Edema?

Kaizen

Chameleon Enthusiast
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Female veiled, approx 1.5 years; been in my care for a year
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • This one bites, always. Handled her once, and had to have antibiotics
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Feeding dubias, surinams, runners and Crix as staples (ish); she gets silkies twice a week, and gets a limited amount of butters, waxies, supers, hornies and darkling beetles. She gets fed three times/week now (summer’s a bit of a sh$t show because she’s outside in a huge enclosure screened in 1/2” hardware cloth, so it’s a feeding frenzy). We gutload with collards, dandelion, beet greens, mustard greens, rosemary, basil, butternut squash, sweet potato, carrots, washed pitted olives, apples, oranges, bananas, prickly pear, grapefruit, papaya, repashy superload and repashy bug burger—all blended into a goo, frozen in ice cube trays, and fed daily.
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Been using calcium plus LoD at every feeding—that’s it. (The problem may be here, but maybe not)
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Mistking. Two 15 minute mistings: one just before lights on, one just after lights out. Dripper during the day. Occasionally see her drink.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • Poop looks good: firm, not greasy, urates 75% bone white, 25% orangish.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
  • Um...impulse buy...petsmart...sue me.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Custom screened enclosure; 3x4x5 (ish)
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Two 4’ Arcadia uvbs. First is a 6%, is located on the east side of the enclosure (4” from basking) comes on at 730 am and off at 5 pm. The second is an Arcadia 12%, is located on the west side of the enclosure (6” from basking) comes on at noon, and off at 730 pm. My uvi’s range from 2.5-3 in the am, and up to 6 during the afternoon hours.
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • The way these cages are set up, they do not require basking bulbs. Basking temps at basking areas vary between 79 and 85 during the day. Mid cage a steady 72 day-time, bottom cage, 68 day time. This is achieved by programming the thermostat to heat up to 75 at 7 am, 80 at 9 am, and 85 at noon - 4 pm, at which point it ramps down slowly until 10pm, at which point it is 65. Night time temps drop by 10 degrees respectively. Her usual sleeping area stands around 65 at night. Heat is constantly monitored by probes strategically placed, and confirmed by double dot heat gun.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Daytime humidity is at 99% at 7 am, and slowly drops to 50% by around 1pm. It stays there until about 4 pm, at which point it slowly increases with the gradual temp drop, until it hits about 85% by 10pm and 98% by 7 am. Oh yeah, this is all achieved as a result of keeping our chams in a heated greenhouse.
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • We use all live plants. Croton, hibiscus, ficus, bromeliads, pothos, and creeping ficus. Plants are arranged to create a dense foliage area mid cage; foliage thins a bit near top of cage, and ground level is sparse
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Cages sit approx 6” above the ground, but top out at 6’ (they’re irregularly shaped to conform to the walls of the greenhouse) We use a duct fan that draws air down through the bottom of the cage (gently) to circulate air.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
  • Located in London, Ontario, Canada. Usda

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
Our girl, Rose, has recently been having targeting problems, and just today, I’ve notice some swelling in her left (right?) leg. I suspect an allergic reaction causing edema, but as everyone knows, I’ve been a staunch advocate of repashy calcium plus LoD for veileds, and it might turn out that some veileds are sensitive to it. On the other hand, I could be totally mistaken about this. I’ll try to add some pics, but, as said, she’s a biter! Also, she mated and laid a clutch of 35 in August.
 
Oh yeah: last fecal was October 1. Clean, but to be honest, we only did one, and didn’t do a second.
 
How gravid is she? Any swelling in the throat?
She’s not gravid. She’s showing receptive. Haven’t notice any gular swelling, but I’ll double check in the am. She’s already booked at the vet for Friday. Thanks for getting back to me so quickly brody! You’re a star!
 
Using LoD for all my chams for as long as I’ve been keeping chams. Supplements for her last clutch were LoD every feeding, plus an extra feeding once/week of straight calcium no d
 
Good to know; thanks Joxie! I’ve been preaching LoD to everyone and anyone with vieleds, and I’m gonna have a lot of humble pie to eat and apology threads to post if the vet says it’s over supplementation. It’s just weird that the other two show no such signs.
 
Can’t see it being LoD then... though it is possible her body is now processing supplements differently now that she’s sexually mature. Occasionally Mama will start retaining fluids shortly after coming out of her receptive period, but it’s always been in the throat, nowhere else.

Swelling is always very difficult to figure out, especially over a keyboard. Can’t do much more without those pics.
 
Thank you everyone for your prompt and insightful replies. I’ll get pics up tomorrow morning, and she booked at the vet for Friday. I’m probably being a worry wart, but you know: our charges are our charges, and diligence is the other part of valour.
 
Just going to put my 2cents in. I switched to the LoD at the very end of July. In the first days of August, Grumpy had puffy eyes. Strangely I didn’t make any connection at the time and continued the LoD until late August when Dr O saw her. He suggested a change to supplements with the LoD twice monthly. Once I changed regimen, her edema went away. Trying to be lazy and a few days ago went back to just the LoD. Tonight I thought Grumpy’s eye is looking like it might puff out again. Stella is having no problems. Thinking maybe just some chams have a reaction to it.
 
I’m googling sticky tongue

which product? Is it an every feeding dust? Amazon, or straight from the source?
I firsts tarted with sticky tongue outdoor witch is the red bottle. Then every one started to preach LoD that’s around the time Imelda started to got really bad edema. Now that I’ve taken her of it and back on sticky tongue she’s much better. I just started to switch Larry back on to it as well
 
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