sick veiled chamelon

hi i was wondering if anyone can give me some advise i have a male veiled chameleon that i have had almost 3years and he has gotten very lethargic he sits at the bottom of the cage all day and i think it is because he fell maybe he feels more secure or something but he is not as interested in food or water i got him to drink a little bit earlier his cage conditions haven't changed at all so that is what is so puzzling about this he has always been a good eater we give him a ton of variety mea lworms crickets horn worms grasshoppers wax worms phoenix worms and soldier grubs he has a 100 watt heat bulb and a uvb strip light he gets regular misting daily and will drink when you spay water right in his mouth he has sufficient foliage to hide in if he doesnt want to be bothered the way he is acting is really scaring me he has never looked like this and there isnt any vets that take reptiles by where i live except one and he isnt the greatest i dont think because he said he has had chameleons and they only lived for a week or so i have had mine for almost 3 years and he didnt seem to know alot about calcium supplimenting their food either when i took my bearded dragon to him he gave me antibiotics for her and i have alot left over do you think i should try this to see if it improves his condition? someone also told me they can get sick from other species of lizards but the rest of my lizards are absolutely fine if any one could help i would appreciate it i will try and post some pics of him tonight i am so worried because i have never seen him look so weak he is also showing very bright colors like he is stressed

I would not recommend using antibiotics meant for your beardie.

1. What size is his cage?
2. Exactly what kind/style of 100 watt heat bulb do you use? Have you measured the cage temps to see what the hot & ccol sides are?
3. What supplements do you use and how often?

I know you say he gets regular misting, but are you certain it's enough? Chams need heavy misting at least several times a day. A 3-year old Veiled isn't exactly old, but would be slowing down a bit.

It's hard to say what exactly might be wrong - heck, could be MBD,over/under supplementation, long term effects of dehydration, or just old age - but I think I'd start by lowering the wattage of your heat bulb, increasing humidity, maybe give him a nice warm shower if he's not too weak to maintain a good grasp.

It very well could be calcium deficient....if he fell and is not getting up. If over-heated he might stay near the bottom but still look and walk around. If he's drinking well, it probably isn't dehydrated...but a pic could tell us if he LOOKS dehydrated. Then like Laura said, there could be a number of causes. His age should not be a factor, they live about 5-8 years .But again, lack of proper calcium + D3 would lead to weak muscles, improper bone growth, etc.

he gets calcium d3 all the time and he gets a heavy heavy misting 3 or four times a day and he drinks alot of water everyday so he is not dehydrated he just has a hundred watt heat bulb and its not super hot in there he also has a uvb bulb he isnt walking around in the bottom he is just sitting there i have already tried both of these suggestions and his condition has not changed to answer your question he is in a 280 gal screen tank , and i know calcium is not the issue but thank you for your suggestions

Hi Kerri....one thing about the large screened cage can be the problem, with a 100 watt bulb there is not a hot enough basking spot. They NEED a 95-105 basking spot in order to process their calcium....it's really critical It takes a while for them to show how ill they are, but that is a definite sign, being lethargic. I'm almost certain the basking temp. is the problem. Either try 2 basking bulbs to raise the temps. [ one can even be a regular house bulb ] or try him in a smaller enclosure. I hope he improves !

Being that he is weak at the bottom of the cage, he may not have the strength to get back up by the heat so a smaller enclosure may be the best idea, so he can get the heat without having to climb very much.