Nutritional diseases in chameleons

Nutritional diseases are caused by an incorrect diet. They can occur if fed too much or too little of the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals needed to maintain good health. Nutritional disease is commonly seen in chameleons, but it is preventable.

Malnutrition is the result of an incorrect diet; this may be too much or too little of any food.

It is vital your chameleon is kept at the correct temperature to help the stomach and small intestine absorb all the nutrients from his food. The daytime temperature should be around 21-40°C/69.8-104°F. The vivarium should have two ends, the higher temperatures being the basking end of the vivarium and the other end the lower temperature where the chameleon can go to cool off. Your chameleon also needs a good source of UV light to help his body absorb calcium from the intestine, the light should be placed 30-45 cm away from the chameleons most common bathing spot.

Make sure you feed a varied diet to your chameleon. The variety of shop brought and bred insects is limited in the UK but try to give him as much variety of these as possible.

Most cases of malnutrition need specialist veterinary attention.

Vitamin A is needed to keep the inside of the mouth, the eyes and the kidneys working. Lack of this vitamin can cause thickening of the eyelids and can also lead to kidney failure. Chameleons get there source of vitamin A from their prey insects so a varied diet is important to help provide adequate amounts. Feeding gut loaded insects can help reach this goal too.

Vitamin D3 and calcium are needed to keep your chameleon’s bones strong and his muscles active. An insufficiency will lead to the bones becoming soft and bendy; they may even fracture. A common method of increasing the amount of calcium in the body is to dust the insects with calcium powder. Although sometimes the dust can fall off before consumed so gut loading the insects with specific calcium high insect feeds can be beneficial.

Keeping your chameleon at the correct temperature helps his stomach and small intestine to absorb all the nutrients from his food. Your chameleon needs a good source of UV light to help his body absorb calcium from the intestine. Make sure you feed a varied diet to your chameleon.

If your chameleon has a nutritional disease he may have to visit the veterinary practice for possible hospitalization so he can receive assisted feeding and vitamin treatments to help him recover.