I recently inherited a veiled chameleon from a friend because they couldn’t continue to care for it. It’s been challenging learning the process on how to care for it in such short time, but I thought I’ve been doing a decent job. Earlier today I looked into its enclosure and on the bottom I saw this weird yellowing pile. I don’t know if it’s a strange color of feces or what but I was wondering how to keep it from becoming a problem.
Yellow stuff in my enclosure.
- Thread starter Sassifras
- Start date
Hey there so part of that is urate... The really white part on the front edge right of it. You can tell by the consistency and color. The other is an awful large amount to be urate but it could be. Hoping it is not mucus. Can you post some pics of the entire enclosure including the lights on top and multiple pics of the chameleon?
So it very well could be mucus. There are quite a few issues with the cage set up you have. There is no linear UVB lighting. Risks with not having this is the cham developing MBD which basically is a very slow disfiguring death. It also is too small for a veiled cham, you would need a 2x2x4ft minimum. Dirt on the bottom which does not look to be set up as bioactive with drainage layer, clean up bugs, and leaf litter on top of it to keep the cham from eating the dirt. Also with this comes the fact that it is a glass cage which means there could be quite a bit of bacterial growth and stagnant air. This can lead to infections. Veileds and fake plants are not recommended. They literally are like toddlers and will eat anything. Looks like you have a low feeding bowl in the bottom. Guessing you are feeding something like mealworms. Which would not be a feeder that is going to give good nutrient value.
Essentially you inherited a chameleon in a set up that just is not going to support it having a long or healthy life.
Additionally please take more pics of the cham. I believe I am seeing a bump on the top of the mouth between the eyes. This looks like an abscess... Which I am betting is linked to a sinus infection. If this is the case you need a reptile vet. They need to clean and drain the abscess and the cham would need antibiotics to clear the infection. But without cage changes it is high risk for additional issues like this and respiratory infections. Mucus in the urate... Concern here would be the cham ingested something like dirt irritating the digestive track or a parasite issue. You would need to get a fresh fecal tested to know if there is a parasite issue.
I can not see enough of the cham to confirm gender for you. Need pics of the back of the back feet to be able to do this.
So I am going to give you a ton of info. Start watching the Neptune the Chameleon Youtube videos. And reading everything here https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
Then ask us questions so we are able to guide you through everything.
I have been feeding it the suggested 12 large crickets every other day that I lightly coat in calcium powder that I got with the rest of the enclosure. I don’t use the food dish it was just in there with the rest of the things. All changes I’ve made was cleaned out the enclosure and I put down a layer of small rock for drainage and a layer of exo earth coconut fibers
So as mentioned in my post above there is quite a bit that has to be changed. This baby has some sort of infection going on which requires a vet. But the entire husbandry would need to be upgraded to support the chams ability to heal and thrive. Read through the husbandry program link and start watching Neptune the chameleon videos. You can find a lot of her videos here too https://www.chameleonforums.com/media/categories/chameleon-care-videos.1/
