the handicapped need someone to love them and so I plan on doing everything I can for him. He is by hisself now. Since he is so young,I am hoping that this can be the extent of it. What can I do further to prevent it from getting any worse. So far it is only his two front legs. His jaw is not soft,he is able to aim alright whnen hunting(his aim isnt the best though) and no spinal deformities thus far.What else to do? Anyone else have any experience with MBD and that can help me? Thank you so much.