Infection in Veiled Cham?

[Haven27]

Hello all,

I’m concerned my veiled has an infection, but I’m not sure what type of infection and I worry he has a renal issue.

Once or twice a week for two weeks now I’ve tried giving him 2 medium hornworms to make his urates whiter, but it has barely worked (I’ll keep trying).

In addition to yellow urates, he has swollen eyes with discharge every once in a while (once a week, twice max) that I will clean with a warm Q-tip. I’m also wondering if his “ankles” and “wrists” appear swollen??? I can’t really tell myself, so please opinions on that. (Attached picture)

His appetite is normal (he eats 5-15 crickets every 1-2 days with occasional supers) and he drinks water from a bowl (I know, shocking, right? I’ve seen him do it since I got him and offered a bowl). His grip is tight, his attitude has always been the “leave me alone” type, his basking temp is 86.5 F (100 watt bulb) and his mid-viv (of a 4’ screen viv) temp is 72 F. Humidity level is always between 50-60%. I rarely mist unless he’s shedding, just to aid with that. He suffered a burn to his casque and spinal spikes that caused infection a year and a half ago (he was medicated and had gotten better), so he has a short casque now.

He will be taken to his exotic vet as soon as we get some financial issues out of the way, but in the meantime I’d just like some ideas on whether or not he may have a renal issue??

Thank you!

 

[Syreptyon]

First big red flag is drinking out of a bowl... Even though he will, that doesn't mean he should. That is a serious health risk because standing water is a breeding ground for bacteria - and bacteria grow FAST. Think about it: in order for him to drink from the bowl, he has to dip his mouth in, which is very close to his eyes. It is very possible that contaminated water from the bowl could get into his eyes and cause an infection. Even if this is not the case, you need to switch up his drinking method to just misting sessions and a dripper. While bowl watering is convenient it is not safe.

Please fill out the "how to ask for help" form, which is stickied in the health forum, so we can offer more specific advice. The eyes do not look great.

 

[Haven27]

First big red flag is drinking out of a bowl... Even though he will, that doesn't mean he should. That is a serious health risk because standing water is a breeding ground for bacteria - and bacteria grow FAST. Think about it: in order for him to drink from the bowl, he has to dip his mouth in, which is very close to his eyes. It is very possible that contaminated water from the bowl could get into his eyes and cause an infection. Even if this is not the case, you need to switch up his drinking method to just misting sessions and a dripper. While bowl watering is convenient it is not safe.

Please fill out the "how to ask for help" form, which is stickied in the health forum, so we can offer more specific advice. The eyes do not look great.

When I first got him, I used a dripper, but it made a mess. How can I set it up best to remove messes?

 

[Syreptyon]

When I first got him, I used a dripper, but it made a mess. How can I set it up best to remove messes?

Just put it over a plant or something. I promise it will cause you less troubles than the ones you're now dealing with.
You do mist, too, right?? Just a little concerned because I hear people saying that misting makes a mess way more often than drippers

 

[Haven27]

Just put it over a plant or something. I promise it will cause you less troubles than the ones you're now dealing with.
You do mist, too, right?? Just a little concerned because I hear people saying that misting makes a mess way more often than drippers

I don’t use live plants, do you have another idea? Yes, I do mist. I’ll mist more often.

 

[Syreptyon]

Well you should be using live plants. My suggestion is to get at minimum 1 live plant. Something easy to keep alive, just to catch the drips. That's how drippers are supposed to work, by dropping water onto leaves. It will improve the quality of life for your chameleon and increase humidity. Can you post a picture of your whole enclosure?

 

[carol5208]

His eyes look really bad and he may have a sinus infection that is draining into his eyes. It is all connected. I would get him to a vet sooner than later. I would not wait.