Chameleon lower jaw very swollen help!

[ctodaro]

www.imgur.com/tVjaeN1.jpg

I have a baby Oustalet's chameleon about 4 months old. I noticed about a month ago he started to have his mouth partially open with the tip of his tongue sticking out. Then he stared to willingly stick his tongue out (but able to close it on his own). He has had no change in appetite and is still very active. But last night we put a waterfall in his cage and just noticed his jaw is very swollen. We also started fully dusting crickets every day for the past two weeks to keep up with his vitamins (we thought he might have had MBD). We now think it might be edema but want advice on what it could be.

Here are more facts about his living arrangements: temp: 78-80 degrees humidity: 50%-70% UVB: 5.0 compact florescent have one lamp in cage Cage: glass cage with vines and fake plants, wood chips as substrate

 

[kinyonga]

Please post a photo. If you haven't been supplementing properly it could be MBD but we need to see photos to figure it out.

 

[ctodaro]

Please post a photo. If you haven't been supplementing properly it could be MBD but we need to see photos to figure it out.

 

[ctodaro]

Was thinking MBD at first but I dusted all crickets for the past two weeks. Now thinking it is edema?

 

[kinyonga]

It looks like it could be MBD...thats the way the lips go and the arm looks like it's not quite right too. To be sure you should see a vet To correct MBD you should see a vet to get calcium injections. You can also give it some liquid calcium sandoz or gluconate until it's corrected. To keep it from returning once it's corrected you need to supplement properly, provide appropriate temperatures, feed / gutload the insects properly, etc.

Since most feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous its recommended that you dust at most feedings with a phosphorous - free calcium powder at most feedings.

It's recommended that you dust twice a month with a phosphorous - free calcium / D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving the chameleon to produce the rest of the D3 from its exposure to the UVB light.

It's recommended that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene ( prOformed ) source of vitamin A. PrOformed sources of vitamin A cannot build up in the system and lead to health issues like prEformed sources can and will leave it up to you to decide whether the chameleon needs prEformed or not.

 

[Andee]

Depends on what type of glass cage you are using, are you using an aquarium? That needs to be changed, also you need to get rid of the waterfall and woodchips. No substrate is suggested to use for a chameleon's cage. Now those might not answer your question but Kinyonga has answered your health concern

 

[ctodaro]

MBD has been a concern, I knew he had some from his legs which is why I dusted and gut-loaded all his crickets for the past two weeks. However this is the first time his bottom mouth has been swollen. We just added a waterfall last night, but I am now concerned if it could be edema from all the dusting he ate?

 

[kinyonga]

If the woodchips are cedar its not good for the chameleon and I don't recommend wood chips nyway because if ingested they canlead to impaction.

Forgot to say...D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues while D3 from exposure to UVB won't likely build up as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB when it wants to.

 

[kinyonga]

You dusted the insects with what for the last two weeks?
I don't see any edemat would've caused by overdosing. I'm not a vet but have had over 25 years of experience with chameleons and many other reptiles.

 

[MissLissa]

Dusting with a calcium supplement is not going to be enough to reverse MBD- even every day for two weeks is not nearly enough, especially for a baby which needs dusting at all feedings anyways. I suspect that foreleg is already fractured (re: the seconds picture) and if it is, that means the MBD is pretty far along. A vet visit with x-rays is absolutely in order.

 

[ctodaro]

I have been using calcium dust for his food. But I am concerned about what the swelling under his mouth is and also swelling on his chest...it looks like a pouch of fluid.

 

[ponders]

A visit to a reptile vet is needed.

 

[brownie64]

A visit to a reptile vet is needed.

Couldn't agree more. There is an array of things going on here MBD just one of them needs a good vet qualified in reptiles ASAP.

 

[Moxie]

has he been getting dusted food with calcium w/o D3 every day, with D3 twice a month and multivitamin twice a month? If not, then vitamin deficiencies as others have stated are likely. Seems that general inflammatory process of disease could cause swelling. It does in mammals. Vet check.