Gooey Mouth

Glittergloomgirl

Glittergloomgirl

New Member
Has anyone ever had a cham who constantly gets like a gunky mouth with saliva build up? :eek:

This cham has had this problem since I got her. The vet said not to worry about it, but her poor lips always look swollen, Im constantly cleaning the gook off, and her lips have lost some scales.

The reptile store suggested using listerine to clean her mouth. I was wondering if maybe there is something in her saliva causing this problem.

Any advice welcome Thanks Noelle
 
Is there any black areas or missing teeth? Kinda sounds like mouthrot, especially if you are loosing scales around the lips. The vet said he was fine? Hrmm id try a new vet.

I dont think using listerene sounds like a good idea either.

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Cage Info:
Cage Type - What kind of cage are you using? What is the size?
Lighting - What kind of lighting are you using? How long do you keep the lights on during the day?
Temperature - What temperature range have you created? Basking spot temp? What is the temperature at night?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
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Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What kind of schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What are you dusting your feeders with and what kind of schedule do you use?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.
 
She is on a misting system, a promist, she gets misted for 30 seconds every 2 hours. The water stays on the plastic plants in her cage for sometime before it drys up.

This Cham has been a medicines for 7 months for coccidia, a really bad case of it. She had it when I got her from the breeder.
 
Cage Info:
Cage Type - What kind of cage are you using? What is the size?
screen, 24H 13W

Lighting - What kind of lighting are you using? How long do you keep the lights on during the day?
60W heat bulb, .5uvb bulb 7am to 7pm

Temperature - What temperature range have you created? Basking spot temp? What is the temperature at night?
temp day 80's temp at night 72

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels?
54% humidifer

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
No live plants in her cage, plastic

Location -

Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas?
Cages are on back porch, no fans, no air vents, not high traffic area, porch in covered for the winter with tarps.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon.
Panther,F, 1year

Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What kind of schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Crix or supers 10 per day,everyday, yes the feeders get progecko gutload

Supplements - What are you dusting your feeders with and what kind of schedule do you use? calcium regular 6 days a week, calcium with D3 once a week. Vitamin powder every 2 weeks.

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Do you see your chameleon drinking? Promist mister, No I dont see her but I know she does she has fat pads on her head.

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings.
look well formed and normal

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

My cham had coccidia for 7 months was on albon put on another medication and recently since feb 2nd she has been coccida free.
Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.

She has alot of spit build up on her mouth, its like a gooey paste on her lips
 
Could you please provide us with a picture of her?
I have heard of using Listerine to clear up mouth infections such as mouth rot, but personally have yet to try it.
Do you have a topical that you have been/can use on it like Zymox, Betadine, or Thermazene. I've heard controversial things about Neosporin. Does anyone else have some input about that?
 
stringy saliva is stomatitis these are the symptoms loss of appetite caseous matter or scabbing on the lips,and skin discoloration and sensitivity. The oral mucus cheese-like masses. The chameleon needs to go to a vet for antibiotics.

The Chameleon Handbook
 
Dean Pulcini said:
stringy saliva is stomatitis these are the symptoms loss of appetite caseous matter or scabbing on the lips,and skin discoloration and sensitivity. The oral mucus cheese-like masses. The chameleon needs to go to a vet for antibiotics.

The Chameleon Handbook
Click to expand...

Well she doesnt have loss of appetite she is one hungry girl, yes looks like some scabbing on lips, and her lips look sensitive. I did show the vet she said I didnt have to be concerned about it. Maybe cause the cham had other problems like the Won!!! Battle of Coccida:) It doesnt look cheesy at all just looks like caked on thick saliva and the vet said it wasnt a URI.

p.s. the listerine kinda seems to be working, I clean her mouth up with it then I rinse it off good, Im sure it's gotta burn a little :( poor girl.

