Mouth Rot..

[Houdinithevelied]

I took my 8 month old veiled Cham. to a vet recently because his teeth turned kinda blackish and his gums were red/swollen. He is on medicine currently,but he still refuses to eat by him self.. He drinks regularly through a drip system. He is housed in a 36 gallon mesh cage. He has a heat lamp and UVB lamp. I dont think the meds are working but was wondering if i should stop force feeding him and see if he gets hungry enough to get food himself? Anyone else have this problem?

 

[Dylan Dutz]

Don't force feed him for like 2-3 days, if he gets hungry enough and is capable of eating it, then he will. Otherwise if he doesn't eat without you force feeding him, go back to force feeding him. Also try other things besides crickets, like superworms, waxworms, hornworms. And you said you have him in a 36 gallon mesh cage. What are the dimensions? I think this may be way to small for an adult male veiled chameleon. Well hope this helps.

 

[Houdinithevelied]

I give him meal worms and crickets. not sure of the dimensions but i know that he has a lot of room to walk around and climb.

 

[Dylan Dutz]

Well OK then. Maybe try some waxworms or butterworms to. Most chameleons love these. Try my advice.

 

[Houdinithevelied]

where would I find those? The only stores that sell cham. food around here is petsmart and Petco..

 

[Dylan Dutz]

There are some sites that sell them, can't think of them right now, just google "butterworms for sale" or "waxworms for sale". There will be some sites.

 

[Houdinithevelied]

Thanks. I will try those! Your Cham.is pretty. Is it a male or female?

 

[Justin Carl]

he needs a much larger cage.
i would replace mealworms with supperworms.
also try silkworms and roaches(dubia).
i get my suppers form petsmart sometimes.

 

[kinyonga]

Did the vet clean out any of the swollen areas and have a culture and sensativity test done?

Your chameleon may not be eating because its mouth is too sore. Maybe you should try giving it something easier to eat?

Here's a recipe...
http://www.adcham.com/html/husbandry/bug-juice.html

 

[Houdinithevelied]

ok. I will upgrade the cage and try new foods. No the vet didnt clean out his mouth or do an testing. Surprised me. Thank you all for your advice.

 

[PardalisGirl]

Butterworms, etc.

I agree with trying other foods. Silkworms are hard to come by right now. Try butterworms. They are soft and much more nutritious than some other choices. Wax worms and superworms are good for treats but are lower in nutrition. Mullberry Farms has butterworms. What is the name of the medicine the vet gave you? Does it look like he has abcesses anywhere on his gums or jaw?