Swollen Underarms

[pollux]

Chameleon Info:
Reginald (Reggie), male Nosy Be panther chameleon, hatched between 7/10 and 7/30/2013; received him November 12th.
Handling - I handle him about once a day or once every other day -- more than I plan to in the future to get him accustomed to being handled.
Feeding - Crickets (5-6 small), meal worms (6-7), or dubia roaches (5 small) once per day in the morning. I gutload with Repashy Bug Burger, as recommended by my breeder (he has had tremendous success with this product).
Supplements - Dust food with Repashy Calcium Plus (calcium and vitamin powder) as recommended by breeder.
Watering - Three to four times per day, I mist my chameleon with a high-quality fine mister. I use filtered tap water with Zoo Med's ReptiSafe to remove chlorine and chloramine. Placed order for and waiting to receive "Big Dripper" brand dripper for constant water source (had to order online as no local pet supply stores carry them).
Fecal Description - Normal brown with white urates.
Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? No-- received from breeder and took to veterinarian 11/22 to get a base line and establish a file for him for future reference.
History - Healthy, active boy.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Screen cage 16" x 15" x 29", to be upgraded to an 18" x 24" x 49" screen cage once size necessitates.
Lighting - Zoo Med ReptiSun 5.0 UVB CFL on at 7:30 AM and off at 5:30 PM (10 hour cycle recommended by breeder in winter; 12-hour in summer). 40-Watt incandescent bulb for basking.
Temperature - Room temperature at cage bottom to approx. 92 degrees in basking spot. Lowest overnight temp approximately 70 degrees. Measured with thermometers-- one digital, one analog.
Humidity - Typically averages about 70%, except for during misting times when it is obviously higher. Measured with a digital hygrometer.
Plants - Two fake dangling vines plus a rubber tree with its soil covered completely by river rocks to prevent digging and ingesting.
Placement - Cage located against exterior wall; there is a vent near it (about 52" away and above) but it is not a high-traffic area. The cage is on a piece of furniture that stands about 30" high.
Location - Maryland

Current Problem - I have noticed that Reggie has swollen underarms, similar to a swollen lymph node in a human. There was another post about this issue, but it was about a potentially-gravid female, and all advice seemed to point to this being more normal in females, but not males. I have also contacted my breeder for assistance, but wanted to get multiple opinions. My cham is drinking normally, and he ate as recently as this morning, when I first noticed the lumps. He is very active and seems to be totally healthy otherwise. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Uberob]

my Nosy be had that for a week when he was about 6 months old. It went away on its own.

 

[pollux]

Thanks, Rob. I am hoping that will happen too, but I just can't stand to think I'm not doing enough to help him.

 

[ataraxia]

Hi, that is a sign of edema.

Please list the supplements you use and how often you use each.
Types of feeders and how often.
What kind of gut load or ingredients.

 

[mcanham]

Looks like edema. Search gular edema and lots of info is available. The cure not so easy. I had a female develop this but I was feeding my dubias a high protein diet. Which I think might contribute to the problem.

 

[pollux]

ataraxia,
I use only Repashy Calcium Plus as a supplement and use it at virtually every feeding as recommended by my breeder.
The feeder types, quantities, and frequencies are listed in my original post. I gutload with Repashy Bug Burger as posted.

 

[carol5208]

I would not just use the bug burger alone and I would incorporate some fresh fruits and vegetables. Edema is super hard to "cure" I say "cure" as I do not believe there is one. You can get it to go away, but it seems to flare up and who knows why. I have a chameleon that has it and it has had it going on 3 1/2 yrs plus. I have tried everything...some days it will look as if it gone and the next it will be full blown. Good luck with this!

 

[pollux]

Carol, thank you! I really appreciate all of this selfless advice. I am somewhat heartened to hear that your guy/gal has survived 3.5 years with it... I was panicking and thinking he might die. I am waiting on a call from my breeder to discuss the issue, and will update as warranted. I will definitely offer some fresh fruits and veggies. Any recommendations as to which are best?

 

[ataraxia]

Vegetables and fruits are best to use variety. You may want to look at sandrachameleons blog for more gut load ideas. Try to stay away from things with animal protein, preformed vitamins, etc for the time being.

I would suggest buying some plain calcium to use at every feeding and use the repashy a couple times a month.

 

[pollux]

Thank you!

 

[houseofchameleons]

I also had that problem with my nosey be. He had the ability to inflate and deflate at the time the vet we had didn't know much but he seemed ok

 

[pollux]

So what happened to him later?

 

[sandrachameleon]

ataraxia,
I use only Repashy Calcium Plus as a supplement and use it at virtually every feeding as recommended by my breeder.
The feeder types, quantities, and frequencies are listed in my original post. I gutload with Repashy Bug Burger as posted.

Have you considered not using the repashy calcium plus so often, but rather reducing that to perhaps once weekly and use a vitamin free calcium powder the rest of the time as needed? If you have the original/regular repashy c+, many feel this is too potent for daily use.

make sure you are providing lots of water. the addition of a dripper is a good plan.

 

[Mredhorse]

I raise leopard geckos and when there is too much calcium in their diet they get sacks like that under their arms also..

That being said, this is a chameleon and would listed to those dealing with chameleons..

For geckos, one would limit calcium for a few weeks and the bumps go away.
(just an idea)

 

[nicolerich]

My guy has it too!

My male panther has had this for about 6 months now. Sometimes it's really small sometimes he look's like Dolly Parton. I have tryed everything!! The vet said it was the way I was supplementing. I stopped all supplements for a couple weeks and that did nothing. I increased his misting. Nothing. One other person on this forum who had a cham with the same problem told me not to worry his cham is 6 1/2 years old and had it the last 4 years. So hopefully your little guy's goes away but if it doesn't I wouldn't worry too much, mine is happy and otherwise healthy!

 

[carol5208]

My male panther has had this for about 6 months now. Sometimes it's really small sometimes he look's like Dolly Parton. I have tryed everything!! The vet said it was the way I was supplementing. I stopped all supplements for a couple weeks and that did nothing. I increased his misting. Nothing. One other person on this forum who had a cham with the same problem told me not to worry his cham is 6 1/2 years old and had it the last 4 years. So hopefully your little guy's goes away but if it doesn't I wouldn't worry too much, mine is happy and otherwise healthy!

That might be me, but he is 6 and had it about 3 1/2 yrs. So close enough I guess! I can vouch that it is not deadly and I too tried halting the supplements altogether and it did nothing, so not so sure I buy into the supplementation thing as a cause.