Why is there brown crust around my chameleon’s mouth?

kinyonga said:
@MissSkittles …you beat me to the review!

regarding the food…you said the chameleon is 14 months old and yet you’re feeding it baby crickets…in addition to what @MissSkittles said…you need to be feeding it the right size crickets and insects for its age/size.

You said that the cage is near the snake cage…can your chameleon see the snake?
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Where do you guys buy your crickets? Out of convenience, I go to PetSmart and they only have small and large. The large are too big for him. What size should he be eating?
 
MissSkittles said:
I talk a lot, so am splitting this into two parts.


Thank you!
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Male ambilobe/nosy be panther chameleon. Approx 14 months old and been in my care for about 9 months.
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
1-2 times a month. Working on him coming to me on his own which he's finally beginning to do! Great blog on building trust here. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
I feed him baby crickets and hand feed mealworms. He gets approx 8 crickets a day, 1-5 mealworms every couple of days. I feed the crickets fluker's high calcium cricket diet and quench with fluker's quencher. This needs a bit of improvement. Providing a variety of healthy and well fed feeders is the best way to give your beauty maximum nutrition. Mealworms are not a good staple. Neither of those Fluker’s products is really good for more than barely keeping your crickets alive. Fresh produce is much better along and there are better quality formulas to add. Graphics below to help guide you.
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
I dust with fluker's repta calcium on the crickets but not every time I feed him. Probably every other to every third day. Does that contain vitamin D3? There are different regimens and supplements out there, but I’m going to give you the one I use and find easiest. Lightly dust all feeders of every feeding with a phosphorus-free calcium without D3 except one feeding every other week. For that one feeding every other week you’ll use a combination product like either Repashy calcium plus LoD or Reptivite with D3. Right now your guy is possibly not getting any D3 (or too much) and no multivitamins at all. Your feeders aren’t terribly well fed either, so he’s getting little vitamins/minerals from them.
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
I have a misting system. He gets 30 seconds of hydration every 3 hours. I also hand mist occasionally. I see him drink frequently. It would be much better to mist for at least 2 minutes, 2-3 times a day - before lights go on and off and mid day is optional. Some use a dripper at mid day instead for about 15 minutes and some omit mid day hydration. It depends on your unique situation and conditions. You do want the enclosure to fully dry out in between misting.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
Never been tested for parasites. His droppings are normal, oval-shaped and soft. Is always a good idea to have all new animals (including reptiles) get a wellness check and fecal done with a good vet.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
I was having issues with him rubbing his eye a bit much but that has seemed to go away with more hydration. It may be a lack of vitamin A too. Giving either of the supplements I suggested above will help with this if that is the issue. Do not try to speed things along though by giving extra. Vitamin D3 and preformed A are fat soluble, meaning they stay in the body longer and can be overdosed.
To be continued….
View attachment 339042View attachment 339043
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Thank you so much!! How about what I use in his water? I use tap but I neutralize with repti safe. Is that good/should I continue doing that?
 
Buying on line gives more options, you could check out the forum site sponsors for feeders if any suit your location, as miss skittles has mentioned a good variety of feeders is good ,as with size you will want feeders no bigger than the distance between his eyes
 
Flick boy said:
Buying on line gives more options, you could check out the forum site sponsors for feeders if any suit your location, as miss skittles has mentioned a good variety of feeders is good ,as with size you will want feeders no bigger than the distance between his eyes
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Got it, thank you. Any recommendations on what (if anything) I should be putting in his water to make it safe for him to drink?
 
emmydecker13 said:
Where do you guys buy your crickets? Out of convenience, I go to PetSmart and they only have small and large. The large are too big for him. What size should he be eating?
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https://www.chameleonforums.com/sponsors/?tag=food I can personally vouch for Rainbow Mealworms and Dubia Roaches as great feeder vendors. I believe both offer variety packs which are great. I get medium crickets which are about 1/2”, but I buy 500 at a time. When I first get them they are a bit small for my chameleons but they quickly grow.
 
Hi everyone, I just want to say thanks again for all the help. I took Cosmo to the vet last night and she cleaned his mouth and prescribed diluted Betadine twice a day. She said other than the mouth rot he's in great condition. I ordered a 24x24x48 screen cage, linear ProT5 UVB light, a 5-pack of the Dragon Ledges, Repashy SuperLoad, and calcium powder without D3. I'm also going to learn more about live plants and begin to introduce those. I'll likely be in touch with more questions soon! Thanks again.

​

 
emmydecker13 said:
Hi everyone, I just want to say thanks again for all the help. I took Cosmo to the vet last night and she cleaned his mouth and prescribed diluted Betadine twice a day. She said other than the mouth rot he's in great condition. I ordered a 24x24x48 screen cage, linear ProT5 UVB light, a 5-pack of the Dragon Ledges, Repashy SuperLoad, and calcium powder without D3. I'm also going to learn more about live plants and begin to introduce those. I'll likely be in touch with more questions soon! Thanks again.

​

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Excellent Happy days 😀 hope he picks up good , you are doing a great job keep the questions coming
 
Generally the bacteria involved in mouth rot is pseudomonas aeruginosa….and it’s not an easy one to get rid of …it’s an opportunist…so keep an eye on the progress.
 
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