Swollen Casque on Adult male Veiled Cham

[LyraRose]

Hi, I am brand new to this forum and I've only just joined because I wanted to know if a swollen casque is a serious problem that I should take my guy to the vet for.

I read somewhere else on this forum that a swollen casque might be due to the fat storage caused by over-eating however that would not make much sense in this case because there have been two adult dubia roaches in my cham's feeding bowl and I put those in the bowl about 2 days ago. So I'm fairly certain that neither of my veileds have eaten these past two days. Also, my female does not appear to have a swollen casque at all.

Problem: Swollen casque on adult male Veiled Chameleon

Size/color: the swollen area should be visible in the attached photo and does not appear discolored in any way

Texture: I would have felt the swollen area except Pascal (my male) is pretty aggressive and attempts to bite my fingers any time they get close to him. (And I know he's not just bluffing, he's gotten my fingers pretty good in the past)


Any suggestions as to what could be going on?

 

[chameleonkev]

I carnt see where it's swollen but he looks a little dehydrated to me

 

[Swayne8998]

Have you noticed it swelling? Do you have pics before it was "swelling?" And I don't think he looks dehydrated...

Also filling this out would help a lot. https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

 

[LyraRose]

But could that cause his casque to swell?

 

[ataraxia]

Swollen casque on most is a result In A. Good hydration or B. Infection My males veiled looks like your guys and is a result of hydration.

We need the how to ask for help form filled out. Your guy has some serious nose rub. Typically that is a cause of not being happy with the environment he is in. Either the cage is to small or there is not enough foliage, vines branches to keep him busy or feeling comfortable.

 

[LyraRose]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleons, 1 male and 1 female, approx. 1.5 yrs old. I brought Pascal and Juliet home on November 3rd 2011.
Handling - Pascal maybe once a week since every time I attempt to get him out he goes for my fingers. Juliet gets to go outside and hang out on my fruit trees about twice a week because she is easier to handle and less aggressive.
Feeding - Dubia roaches and hornworms. I usually leave 4-5 juvenile-adult roaches in their bowl and add more when those are gone. When I have hornworms I put the equivalent of 2 large hornworms in every time I see that the previous batch has been consumed. The roaches are fed a diet of carrots, cucumbers, celery, Total Bites for feeder insects and "The Goodlife Recipe" catfood. The hornworms are fed a special food mix specifically for them that I buy from GreatLakesHornworms
Supplements - My boyfriend told me that as long as I feed the roaches and worms a healthy and balanced diet that I should not have to supplement my chameleons' diet with vitamins.
Watering - There is a Monsoon water system hooked up to their cage, both nozzles are pointed toward the center of the cage where there are an abundance of leaves to catch said water. I don't usually see my chams drinking but the mister is set to turn on every 1.5 hrs for approx. 30 seconds so they have plenty of opportunities to drink when I won't see them.
Fecal Description - Since both of my veileds inhabit the same enclosure I can't really tell which fecal matter belongs to whom. Also due to the copious amounts of water hitting the bottom of their cage, most of the fecal matter has been disintegrated. Neither of my chameleons have ever been tested for parasites.
History - As far as I know, neither of them have ever had any health problems.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - I custom built the cage I now have for my chams out of PVC pipe and window screen. The cage measures approx. 4ft tall by 3ft wide by 1.5ft deep.
Lighting – I have a ZooMed 100W PowerSun that comes on at 5:30am and goes off at 8pm
Temperature – During the day the cage floor is usually at approx. 72 F and their basking spot is around 80 F. The lowest overnight temp my house usually gets to is around 68-70 F. I have two ZooMed digital thermometers one of which is located near their basking spot, the other near the middle of the cage.
Humidity – Not sure what the humidity levels are in the big chameleons’ cage because I don’t have a hygrometer. However, I’d assume that they are within acceptable values since the cage automatically gets misted for about 30 seconds every 1.5 hrs.
Plants – There are no live plants in my adult chameleon enclosure.
Placement – Their cage is located in my living-room area. They are not underneath or near any fans and the nearest air vent is mostly closed. They are in a moderate traffic area but since neither my roommate nor I really use the living room during the day they don’t see too much action. The top of the cage is about 4ft above the ground because the cage sits on one layer of plastic/foam play mats which keep my carpets from getting soaked by the mister.
Location – Colorado Springs, Colorado

Current Problem – The swelling of my Adult Male Veiled Chameleon’s casque


Regarding the Nose rub: His nose was a bit worse when I first brought him home. The store where I acquired Pascal and Juliet was housing them in an enclosure meant for snakes (so mostly solid hard plastic with sliding glass doors). Before I brought them home I did notice that he was rubbing his face against the glass doors of his enclosure as if he desperately wanted to escape. Since he has been in my care I have not observed him rubbing his nose against any part of the cage (not that it would hurt him anyway since the window screen I used for all surfaces aside from the lid are the cloth-feeling type).

 

[LyraRose]

I'm attaching photos of their enclosure and lighting for evaluation.

 

[LyraRose]

Have you noticed it swelling? Do you have pics before it was "swelling?" And I don't think he looks dehydrated...

Also filling this out would help a lot. https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

I didn't look too closely yesterday as I've had papers to write for a summer class I'm in, but I don't think it was swollen the day before yesterday.

I've attached a photo I took this last November 5th (about 2 days after I brought them home). It may not the best angle to see his casque, but that is what they usually look like.

 

[ataraxia]

Like the dyi cage. Good job. I would like to see pics of juliets rear feet. She has a huge casque for a female. Are these two caged together?

Supplements: Your boyfriend is correct given your gut loading is well rounded. Most of us CANT even despite going through extensive ingredients. I would strongly suggest you lightly using plain calcium at every feeding. With the uvb bulb you have there is no need for any D3.

Temp: I would try to shoot for 90*.

Fecal: I am particularly interested in the urate. Id like to know the color.

 

[Elizadolots]

She says they are together:

Since both of my veileds inhabit the same enclosure

Typically this board does not recommend housing adult, full size chameleons together (there are pygmy breeds that do well in groups and babies can be kept together). It's possible that the cage is wide enough for them to stay apart, but I think a lot more vegetation (live is best) would be advisable. They need to be able to hide from each other.

I'm assuming you're planning on breeding them, so hopefully you have a laying bin in there for her and are making arrangements for housing the babies when they arrive.

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. I keep veileds and they are really a pleasure to care for. Are you housing them together? I keep males and females differently but even if you keep them the same way they would need a separate enclosure. Veileds store fat in their casque. How often do you feed him?

I have a few blogs attached for you below. The first is about general care with a special link about the female and the second and third is about egg laying and the laying bin.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video-77225/

 

[chamyduke]

Hello! I also live in the Colorado Springs area and due to our insanely dry climate I would recommend a hygrometer to measure humidity levels. Luckily veilds do not need as much humidity as other Cham species but it is good to have a general idea. Through my research I had read that it is not good to keep adult veilds housed or even in eye sight of each other (even male/female). The only exception is if you are breeding them and then you would want to seperate them after the deed is done. This might be a reason for you male's excessive aggression. From which pet store I'd you get yor veiled? I got mine from scales n tails.
GL and take care!