mellers chameleon bump on lip. please help

[kLeveR MellEr 05]

hey guys and gals, im new to the forumn and was just really concerned about my mellers chameleon. ive had him for about a year now and hes always been veryhealthy, about two months ago, i fed him a feeder rat because i was told it was okay for them to have one time to time, i gave him one a few weeks after that, and its been three weeks now he hasnt eaten, hes grown a bump on his side lip, and on the inside of his mouth when he opens it i can see an area on his side lip inside, its all red and purple and looks like hes in pain from it. if anyone could please help me i really would like to save him. hes a beautiful chameleon. ive been giving him lots of water with mixed nutrients to give him some strength, i seen him today for the first time ever laying on the floor of his cage resting, i pulled him back up to a tree and hes now just cathen some light. please some help would be great

 

[AJA]

Hopefully the rat was dead before you fed it?

 

[THECHAMMAN]

i dont know about anyone else, i think he has mouth rot, i would try some rot guard, and if that doesnt work i would consult a vet.

you can get rot guard from www.lllreptile.com
and you can find a vet at www.herpvetconnection.com

 

[kLeveR MellEr 05]

i dont know about anyone else, i think he has mouth rot, i would try some rot guard, and if that doesnt work i would consult a vet.

you can get rot guard from www.lllreptile.com
and you can find a vet at www.herpvetconnection.com

thanks man i appreciate it, would feeding it a live rat have been real bad? it was a pinky.

 

[toddmkeller]

This cham needs to see a vet before this weekend. He has probably got an infection in his lip and needs antibiotics also probably needs his gumline cleaned out. Here is a link to find a vet in your area if you don't already have one. http://www.herpvetconnection.com/

See ya,

Todd

 

[AJA]

Well, I was thinking the rat may have bit him. However, if the cham is already on the bottom of his cage, I would get him to the vet sooner rather than later.

 

[chams1]

This cham needs to see a vet before this weekend. He has probably got an infection in his lip and needs antibiotics also probably needs his gumline cleaned out. Here is a link to find a vet in your area if you don't already have one. http://www.herpvetconnection.com/

See ya,

Todd

I totally agree. One of my adult melleri gets a mouth infection from time to time due to an old mouth injury. I would suggest first going to a vet to have it checked as your mellers probably will need to go on antibiotics immediately. I disinfect my melleri's mouth 1-2 times a month to prevent this with a 50/50 mouthwash/water solution to help curb any bacteria buildup. This, however, is a two person job and it needs to be done with extreme caution and should only be done by experienced melleri keepers.

 

[kLeveR MellEr 05]

thanks for all the advice guys i really appreciate it. how much do you guys think a vet visit for something like this is gonna cost me?

 

[chams1]

thanks for all the advice guys i really appreciate it. how much do you guys think a vet visit for something like this is gonna cost me?

It depends on the vet and what is wrong, what tests need to be done, etc. I have spent in upwards of $1,000 on just two vet visits for one of my melleri for just one problem. This, however, included a lot of blood work, having samples sent away for testing, etc. Obviously for lesser problems, it would cost less. Cham keeping is an expensive hobby and people should realize that vet visits may be part of that expense prior to getting into it (I'm not insinuating anything about you, per se, I'm just saying in general.)

 

[summoner12]

Vet visit is in need ASAP if he is on the ground. Chams don't 'rest' on the ground. no cham ever should be on the ground unless they are female and looking to dig a nest.

I assume this melleri is a wild caught? where did you get him? What part of the world do you live in? Have you ever had this cham to a vet? did you ever do fecal tests? If you hve never done any of this, there could be a slew of issues along side a infected lip/mouth.