And we thought it was a gland...
https://www.insidescience.org/content/why-chameleons-sometimes-smell-rotting-meat/3711
https://www.insidescience.org/content/why-chameleons-sometimes-smell-rotting-meat/3711
Does your I chameleon smell like rotting food?
- Thread starter kinyonga
- Start date
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
Another fascinating article.
The one thing I noticed about that poor wild caught mellers was how much he smelled. I had a lot of trouble doing the necropsy because of his smell. He has no infected/putrid lesions outside or inside his body. I wouldn't call it a rotting flesh smell, but it had the same qualities as the very faint smell that comes from a freshly slaughtered chicken that I am processing. I process in a big outdoor kitchen so lots of fresh air circulation. The smell permeates my nose and won't go away for hours. It feels as if it seeps into every pore--I can almost feel the smell if that makes any sense. It is a smell that makes me want to throw up if I am processing for very long. Other people who process their chickens comment on it. It doesn't wash off. This chameleon had a similar smell to him before I opened him up.
the retarded chameleons
Member
weird i never noticed it and still don t
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
You did read the article you posted didn't you?
Dave Bolamperti
Avid Member
Great article find, I've seen my Chams rub their mouths on branches many times. Sometimes my cages smell awful ! Could that be a reason. I clean my cages once a week. It does make sense
Thanks for sharing
Dave
Thanks for sharing
Dave
JGuinan007
Avid Member
Is that only refering to Jackson's or Montane or all species of Chameleons? I have a veiled and have never noticed this at all.
maryanne27
Avid Member
Very interesting! I am curious, too, as others mentioned above, if it is just a few species or all but some more than others or something like that. Never noticed with my graceful!
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
Great article!! Really eye opening! I haven't really noticed a smell...at least nothing that I thought was coming from my Cham...I might have to hold one of them and take a good whiff just to see if they're stinky or not
I have not noticed any smell from my wild caught quads and graciliors or my veiled, but that poor Mellers really smelled. I thought it was from poorly digested feces caused by parasites. He stunk up my bathroom. I rinsed him off when I took him out of the cage (dead) and he still smelled. There were nothing putrid/infected inside or outside his body.
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
I don't know what was smelling, but his cage smelled and he smelled before I opened him up for the necropsy. I don't know where it was coming from. I was having a lot of trouble doing the necropsy partly because of the smell and partly because of my emotions. It was the same or similar smell of the entrails of a chicken when I am processing them, and that is with the all the organs intact and pulled out as a unit. If I process three or more I start to have trouble because I really want to throw up. It's that kind of a smell.
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
This is fascinating! One of my melleri had the nickname "dragonbreath". She was a pretty social cham and would perch peacefully on my shoulder when we sat outdoors. But she would also comment on the world by roaring right into my ear. Her breath would knock you over. This might explain it.
The whole idea of a pocket gathering bits of dead skin, food, etc. makes so much sense! But, maybe the size of this pocket varies a lot by species and individual. It makes me question why our jax seem to be prone to infections of this "pocket" and why other species don't seem to have as much trouble. There must be something that permits occasional clearing of the accumulated material, or it could end up being a liability to the cham if it is a source of infections. Why for some and not for others? What can keepers do to avoid problems?
This information could change our suggestions for "temporal gland infection" treatment or at least change our information for newbies. I suggest we flag or save the article on the resources page.
The whole idea of a pocket gathering bits of dead skin, food, etc. makes so much sense! But, maybe the size of this pocket varies a lot by species and individual. It makes me question why our jax seem to be prone to infections of this "pocket" and why other species don't seem to have as much trouble. There must be something that permits occasional clearing of the accumulated material, or it could end up being a liability to the cham if it is a source of infections. Why for some and not for others? What can keepers do to avoid problems?
This information could change our suggestions for "temporal gland infection" treatment or at least change our information for newbies. I suggest we flag or save the article on the resources page.
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Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
I wonder if his ongoing lung damage gave him putrid breath that would be exhaled?
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
The lungs didn't give off any smell noticeable smell when I was manipulating them trying to get pictures. I tried to take both lungs attached to the trachea out but the trachea wasn't as tough as I expected and I ripped the trachea/bronchial tubes where it joins the lungs. Lots of coagulated blood leaked out. There didn't seem to be any infection and it didn't smell noticeably. If what you are suggesting is the case, I would have expected a big release of foul smell when I ripped open the lungs. There wasn't any. Nothing looked putrid or infected. The fluids in the body were clear (with blood, of course) but no cloudiness that I would have expected with infection.
His cage is still in my bathroom--nice and dried out so odor free--because I don't want to deal with anything that might be smelling in it. He either vomited or had a bowel movement within hours of his death. If it was a bowel movement, it was basically undigested Carnivore Care which is vile smelling stuff.
You know, I sent all the necropsy pictures to my vet so she could give me a statement (from a vet, not a layperson like me) of what was in the pictures. I'm not sure she is going to do it because she didn't do the necropsy herself. I'm really ticked off. I don't think I should be asking Dana to have a look at the photos so I can get a vet to say this poor animal died from trauma to the lungs, likely caused at capture. My vet should just do it. This was after the staff charged me an extra $15 late fee when I took him in a few days before he died. That was for being 13 minutes late for my appointment when I came there in a 5:00 pm rush hour traffic jam and when at the best of times, she is an hour away from me. I'm really ticked off considering all the money I spend there, not to mention the two MAJOR screw ups she did treating my animal, one that killed it and the other that almost did. Maybe its time to find a new vet.
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