TOO MUCH CALCIUM!?!? NEED URGENT HELP

Has the casque always been on the larger side like that?? Meaning, was this a gradual onset or did it become this size within a short period of time? Have you felt of the area on the sides of the casque? It almost appears as if he has had some sort of trauma occur causing swelling or has edema of some kind. When I look at the picture, I feel like he is has immense pressure on his head. I'm so sorry this happening. I hope a vet can help very soon.
 
Welcome to the forums!

Djisdunn said:
About 2 months ago I noticed this yellow "pimple" coming from the eye and didn't have know clue what it was. So far it hasn't been a problem, but i can't say the same for the other eye.
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Both eye turrets are very swollen. The pimple part appears to just be a small pocket of swelling that is exuding from the part of the turret normally deeper in the socket but it's being pushed out by the pressure. Swollen turrets are generally a sign of infection and/or nasolacrimal duct blockage which will require them to be flushed out. Wait for a knowledgeable reptile vet - emergency vets rarely know much about exotics and this is not so emergent that you need that, although he needs to be seen soon. It's plausible that there could be edema in the casque from poor fluid drainage but that's not really something we see often because usually that manifests as gular edema (swelling under the throat instead of the top of the head). More likely it's excessive adipose tissue deposits (fat). Do you have any pictures of his head from a few months ago to compare that part to?

The eyes are closed due to pain and discomfort from pressure and/or infection. They can't hunt when they can't see so I'm not surprised that he's not eating.

Djisdunn said:
I went to the my local reptile store and brought my chameleon in and the guy has never seen anything like this before. I knew this was a problem since he has chameleon in the store. I leave him there for a couple of days and when I came back he told me that I was giving him "too much calcium". He told me to not give him calcium with his food for the next 2-3 months. I thought everything would be fine, however that is not the case.
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Do not go back to this guy for advice. He is not a vet and clearly has very limited experience. Just because he sells something doesn't mean he knows anything at all about it. This is not caused by too much calcium as that really is not a problem in most reptile species as they can excrete any extra calcium so it's quite safe. Ignore that "advice" completely as lack of calcium is a very serious problem.

Also your lights should be on the top of the cage normally. If he is resting on the bottom while ill so this is just temporary to help him there then that's okay but if he crawls them (especially if he can't see well) he can seriously burn himself. It's like a sunburn - they don't realize how burned they are until it's too late and have poor heat receptors on the bottom of the feet. So really need to move those to the top and encourage more normal basking behavior.
 
ferretinmyshoes said:
Welcome to the forums!



Both eye turrets are very swollen. The pimple part appears to just be a small pocket of swelling that is exuding from the part of the turret normally deeper in the socket but it's being pushed out by the pressure. Swollen turrets are generally a sign of infection and/or nasolacrimal duct blockage which will require them to be flushed out. Wait for a knowledgeable reptile vet - emergency vets rarely know much about exotics and this is not so emergent that you need that, although he needs to be seen soon. It's plausible that there could be edema in the casque from poor fluid drainage but that's not really something we see often because usually that manifests as gular edema (swelling under the throat instead of the top of the head). More likely it's excessive adipose tissue deposits (fat). Do you have any pictures of his head from a few months ago to compare that part to?

The eyes are closed due to pain and discomfort from pressure and/or infection. They can't hunt when they can't see so I'm not surprised that he's not eating.


Do not go back to this guy for advice. He is not a vet and clearly has very limited experience. Just because he sells something doesn't mean he knows anything at all about it. This is not caused by too much calcium as that really is not a problem in most reptile species as they can excrete any extra calcium so it's quite safe. Ignore that "advice" completely as lack of calcium is a very serious problem.

Also your lights should be on the top of the cage normally. If he is resting on the bottom while ill so this is just temporary to help him there then that's okay but if he crawls them (especially if he can't see well) he can seriously burn himself. It's like a sunburn - they don't realize how burned they are until it's too late and have poor heat receptors on the bottom of the feet. So really need to move those to the top and encourage more normal basking behavior.
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Ferret, would an anti-inflammatory or a steroid help reduce the overall swelling and pressure he is obviously suffering? Of course, in addition to meds for an infection if one is present. I only mention it in case the vet he goes to doesn't bring it up. I don't think I've ever seen such swelling in a cham before. Poor little guy!!
 
I went to the my local reptile store and brought my chameleon in and the guy has never seen anything like this before. I knew this was a problem since he has chameleon in the store. I leave him there for a couple of days and when I came back he told me that I was giving him "too much calcium". He told me to not give him calcium with his food for the next 2-3 months. I thought everything would be fine, however that is not the case.
[/QUOTE]

I wish there was a way to convince more owners of sick pets not to start their search for help at the local pet shop. Granted, there are some very knowledgeable pet shop staff who can help figure out what MIGHT be going on, but after making the comment that he's never seen anything like this, the next words out of his mouth should be "Your pet needs a qualified vet and I am not one...here's a good local practice." If someone gave me such terrible advice about an obviously sick cham, I would be following up with a local licensing bureau claiming that this business is practicing medicine without a license. Maybe if more pet owners initiate complaints like this it would teach crappy shops a well-deserved lesson. Really makes me boil. Suggesting that this basking reptile kept indoors under lights was overdosed with calcium??? Garbage! Someone should seize the shop's cham too.
 
Carlton said:
Ferret, would an anti-inflammatory or a steroid help reduce the overall swelling and pressure he is obviously suffering? Of course, in addition to meds for an infection if one is present. I only mention it in case the vet he goes to doesn't bring it up. I don't think I've ever seen such swelling in a cham before. Poor little guy!!
Click to expand...

I would definitely do a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory to least help reduce the discomfort and hopefully help reduce inflammation around the nasolacrimal duct so things can drain better. And yes that'd be in addition to other medications. Steroids are generally pretty useless if not dangerous in reptiles compared to mammals.
 
kinyonga said:
Phosphorus-free calcium powder should be used at most feedings to make up for the usually poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous found in most feeder insects with the phosphorous-free/D3 powder being used only twice a month leaving the chameleon to produce the rest of the D3 from its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues while D3 from exposure to UVB won't likely build up as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB when it wants to.

It's also recommended that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A prEformed vitamin A can build up in the system and lead to health issues so doing it this way leaves it up to you to decide if/when the chameleon needs prEformed vitamin A.

I'm not a vet so I'm not sure why the casque and other areas are swollen but a vet should be able to tell you. I don't know if too much D3 would cause that type of swelling or not.

Do you normally have a red light on its cage?
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No I don't leave the lights at the bottom it's just that he will barely move and it's freezing in my room so the light at the bottom is temporary
 
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