veiled chameleon with eyes and glands swollen

[benthirty2]

hello everyone. I have a veiled chameleon about 2 years old in a 4by2by2 foot enclosure running a 150 solar glo that puts out both uva and uvb rays. Im feeding it crickets that are gutloaded with various fruits and veggies. Also the crickets are dusted with herptivite vitamin supplement and dusted w calcium w d3 about 4 times a month. well here lately i noticed his eyes,legs, throat, and various glands swollen. His eyes look terrible so ive been using sterile eyedrops for that with little results except a little bit better feeding afterwards. Anyway, I took him to the vet to see what this was all about. The vet did a fecal flotation with no parasites observed and went ahead and diagnosed it as an infection and gave the lizard a couple rounds of Baytril which made the swelling go down just barely noticeable. I also have been giving him a/d cat and dog food through a syringe also along with baths three times a week. My question is should I take the reptile back to the vet or wait until the end of the month like the vet said cause im very worried. The lizard eats maybe3 crickets a day and skats some. He hasnt lost his balance or anything and he just dont seem hisself, but he eats drinks and defecates. Am I on the right track for success or is there anything else i should do? Oh also the doc said to keep him under a humidifier at 80 to 85 degrees while hes sick. Oh well its my first time on the forum and it seems like the best place on the net for any ones answers to reptile prob. so bare with me. A sincere yet very worried reader!

'

 

[horror13]

give the chameleon the d3 about twice a month. calcium without D3 should be given about 6 times a week. over consumption of D3 can lead to serious health problems.........

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum!

You said..."Im feeding it crickets that are gutloaded with various fruits and veggies"...you can also use various greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, etc.)

You said..."Also the crickets are dusted with herptivite vitamin supplement and dusted w calcium w d3 about 4 times a month"...its recommended that you dust with a phos.-free calcium powder at most feedings and phos.-free calcium/D3 powder twice a month and herptivite twice a month. If you've been using only the D3 and heptivite and not as recommended then your chameleon could have calcium issues and likely too much D3.

You said..."I also have been giving him a/d cat and dog food through a syringe also along with baths three times a week"...neither of these are good foods for a chameleon. Cat food contains preformed vitamin A and both are high in protein.

I can't tell you what's wrong from the information you posted...you need a vet to run some tests on calcium levels, maybe even test for gout (can't tell if the swelling could be from this or organ failure or what since I'm not a vet and the symptoms you list could be from a number of things.

Can you post some pictures please?

 

[Elizadolots]

Is the vet familiar with chameleons? I know pretty much all vets will say "sure" when asked, but not all are. Check the "Veterinary Resources" thread at the top of this forum and see if you can find a vet in your area who is well trained and experienced with chameleons.

I do think that eating, drinking and pooping are all good signs. If you cannot get to another vet, you'll be staying with this one. Perhaps you can arrange to send the vet pics to help him/her understand your concerns? I wouldn't feel compelled to stick to the schedule the vet gave you. If you feel it's worth your money to see the vet, then the vet will see your animal. The vet is your employee.

 

[summoner12]

I think the issue is his light. Turn it off for a few days and replace it with a 50-60w household bulb. Place the light about 8 inches from your cham's basking spot.

The lamp you are using most likely too strong and could even be too hot. I would go out and buy a linear UVB lamp from Zoo Med. The 5.0 sitting on top if the cage with a basking lamp next to it and the basking area about 8 inches away is an ideal setup.