Gus is here!

[marisa]

Well Gus was dropped off here a couple days ago.

So far all I have done is mist him lots, I gave him a basking area and set him up next to an open window (no screen, all UV coming right in for about 5-6 hours per day) Going to get him a UV tube but I am going to be trying to as much natural sun as possible.

As soon as he got here I walked in with the small cricket carrier we have and I let him eat his fill.

In this photo you can see how hungry he was! I opened the cage to let him eat some crickets but he sped down so fast that I just put a stick going out of the cage before he got there and he walked right down into the cricket keeper and started chowing down big time!
<img src="http://members.rogers.com/mattl/2gus08-10-03.jpg">

I won't be feeding him like this all the time mind you, but I think it did him good to be able to eat as much as he wanted for once, instead of 12 measly crickets per week.

I am worried about MBD. Although I know near none about Chams I do have an iguana and know that symptoms are lower jaw getting an under bite....soft jaw too. Gus has both from what I can see. Is this the same as iguanas?

<img src="http://members.rogers.com/mattl/3gus08-10-03.jpg">
<img src="http://members.rogers.com/mattl/gus08-10-03.jpg">

Anything you guys see health wise let me know. I am going to do everything I can for him since he probably doesn't have long left. (already 5 or so and lived like this his entire life)

thanks from me and Gus.
Marisa
P.S. He is extremely "friendly" and seems to want out everytime he sees us. Is this normal? I only let him out that once for the crickets because I don't want to stress him. Is he just hungry?

[Matt_K]

Congrats on your new addition Marisa, im sure he will do amazing under your care!. I believe Trace has a couple chams that want to come out as soon as they see her, im sure she will respond here though The last thing either of mine want is to see me, they hate people unless they see me coming with a bag in my hand, cause then they know its feeding time. by the way, nice background in that third pic :P

[Trace]

Hey Marisa!

First off... congrats on Gus! Kudos for taking him in.

Here are a few quick thoughts from me addressing some of the issues you brought up: (I also know you know a lot about reptiles and husbandry already so I'm not going into much detail and explanation)

1: Put the whole dang cage outside! With him in it of course! Nothing better than real sunlight for proper UVB absorption. Obviously don't leave him out there unattended, and try to place the cage in a shady area so he doesn't get sunburned.

2: For the first little bit... let him eat what he wants! Dust the bugs with a good reptile vitamin daily. I would drop down to once a week dustings fairly quickly though, as too many vitamins can be as big a problem as too little. Offer him the greens you feed to your iguana as well... some Veileds do take a bit of veggies in their diet.

3: MBD is the same in chameleons as iguanas. Make sure your supplement has calcium in it.

4: Some of my male Veiled's are FAR TOO friendly and some want to eat my arm off. Gus's good personality doesn't surprise me in the least... although you may find that once he feels a bit better he may become a bit grouchy. He may not.

Otherwise he looks ok... at least judging by a few pics! He's a little dehydrated and you can tell this because his eyes are a bit sunken, but twice daily mistings should clear this up fairly quickly. Install a dripper for him, while you are off to work and can't mist. An empty margarine container with a pinhole in the bottom is an excellent and cheap drip system. His casque is a little small for a Veiled his age, but this has to do with improper feeding over the course of his life. It probably won't grow any bigger, but hey, it gives him character! He doesn't look horribly skinny to me, but hopefully he can put on some weight with you. Offer him lots of different bugs on a daily basis. Waxies are fattening for chameleons so try a few of those and see if he likes them. Don't make them a staple diet though as waxies aren't terribly nutritious. Does he have a hole on the corner of his mouth? (See last pic) His colours look good, he's having some shed problems, but with daily mistings (thus higher humidity) that will clear up too. He does have a bit of a crooked tail, but otherwise his limbs look ok (not swollen, bent etc), so he probably does have a touch of MBD, but nothing too critical. The calcium dusted bugs will help.

That's all I can think of for now, maybe others will have some tips for you. Good luck with him... he's a cute little guy! Please don't be shy about asking questions too!

Cheers!

