bumps?

[HarleyGirl]

As if I haven't gone through enough with losing Picasso (as you can read about in "Panther cham not eating" thread)...
my female panther cham seems to have a bit of a bumpy cheek.
What does that mean?

 

[HarleyGirl]

here are pics of what i'm talking about...on one side, her cheek is fine, but on the other side, her skin looks like there's a bump there (slightly elevated).
Also, is her neck bloated or is that normal for a female? From when I got her, she was always a bit chubby but her neck looks a bit flabby doesn't it?

 

[meganm85]

you poor girl....i cant imagine what you are going through....so sorry for your loss.....if its not one thing its another......

 

[Miss Lily]

It looks like she had gular edema. It is not uncommon for females to get this whilst carrying eggs. Is she gravid?

 

[draetish]

I would ask if she is drinking and eating okay, but as I found out with my sick cham they can eat and drink one day and be almost gone a day or two later. If you can manage to open her mouth and see what's going on in there, that could help, ie slimy, spots, etc. Only reason I'm saying that is my melleri that is very ill, had slimy saliva and I didn't know until foam was on the side of her mouth one morning and she was very dark. All I can say is they seem fine one day (they hide their illness very well) and the next thing you know, they are really sick. I would definetly take her to the vet regardless.

 

[jannb]

The swelling of the neck is gular edema. I see the bump there, too. Not sure what that is.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Her swollen neck suggests a bad case of edema. You may want to review what you feeder her, what you feed the feeders, and increase her access to water.
Is she near to laying eggs?

The bump on the cheek could be related to the edema, but probably not - could be any number of things, even a parasite. Have a vet check it out.

 

[HarleyGirl]

Yes I believe she may be gravid.... It has been a while since she laid a clutch. So can edema be cured? Is it dangerous?
As for her eating habits, as far as I can tell, she has been eating a few crickets and licking the water that mists on the leaves on and off, nothing seems unusual except she has been staying on her lower branches more often which I think is because she will lay her clutch soon. I have a bucket with vermiculite in it if in case she needs to lay eggs.
I can't believe how similar to human problems these little guys are!
I was concentrating so much on Picasso's issues and now I noticed this with Peach. Are her problems serious? Please be honest...
I am bringing her to the vet Wednesday (is this too long to wait?) I have no choice bc I have to work and then the vet closes early.

 

[jannb]

I don't know about the bump but edema "can be" serious. My female had a mild case and the vet had me cut back on her supplements but that didn't help. Finally, with my daughter's help, we figured out it was our water. We have well water and a water softner. Now we have an RO system and she's fine.

 

[HarleyGirl]

I don't know about the bump but edema "can be" serious. My female had a mild case and the vet had me cut back on her supplements but that didn't help. Finally, with my daughter's help, we figured out it was our water. We have well water and a water softner. Now we have an RO system and she's fine.

What is an RO system?

 

[jannb]

What is an RO system?

Reverse Osmosis Water System. I don't know allot about it. My husband hooked it up. I do know that allot of cham owners have them.

 

[HarleyGirl]

She's going to be 3 years old in 4 months, is this an older age for a female or still pretty young?
Anyone have any other suggestions of vets in the GTA (near Toronto)?
I'm bringing her to the links road animal clinic on Wed., but they seem to be soooo busy with birds and other small animals that they don't take all the issues seriously. I had her into the vet just a month ago and the vet found nothing wrong at that point...I think that's when her edema was just starting to develop but since the vet said she looked fine I just assumed she was gaining weight from becoming gravid, but now I van clearly see it's swollen.
If this can be cured then I would like a vet that can do so without taking issues so lightly.
Another ques. is has anyone bought insurance for their chams?

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."she has been staying on her lower branches more often which I think is because she will lay her clutch soon"...IMHO, this could be indicating that she isn't well. The edema could be from supplementing too much...it could be an indication of organ damage or it could be something else. The bump on the cheek could be an infection. All I can suggest is that you take her to a good vet. I've never been to the links vets, so I can't say that they are good or bad. Wish I could help you with that.

What specific supplements do you use and how often for each? What do you gutload/feed the insects with?

What's the basking temperature?

Three is not young for a female panther...but she should be able to live longer than that IMHO.

 

[PardalisGirl]

Ditto....

Ditto on Kinyongia's post. That bump looks like an abscess. The mouth and jawline area can be prone to those. It's not normal. A vet can figure out how to tackle it. It may be another sign that something is not quite right. An systemic antibiotic may not be a good idea if her kidneys are compromised. Cleaning the abscess and applying a local antibiotic may be a better idea. Her imune system may be compromised by kidney/edema issues. Even though she looks extra "bloated" she needs good hydration to help the kidneys flush stuff out. Older chameleons are prone to kidney failure just like older cats are. Agressive supplementation during earlier years speeds this failure up. I'd skip the supplementation period at her age for now until you figure things out.