Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I noticed 2 days in a row now that when she pees there is a tinge of blood in the watery sac around the urate(white stuff).
After she pees it seems as if she is still straining to get something out. She does have regular bowel movements also, but sometimes she just pees. Is this normal? Could there possibly be a blockage? Very worried mommy here, please help.

What type of cham?

If it's a panther I can possibly help you.

-andrew

(I emailed you off list...did you get it?)

In my experience, a chameleon doesn't just pee or pass urates without passing feces unless there is a reason.

What color is the blood? Red? Black? Orangey-brown?

You said she passes some feces so she can't have a complete blockage obviously...but she could have something stuck inside her. Is there anything that she could have ingested that could be stuck in her? Soil? Plastic plants? What does the feces look like when she does pass it? It should be soft and moist but not runny and look like a small sausage in a casing.

Sometimes parasites can cause some blood to be passed....but I'm not sure what color it would be in the feces. Parasites can also cause blockages at times.

Calcium imbalances can cause muscles to be weak which might make it difficult to pass feces. Its important that she gets enough UVB to produce vitamin D3 so that she can use the calcium you provide for her. The calcium is supplied by dusting the crickets two or three times a week lightly with calcium powder (that does not contain phosphorous). Insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous so this helps make up for it.

Mine get no direct sunlight (it can't pass through glass or plastic...and the UVB light shouldn't either) so I dust lightly twice a month with a vitamin D3/calcium powder.

I also dust lightly twice a month with a vitamin/mineral powder (that contains vitamin A from a beta carotene source). Temperature must be within the appropriate range so she can digest her food and absorb nutrients.

Insects should be gutloaded before feeding them to the chameleon too.

If the blood continues to be passed and the feces/straining situation doesn't clear up quickly, I think she should see a vet.

You could find out if this is really blood by asking a vet to analyse a fecal sample. Sometimes there can be bits or streaks of a reddish brown in feces that is just part of the urate. Generally, if the urate part is brownish or orangey the cham may be a bit dehydrated. Does she eat any veggies or fruits? Sometimes parts of this pass undigested. In the mean time check how much she's drinking. If she is really thirsty every time she is sprayed she probably needs more water either with higher humidity (chams dehydrate faster if the air is too dry) or with longer drinking sessions.

I am so sorry I missed the email. I get so much junk sometimes a good one gets eleted by accdent. thanks so much for your time. I've been getting some good responses on all issues and I cant thank everyone enough. Still keeping a close eye, making sure I'm not overreacting to mother nature LOL! we'll keep you all posted !!!

My Iguana is 10 years old and she recently began peeing without a bowel movement. She's a rescue that had really bad MBD, so she has had a hard life. I haven't seen any blood in her urate but Carlton is right, sometimes Chameleons pass pigment, but that is usually in their poop. I would try to find a good reptile vet. You might be able to find one in your area at this web site. www.arav.com Take in a sample of her urate and poop and keep us posted.