Skin problem with baby chameleon

[kinyonga]

IMHO, you still need to treat whatever it is and improve the chameleon's living conditions (which I know you are working on).

The test should be the same for cats, dogs and any other animal. The bacteria would likely be the same ones found in cats and dogs but if its fungal it may be different, but still treated like any other fungus. They just need to take a biopsy of the area and test it.

 

[Elizadolots]

crab13, is there a zoo near you?

I'm thinking you've gotten your hands on a "rare exotic" for your area and a zoo might have the experts you need. This might be a case where a regular vet isn't the way to go.

 

[crab13]

The small one looks better to me. Is the top open? I'm thinking it would be better on end. Chameleons like to climb up and down. 60 cm tall would be a good starting size. It will certainly be a huge improvement over what you have. If your animal ever gets to full size, then that will be too small, but you have plenty of time to deal with that.

Is that mesh plastic? If so, you'll need to watch how close you can get your heat lamp.

Do you have a drip system set up so there's always water dripping into the enclosure? If not, I'd suggest that.

The smaller one has a top window and it is said to be able to open. Both of the top and the side windows are in mesh organization. I don't know if it is also plastic. I will be careful on the lamp distance.

The water dripping system may be a difficulty for me. I have no idea how it shall be look like and how to deal with the dropped water.

 

[crab13]

I know it is important and it is better to have additional treatment to the skin problem but there is no way here. That's why I'm looking around here. My thought was that if there is experienced cham vet here which could judge by pictures. And I have tried my best to think of a possible solution and I thought about using human medicine.

Shanghai is among the biggest cities in China. The population is over 20 million. We have several zoo but I'm pretty sure the staff won't help you on this because there could be thousands of reasons to refuse you. For example, it could be certain zoo regulation doesn't allow this, the zoo vet service is not for public, they don't know how to charge it, what will be next after the test (so many things should come after, not just only a test)... Anyway, thank you for the idea.

I will try to get the new cage tomorrow and take more photo for my cham with natual light.

 

[crab13]

I bought a new cage and a new real plant today. Here's the picture and more photo with the problem skin. Sorry that some photos are not focused well. I got problem with my DC.

 

[crab13]

more photos. I realized my cham is a female. It went into sleep on the new plant quietly.

 

[fluxlizard]

Hi I'm just wondering if you have checked for mites.

Probably isn't the problem, but might be- years ago I saw a group of recently imported iguanas with similar looking skin (as best I can tell from the photos) that were badly infected with mites and mites were causing the damage.

Look for tiny insects about the size of the period at the end of this sentence crawling around on the lizard- especially check around the eyelids, armpits, corners of the mouth when the mouth is open, nostrils, and vent (if you can gently stretch the vent open slightly to check the unscaled skin in that area). I would also check the back of the head at the back of the cranial fin. Sometimes also in joints around hips and armpits.

Use a magnifying glass- they may be very tiny. Might be black, white, or red in colour. In the nostrils, eyelids, and corners of the mouth they may not be moving but just appear as tiny dots.

 

[crab13]

Oh. My mum ever told me one thing. I ordered a new bag of substrate last weekend because I thought it was too wet so that I can do some replacement. My mum then put the old wet substrate in a bason directly under the sunshine to dry them. One hour later she found there were many many white dot insect in the bason. She wonder if they hid in the substrates before. The substrate are some kind of cortex. She told me the insect is very tiny, appears only dot. Could it be the mites you mentioned? If so, how can I do to get rid of them off my cham?

BTW, the wet substrate was all replaced last Monday. Today, the substrate put in the new enclosure is also new. The plastic plant was cleaned up with water before it was put into the new enclosure.

 

[PedroANDAshley]

Heres a vid link.
This lady is pretty stupid but this one vid she made is pretty imformative.
It's on how to check for mites and how to treat them
http://www.ehow.com/video_2349707_identify-sick-veiled-chameleons.html

 

[PedroANDAshley]

Here's another on how to treat it
http://www.vareptilerescue.org/mites.html

 

[Elizadolots]

You don't need the substrate at all. While pretty, it doesn't help the chameleon and just gives you more to worry about.

Ultimately, your chameleon would probably prefer a taller cage.

I'll note that if you put that cage vertically, you could set it up so there was a drainage bin under it, that would allow you to have a constant water drip.

You can make a basic dripper by poking holes in a plastic container (cup, bottle). Fill it with water, set on top of the cage.

You're set up is looking much better. Be aware that sleeping during the day is a sign of bad health.

