Psychobunny
Avid Member
So, I started a thread a few days ago when my panther cham started to get sick. I thought it might be a vitamin thing, or something lacking in his diet.
It turned out to be an infection.
He had some old shed along the top of his spine that had been there too long,
plus he was avoiding the basking light (40w incan bulb), so was not properly
heating himself up.
I put some Neosporin on his spine, and this removed enough of the old shed
skin to reveal a dry scab hiding under it.
He had not shed completely since June, so I wondered if his spine did not
shed because it was too close to the basking bulb, and that kept the spine
too dry, in spite of my frequent mistings.
So, I took another temp reading at his basking spot, but this time, I raised
the probe so it would be level with his top spine. It was in the 90's F, which
isn't burning hot, but hot enough to prevent shedding.
I lowered his basking branch by about 4'' until the temp went down to 83F.
I took Squee to the vet Thursday.
He picked the scab off of Squee with his fingers, exposing the wound, and
making it bleed a little. He said you need to do this.
Then he put some 2% Mupirocin ointment (made for dogs) on it.
A shot of saline to get him hydrated, and a shot of Baytrill.
Now I have to treat Squee 2 times a day with the ointment and 0.1cc of
Baytrill solution the vet gave me.
Having had no luck getting Squee to open his mouth for me, the vet taught
me how; he said, 'you just need to really piss him off', so he grabed Squee
from above, in a threatening way (the way we are always told NOT to hold them), and that made Squee gape in anger.
Since I cant depend on him taking a feeder injected with Baytrill, I have had
to use this method to get the stuff into him.
I just get Squee on my hand as usual, then take my other hand and grab him
from above, making him helpless to run away.
That has worked so far, but I'm thinking he will get wise to this in time.
It actually does not cause him that much stress, and he is totally calm after
I turn loose.
I tried all the methods mentioned here to open his mouth, showing him a mirror, my iPhone, camera, hold the nostrils, pull the skin under the jaw, etc.
Nothing worked except "pissing him off"!!
This morning I noticed he is back under his basking lamp, still dangles his arms, but slowly getting better.
I suspect the Baytrill will have an effect on his apatite though, so that's
another problem I will have to deal with.
Sorry for the long post, but I have learned a few things, and thought I should
share them with the forum.
Don't let stuck shed skin stay on your cham too long before taking a close
look at it.
When adjusting basking temps, be sure to put the probe level with the top spine of your cham, so it will be at right distance from the bulb.
Take into account that when chams puff up, like a pancake, their spine will be
much closer to the basking bulb.
Poor Squee
It turned out to be an infection.
He had some old shed along the top of his spine that had been there too long,
plus he was avoiding the basking light (40w incan bulb), so was not properly
heating himself up.
I put some Neosporin on his spine, and this removed enough of the old shed
skin to reveal a dry scab hiding under it.
He had not shed completely since June, so I wondered if his spine did not
shed because it was too close to the basking bulb, and that kept the spine
too dry, in spite of my frequent mistings.
So, I took another temp reading at his basking spot, but this time, I raised
the probe so it would be level with his top spine. It was in the 90's F, which
isn't burning hot, but hot enough to prevent shedding.
I lowered his basking branch by about 4'' until the temp went down to 83F.
I took Squee to the vet Thursday.
He picked the scab off of Squee with his fingers, exposing the wound, and
making it bleed a little. He said you need to do this.
Then he put some 2% Mupirocin ointment (made for dogs) on it.
A shot of saline to get him hydrated, and a shot of Baytrill.
Now I have to treat Squee 2 times a day with the ointment and 0.1cc of
Baytrill solution the vet gave me.
Having had no luck getting Squee to open his mouth for me, the vet taught
me how; he said, 'you just need to really piss him off', so he grabed Squee
from above, in a threatening way (the way we are always told NOT to hold them), and that made Squee gape in anger.
Since I cant depend on him taking a feeder injected with Baytrill, I have had
to use this method to get the stuff into him.
I just get Squee on my hand as usual, then take my other hand and grab him
from above, making him helpless to run away.
That has worked so far, but I'm thinking he will get wise to this in time.
It actually does not cause him that much stress, and he is totally calm after
I turn loose.
I tried all the methods mentioned here to open his mouth, showing him a mirror, my iPhone, camera, hold the nostrils, pull the skin under the jaw, etc.
Nothing worked except "pissing him off"!!
This morning I noticed he is back under his basking lamp, still dangles his arms, but slowly getting better.
I suspect the Baytrill will have an effect on his apatite though, so that's
another problem I will have to deal with.
Sorry for the long post, but I have learned a few things, and thought I should
share them with the forum.
Don't let stuck shed skin stay on your cham too long before taking a close
look at it.
When adjusting basking temps, be sure to put the probe level with the top spine of your cham, so it will be at right distance from the bulb.
Take into account that when chams puff up, like a pancake, their spine will be
much closer to the basking bulb.
Poor Squee
