Chameleon heath

Question
My chameleon insides are coming out of its anus.Somthing is wrong he is still alive and looks heathy.he is 2 years old he is a male veiled he eats very well it just happened and i dont know what to do.where i live there are no vets that see chameleons or any lizards.please get back to me soon thanks.

Answer
Hi Amy,

Your chameleon has developed a prolapse and it really is a vet requiring condition. You might have some luck locating a reptile experienced vet at this link:
http://www.herpvetconnection.com/

The tissue that has prolasped may be part of the digestive tract or part of the the reproductive tract. Seeing as you have a male, with any luck it may be a hemipene that has prolapsed. This is still a serious and potentially life threatening situation but slightly better then having part of the digestive tract prolapse.

The problem with prolapsed tissue is that it usually has the blood flow cut off and it easily becomes injured, dried out and necrotic (dead) which leads to fatal infections. If it is part of the digestive tract then the passage of waste is also affected. If you are very, very lucky a prolapsed hemipene will occasionally dry up and fall off without further complications but I wouldn't advise risking your chameleons life by counting on that happening (if it even is a hemipene)
What you can do in the meantime is keep the tissue clean, un-injured and moist. That will reducec the chance of complications and give your vet the best chance of replacing the tissue back inside. Saline (used for contact lenses) is best for rinsing the prolapse but water will do. A water based lubricant like K-Y can be applied to it to keep it moist but an antibiotic ointment or even olive oil can also be used in a pinch. Remove any substrate and cage furnishings like plants or rough branches that could damage the exposed tissue. There is an old farming trick for prolapses that involves soaking the tissue is a super saturated sugar solution (ie. as much sugar as will dissolve in a small amount of water). This solution can gently draw out some fluid from the tissue and potentially help it to retract back into the body. Good luck.