Gular Edema?

[Basilisk09]

My male Panther Costello just recently got over stomatitis and still has some brown teeth, but he hasn't been eating at all for about a month now. He still seems up to weight, 150g-ish, and I haven't changed his living style besides improving the water (brita-filtered tap to RO) so I'm just wondering what might have gotten to him now. Someone suggested Gular Edema since I mentioned his gular and between his front legs has been a little "poofy feeling", which might answer why he hasn't eaten. What do you guys think? What can I do for him?

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Furcifer Pardalis, male, about 1 1/2 years old. I've had him for almost 6 months.
Handling - Never previously, very often since September for treating stomatitis.
Feeding - I've been giving him either superworms or crickets. He has always only eaten superworms (used to be 5 a day or 2 days) and he has shunned crickets, but they're offered. I gutload both with carrots or green gut-load cubes.
Supplements - I mixed a calucium/d3 powder with a small amount of multivitamin in a salt shaker. I dust every other feeding.
Watering - I mist his cage with a pump mister, and spray for about a minute, or until everything has a film of water on it, at 10 or 11AM and 5 or 6PM. I spray so there are large dropplets on the screen mesh, which is the only water he seems to drink from.
Fecal Description - No recent droppings, but was regular with slightly orange urate from superworms. He has had a fecal test, and it doesn't seem he has parasites.
History - He has recently been to the vet for stomatitis, but otherwise he should have a clean bill of health.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - 2x2x4' mesh cage
Lighting - using 4' uvb for 2 cages and regular dome light with 75 watt florescent bulb.
Temperature - temp ranges from 79-84 degrees F. 12 hour light schedule, 9-9.
Humidity - 50% humidity constant, raising to 77 after misting. Both temp and humidity measured by electronic measuring device that I move occasionally between cages and room.
Plants - Live ficus, fake plants and vines.
Placement - The cage is located at the back of my room next to a window that is closed, blinds down, and sheet over it. There is no traffic outside of my daily chores for all my reptiles. The cage sits on a 3ft table, and sits at its highest at 7ft.
Location - I am in Tempe Arizona.

 

[Basilisk09]

Oh and here are multiple picks regarding legs, teeth, head, etc.

 

[ChameleonNerd]

it looks a little weird in the first picture, but i don't think it's anything to worry about. i am no expert though

 

[BocaJan]

You should be giving him Calcium every feeding and only use Calcium with D3 two times a month. Vitamins once or twice a month. I use them once a month some use vitamins twice, but Calcium with D3 should not be used every day.

 

[ChameleonNerd]

basilisk, what kind of d3 are you using?

 

[Johnny84]

See... My wife and I were dusting almost the same way as you and now our female Chamellia has gular edema and hers is bad compared to yours... Just dust according to BocaJans recommendation and you should be able to see improvement over a week or two... also water more and make sure your uvb tubes are good Good Luck

 

[Basilisk09]

Im using the mineral mix, and the multivitamin I've added was literally 1/8 of the salt shaker, so its only a little mixed in pretty well. Ya, I've been ready to be spraying more since he always seems to jump at the sign of water and start lapping it up, and I've also been meaning to change the UVB bulb. I'll get on that.

 

[kinyonga]

The gular edema can be from a number of things....organ failure, dehydration or incorrect supplementation. Hard to be sure.

BTW...how's your female now?

Here's some information I hope will help you with things like supplements, gutloading, etc....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.

Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.

A wide variety of insects that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it.

Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).

If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).

Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)

Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)

Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Please note that various supplements have various amounts of D3 and vitamin A and so some can be given more often than others. The idea still is not to overdo the fat soluble vitamins like D3 and prEformed vitamin A.

Here are some good sites for you to read too...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.

 

[Basilisk09]

Thx for the in depth reply. It is nice to know the depth of these supplements so I can do it right. As for the UVB, I believe I have the one you suggested, but I'll double check.
My female is doing great. She laid her 2nd clutch of 24 eggs a few weeks ago, and I've only lost one of those. But she's doing fine, no problems at all. I was afraid she was developing stomatitis before Costello did, but she's safe. Thanks for asking!