HELP: Jackson Cham with brown spot

[LatriceRoyaleCham]

Hey all,
My friend is watching my Jackson chameleon while I’m away and just sent me a picture of a questionable something on his foot. The picture features a small brown circle on his front right toe, I’m wondering if anyone here knows what it is or has dealt with something like this before. My suspicion is a fungal infection.

Some background on my cham:
-Unsure about age, taken from the wild on Oahu as an adult. I’ve had him for over a year now and he’s been healthy the whole time, some slight weight loss over the past few months but he’s still a good weight
-Lives in a 4x3x5 cage outdoors on Oahu. Cage gets some morning sun then is in shade and protected from rain
-Eats mostly mealworms and crickets that have been sprinkled in calcium and occasionally gutloaded
-Was taken to the vet recently and prescribed Baytril to combat a cut on his mouth
-Is currently refusing to eat anything and it’s been a few days

I’m betting that he has a lack of appetite due to the cut on his mouth but I’m wondering if it’s also an underlying issue. Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

 

[Jocccellynnn]

@Beman something looks weird with his mouth as well.

 

[Jocccellynnn]

@Klyde O'Scope @Gingero

 

[Beman]

@JacksJill and @Kaizen please help.. multiple issues I’m seeing.

 

[Kaizen]

Ok, I’ll point things out as I see them. 1) Temporal gland infection. 2) That’s a w/c xanth, and judging by the horn drift, it’s Hawaiian. No a huge deal, but there are old toe injuries from being ripped ff a branch. Looks like he’s lost some claws on front right, and there’s some swelling that might just be scar tissue, but should get vet checked ASAP. Sorry, I see you’ve said all this.

Baytril is really hard on chams, and ensuring great hydration throughout treatment is key. Chams often do go off food with baytril, so please get him hydrated and be patient. Outdoor cages are great! Scrap the mealworms though; they are poor sources of nutrition. What is the screen size on your outdoor enclosure? Are the holes big enough for wild bugs to get in? If so, good; if not, consider changing part of your screening material to allow wild insects in. As for supplementation, plain calcium (no d3, and no phosphorus), lightly dusted at every feeding, or every other feeding is good for now. You don’t want to tax his body’s natural filters (esp. kidneys) with a bunch of vitamins until he’s finished with the baytril and well hydrated. One more thing: once a week, you might consider dusting one insect with bee pollen: I has natural antibacterial properties, and at least one expert had claimed that it can help fight TGI’s in Jackson’s. But don’t overdo it!

I should mention that I am not a vet, scientist, or even expert, and consulting with a good chameleon vet about everything is important.

 

[JacksJill]

I was able to treat one of the xanths I ended up with for temporal gland infection with tmp/smz or trade name Tribrissen. He never lost appetite thru the whole treatment and his looked worse than yours to start. You may need to force feed or at least force water to support his kidneys during the treatment if he won't eat or drink on his own. You should call your vet to see what and how much they suggest giving. I have had success using cricket powder a product used by some body builders made into a gruel for force feeding. I feel that some of the commercial F.F. diets maybe to high in supplements for long term use in montane species.

 

[kinyonga]

I'm not a vet but I think the toe and mouth should be seen by a good chameleon vet.

The photos aren't clear enough to see if the toe is infected or if it's fungal. If it's fungal you really need to know which fungus it is. Some need only be treated topically and others need an antifungal medication to get rid of them.

If it's an infection, then it will need to be cleaned out and the chameleon needs to be put on an antibiotic to ensure it is killed.
Having an antibiotic without cleaning it out won't be enough.

Good luck with it!

 

[LatriceRoyaleCham]

Ok, I’ll point things out as I see them. 1) Temporal gland infection. 2) That’s a w/c xanth, and judging by the horn drift, it’s Hawaiian. No a huge deal, but there are old toe injuries from being ripped ff a branch. Looks like he’s lost some claws on front right, and there’s some swelling that might just be scar tissue, but should get vet checked ASAP. Sorry, I see you’ve said all this.

Baytril is really hard on chams, and ensuring great hydration throughout treatment is key. Chams often do go off food with baytril, so please get him hydrated and be patient. Outdoor cages are great! Scrap the mealworms though; they are poor sources of nutrition. What is the screen size on your outdoor enclosure? Are the holes big enough for wild bugs to get in? If so, good; if not, consider changing part of your screening material to allow wild insects in. As for supplementation, plain calcium (no d3, and no phosphorus), lightly dusted at every feeding, or every other feeding is good for now. You don’t want to tax his body’s natural filters (esp. kidneys) with a bunch of vitamins until he’s finished with the baytril and well hydrated. One more thing: once a week, you might consider dusting one insect with bee pollen: I has natural antibacterial properties, and at least one expert had claimed that it can help fight TGI’s in Jackson’s. But don’t overdo it!

I should mention that I am not a vet, scientist, or even expert, and consulting with a good chameleon vet about everything is important.

thank you for your input! I’m relaying all this info to my friend watching him and she’s going to take him to the vet. His toenails have been gone for a while due to his first enclosure which has been replaced by a bigger/safer enclosure (that does have holes big enough for bugs to get into) and the scar tissue has been therefor some months. I’ll make sure to get his mouth and toe looked at and treated by the vet.

 

[LatriceRoyaleCham]

I was able to treat one of the xanths I ended up with for temporal gland infection with tmp/smz or trade name Tribrissen. He never lost appetite thru the whole treatment and his looked worse than yours to start. You may need to force feed or at least force water to support his kidneys during the treatment if he won't eat or drink on his own. You should call your vet to see what and how much they suggest giving. I have had success using cricket powder a product used by some body builders made into a gruel for force feeding. I feel that some of the commercial F.F. diets maybe to high in supplements for long term use in montane species.

Thanks for your help! I’ll make sure he’s well hydrated and fed while being medicated. I’ll also look into cricket powder and see if I can get some for him

 

[LatriceRoyaleCham]

Thanks

I'm not a vet but I think the toe and mouth should be seen by a good chameleon vet.

The photos aren't clear enough to see if the toe is infected or if it's fungal. If it's fungal you really need to know which fungus it is. Some need only be treated topically and others need an antifungal medication to get rid of them.

If it's an infection, then it will need to be cleaned out and the chameleon needs to be put on an antibiotic to ensure it is killed.
Having an antibiotic without cleaning it out won't be enough.

Good luck with it!

Thanks! I’ll get him to the vet ASAP