Trace

[marisa]

Trace its funny you said that. We just put him outside a few minutes ago for the day and he is loving it already! He is BRIGHT green! I am going to be leaving him out there until sundown.

Thanks for the other suggestions. I am not sure about the hole in his lip but it doesn't seem to be a wound...I don't know what it is. I will try to get better pics. I know that two years ago he got loose and was stuck behind a dresser for a few hours before Daryl got home and found him. He had lots of cuts on that side of his face. I cleaned them out for Daryl at the time and had him put some betadine stuff on it a few times but he didn't take him to the vet of course.

He so far HATES when I mist. I think. Like two seconds after I start spraying he tries to get away and his body gets covered in tiny uniform brown spots the size of a pencil head. I take it this means he is pissed? I am trying not to spray him directly but at the same time soak his cage twice per day or so.

thanks for all the help! I am planning on feeding him like a pig from now and taking him outside (I am home all day) out in the morning and inside at evening on all good days for the rest of the summer. I will post more pics in a few weeks to see if he has improved!

Marisa

[bborysow]

Marisa, lots of good advice from Trace. I've worked with these guys lots over the years, so a few things I found valuable:

- if you are taking him outside a lot, watch for birds trying to get him from between the screen or bars of his cage.
- I used to set my garden hose so it dripped very slowly from the top of his cage when outside, and just leave it running. They really like the constant dripping, and since its outside, no concern about excess run off. with the water moving through the hose slowly, it warms up before dripping in the cage.
- veggies, & fruits. My Calyptratus ate a wide variety and large amounts of both. Red berries, any leafy veggie, grapes, banana, you name it. Good nutrition, and lots of moisture. Veileds have a longer gut than most chams allowing them better digestion of vegitable matter.

Best of luck.

[Trace]

Hey again!

We just put him outside a few minutes ago for the day and he is loving it already! He is BRIGHT green! I am going to be leaving him out there until sundown.

Awesome! If you are home most days, try and get him out there as often as you can even if it's just for an hour. Cloudy days are fine for him, as there is still small amounts of UVA and UVB being transmitted. If it starts raining, you leave him out there too, unless you notice a temperature drop before or during any rainy spells. Any little bit of water is good for him, but I wouldn't want him to catch a chill! Do you have a sprinkler that you could set to hit his cage to supply water during the day and to cool him off. It's awful muggy hot in Ottawa right now and I'm sure it's the same for you.

am not sure about the hole in his lip but it doesn't seem to be a wound...I don't know what it is. I will try to get better pics.

If you could that would be great. It's probably nothing, it could just be the lighting in the pic you took, but I'm kind of curious about it. To me it doesn't look infected or anything gross like that, so it's probably not cause for alarm.

He so far HATES when I mist.

LMAO! No kidding eh! You would think they would get used to it? Nope! Some of my guys are big chickens and will run down to the bottom of their enclosures and hide beneath the plants while I spray and some will just sit and wait for it to be over. Don't be afraid to spray him directly, sometimes it takes the actual water dripping across their lips for them to start drinking. Actually I have found that my Veileds don't tend to drink every day, but when they do, they will drink a LOT at one sitting, whereas the Panthers will drink every day but in smaller amounts.

Have fun with him!

Cheers!

Trace

[J-Man]

that pic of with the small hole in the mouth reminds of my girlfriend, when she acts sad to get my attention she'll make a big frown and it looks exactly like that and I say "don't give me the chameleon face." So uhh... anyway umm.... yeah what Trace said, do that.

[marisa]

Well no new pics of the small hole yet....

But today Gus finally had some water. I have had a dripper going and been misting him but no drinking action I have seen. But today I just told him to suck it up and deal with the misting LOL I just kept spraying even though he was trying to "run" away. Finally he just stopped and started taking licks.

Daryl (old owner) never gave him a dripper so I don't know what he thinks of it. Most of the time he got no water, or Daryl would let him sit on the fish tank (?!!?!?!) and get a drink. So I am happy he did have some and hoping he is using the dripper when I am not looking

thanks for all the advice so far guys!

Marisa