Sperm plugs and Hemipenal buldges

Nicodemayo

Avid Member
I hoping to shed some light on my situation and learn a little more about hemipenal buldges and how to identify sperm plugs that haven't been passed. My ambilobe panther chameleon is almost 5 months old (hatched 9-15-07). Ive read up on these sperm plugs and all the issues that can arise and how to treat them (aside from a vet of couse). I read up on Kosmos panthers sperm plugs and how he had problems passing them but it doesn't look anything like his yet thank god. Right now thats not really my concern but im wondering how many other people have seen an significant increase of sperm plugs at this age, and how often do you see sperm plugs passed? I know this is the age where hes really starting to mature and im wanting to know what to look for if it ever becomes a problem. At the base of his tale he always has his buldge like usual but sometime it appears as if its extra swollen and something wants to come out and i'll check back on him an hour or so later and it will look like normal and theres no feces or sperm plug to be found. I know he passes them because I'll sometimes find them stuck to the leaves. Ive noticed something strange yesterday and today. Yesterday evening about 2hrs before his lights went out i was watching him and he started to poop and the poop was fairly small but very normal looking and had no solid pieces of insects or anything in it. I cleaned it up and let him go to sleep. About an hour after i fed him and gave him a good spray this morning, i walked in to see him and his hemipenal flap or whatever its called was gaping wide open. I freaked out and ran back to my room to get my camera and when i came back it was closed up and a piece of urate was on one of the leaves, without poop. I got a little concerned that there wasnt poop with it so i gave him a long shower. Not to long ago i found a very small piece of poop with a small piece of urate on one of the leaves (all his urates look very normal and white with no orange) and a sperm plug stuck to his foot. What im wondering is if he might be pooping these small amounts out to try to pass sperm plugs? Now it appears that one side of his buldge is normal and one it lumping up more. I'm thinking he has one more side to pass and hopefully it will come out with his next poop. What do you guys think?
 
I peek in a couple of hours ago and managed to snap these pics. The first one he was resting and i noticed part of his hemipenis hanging out. It wasnt open very far as you can see by the pic. The 2nd pic is the best pic i could get of the buldge.



Ive got to head off to class i'll check this thread when i get back. Hoping a bunch of people will chime in. Idk if im being a paranoid keeper or what.
 
Ok guys. What exactly causes a hemipenal buldges or a sperm plug? Are thes caused by their diet? Does every male have them? I've heard it mentioned a few times but i'm still not clear with what causes it. I have 5-6 males, veileds, panthers, and i think a muellers, and i've never seen this or had any problems. Am i just lucky or am i missing something? It soundslike it can become very serious if not handles correctly! Is that true? Sorry for all the ? but you guys have me worried and checking out all my guys now.LOL.
 
I know reading Kosmos thread has made me all paranoid lol. Im hoping someone with lots of experience with this will clue us in but no one seems to be on today.
 
OK, I'll try to respond to this. First off, male Furcifer chameleons are kinda known for having large hemipenal bulges, and in fact I've heard the term "hung like a Furcifer" more than once. Passing the sperm plug usually occurs at the same time as a defecation and partially everting the hemipenes to rub them off is normal. What is not normal is for that little red bump of tissue to be protruding. It could be from irritation caused by a retained sperm plug (or other foreign body) or even a small infection pushing the organ out.

I think this might be something worthy of taking him to a herp vet, if you have one. If not, definitely keep a close eye on that! If the organ is sticking out, it is likely inflamed and uncomfortable. If that is the case, he will likely try rubbing it on things in an attempt to remove the problem. I've been through this. It is very thin, sensitive tissue that will bleed if nicked. A lot. Try to keep the area clean for now, and keep an eye out for him trying to pass anything. If it seems some shmegma is stuck to the hemipene, a soak in an inch of warm water for 20 minutes should soften it up to where it can be easily pulled free. In my experience, after removing the material the hemipene should be able to withdraw fully.
 
My thoughts were the same as Kent67. I don't have personal knowledge of that red protrusion problem, but I have seen it in books. It can be caused by infection, and can even be caused by parasitic infection. If you do go to the vet then you may want to take a stool sample with you so he can be checked for parasites. Something is causing it to be inflamed. I have also read on this forum that you should be careful not to let the red tissue get too dry.

But hopefully after a good soak it will correct itself. We have seen that happen with chams on this forum before.
 
Thanks both of you for the responses. I will certainly keep an eye on him all through out tomorrow. In response to the protruding red bump, it doesnt appear to be swollen and out of his control to fold it back up. In the first picture he had it out and that was right after i walked into the room and i took the 2nd pic about 30 seconds after that and he had folded it up again. From the way you described it, it sounds like he is rubbing it on the vines trying to break the plug free. I will be in and out of my apartment all day tomorrow going to and from class so i wont be able to visit a vet but i will watch him very close tomorrow. If i notice the same things happening tomorrow as i did today, i will schedule an appointment for Wednesday with Dr.Brad Wilson, my local herp vet. Thanks Kent and Gesang for the responses, i'll be keeping a sharp eye out.
 
Oh! Gesang is right, and I totally forgot to mention it. If it is protruding again and he can't pull it back in, it is very important to keep it from drying out. You'll probably need a prescription for it, but Silvadene cream works very well.
 
I will certainly keep that in mind. Every time i see it protruding, he pulls it back in shortly after he sees me.
 
Here are the ones i pulled out today from leaf. adult male veiled 2yrs. was my main stud in breeding project.

At one point he was mated a few times a month with one female per month at a time, rotating between females.

He hasnt been mated for at least 3.5 months. He was keep next to a female during that 3.5. When she was taken out he would spot her get excited and come to the front of the cage, but wasnt allowed to mate as the female in question was thought to be gravid.

He prob saw her and got excited a dozen times in the last 3.5


I filled a rubermaid with a few inches of warm water. and place him in for 25 min.

( on a side note, i noticed him swiming from side to side, back and fourth for the first 4 min, soo cool )


i removed him from the water, and rub the area around the buldges, then removed them with a needle. sticking it inside and pulling away from his body.

he took it really well

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I peek in a couple of hours ago and managed to snap these pics. The first one he was resting and i noticed part of his hemipenis hanging out. It wasnt open very far as you can see by the pic. The 2nd pic is the best pic i could get of the buldge.



Ive got to head off to class i'll check this thread when i get back. Hoping a bunch of people will chime in. Idk if im being a paranoid keeper or what.
Wish I had a hemipenal buldge like that! On a serious note, I'd try soaking him like the others said regardless if it starts looking better or not. It can't hurt. Good luck and keep us updated. David
 
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