 

[kinyonga]

Looking at the pictures of your chameleon...the right front foot (toes) look swollen and maybe the wrist too. Just the general look of her makes me feel that she is very sick. IMHO she needs to see a vet now...and I do know that you said there are none who treat chameleons...but its my feeling that if it doesn't see one it will die. Sorry to have to tell you that and I hope you can prove me wrong.

 

[fluxlizard]

The stuff in the substrate may or may not have been parasitic mites.

It is more important to check the actual chameleon carefully. Check the areas I mention- sometimes they can hide in the corners of the mouth, inside the nostrils, and in the vent of the lizard and you might never see if you do not get out a magnifying lense and carefully check.

Everyone who is telling you to find a good vet is correct, by the way. You really should locate one. If you can't find one for reptiles, find one for birds - especially parrots but even a poultry vet may do. A good vet can check online and will usually know another vet they can contact on the phone or e-mail who has an interest in reptiles so they can consult with one another.

 

[fluxlizard]

OOps double post. Sorry.

 

[crab13]

This morning I asked one of my friends, who has Hill Myna in her home. She told me that when her birds got sick, she would only went to the Bird and Flower Market and asked for some experienced bird-sellers. These bird-sellers in most chances would know what the problem was with the birds by a glance.
So for the sick birds, people will go to bird vendors for help, while for cats or dogs, people may go for vets. Unfortunately, there are no experienced cham vendors nor cham vets.
In the evening, I tried to use some anti-bacteria eye drop (diluted with water) to clean my baby's skin while she was sleeping.
I'm not sure if the eye drop could do any help to her, or even harm. I tried my best to figure out what could be the possible way to resure her life. I don't want to watch her dying without doing anything.

I still have some questions here:
- Shall I continue to use eye-drop diluted with water to clean her skin?
- Is there any other treatment I could try?

Much appreciation for you guys!

 

[crab13]

Today my mom went to hospital to see a doctor. She has a piece of her skin determined fungus infection by a glance of an experienced doctor. The most chance she is infected may be she washed over the first set of substrate, which was used for about two months long and got replaced one week ago. As I read the page http://www.rainforest-pets.com/veiled-chameleon.htm just now, I believe the wet environment and the airproof enclosure was the major cause.

As I read more topic, I see fungus infection to cham is ususally accompanied with bacteria infection. So tonight I decided to continue on the eye-drop medicine treatment. I really hope she can pass over this great challenge and recover from the bad looking. At least she seems very active, be loving of the new environment, keep moving around and climbing up and down during the day time, described by my mom.

 

[crab13]

Today is the forth day since I tried to drop the anti-bacteria eye drop to her skin. It was done once each day and lasted for three days. I don't think the medicine helps a lot. And she appears having eye problem today. Maybe it is cause by the heavy infection. Also it may be cause by the negtive effect of the medicine. I decided to stop dropping after I saw her behaviors with eye problem. It's so sad to update this to you all and it is really heart-breaking to see her illness becoming worse and worse.

I hate myself not noticing the wrong enclosure earlier. I feel it might be completely wrong for me to keep her in this city while the condition is not ready. I cannot even find a way to give her a skin exam.

I greatly appreciate all for your kind reading, thinking, and suggestion to this topic. Also I'd like to thank Jann for your long email. All of you taught me a lot.

I don't think I will continue posting the status if the result finnally turns out to be tragedy.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

 

[crab13]

Still be alive and getting better

Hello all,

It has been long time from my last post. After I posted out that message, I was almost desperate. Since all of you suggested that the light source shall be replaced to 5.0 for direct emitting without passing through glass anymore, I contacted the vendor for replacement. At the same time, I happened to talk with him about the illness. He suggested me a kind of medicine -- Povidone Iodine Solution. Then I start to cure her with this everyday when she gets into sleep. She could be too scared for the cure daytime. I found her much sluggish when she is asleep. As a result, she seems to get better and better gradually. I also developed a drip system to have water drop on a piece of leaf heading to a container while keeping misting her three times a day.

Today, she started to shed. I took several photos before giving her a shower tonight. Please comment if any. Thanks.

 

[PedroANDAshley]

I was wondering where this thread went
and I was wondering how she was doing.
Thats so heart breaking....what happening to her.
The brown skin seems to be flaking off with the shed, is it?
Any ways good luck

 

[crab13]

Yes, you are right. The old problem skin is gone with the shedding. The new skin appears to be light green. Right now she still has many parts having the old skin. I will keep monitoring her.