deerhunter said in a thread in a different section...."repcal herptivite repcal calcium with vitamin D3 and Minerall alternating daily".
Jerambis said in this thread...
"Monday and Thursday - Herptivite with beta carotene
Tuesday and Friday - Rep-Cal with calcium and vitamin D3.
Wednesday and Saturday - Minerall 0
Sunday - Nothing"
I'm not a vet and can't be certain what is causing the edema. There is more than one thing that will cause it. You need to take the chameleons to a good reptile vet to find out for sure what the cause is.
What I can tell you is that you both dust far more often with the vitamins and the D3/calcium than I do...and my chameleons have no gular edema. Jackson's and other montane species are more sensative to oversupplementation than veileds are. (I keep some montanes and some veileds and other species.)
I already mentioned to deerhunter that cat food has preformed vitamin A in it....which might be a part of the problem.
I dust twice a month with a vitamin powder with a beta carotene source of vitamin A....and twice a month with a D3/calcium powder. I dust a couple of times a week with a phos.-free calcium powder. I gutload my crickets with greens and veggies.
When balancing calcium, D3, vitamin A and phosphorous, you need to take into consideration the supplements you use and how often, the basking temperature, and whatever is in your gutload (especially the non-veggie/greens things).
As I have already said...I can't say that the edema in your chameleons is caused by oversupplementation.
Edema...
"C. jacksonii xantholophus is sensitive to oversupplementation and exhibits significant edema, particularly in the cervical region if vitamin supplements are used more than once a week."
http://www.adcham.com/html/taxonomy/species/chjacksonixanth.html
"Excessive vitamin A supplementation may result in organ toxicity (kidney and liver) some times causing gular edema and reproductive problems such as sterility."
"Excessive vitamin D3 supplementation can result in organ toxicity (gular edema)metastatic calcification, gout, and pseudo-gout (calcium-like deposit)."
"Treatment for hypervitaminosis is more difficult as organ toxicity and damage has usually occurred by the time clinical signs have been noted (e.g. gular edema with kidney damage)."
http://www.seavs.com/case_studies/lizards/chameleons.asp
"What you've described with the swelling of the neck sounds like classic symptoms of edema. Edema in chameleons is often caused by hypervitaminosis (over supplementation). Some chameleon species are in particular prone to over supplementation which can be triggered by a number of vitamin sources. Gutloads high in certain vitamins (most notably vitamin A and high carrot use in gutloads) is one common source of excessive vitamins. Use of supplements too often and failure to realize the correct need of calcium vs. vitamin supplements is another common cause of hypervitaminosis. Unfortunately, you will need to see a qualified reptile vet to determine the exact cause of the edema and work out a treatment for it."
http://www.chameleonnews.com/qa_jun_2005.html
"Vitamin D3
Excess vitamin D3 supplementation especially in combination with calcium may result in organ toxicity. Metastatic calcification and gout are common results. Gular edema or pseudo gout is a common clinical sign of these problems. The pseudo-gout (calcium hydroxyapatite) deposits usually appear as irregular firm swellings over joints in the limbs and on ribs."
"RENAL DISEASE
One of the most common causes of death in chameleons is renal disease. One of the most likely causes of these renal changes would be chronic dehydration. Exposure to low humidity or inadequate watering methods could lead to renal failure, especially in conjunction with other factors. Clinical signs are usually vague, but include anorexia, depression, weight loss, and weakness. Other common signs include gular edema, generalized edema, exophthalmia, and sunken in eyes."
http://www.all-creatures.com/site/view/79378_Chameleons.pml;jsessionid=4497k8au7kj
