how long before pulling sperm plug?

[heartben]

i guess my little guy has a sperm plug already. noticed it earlier yesterday, he pood and it came out a tiny bit more but didnt fall out. today he pood again today and it didnt come out, it looks pretty thin...(which seemed less digested than normal, he just started eating dubia a few days ago..hmp.)

he hasnt been rubbing on anything.. idk.

so how long should i wait for him to do it on his own before i try getting it out? also, what are the "instructions" i took him outside today, sprayed him pretty heavily with nice warm water and i think that made him poo but whatever is hanging out is still there.

if i do have to pull it out - do i use tongs, tweezers, my fingers.. do i let him chill on a branch while i do it or do i have to find a way to flip him over? and do i pull out towards his face, feet, or tail? just want to make sure i dont hurt him.

ideally he will pass it on his own, i definitely didnt expect an issue like this so soon!

also, do you think i should up the wattage of my bulb again (due to the less digested dubia - or is that just a thing with dubia?) its usually like 84 at the basking spot which i thought was plenty but he does bask pretty much all day, i never really see him anywhere else unless he is getting water. he is always awake during the day so im not worried too much, this is the first poo thats been like this.. urates have been looking great since i put in the aquazamp! heh.

thanks.

 

[laurie]

i guess my little guy has a sperm plug already. noticed it earlier yesterday, he pood and it came out a tiny bit more but didnt fall out. today he pood again today and it didnt come out, it looks pretty thin...(which seemed less digested than normal, he just started eating dubia a few days ago..hmp.)

he hasnt been rubbing on anything.. idk.

so how long should i wait for him to do it on his own before i try getting it out? also, what are the "instructions" i took him outside today, sprayed him pretty heavily with nice warm water and i think that made him poo but whatever is hanging out is still there.

if i do have to pull it out - do i use tongs, tweezers, my fingers.. do i let him chill on a branch while i do it or do i have to find a way to flip him over? and do i pull out towards his face, feet, or tail? just want to make sure i dont hurt him.

ideally he will pass it on his own, i definitely didnt expect an issue like this so soon!

also, do you think i should up the wattage of my bulb again (due to the less digested dubia - or is that just a thing with dubia?) its usually like 84 at the basking spot which i thought was plenty but he does bask pretty much all day, i never really see him anywhere else unless he is getting water. he is always awake during the day so im not worried too much, this is the first poo thats been like this.. urates have been looking great since i put in the aquazamp! heh.

thanks.

Could you post a picture? Before you do anything you want to make sure that it is a sperm plug.

 

[fluxlizard]

IF it's a sperm plug I pull em as soon as I see em. Just bugs me to know they are there LOL. Probably not necessary really to do anything but it's not a big deal if you want to. I use my index finger and thumb and grab it and pull it on out. Your post makes it sound like a major operation- it's more like the procedure for picking your nose. LOL seriously if it's just a sperm plug its no big deal to pull it out of there. LOL

 

[lslcronk]

His cham is only about 4 months old, isnt that a little young for a sperm plug?

 

[jannb]

I've never had to pull one out but found them around on branches. You might find this old thread helpful.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/sperm-plug-do-i-do-anything-16202/

 

[heartben]

i posted a picture of something sticking out on another thread that looked sort of like the tip of a dead leaf or somethin but its sticking from the back forward.

its not his hemipenes because i have the good fortune to see that the other day.. bleh. it has been coming out a tiny bit over the past 2 days but its still hanging out.

anyways, the reason i asked about it so seriously is because ive seen people say take him to the vet and some people say take it out its no big deal. some have said it can hurt them.. so better safe than sorry.

i cant get a better picture because i have to use my flip cam and take stills from that or my phone which isnt very good (blurry, usually)

lsl - i thought he was too young too but ive talked to others who say they have had chams with them at 4 months.. kind of freaks me out a little but it doesnt seem serious compared to other cases so im not super freaked.

he isnt rubbing on anything but his mood/personality has changed a little...and his eyes sunk in a little bit - im thinking he is going to shed.. doesnt really directly relate to the sperm plug but seriously.. what else could it possibly be. ive seen prolapses - this is absolutely nothing like that, seen his peen...definitely not that. that pretty much only leaves one option in my book from what ive read.

i think one of you should come over and do it haha. nah, ill do it if someone would tell me how they did it.

thanks

 

[Elizadolots]

If I recall the picture, it was barely sticking out. I'd be afraid to tell you for sure that it was a sperm plug. I think better than pulling would be to increase the misting. Maybe a shower or a warm bath? Those things often stimulate the expulsion of the plug.

If it's not a sperm plug, those things are unlikely to cause difficulty.

 

[Johnny84]

I may be a retard!! But what is a "sperm plug"? ANd do all males get them or have them?? LOL!

