Odd

I am new to this forun, so if this subject has already been addressed I am sorry. I have a chameleon I got about 4 months ago, store was un sure of age. I am guessing maybe 8 months. Lately he seems lathargic and around his neck it is puffy. I took him out side in the sun today & he changed to dark brown but didn't move around like normal just kinda kept his head down on my hand. I am mainly concerned about the puffy neck.

Can u post pics then we could help u out even better

Hi and welcome to the forums! This would help us to determine what might be wrong with your cham, is if you fill out the ask for help form https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/ It takes a couple of minutes but it's worth the effort.
That way we'll know what your care and husbandry is that might cause any of the symptoms you're describing,

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Age is a guess maybe 8 months. Had him for 3.
Handling - I take him out side to get some sun weekly.
Feeding - He eats about 4-6 ckrickets daily. Crickets eat potatos/carrots & the fluckers brand gel things.
Supplements - dust crickets in either the calcium powder or the other vit one.
Watering - I mist his cage daily I also have a drip system.
Fecal Description - brown & white, never been tested for parasites.
History - When I got him from Lee's Feed (Placerville, CA) he had a small bump on one of his eyes. I was told it was from the heat lamp that was being used. Now he blinks that eye a lot. He will also sometimes rub it on my hand if I am holding him.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Screen & oak cage. 1 1/2 x 3 1/2 & 4ft tall
Lighting - Cage gets sunlight in the AM. I have a red heat lamp that I turn on at night & I am getting the tube uv light cause mine burnt out.
Temperature - I really doing have a good way of measuring temp. Since it is screen I base it on the temp in the house. 75-80 during the day.
Humidity - I mist his cage daily.
Plants - I have a live ficus in his cage
Placement - Cage is 3 feet off the ground, near a window that is 5ft off the ground. There is a fan but hardly used. Not a lof of traffic in the room.
Location - Placerville CA

I will try to get some pics up.

Its SOUNDS like gular edema which is a symptom that NORMALLY not always is a sign of over supplementing most commonly of vitamin A.

Pictures will be very helpful

Edit: A vet vist by an experienced chameleon vet sounds like its in order, especially since he was having problems before.

What kind of chameleon is it?
Is it puffy at the neck all the time, or does he seem to inflate under his chin then later "let the air out" like he is displaying to you?
Do you see him drink?

a picture would be very helpful here.

You said..."Crickets eat potatos/carrots & the fluckers brand gel things"...you can feed the crickets, superworms, locusts, roaches a wide assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots,squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.). The better you feed the insects, the better they will be as a food source for the chameleon.

Since most insects used as feeders have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus, its important to dust them before feeding them to the chameleon with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it.

I also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it and leaving it to produce the rest of its D3 from its exposure to the UVB in the light or from the sun.

I dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that has a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A. Beta carotene will not build up in the system, but there is controversy as to whether any/all chameleons can convert beta carotene so some people give a little prEformed vitamin A once in a while. Excess prEformed vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD...so be careful with it.

You said..."Cage gets sunlight in the AM. I have a red heat lamp that I turn on at night & I am getting the tube uv light cause mine burnt out"...if the sunlight passes through glass or plastic it won't provide any UVB for the chameleon. You don't need heat at night unless the cage temp. is below 65F...and its better to use a ceramic heater/bulb so that there is no light.

It would be a good idea to know the temperature.

You said..."he had a small bump on one of his eyes. I was told it was from the heat lamp that was being used. Now he blinks that eye a lot. He will also sometimes rub it on my hand if I am holding him"...if it continues it would be a good idea to have a vet check it out.

Here are a couple pics. Quality is not the best they were taken with my phone. It comes and goes.

Hello,

my advice is go take youur cham to a "cham experienced" vet...and i am unfamilar with what cham species you have....if you can please post more pics, and i might agree that it might be gular edema.....goodluck

Oh wow hurry and get her to a vet soon! I agree with everyone, looks like gular edema. Let us know how the vet appointment goes.

It is only like that sometimes. I was told at the pet store that it was a male?? Are there other symtoms that go along with that?

that kind of swelling is not normal for any kind of chameleon..and i cannot sya what is the gender at this point, considering "what" kind of cham you have, it looks like a young panther, but the coloring is different....everyone will tell you to take him to the vet....and as for other symptoms i do not know much...hopefully someone can answer your questions but in the meantime please go to a vet.....hope for the best.........

Abbey said:

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Age is a guess maybe 8 months. Had him for 3.
Handling - I take him out side to get some sun weekly.
Feeding - He eats about 4-6 ckrickets daily. Crickets eat potatos/carrots & the fluckers brand gel things.
Supplements - dust crickets in either the calcium powder or the other vit one.
Watering - I mist his cage daily I also have a drip system.
Fecal Description - brown & white, never been tested for parasites.
History - When I got him from Lee's Feed (Placerville, CA) he had a small bump on one of his eyes. I was told it was from the heat lamp that was being used. Now he blinks that eye a lot. He will also sometimes rub it on my hand if I am holding him.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Screen & oak cage. 1 1/2 x 3 1/2 & 4ft tall
Lighting - Cage gets sunlight in the AM. I have a red heat lamp that I turn on at night & I am getting the tube uv light cause mine burnt out.
Temperature - I really doing have a good way of measuring temp. Since it is screen I base it on the temp in the house. 75-80 during the day.
Humidity - I mist his cage daily.
Plants - I have a live ficus in his cage
Placement - Cage is 3 feet off the ground, near a window that is 5ft off the ground. There is a fan but hardly used. Not a lof of traffic in the room.
Location - Placerville CA

I will try to get some pics up.

Click to expand...

Get the new UV bulb as soon as you can. Can you exactly describe how you supplement your cham.(what kind and how often)?

I know someone in my area who has several chameleons so I will ask him if he knows of a local vet who does reptiles. Thanks for the help.

I did get the 5.0 bulb. I shake the crickets in calcium before I put them in the cage. He hasn't been as active or hungry as he usually is. I thought it was because of the season/temp change. I wish I could rember what lind he is but it slips my mind right now.

Abbey said:

I did get the 5.0 bulb. I shake the crickets in calcium before I put them in the cage. He hasn't been as active or hungry as he usually is. I thought it was because of the season/temp change. I wish I could rember what lind he is but it slips my mind right now.

Click to expand...

so you know what kind of chameleon he is???? is it a panther????

the common locales for a panther chameleon are sambava, ambilobe, ambanja, nosey be, and cross hybrids....................

No it is not a panther.

Do you use plain calcium and/or calcium with vitamin D3? And how often do you use them? Also how often do you use the vitamin powder?

He looks like a weird colored Senegal to me. His head is shaped the same and he's about the same size. But yeah, his neck doesn't look good at all.

Yes it is a senegal and usually he isn't so pale. More of a green or brown color. I use calcium with D3 and sometimes herptivite both Rep-cal brand.