Please help :(

[Lin311]

Hi all,

I'm new here and need some help.

I have a 2yr old female Jackson Chameleon. Last month I noticed her leg was swollen. I found an exotic pet vet and took her in. The vet said it wasn't broken, maybe she just hurt it somehow. She gave her an anti inflammatory shot and sent us on our way. A couple of weeks later her eye was huge! I've seen her puff it out to scratch it but this time it wouldn't go back in. I took her back to the vet, the vet had never seen anything like it. She gave her another anti inflammatory shot and a vitamin shot. Today I noticed her lip is swollen (along with the leg and eye still being slightly swollen) and there is a black sore on her neck. I don't want her to suffer anymore. What should I do??

She loves to hang out under her light and is eating/drinking fine. She only eats crickets and I dust them a couple times a week.

 

[drcrossfire]

What did your vet tell you to do?

i've never heard of anything quite like this-- have you changed anything lately? Started using any new household cleaners, changed gutloading, feeders?

Just a thought-- can chameleons have allergic reactions? To food or bee stings etc?

 

[Lin311]

The vet just said to keep watching her and bring her back if I had any problems. She couldn't tell me what was going on with her. I'm going to try the other exotic pet vet in town this week and see what she says.

I haven't changed anything that I can think of. We did recently get a bunny but they aren't near each other ever.

 

[Elizadolots]

Hi....I'm so sorry you are having problems.

My question is actually directed to the experts here: could the chameleon be allergic to the bunny?

I ask this because I'm very allergic to bunnies (my family had a couple when I was growing up, by the time the giant lop was my mother's favorite creature on earth, I just started leaving home). If a bunny was inside the house, I knew it, I felt it, it was intolerable...it did not matter where it was in the house, just that it be inside. I suspect if I'd stayed I might have started swelling up. I know I would have been sneezing constantly.

 

[xeonic]

Please fill out the How to ask for help . Which will help people get a better understanding of your Chameleon, which helps people diagnose better. Please also provide some pictures of the swollen legs and eye. The black spot on the neck. Thank you.

 

[Lin311]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
2 year old (going on 3) female jackson chamleon. We have had her almost 2 years.

Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Usually once a day. The vet suggested I take her outside for about 15 minutes a day so she gets some sunlight.

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
We feed her live crickets everyday. We use Fluckers High Calcium Diet.

Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
We use Flucker's Calcium with Vitamin D3. I dust the crickets twice a week.

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
We have The Little Dripper. She stands under the water quite often. Yes, I see her drinking.

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
I haven't seen any fecal droppings, I will watch for that today.

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
She has a screen cage. 16x16x30

Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Exo Terra Compact Top Canopy. The bulb is a Repti Glo 10.0 UVB. The light is on from 7am to 7pm.

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Cage Floor - around 75, basking spot around 85. Overnight around 70. Thermometers.

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
I'm not sure about the humidity, I'll ask my husband when he gets home from work.

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Non toxic artifical plants.

Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Cage is located between our kitchen and dining room by a window. There is an a/c vent about 10 feet away. The cage is on a stand about 3.5 high.

Location - Where are you geographically located?
West Texas

 

[camimom]

Wel not sure if this would cause the swelling, but I feel that you are giving too much D3.

jax are easily over supplemented, so this could be a cause for some of the problems.

alsom you should improve your gutloading alot. that commerical stuff really isnt that good at all. i would suggest finding blogs by sandrachameleon on gutloading your feeders better.

 

[Lin311]

 

[Elizadolots]

Yikes, that eye looks like a sinus infection maybe?

Your pictures are very small. Do you have larger files? You can attach large files and they will appear as thumbnails that expand when we click on them.

 

[ataraxia]

EYE: looks like a sinus infection. You will need to see a vet for proper antibiotics.

MOUTH: Mouth rot. Also should see a vet for proper medication and course of treatment.

 

[ChamFreak]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
2 year old (going on 3) female jackson chamleon. We have had her almost 2 years.

Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Usually once a day. The vet suggested I take her outside for about 15 minutes a day so she gets some sunlight.

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
We feed her live crickets everyday. We use Fluckers High Calcium Diet.

Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
We use Flucker's Calcium with Vitamin D3. I dust the crickets twice a week.
As stated, D3 2 times a month, vits, 2 times a month. regular calcium daily

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
We have The Little Dripper. She stands under the water quite often. Yes, I see her drinking.
Yoyou need to mist too, keep misting 2-4 times per day

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
I haven't seen any fecal droppings, I will watch for that today.

