PLEASE HELP ME. my chameleon has MBD and i dont think i can afford a vet bill right now. what else can i do?!

Question

i cant afford a vet bill to get shots for him yet

i already got him a UVB light. and more places to hide.

i bought him a "food spray calcium supplement"

that you spray on the crickets, along with some repitivite, which is a dust to dust the crickets with before feeding him.

i took him in the sun for an hour today. he seemed happy in it. he was real green. AND has been alot more green today in general.

is there anything else i can do? before taking him to the vet?

hes not at a severe stage, but his casque or whatever is bent.

he IS eating. and drinking.

ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO HELP MY CHAMELEON BEFORE GOING TO THE VET?

-since ive changed the lighting and the food calcium level, CAN HE GET BETTER ON HIS OWN? or will he just stay the same. DO I NEED A SHOT? and how much does it cost. i live in a town not far from Chicago IL

Answer 1

Whoa, this is surprisingly the same message i got in my email. Are you related to chiwei in any way?

1. Bent casque, unfortunately, is already considered as a mild to advanced case. When a chameleon stop eating and drinking, you can pretty much bet that he is in extremely critical condition.  If you go to the vet now, you will have a good chance avoiding severe bowed legs that your chameleon might get pretty soon. If you keep ignoring it, then he will fractured his legs in many places rendering him immobile and then death.

That calcium injection is a sure way to immediately correct the calcium phospor ratio in his body bypassing the slow calcium absorption via intestine.

Talk to your parents and see if they can help you out.

Here is what you should do in the meantime:

http://chamworld.blogspot.com/2008/01/he...

Read the site and change your husbandry to a proper one.

Check:

http://chamworld.blogspot.com/2008/01/ve...

There are 4 series and i am just giving you the link to the first series.

Make sure you read all 4, specifically on enclosure + lighting and feeding chapter.

Answer 2

it sounds like your doing all the correct things

but u still need to see a vet very early cases of mbd can be cured at home but it takes months and tends to get worst before it gets better as for anything past very early u need to take it to the vet as above his condition will worsen to a point of life threatening and even if he get through it, it has a good chance of being deformed and in pain. it also take years to put right.

a vet (and more importantly the shot) is the safest quickest and kindest option as it give a great boost and can avoid things like deformities pain and suffering