Urgent help needed. My cham is unwell.

[Moomash]

I'm extremely scared with each passing day, my cham has developed a growth on the lip of her lower jaw. I have no camera to take a photo with.

She's a jackson's of about one year of age, she's in a glass terrarium with wood chips as her substrate and fake plants, she has a reptiglow bulb (its blue and i believe its 60 watts.) her light timer is set to fluctuate on and off periods from afaster rate in morning and night, slower fluctuation during day time hours.

i've just recently started using jdogg's gutload techniques from his 30 minute long jackson care video:
this includes

- spirulina (i didnt get an accurate amount so ijust sprinkle two finger pinches worth)
-cllard greens(organic)
-red apples(Organic)
-carrots(light amount every other week, organic)
if im missing anything essential please let me know
and this all blended together, note: my crickets have a hard time finding this food enticing, so its not ussually eaten. should i let them fast first? i never really got the run down on cricket care..
oh and i sprinkle them lightly with D3 calcium every 6 weeks, as instructd by jdoggs video.

the growth looks infected like it could be some form of yeast and the swelling gets bigger by the day. its just making her lip look like she has a wad of dip stuffed in. I assure you my cham is not addicted to nicotine everyone! Hahaha

i guess all i have left to say is that iwould really love to afford a nice big screen terrarium with a live pythos, humidifier and sprinkler system. these things may help out a great deal with the current health issue at hand and better living in general. i don't want her to climb on such small sticks anymore.

thank you everyone for your help. if imissed anything please let me know. chameleon god in the tropics, may your tongue guide me.

 

[camimom]

Sorry shes not feeling well.

But it sounds like she has mouth rot, in which case you need a vet, a culture, antibiotics, etc.

 

[Miss Lily]

Is the lump/sore along the the side of her mouth along her lips or in the corner of her mouth? Jacksons (among other species) have Temporal glands in the corner of their mouths and can be prone to getting infections there. I would take her to the vet and get her checked out. The lighting you are using sounds a bit odd. Chams need a linear UV source and a heat lamp (white light) for basking. This simulates the sun - they don't recognise coloured lights as a source of heat for basking. When you say the light 'fluctuates' - does this mean the light is going on and off at intervals throughout the day? They need a definite night and day - 12 hours day and 12 hours night. Jacksons also require a good drop in temps at night of at least 10 degrees lower than the daytime temps. Jacksons also need higher humidity levels and adding live plants for her will help a good deal with this. Also how often are you supplementing (dusting) her food? What products are you using for this? Jacksons have more specific requirements and are less forgiving health wise if we get things wrong.

 

[Moomash]

Is the lump/sore along the the side of her mouth along her lips or in the corner of her mouth?

it's on the side :[

Jacksons (among other species) have Temporal glands in the corner of their mouths and can be prone to getting infections there. I would take her to the vet and get her checked out

Okay, I will.

The lighting you are using sounds a bit odd. Chams need a linear UV source and a heat lamp (white light) for basking. This simulates the sun - they don't recognise coloured lights as a source of heat for basking. When you say the light 'fluctuates' - does this mean the light is going on and off at intervals throughout the day? They need a definite night and day - 12 hours day and 12 hours night. Jacksons also require a good drop in temps at night of at least 10 degrees lower than the daytime temps.

I realise now how stressful this form of heating/basking could be on her health, its just the glass made it really hot when i would leave the light on for 12 hours at a time, also the plastic fram of the heat lamp would melt from extended exposure. Regardless, she needs two separate/different forms of heat: basking and UV.
This is why a larger enclosure is essential for any chameleon owner; small works when your cham is young.

Jacksons also need higher humidity levels and adding live plants for her will help a good deal with this. Also how often are you supplementing (dusting) her food? What products are you using for this? Jacksons have more specific requirements and are less forgiving health wise if we get things wrong.

I'm using standard D3 calcium dust every 6 weeks, per professional instruction.
Thank you so much. Now I just need to find a screen terrarium, a humidifier, pythos, mister package on sale! Oh, yeah. And a new basking light. How do I figure out what wattage I need?

 

[Moomash]

Also, does anyone have any information on my cham's supposed infected gland on her lip/ mouth rot? This seems like invaluable information

 

[Olimpia]

Any type of infection will need the attention of a vet, you cannot treat them at home with anything, so a visit and antibiotics will be the first thing to do.

Also, wattage of her bulb will depend on what you need to maintain her temps at about 80F. Probably a 40-60w will do, you will just have to experiment and see.

 

[EvilLost]

If you fill out the help form, we can better tell you how to fix your husbandry issues. I don't mean to sound negative, but it sounds like there are many corrections that should be made here.


As for the mouth rot; if it is indeed an infection you NEED a vet. There is no way around this.


A few quick notes on your husbandry...

-the light should be consistently on.
-if its too hot, go down a size in wattage
-i'm going to guess the enclosure is too small (should be at least 18x18x36" tall)
-you need a UVB bulb (which needs to be changed every 6 months even though it won't burn out) and also a source of heat. you do not want the entire tank to be hot, you need a gradient (hot under the light and cools off as you go away from the light)
-similarly you need enough foliage so she can go to shade if she wants or go to light if she wants
-You should invest $20 into a digital point and shoot thermometer. They are VERY worth it. The cheap analog ones are often wrong and inaccurate.
-do you not have supplements? you didn't mention any




Please fill this out for better info:



Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
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?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
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?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

 

[kinyonga]

With mouth rot its important to clean the area out, do a culture and sensitivity test to determine what antibiotic to put the chameleon on and be prepared that it may need to be cleaned out again. Pseudamonas is the usual bacteria and its not an easy one to get rid of.

Here's some information for you about temporal gland surgery, etc....
http://www.kirkmanareavet.com/Temporal Gland Jackson.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/olatheanimalhospital/4566206639/
http://books.google.ca/books?id=1h3...nepage&q=temporal gland AND chameleon&f=false
http://www.photoree.com/photos/permalink/9692535-43836859@N07
https://www.chameleonforums.com/pokey-temporal-gland-infection-pic-heavy-30759/

 

[Solid Snake]

Hey man, just saw this.

I already sent you a pm, but contact me asap!