I have a 8 -year-old male Ambanja panther chameleon who recently started to smell skunky. Wondering if anyone else has ever noticed something similar.
I feed him roaches that emit a skunky smell when disturbed. And the smell seems to be stronger near the base of his tail. Could it be the digested roach inside him?
My chameleon never had an offensive odor before.
Here are the stats:
I've had him since he was 1.5" small. (8 years ago). He's in a screen cage, one large pothos- which I've seen him eat a bit of lately- something he never did for years. Fake jungle vines, some cork bark, and a wooden stand that all this strategically stuff sits on. I mist him for a few minutes every morning. Then Habba Mist sprays once ever hour for a minute while the lights and heat are on. 2 Reptisun 5.0 bulbs and 2 daylight fluorescent bulbs. (need new Reptisuns, as they were changed in July) Temps during the day are kept around 80-85 F- possibly warmer near his lights. Cool down at night to 65 or 70 F.
I feed mostly roaches and recently meal worms. He doesn't eat much these days and he isn't very active. So, I feed him approx. twice a week. I rarely dust food with RepCal, as his feeders are pretty well gut loaded.
Another thing of note:
He has been battling an eye problem for about a year and a half. He's been to to the vet and tested for a few bacteria in the eye. I've administered antibiotic drops, shots, and more drops and more shots to no realy avail. So, as long as I mist him well in the mornings, his eye seems to be ok, not great. Gets watery, sometimes crusty, sometimes gooey that I gently clear with Q-Tip. My vet can't really help any more with this. She thinks it could be a mechanical problem with his eye - and trouble clearing debris or closing it. She gave him Vit A shots for two weeks and I gave him a drop of Vit A on a roach, but am concerned about overdosing on that.
One other thing, I have noticed a tiny bug (like a miniature fruit fly or gnat) running along his body. It moves so fast and is so small I can't catch it.
I think he is just getting old. What do you think?
Thanks for your thoughts on this!
Dena
I feed him roaches that emit a skunky smell when disturbed. And the smell seems to be stronger near the base of his tail. Could it be the digested roach inside him?
My chameleon never had an offensive odor before.
Here are the stats:
I've had him since he was 1.5" small. (8 years ago). He's in a screen cage, one large pothos- which I've seen him eat a bit of lately- something he never did for years. Fake jungle vines, some cork bark, and a wooden stand that all this strategically stuff sits on. I mist him for a few minutes every morning. Then Habba Mist sprays once ever hour for a minute while the lights and heat are on. 2 Reptisun 5.0 bulbs and 2 daylight fluorescent bulbs. (need new Reptisuns, as they were changed in July) Temps during the day are kept around 80-85 F- possibly warmer near his lights. Cool down at night to 65 or 70 F.
I feed mostly roaches and recently meal worms. He doesn't eat much these days and he isn't very active. So, I feed him approx. twice a week. I rarely dust food with RepCal, as his feeders are pretty well gut loaded.
Another thing of note:
He has been battling an eye problem for about a year and a half. He's been to to the vet and tested for a few bacteria in the eye. I've administered antibiotic drops, shots, and more drops and more shots to no realy avail. So, as long as I mist him well in the mornings, his eye seems to be ok, not great. Gets watery, sometimes crusty, sometimes gooey that I gently clear with Q-Tip. My vet can't really help any more with this. She thinks it could be a mechanical problem with his eye - and trouble clearing debris or closing it. She gave him Vit A shots for two weeks and I gave him a drop of Vit A on a roach, but am concerned about overdosing on that.
One other thing, I have noticed a tiny bug (like a miniature fruit fly or gnat) running along his body. It moves so fast and is so small I can't catch it.
I think he is just getting old. What do you think?
Thanks for your thoughts on this!
Dena