Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i read on another post skinny legs are good and swollen can mean MBD. about how thick should a adult veileds legs be.
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1.0 veiled chameleons(Rocket)

Signs of MDB are Skinny legs, lower jaw "seems deformed", Spine is very thin. When an animal isn't suplied enough calcium, it starts to pull it from it's bones. The teath are usually disolved first, the lower jaw will start to recet, and the legs will get very skinny. It's a horrible thing. In the very center of the animal- length wise- the spine will have a "dip".
The legs should be proportionate to the rest of the animal. If your not sure- please see a vet!
The god news is, once the diet of the animal is corrected, and has the proper lighting, it will begin to repair the damage. Depeding on how far gone it's jaw was- it might have an overbite.
Hope this helps!

Although the legs in a chameleon will often be very skinny when
the chameleon has MBD, as shown in some of the pictures in the
following article, usually in the beginning
they look quite plump (perhaps muscle-bound is a good
description?) and you might think that the chameleon was healthy
to look at the legs.
http://www.adcham.com/html/veterinary/mbd-fractures-kramer.html

Here's another article talking about MBD....
http://www.mythicalchameleons.com/vetcases.htm#gout

http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-1987.html
"Puffy arms and legs are one sad symptom of metabolic bone
disease (MBD). With MBD, the bones in the body become weakened
because there isn't enough calcium in the diet, and the herp
hasn't been able to sun. In an effort to restore strength in
the weakened limbs, the body adds fibrous tissue to the muscles. This extra tissue puffs up the limbs, and they look chubby."

"With UV, calcium supplements, and a proper diet, the strength
can be restored to the bones, but certain deformities, such as
a curved spine and shortened jaw, are there to stay. Take your
herp to the veterinarian, buy some UV lights, read up on this
disease, and provide a better diet."

The pictures in this site should give you an idea of how thick
a veiled chameleon's legs should be...
http://www.chameleonjournals.com/icham/icham.php