Overweight?

[dlegare]

Chameleon Info:
• Your Chameleon - Furcifer pardalis, Female, 1 to 1.5 years old. In my care for 1 week
• Handling – Only if needed. Has not been handled in past week
• Feeding – Feeding every other day, gut loaded adult crickets, Discoid roaches, Silkworms, Hornworms. Usually eats 2 to 3 large crickets, 1 silk and 1 horn. Has only eaten 1 medium discoid nymph that newly shed. Roaches are fed when newly shed.
• Supplements – Rep-Cal calcium with d3 every other feeding, Rep-cal Herptivite weekly.
• Watering – Mist-King automatic misting set to deliver 5 mistings/day 1st and middle for 1.5 min the rest for 45 seconds. Cage dries out between mistings.
• Fecal Description – Normal brownish color poop with white jelly-like urates. Fecal flotation and microscopy negative.
• History – No negative history as far as I am aware

Cage Info:
• Cage Type – Screen cage 2ftx2ftx4ft
• Lighting – Reptisun 5.0 with 10hr cycle, 6500k daylight with 12hr cycle on dimmer 30min ramp up in morning and 30min ramp down in evening. This is 1st light to come on followed by 65 watt incandescent basking lamp then the uv. Basking light on 10hr cycle
• Temperature – Basking spot gets to 98f. Room ambient temp during day is 77f and at night drops to 68f Lowest measured temp 68 highest 98under basking lamp. Far right of basking lamp temp 79
• Humidity – Humidity levels spike to 97% following mistings at upper 1/3 of cage leveling off to upper 30s to low 40s, middle 1/3 spike around 88 leveling off mid to mid 30s
• Plants – 2 large pothos vines placed in middle 1/3 of cage and extend up and over 3 pirches placed in upper 1/3 of cage
• Placement – Cage is located in a dedicated reptile room with supplemental heating and cooling to keep daytime ambient temps 77f and night temp 68f supplemental humidity if needed to keep ambient humidity 35% Cage is 2ft off the floor so that top of cage is 6ft.
• Location – Central FL

Current Problem – Picture isn’t the best for what I’m concerned with. Could this girl be overweight? When she is perching at rest she has a kind of double chin that wraps up the sides of her head something like an Elizabethan collar, also has what look like sacks just in front of what would be her arm pits. The vet I use isn’t familiar with Chameleons but didn’t think she had any health concerns.

 

[dclough77]

i would change the supplements to calcium without d3 to every feeding and with d3/multivitamin to 2-3 times a month. and im not sure with your particular breed but i would lower the basking spot to about 85-90f maybe. like i said not sure about your breed.

as far as fat goes i wouldnt say that the diet doesnt seem that big.

 

[carol5208]

has she ever laid a clutch of eggs? Are you aware they can lay eggs without being mated? As the other member said your basking is too high. you are almost hitting a 100. Get the basking temp down to 85 or so. Try a 40 watt housebulb. Is she going to the bottom of the cage up and down like she is looking for a place to lay eggs?

 

[dlegare]

basking temp

has she ever laid a clutch of eggs? Are you aware they can lay eggs without being mated? As the other member said your basking is too high. you are almost hitting a 100. Get the basking temp down to 85 or so. Try a 40 watt housebulb. Is she going to the bottom of the cage up and down like she is looking for a place to lay eggs?

The basking lamp is on a dimmer so I can dial down the power till the basking site is upper 80s to low 90s She has not laid eggs yet. She sleeps on the rim of the Pothos plant and is usually at that location about 40 min before the lights go out. When the lights come on she parks herself right under the basking lamp hanging on either side of the perch and darkens herself almost black, spends about 20 min like that and then goes about 6" away. Spends most of the day in the upper 1/3 of the cage and is seen drinking just after the mister cycles. Hasn't been seen any lower than 1/2 way down the cage at the level of the pothos planter rim where she sleeps. Hasn't been digging in the plants nor has she been seen anywhere near the bottom of the cage. I'm going to put a large tub of play sand in the bottom later today with a few branches just in case.

 

[carol5208]

make sure to moisten the play sand so that she is able to make a tunnel if she needs to lay eggs. It probably isn't the case but from what you are describing but it is good to have it in there just for safe measure. You are not over feeding with what you are feeding her and every other day is good. Also i see you live in Central Florida. My son goes to UCF! Anytime you can get your chameleon out in the sun, do so! nothing beats natural sunshine and we are lucky we have that luxury all year round. Just make sure she has shade if she wants to get out of the sun and don't leave unattended(unless you have a cage) as my cham nearly gotten taken by a hawk right in front of me before i got my outdoor cage!

 

[pssh]

If you are over supplementing it could be edema. Her head pads look fine to me. Some females also develop edema while gravid. Maybe someone with more experience in the matter can help more. It's worth looking into though.

Also, using both a silkworm and hornworm with crickets sounds like a bit much. Try just using one feeder each feeding if possible. Maybe two large silkies, or one large hornworm, 4-5 crickets, one large discoid or two small/medium, etc.