Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I work at a pet shop and we just recieved a young veiled chameleon who seems pretty messed up. I dont have much experience dealing with chameleon problems so it would be appreciated if someone can point out the name of the problem and the treatment if applicable. The first thing we noticed is that the lower jaw seems to be somewhat out of place. It is not flailing about or anything but even when it closes its mouth its slightly open on one side. It seems that only the flesh/skin is affected because i can move it into the correct place with my finger but after a few seconds it goes back to how it was. Second, its tongue seems to seperate its mouth through this small opening and over time starts to hang out. At this point, it usually notices it and retracts it and so forth but this process does not seem to be voluntary. I have been doing my best keeping the tongue moist when it is out. Lastly, chameleons have on the back of their head these ridges that I dont know the name of. It is essentially what sets their head of from the rest of their body (if this explanation isnt sufficient I'll try to get a picture). In any case, in most this region is straight but her's its bumpy and looks almost deformed. From my knowledge all these signs somewhat point to MBD. She came in with a shipment full of completely healthy chameleons. My other guess is that it is a birth defect and is not really treatable. In any case, any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Return her...

Thats not an option. We either fix her or she dies.

Sorry you were rudely dismissed with such a caloused reply from the previous poster.

It seems like you care for the wellbeing of this animal, and I respect that.
Returning her would certainly lead to her demise.

This does sound somewhat like MBD (rubbery or misaligned jawbones are a common effect of the disease), but it could also be a birth defect.

There may be little you can do, but I would treat for MBD right away to see if there is an improvement. Give calcium dusted crickets at every feeding, keep the animal well hydrated and make sure the setup is ideal. If you even know what MBD is, I am sure you have done enough research to know what a good setup consists of. You may have to hand feed. Just try to keep the animal healthy and see if more calcium fixes anything. I feel sorry for this Cham.
Best of luck and keep us posted.