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
She has a screen cage. 16x16x30

Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Exo Terra Compact Top Canopy. The bulb is a Repti Glo 10.0 UVB. The light is on from 7am to 7pm.
10.0 is for desert animals, these are rainforest and do better with 5.0 bulbs. change this please

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Cage Floor - around 75, basking spot around 85. Overnight around 70. Thermometers.

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
I'm not sure about the humidity, I'll ask my husband when he gets home from work.

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Non toxic artifical plants.

Put a live plant in there, makes a huge difference in humidity. Plus they keep growing and make your cage fill out

Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Cage is located between our kitchen and dining room by a window. There is an a/c vent about 10 feet away. The cage is on a stand about 3.5 high.

Location - Where are you geographically located?
West Texas

Sorry, I know that all my suggestions wont benifet your current issue, but it will improve your chams life for later issues. I think the bunny and being allergic could be. I am not sure why otherwise but correct these issues and it could be a link to a part of your problem

 

[xeonic]

I agree with Ataraxia. It's possible that it's a suppliment issue. But the dark spot on your chameleons head is an infection. The eye and the dark spot are probably related and are infections. Your chameleon needs a vet.

 

[Lin311]

Should I be using calcium without D3? The dust I have is a combo of the 2. What kind of vitamins should I be using?

Also, the vet said the eye didn't look infected because there was no drainage/pus. Could the eye be infected without any discharge?

I'm taking to her to the other exotic pet dr in town tomorrow. What causes infections like this to occur?

What kind of live plant do you suggest I put in there?

Every time I walk up to her cage, she is scratching herself. She'll puff out her eye and rub it on the branch. I'm guessing that's how she opened the sore on her side as well. Why do they get itchy? I'm moving the bunny cage to a different room. The more I think of it, this all started happening when we got the bunny.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[Carlton]

Should I be using calcium without D3? The dust I have is a combo of the 2. What kind of vitamins should I be using?

Also, the vet said the eye didn't look infected because there was no drainage/pus. Could the eye be infected without any discharge?

I'm taking to her to the other exotic pet dr in town tomorrow. What causes infections like this to occur?

What kind of live plant do you suggest I put in there?

Every time I walk up to her cage, she is scratching herself. She'll puff out her eye and rub it on the branch. I'm guessing that's how she opened the sore on her side as well. Why do they get itchy? I'm moving the bunny cage to a different room. The more I think of it, this all started happening when we got the bunny.

Thanks for the tips.

Her eyes could itch because of dry air, a foreign body in her eye, or possibly because of an infection. The swelling will be an irritant and could cause her to keep rubbing and scratching it. The abscess on her head could be part of the same infection that is affecting her eye, but possibly it is inside a nasal cavity inside the skull. Abscesses in herps can grow and spread internally but show up in one or more places on the surface. I've had jackson's with infections that spread from a sore in their mouth, but left undiagnosed, the infection spread in pockets under the skin of the cheek, into the sinuses, and eventually the eye socket.

 

[ChamFreak]

try a pothos or a ficus plant.

What suppliments are you using? The Repashy is a all in one, I use it as well. I would suggest if your going to use a all in one to use it.

Something is irratating your Cham, you need to find out what it is.

Is the cage well kept and cleaned?

Water is fresh?

 

[ChamFreak]

and just a thought.. My cham used to do that too (scratching eye) when he shed the dead skin would stick to his eye and he was trying to get it off.

Any chance your cham has some shed on his eye?

 

[Elizadolots]

That really looks like a sinus infection, not an infected eye. When their sinuses get infected they swell up alarmingly and either push out in the eye area or around the top of the head.

Noting that, at least in humans, allergies are often the cause of sinus infections. You might want to try eliminating any possible contamination from the bunny. It's a cheap thing to try and just might help. I know you say they are separate, but in my experience, people with bunnies play with them. So, when you go near your chameleon, you are covered with bunny dander.

Here's what I would do:

First, pick a room for the chameleon that is going to be completely off limits to the bunny. Clean that room thoroughly. Vacuum several times, remove or launder any fabrics (if you have a soft couch or chair in there, vaccum it several times). Make sure to thoroughly wash hands (and face if there's been any bunny smooching) before going into the chameleon's room. Have "bunny free" shirts stationed at the door. Everyone coming in should pull a bunny free shirt over their "presumably contaminated by the bunny" shirt before getting near the chameleon's cage. While it would cost a little bit, consider getting an air cleaning machine and setting it up near the chameleon's cage.

There isn't a lot about allergies in reptiles on the internet (just a suggestion that they are allergic to tobacco) so this is sort of uncharted territory. However, as noted, it doesn't have to cost money to try and it might well be helpful. It will certainly be educational.

All that said: you still need a vet!