Weird bumps, not really using front arm
- Thread starter BryanP
- Start date
BryanP
Avid Member
Here are the environmental stats
Hybrid enclosure
Mist king with 1 long mist 9am and a few 10sec at night
Humidifier overnight until 2am
Exhaust fan
PID controlled heat bulb
Uvb t5ho Acadia bulb
Temps measured with govee temp/humidity controllers
Food
Crickets, dubias, bsfl, 8-10 small assortment several times a week (usually 3ish days apart)
All gut loaded with bug burger
Dusted every time with Acadia calcium no vit d
And a few times a month with repashy calcium plus loD
Noticed he wasn't using his arm and pulled him out to see how his grip was, on the front left arm, it's weak, but the others are strong and he still eats well.
He does seem thin but I'm trying to load him up
I check his UV bulb with a solarmeter every 3 months.
Hybrid enclosure
Mist king with 1 long mist 9am and a few 10sec at night
Humidifier overnight until 2am
Exhaust fan
PID controlled heat bulb
Uvb t5ho Acadia bulb
Temps measured with govee temp/humidity controllers
Food
Crickets, dubias, bsfl, 8-10 small assortment several times a week (usually 3ish days apart)
All gut loaded with bug burger
Dusted every time with Acadia calcium no vit d
And a few times a month with repashy calcium plus loD
Noticed he wasn't using his arm and pulled him out to see how his grip was, on the front left arm, it's weak, but the others are strong and he still eats well.
He does seem thin but I'm trying to load him up
I check his UV bulb with a solarmeter every 3 months.
Motherlode Chameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
Your male Furcifer pardalis looks wild caught. I would first take your Furcifer pardalis to a vet for a reptile check up. Your male looks to have a swollen front foot as well.
Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich
Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich
BryanP
Avid Member
Not wild caught, purchased from @Camiezone here on the forum.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Your husbandry looks great, so that isn’t the cause of whatever is going on with your guy. While usually the first suspect for joint swelling and not using a limb is gout, I don’t think that would explain the other bumps. It could be anything from an escaped rebel cricket biting him, abscesses, growths, and whatever stuff I can’t guess at. I advise a vet visit with some labs and get a fecal too.
BryanP
Avid Member
I just checked with my solar meter and it's between 2.0 - 2.5 depending on angle of where I point the meter around his basking branch.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Is he brother to my Bart? (I can’t remember) Bart has always been skilled at ninja poops.
Maybe right after the mister in the morning, lay wax or parchment paper over his primary pooping spot.
BryanP
Avid Member
Might be gout if it's related to dehydration.
turns out my level sensor I have for the water bucket was stuck on "green" amd my mist king has been dry for probably a week now. I remember filling it at least a week or more ago.
Can gout be reversed if it's a hydration issue? He still shoots and eats well!
My cage is so automated that I just didn't notice unfortunately.
turns out my level sensor I have for the water bucket was stuck on "green" amd my mist king has been dry for probably a week now. I remember filling it at least a week or more ago.
Can gout be reversed if it's a hydration issue? He still shoots and eats well!
My cage is so automated that I just didn't notice unfortunately.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
I have no idea, but definitely get him rehydrated asap. Maybe on top of some extra misting sessions, get him some hornworms too.
The perils of automation…make sure to always check your misting heads too. Back when I used single mist heads and my crew was not yet in double sized enclosures, one had their mist head crap out and she had no water for at least a few days. (My poor Stella) Is the only time I ever have seen her drink. Now I make sure daily that all enclosures are showing signs of fresh misting or will run a short misting to check.
BryanP
Avid Member
Yeah he'll be getting extra mist tomorrow and I'll add in his dripper for a few days too.
it's one of those things, it's worked for so long and I just got to the point of trusting it
It really just looks like his leg/hand is swollen.
I'll order some hornworms tonight
Motherlode Chameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
Okay.
I say that since your male Furcifer pardalis looks emaciated the way wild caught chameleons often look. Other than tha your male Furcifer pardalis looks great. I hope your male Furcifer pardalis recovers.
Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich
BryanP
Avid Member
How do I get more weight on my male Fucifer pardalis quickly or safely?
