Abnormal? Problem?

[westcoastchameleons]

Hey, i have a female panther that was recently bred. Since then she has gained a ton of whieght, but seems to have abnormal fat pads!

Tell me if this is an abnormal thing, or if its normal to have them gain whieght in these areas.

She has always been a good eater/drinker. Never any health problems, and she was a year old in febuary, and has never been bred, nor has been gravid.

thanks,
Jake

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I don't have an answer for you Jake.
I have never bred chameleons....but I wonder if you could be
more specific about the amount of time that has passed between the breeding
and you noticing this condition.
One would assume that the two are related but perhaps not...someone with actual experience will comment soon I'm sure.

-Brad

 

[westcoastchameleons]

I forgot to mention the time, my bad. She was bred not last sunday but the one before it...so almost two weeks. I have only noticed the major fat oad gain since then.

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."seems to have abnormal fat pads"....are you talking about the "lumps" around the neck and arms and gular areas?

Does she have a place to dig in her cage to show you that she is ready to lay eggs?

 

[chameloman72]

The fattened neck area you speak of is from over supplementation back off your supplements and give her plenty of water and it should go away on it's own!!

 

[PardalisGirl]

Abnormal? Problem?

Quote: Hey, i have a female panther that was recently bred. Since then she has gained a ton of whieght, but seems to have abnormal fat pads!

Are the "pads" solid or puffy when you touch them? What locale is your female? What is your supplementation routine for her? She's a very pretty girl

 

[Eric Adrignola]

Sure looks like Edema, not fat pads. Though, I've often seen fat chameleosn come down with edema. Review your supplementation schedule, and provide adequate hydration. Also, perhaps most importantly, what are you feeding your insects?

Sometimes, oversupplementation can happen due to gutloads, as people forget them in the big picture.

 

[westcoastchameleons]

Sure looks like Edema, not fat pads. Though, I've often seen fat chameleosn come down with edema. Review your supplementation schedule, and provide adequate hydration. Also, perhaps most importantly, what are you feeding your insects?

Sometimes, oversupplementation can happen due to gutloads, as people forget them in the big picture.

Eric,
I would think that the over supplementation is more due to my fault. The crickets are fed Roch Coach, and the quencher for some water. I suplement with the Kammer's shcedule, and up until now it has worked. All of my other chameleons are fine. I will back off on the supplements for her.

On another note- I also wanted to make sure that she got enough calcium with her food to help with the eggs. SHould i dust with anything at all for her? Or just take it off completley?

Thanks for the comlpiments on her though.

Jake


PS- The extra "fat pads" are very soft, and thats why fat first popped into my head, not hard.

ahhh, PS- She also had an egg laying container for her to dig in, but its been only 2 weeks. Shes been eating voraciously since breeding.

 

[Kent67]

Hey Jake,

Although edema from oversupplementation could very well be the cause, I thought there might be a couple things to consider. First is that lowland chameleons are less prone to oversupp edemas than montane ones. If the others are not showing anything similar, you might want to consider a trip to the vet just to be sure. It almost looks like water under the skin or something to me. After one of my pardalis had surgery they gave him a sub-q injection of fluids and it looked similar. It's been so long since I've seen an oversupp edema that I could be wrong but I remember it being more like "fat" feeling. Also, I think they are usually in the gular and throat areas rather than the side of the neck and on the chest. Anyway, a blood test could probably tell you what is being over-supplied if that's it.

Also, the calcium is fine to continue. Edemas are usually blamed on vitamins.

 

[kinyonga]

I have heard of this type of "edema" occuring when a panther chameleon is very gravid. In the cases that I have heard of it disappears after the eggs are laid.

It still doesn't mean that she shouldn't see a vet.

 

[westcoastchameleons]

Hey,
Today i gave a closer look...It seems to have decreased a good amount, almost back to normal. Yesterday i dusted none of her food, and gave her silkworms. She seems to be eating and drinking normally, and like stated before...Those pads have decreased in size.


Jake