Help! What is happening to my Cham's mouth!

[sidesweep]

Cage Info:

• Cage Type – All Screen cage. 18 x 18 x 36 (inches)
• Lighting –Reptisun 5.0 UVB, encased in a small with a reflector hood?
• Temperature – The cage floor is 74F, Basking is 78F.
• Humidity – Ranges from 68% to 80%. I live in hk so it is very humid here anyway
• Plants – Mixture of fake and live plants, some bamboo
• Placement – Got the cage on top of a small table. I use an air conditioner and fan to control the temp
• Location – Hong Kong, South East Asia.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon – Flapneck Chameleon x 2, I think they are about 2 yrs old…well that is what I have been told, only had them for four weeks now. 1 male 1 female
• Handling – About once a week, they are fine with handling, change colour initially and then go back to their normal colour after holding them for a bit. No gaping.
• Feeding – Small Green grasshoppers and brown crickets, I gut load both with lettuce
• Supplements – Zoo Meds – Reptivite with D3
• Watering – Hubba Mister on timer. I also use a hand sprayer about 2-3 times a day. See them drinking regularly
• Fecal Description – Brown and slimey mostly…sometimes contains white/yellow hard parts

I have only had the little beauties in my care for a short time. And when I got them they already had these problems.

The tip of the mouth on both of them was a little black!?! They started shedding soon after I got them so I thought it was because of this. Since then they have finished shedding. Now the tip of the bottom lip has turned black and fallen off on the male! The EXACT same thing is now happening to the female. See pictures. Is this mouth rot? Also the female has had a piece of black skin on her foot that appears to be a scab or cut since I bought her. Really worried because I do not know any good VETs.

 

[Dave Weldon]

• Lighting –Reptisun 5.0 UVB, encased in a small with a reflector hood?
• Temperature – The cage floor is 74F, Basking is 78F.
• ...I use an air conditioner and fan to control the temp
• Flapneck Chameleon x 2. 1 male 1 female
• Feeding – ...I gut load both with lettuce
• Supplements – Zoo Meds – Reptivite with D3
• Fecal Description – ...contains white/yellow hard parts

The tip of the mouth on both of them was a little black!?!

Howdy Alexander,

A couple of quick notes and I let others fill-in more details..

Dilepis (per Necas' book) are one of the chameleons that least tolerate co-habitation. I couldn't tell from your description if you have them together. If so then split them into two enclosures with no visual contact for now. This can be a hidden stresser that supresses the immune system and lets disease more easily take over.

Is that a 5.0 linear tube or a compact? There may be benefits to using a linear tube. Is there anything between the tube's surface and the chameleon other than screen? No plastic or glass!

Dilepis come from quite a varied environment. Who knows where this one was taken from so you might want to add a basking light. Try something around 60W and position it to produce a gradient with a basking temp closer to 90F and see if they utilize it. I'm not so sure about using AC and a fan to control temp .

You'll want to research better gutloading materials.
How often are you supplementing?

Yellow urates could suggest the need for more hydration so be sure to let them drink as much as they want.

Parasites could easily be complicating things. Some kind of bacteria/fungus etc. problem could easily be damaging the mouth. Check with the seller to find out about a good local vet.

 

[sidesweep]

Thanks for your help. Its a compact UVB light. I use to keep them together but now i have separated them. You see originally i was mis-informed by the shop owner that they were Rudis so i thought it would ok to keep them together. Will sort out a basking area for them later. I am only supplementing once a week because i was told it is important to not over-supplement their feed.

Does anyone know why the tip of their mouths has turned black and fallen off though? Or seen this type of problem before? Am betting its probably fungal...

 

[kinyonga]

I would recommend you get the mouth problem checked out by a vet.

 

[tkilgour]

wow sounds serious, get a vet to check the poor guys out.

 

[chamelisa]

In my experience, the injury on the mouth is caused from rubbing on the screen to escape. Once a cage is set up in a way that is comfortable for the chameleon, it will stop rubbing. Often this means raising the height of the cage. It may take a shed or two to rid all evidence of the rub, and this could take months.

With a swab, you can clean out the wounds with diluted betadine. The injury on the foot should be cleaned out and if you have any, apply Neosporin or Polysporin on the wounds.

As far as a vet, at the very least, you should get fecal tests done based on your description of the fecies.

Good luck with those chameleons. They're cute... Then again, I think ALL chams are cute.

 

[chambabysitter1]

I thought you said you sorted this all out well over a week ago? Well that is what I remember you saying anyways.

Good luck.

 

[sidesweep]

I sorted out all the enclosure but now this skin problem has popped up and seems to be getting worse.

I've found a decent Exotic VET which is very close to my house so taking them there tomorrow. It says on their website they have dealt with chams before.

http://www.taiwaiexotic.com/l

What do you suggest is the best way to transport my babies so as to minimize stress?

 

[Sang]

seperate , cardboard box is OK, small so there isn't to much movement, at least to h to spin around, tall enough for them to climb out on there own. damp paper towels to cushion the bottom. place in box close top. transport in cool enviroment.

 

[sidesweep]

Thanks a lot everyone for your help! Will you keep you posted on what the VET thinks.

 

[tkilgour]

Good luck....I know how you feel about your prized chameleon. I love my chams. so much. They are the best pets I have every owned, as well as the cleanest. Id say the chams. are the only pets I ever want to own again (besides my doberman, and african grey).