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
If you haven’t had a fecal lately, that’s a good start. I would simply increase the amount that you feed him with some nutritious staple feeders. Silkworms are one of my favorite feeders as they are nutritious and hydrating (plus I just love the sweet little caterpillars). Try some grasshoppers - nutritious and if he hasn’t been getting them, will be an awesome treat for him. https://dragonhoppers.com/ Add a couple of waxworms treats weekly, or superworms. Then you want to maintain his weight. I feed my chams three days a week plus a day for treats. The boys get about the equivalent of 4-5 (1/2” to 3/4”) crickets, but I do give a wide variety of feeders and have to go by feeder size. My panther boys are very active and are in double sized enclosures, so they do burn thru the calories and I keep a close eye on their sizes.
I would recommend that you take your chameleon to a good chameleon vet. The left “hand” is swollen (as already mentioned by @Motherlode Chameleon ) and I would think it’s an infection. I’m not a vet…just giving you my opinion from 30ish years of chameleon experience.
BryanP
Avid Member
I just ordered a pod of 50 so I'll be adding them this week. Should be here Wednesday.
Also will be trying to slam gutload my roaches lol by just adding tons of new gutload until they pop!
I'm looking into it.
I'm going to try to get a fecal sample and lump it all into 1 appointment.
Blood work will be needed to verify gout or determine if it is an infection. But that looks like a classic gout case in the arm... Which means you have to start using a dripper every day on the cage. He need multiple times to be able to drink. UVB is a little low and would not cause this. need to reposition fixture right over branch or get a new bulb to get him back up to a 3 UVI. If distance from bulb to branch is the actual issue then you need to raise a branch closer. Now the bumps on the tail no you do not see that with gout.
He is extremely thin. Casque is sunk in and so are his cheeks. With the amount your feeding I would not expect this with a cham of his age. So yes need a fecal to rule out parasite load. Could also be due to infection though.
So vet would be needed asap. Do not wait to get the fecal. Get him in for the blood work now and to get a weight on him. Then take the fecal and drop it off as soon as you have it. When they start getting thin like this it is a major sign something is wrong and they can go downhill rapidly.
He is extremely thin. Casque is sunk in and so are his cheeks. With the amount your feeding I would not expect this with a cham of his age. So yes need a fecal to rule out parasite load. Could also be due to infection though.
So vet would be needed asap. Do not wait to get the fecal. Get him in for the blood work now and to get a weight on him. Then take the fecal and drop it off as soon as you have it. When they start getting thin like this it is a major sign something is wrong and they can go downhill rapidly.
BryanP
Avid Member
I plan on calling tomorrow to see when I can get in.
MzLaurie
Avid Member
Your guy has multiple things going on and you definitely need vet intervention as he is on a downward spiral and may have been hiding it for quite a while to get to this point. I didn’t see pics of your setup. Is it bio? Make sure you take a good fecal sample with you to the vet. Use a baggie turn it inside out put your hand in then pick up the sample while holding it, turn the baggie the right way, zip it up and put it in the frig till its time to go. I hope I explained that technique so you understand it. Take a syringe with water in it and keep a cup of water near. I do this while lying back on my bed so I can see when the tongue takes the water. I set him on a towel on my chest and let the water drip over his mouth once he knows it’s water I do one drip at a time and make sure he is getting it with his tongue. If yours will cooperate it is a quick way to hydrate them. I would say infection and parasites need to be treated to get him to this point. The kidneys may be shutting down which is why you are seeing signs of gout. You need to get the kidneys functioning right before you can see if it’s permanent. When you call tomorrow get him in right away as I would say this is emergency status. I wish you the best. Please let us know the status.
Motherlode Chameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
As stated above offering a variety of feeders helps alot to improve the health of your male Furcifer pardalis. To gain weight I would attempt to feed your Furcifer pardalis more substantial items for such as gutloaded roaches (Dubia's) or grasshoppers (genus Schistocerca) and for hydration silkworms and hornworms. Experiement some with your Furcifer pardalis and what food your Furcifer pardalis accepts. That is a worthy start.
Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich
