Is this gout?
- Thread starter Tiosk
- Start date
Thehippie
Chameleon Enthusiast
she is a full grown veiled chameleon, she needs more space, small cage with a lot of heat means they will over heat with no place to cool down. is your uvb bulb linear or compact? compact it no good. (compact will fit in a deep dome linear will be a straight line. a 2x2x4 cage is recommended and you can get a che and 100 w basking bulb to keep her warm but you can always buy a 18X18X36 glass zoo med cage, my local pet store sells them for $130. you need a multivitamin every other week. make the laybin a permanent part of her enclosure as female chameleons lay eggs regardless. have you taken her to the vet yet?
celeste_knitter
Chameleon Enthusiast
She is small because she doesn't appear to be healthy. Sorry you are having issues. Please get a larger cage, better lighting, and vet visit asap.
Thehippie
Chameleon Enthusiast
I agree with @celeste_knitter she reallt does not appear to be healthy or happy based on her color, the color could mean something is also bothering her based on the previous picture and this picture
bobbydigital
Avid Member
Linear Uvb bulbs are better than the compact bulbs. I don't see any swelling on her other foot which is good.
bobbydigital
Avid Member
The first symptoms of my boys gout was him avoiding using the leg, I would see him hanging out on his vines with his leg hanging. When you touch the area with the swelling is it hard or soft?
Goose502
Chameleon Enthusiast
You will keep getting crap about the size of the tank because is is too small. Most health problems are a result of improper husbandry. Your lack of a multivitamin, lack of a varied diet, and from what I can see, use of a compact fluorescent UVB bulb can all contribute to many problems. You came to these forums looking for advice, its great that you are making an attempt to help your pet, but if multiple people recommend the same changes, maybe you should take the advice?
Tiosk
Member
You are no vet, I have no reason to trust what you say. It is a FORUM. Just because what you are recommending to me is in YOUR setup, doesn’t mean that it is the best thing to do. The only reason that my chameleon has a low variation of food is because she doesn’t LIKE other foods. She likes wax worms, moths, and crickets. She also eats her pothos. Multivitamin is completely necessary for supplementing ESPECIALLY when my chameleon may have gout. Your statements about UV lighting are ridiculous, there is nothing wrong with it. I came here for advice on gout, not for some weirdo to tell me what I’m doing wrong and what HE THINKS is right.
Andee
Chameleon Enthusiast
Multivitamins are completely necessary even if your chameleon may have gout. Its not often vitamins that cause gout when used correctly. .___. I dont mean to come off rude if i am. Multivitamins are huge even if you are gutloading and constantly feeding high quality things to your feeders like i do. I reduce my multivitamin use because of what i feed to my feeders but i still use it. I would prefer her having a larger cage cause in the wild their territory is massive. And she would use every inch of the cage. However it is not what we should focus on right now. I worry about any artificial uvb but thats just me after what ive experienced. Compacts are especially harmful and less useful. A lot of things that affect these creatures is long term improper husbandry, and it can be small things, that lead to severe illnesses, which is why people will point out things to fix. I hope i didnt come across aggressive XD'
Syreptyon
Chameleon Enthusiast
This is just truly bizarre.... Why are you asking for advice if you don't believe anything anyone has to say? Why be a member of the forum if you find its users completely incredible? If you don't listen to the very good advice you've been given about things as basic as lighting and supplements, then do you expect us to believe you're going to take any advice about something as complicated and deleterious as gout? It's like you just wanted to say that you have a problem, but you didn't actually want any advice or to improve the life of that poor animal.
Your UVB light is unacceptable. It's not an opinion, it's a fact. I don't know if you know this or not, but the laws of physics are unchangeable and apply to light emission. The format of your UVB light is objectively subpar and is physically unable to distribute UVB in such a way as to be effective. The different format of compact vs. linear lights makes a massive difference. It's just not up for debate. You are delusional if you believe otherwise.
Also you really ought to add some hard wood branches to the girl's cage... Her nails are horrifying long because she doesn't have anything properly sturdy to walk on.
While at the vet, get the lump she has where her spine meets her tail, too. That's what I find really worrying. That's not anatomically something that should be there. Something is not right with her.
Your UVB light is unacceptable. It's not an opinion, it's a fact. I don't know if you know this or not, but the laws of physics are unchangeable and apply to light emission. The format of your UVB light is objectively subpar and is physically unable to distribute UVB in such a way as to be effective. The different format of compact vs. linear lights makes a massive difference. It's just not up for debate. You are delusional if you believe otherwise.
Also you really ought to add some hard wood branches to the girl's cage... Her nails are horrifying long because she doesn't have anything properly sturdy to walk on.
While at the vet, get the lump she has where her spine meets her tail, too. That's what I find really worrying. That's not anatomically something that should be there. Something is not right with her.
Deo32
Member
The advice being given to you is cited straight from resources compiled by leading experts on chameleon husbandry, which quite frankly would coincide—if not oversee—the advice you would be given by any normal vet. Additionally, the fact that you believe the consumption of pothos is supposedly a good sign is quite concerning, given that mass ingestion of the latter is toxic and warrant an immediate removal of the plant. As for gout, the other people are giving you information that should suffice; although, fixing your husbandry would be an ideal step in helping your chameleon. I won't personally bug you about anything else, but I'd consider losing the stubborn attitude and instead consider people's advice—think about what is truly best for your chameleon.
Source for the pothos, if you don't believe me (per, vet): http://www.avianandexotic.com/care-sheets/reptiles/houseplants-safe-for-reptiles/
Thehippie
Chameleon Enthusiast
it says it can be irritating in LARGE quantities, "Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) – high in oxalic acid, may cause oral irritation if ingested in large quantities." i dont think that your chameleon is eating a full salad of pothos leaves. its great that she will eat something giving her variety in her diet that said, monitor what she is eating but it will cause irritation at best, it will not poison your chameleon. this is from the article you sent by the way
Deo32
Member
....correct? From what I can deduce, from both what they have said and their enclosure, it seems like their chameleon is eating a significant amount of pothos, and has been regularly. I mean I may be wrong, but still, my point is still valid