Im working on getting a picture of her lips the only pic I have of her is the one in the contest
 
Before when dealing with URI's (which I understand you don't think this is), I've helped them clean some of the thick mucous out with a q-tip. In her case it might help to keep the mucous down so that the lips don't get too irritated. IDK what could be in the saliva. I'm assuming on the promist she stays nice and hydrated... Just curious is the water treated??
 
no offense but fridge filters suck big time

also 30 seconds is just a bit short of a misting it would seem

you don't want to give them too long of a misting because then they become accustomed to not drinking right away which means they don't get as much value out of short misting sessions, but if possible i'd def throw a few couple minute sessions in there every now and then, imo
 
30 seconds doesnt seem long I know but it does spray alot in the cage, thats happens every 2 hours while Im at work. When I get home I hit the mister a couple of times to give them a longer shower while Im home :)
 
To be honest I don't know what it is...but one thing I would say is that 30 seconds every two hours does seem like it could cause some problems. If there is any bacteria or anything else growing in or around her mouth constant moisture will promote it. Myself as well as other breeders and keepers I have spoken with normally run their misting for 5 or 10 minutes (depending on species) multiple times a day because chameleons need time to dry out especially before they go to sleep. Try changing your misting timing and see if that doesn't clear anything up. Is the scales that are falling off around her mouth the front ones or other? It is fairly common for some chams to rub the front couple off (not good but fairly common). Try misting them maybe 3 times a day at 5 minutes at a time and not within 3 hours of their sleeping.

-chris
 
Hey everyone,

This is an update about freya, she is the Cham I bought last August 2007 with, coccidia, trichamonas and hookworms from Steve Vigo of Chameleons by Design. It is now March 8th 2008 and I am please to say her fecal is 100%clear of all parasites.

Ok, sooo now about the gooey mouth issue. Each time I brought her to the vet, the vet was more concerned about getting everything else under control before dealing with the mouth issue.

We did a culture and sensitivity and the result are in, the gooey mouth is from Pseudomonas. The vet said this is a common reptile thing, but if the immune system is weak, it can become a problem. My luck though the Pseudomonas is a strained that has to be treated with FORTAZ
(ceftazidime for injection), normally it can be treated with Baytril. The Vet said that in 30 days after the treatment, that I will hopefully have a Healthy Cham.

Wouldnt that be GREAT!!! I hope it all works cause it has been a long struggle.... Thanks for lisening to me babble ;)
 
Hoping for the best for her! I know it has been a long haul with the poor girl. I only had to struggle for a little over a month with my Steve's "Chameleons by Disaster" prolapse Nosy before he died. :(
 
sounds like a lack of water issue
I would get her to "wash it out"
take a wide mouth short drinking glass and set that in a bright spot in the cage
have it filled with water
and let her drink from that.
when she does, she'll wash out much of that goop that's clogging her mouth.

either that or rinse her out a bit under the tap
get her to gape and hold her mouth under the warm water (not strong flowing!)
 
Hey :)

Thanks for advice, I have been getting the goop out, it just come back, but it because of the pseudomonas :p The medicine should have her back to her old Self :)
 
Congratz on FINALLY getting everything worked out with Freya. I love that picture of her and wished that it won the photo contest. Could you please provide us with a little more info on pseudomonas and how she was cultured. I am assuming it was a bacterial infection so did they just test her spit?? What are the typical signs to look for...black teeth??
I noticed my moms veiled has black teeth like CammieLN was saying, I hope it isn't mouthrot. She just tried a vet in her area for the spot on his lip who just prescribed silvadene creme (which I already had) but did not say anything about the black teeth. Maybe he needs a second opinion...any thoughts?
Good luck with her, you guys have been through sooooo much. Keep us updated!
 
pseudomonas

Please note i am not a vet but i do know about pseudomonas.

Pseudomonas is a genus not a particular species such as Chameleo so each species can be somewhat different but as you probably know most chameleo are similiar in general (tongue, feet, tails, etc.) it is a mean bug (gram negative bacteria) that is usually found around water such as drinking fountains, poorly chlorinated pools/hot tubs the drainage/pus is often a bright almost neon green (some think its pretty:eek:) dark green can look like black:rolleyes:

pseudomonas aeruginosa infects humans commonly on skin/ears canals particually but also infects wounds, urine and occasiionally lungs.
Most isolates need treatment with strong drugs such as Fortaz or worse.

hope this helps,

Sean
 
Wow Thanks McZoo very informative ;) For Freya they did a culture and sensitivity the extended profile is what I was told was done.

Well in Freyas case of symptoms, just alot of thick spit, that accumulates around her lips, her lips and gums are swollen, teeth are not black. Some area of the lips have little scabs. The spit kinda has a greenish/yellowish tinge when it accumulates. I try to clean her mouth everyday, but if I go away for a couple of days its all junky again :: sigh::

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudomonas

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=374575

Here is what Ive read so far.
 
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