 

[heartben]

i think ive added like 4 minutes of extra misting yesterday and today. today when i took him outside he pretty much got drenched - just not his underside.

i cant easily move his plants into the shower, so a shallow bath might be in store for him.

ok, if i DONT remove whatever it is, how long should i wait to do something about it? it doesnt really look big or anything.. it could fall out tomorrow for all i know, i just figured he wouldve... ehem.. rubbed it out by now.

more anxious to make sure he will be ok than to remove it - its not bugging me but it might be bugging him, you guys understand. thanks!

 

[carol5208]

I may be a retard!! But what is a "sperm plug"? ANd do all males get them or have them?? LOL!

yes, all males will get them eventually. Not that they will get stuck on their vents though. They usually rub them off on the branches and vines. If you see some gooey looking whitish tan stuff, then it is more than likely their sperm. Mine releases some sometimes after he poops.

 

[carol5208]

i think ive added like 4 minutes of extra misting yesterday and today. today when i took him outside he pretty much got drenched - just not his underside.

i cant easily move his plants into the shower, so a shallow bath might be in store for him.

ok, if i DONT remove whatever it is, how long should i wait to do something about it? it doesnt really look big or anything.. it could fall out tomorrow for all i know, i just figured he wouldve... ehem.. rubbed it out by now.

more anxious to make sure he will be ok than to remove it - its not bugging me but it might be bugging him, you guys understand. thanks!

Ben, if he will let you hold him, try submerging him in some warm water in a shallow container that will cover the vent area. Not the whole chameleon, just the underside.

 

[Elizadolots]

ben, if it's a sperm plug, I don't think you need to forcibly remove it. Provide opportunities for him to expel it.

If it were protruding a lot and seeming to cause problems, I might have a different idea.

When I've done the bath (which they seem to find very stimulating) I've done it in the sink, but a large bowl would work. Just put enough warm water in that he can't keep his vent out of the water. You don't want him to be afraid he's going to drown. It's a bath, not a swim.

Note that wherever you do the bath should be thoroughly cleaned with bleach afterwards.

 

[heartben]

New pics!

alrighty everyone, after taking about a million pictures i got a few where you can kinda see it (better than the other pics i believe) - better safe than sorry, didnt want to even attempt pulling anything out if it wasnt what i thought it was.

so what do you think?

 

[Dawniegirl]

I do same thing .. they gross me out hangin out of him . So true.. if it's a sperm plug.. better know for sure first. First time I saw one I posted a pic on here to confirm before pulling .

IF it's a sperm plug I pull em as soon as I see em. Just bugs me to know they are there LOL. Probably not necessary really to do anything but it's not a big deal if you want to. I use my index finger and thumb and grab it and pull it on out. Your post makes it sound like a major operation- it's more like the procedure for picking your nose. LOL seriously if it's just a sperm plug its no big deal to pull it out of there. LOL

 

[Dawniegirl]

My Diego's are usually whitish and that looks really brown.. maybe because it's dried up . Better wait til you get a "Senior" member's export advise before doing anything.

alrighty everyone, after taking about a million pictures i got a few where you can kinda see it (better than the other pics i believe) - better safe than sorry, didnt want to even attempt pulling anything out if it wasnt what i thought it was.

so what do you think?

 

[heartben]

well.. there seem to be 2 of them so im not sure. it has been a couple/few days now so who knows. ive been misting him really good with warm water and i know i got his vent really good today (he was actually really pissed and kinda struck at the misting wand thing)

just waiting to hear some final answers before i do anything - and i still havent heard how most people do it. doesnt matter if its not serious or not, im still not sure if i can take them out if he is just standing on a branch or if i need to flip him over somehow.

thanks

 

[Elizadolots]

Unless you know that it's safe to remove it don't. In my opinion, you cannot know that based on guesses from people looking at pictures you post on the internet.

If you are very concerned you might make an appointment with a vet who has chameleon experience.

 

[Dawniegirl]

From my limit experience I've never really had to put any effort into pulling them out. I put a napkin up to it and when he moves away from me and or the napkin it kinda just comes out but it's sooo true you don't wanna do anything unless your sure. I myself have only had one cham w/ issues that others are helping me w/ on this forum. You can really get some good advise from very experienced cham owners on here. I don't think it's a big worry if it's a sperm plug cause it is so small. I saw a pic of one that didn't come out and I won't be detailed but thing was HUGE... maybe you can do search on here as well. Just in case it's not a sperm plug it's good your keeping it moist. I heard Ky jelly is good if it's a prolapse but I couldn't tell you for sure but I'm sure you will get good feedback from others. Good luck

 

[Elizadolots]

There's a difference between "pulling something out" and letting the animal rub it off. Letting the chameleon drag itself across a towel might be worth a try, but if it doesn't come off, I would re-wet it.

 

[Dawniegirl]

I've pulled too when it danging there but mostly do that napkin thing. I didn't do anything the first time until I knew what is was and once you know you will see the difference.

There's a difference between "pulling something out" and letting the animal rub it off. Letting the chameleon drag itself across a towel might be worth a try, but if it doesn't come off, I would re-wet it.