Help! Unknown problem - callus-like formation on joint

[jcy233]

Problem: Grayish circle (with smaller circles) around back leg joint, a few missing fingernails, and 3 black spots on tail

The following is information about my chameleon:

Type: Jackson Chameleon Sex: Male Jackson Chameleon. Age: 10-12 months Time Owned: 2 months

Handling Frequency: 1 per 2 weeks for full cage cleanup

Feeding: Crickets with gut-load of strawberry and pineapple; 2 feedings per month, each feeding consists of 3 dozen dusted crickets at a time. Crickets are dusted with calcium once a month and multivitamin once a month.

Supplements: Fluker Calcium & Fluker Multivitamin

Watering: 2-5/day @ 20sec intervals (simulate rain) with zoomed bottle

Droppings: Healthy - black tube with white head, surrounded by black-opaque liquid (almost clear)

Parasites: Untested

Cage: 3'x3'x1.5' Mesh Cage (ZooMed)

Lighting: Zilla 15W 120V T8 Desert 50, 2x 13W AgroLight LED (red and blue specialization - 2 white LED) 10hr cycles

Temperature: Apartment temp @ 77F, no basking light (due to the heat of the existing lights & since I live in Texas)

Humidity: Unknown but should be high due to the frequency of watering

Plants: 2 live hibiscus plants


Here are some photos:

Joint issues





Spine issues? (uncertain)




Tail issue




Toe issue




Toenail issue

 

[Mike Fisher]

Feeding: Crickets with gut-load of strawberry and pineapple; 2 feedings per month, each feeding consists of 3 dozen dusted crickets at a time. Crickets are dusted with calcium once a month and multivitamin once a month.

You only feed your chameleon twice a month? And 36 crickets at a time?

 

[Cait0420]

Wow. You really need to fix your feeding schedule. Three dozen crickets twice a month is way off! You should be feeding 5-10 appropriate size crickets every few days. Also, use other feeders, such as super worms silk worms pheonix worms etc. I don't know what the spots are, I'm sure someone with more experience will chime in. The fingernail looks like it got caught on the screen and ripped out. This happens quite often on the forums.

 

[Cait0420]

Also, he should be getting calcium without d3 every feeding, multivitamin twice a month and calcium with d3 twice a month

 

[Lovereps]

Welcome to the forum!
Sorry your cham is having problems.
It's great that you filled in the how to ask for help answers because the more info you give, the better the replies can be.
There are a number of things that should be changed so your Jackson's can be healthy and happy in your care.
I've added comments below.
What I think you have are a few different problems with different causes.

Problem: Grayish circle (with smaller circles) around back leg joint, a few missing fingernails, and 3 black spots on tail

The following is information about my chameleon:

Type: Jackson Chameleon Sex: Male Jackson Chameleon. Age: 10-12 months Time Owned: 2 months

Handling Frequency: 1 per 2 weeks for full cage cleanup

OK

Feeding: Crickets with gut-load of strawberry and pineapple; 2 feedings per month, each feeding consists of 3 dozen dusted crickets at a time. Crickets are dusted with calcium once a month and multivitamin once a month.

Not exactly sure what you mean. You aren't feeding your cham only 2x each month are you?
Or are you only feeding the crickets 2x a month?
Neither one of those is good.
In order to keep a cham healthy, his food should be as nutritious as possible and he should eat every day or every other day at the least.
A variety of feeders who are themselves well fed provides the most nutrition.
Strawberries and pineapple aren't bad but there should be vegetables, too. Details can be found here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/food/

Supplements: Fluker Calcium & Fluker Multivitamin

No idea how often you're using them. Sometimes people mistakenly feed these to the feeder insects instead of lightly dusting the feeders before feeding them to your cham.
Your cham needs 3 supplements on the following schedule:
Calcium without D3 twice each week or every other feeding
Calcium with D3 dust 1x per month
Multivitamin 1x a month

Watering: 2-5/day @ 20sec intervals (simulate rain) with zoomed bottle

Way too little water for a Jackson's.
Jackson's can be especially tough to get to drink enough water.
They typically need several minutes of misting before they figure out that they should be drinking.
That's why many people rely on automatic misting systems like Mistg or Aquazamp.
A dripper is also good to have in addition to the mistings.
More good info https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/water/

Droppings: Healthy - black tube with white head, surrounded by black-opaque liquid (almost clear)

sounds normal

Parasites: Untested

Should be done from time to time, particularly when there are other health problems, like you have now

Cage: 3'x3'x1.5' Mesh Cage (ZooMed)

OK

Lighting: Zilla 15W 120V T8 Desert 50, 2x 13W AgroLight LED (red and blue specialization - 2 white LED) 10hr cycles

Most likely too strong a UVB bulb, unless it is very far from his basking spot.
Preferred bulbs are for lowland species . Bulbs like the Reptisun 5.0
Jackson's like cooler temps than many other types of chams.

Temperature: Apartment temp @ 77F, no basking light (due to the heat of the existing lights & since I live in Texas) Humidity: Unknown but should be high due to the frequency of watering

I'd be willing to bet that the humidity is extremely low, due to the use of A/C which removes humidity as part of its function and the fact that 100 seconds of misting in a day is very little.

Plants: 2 live hibiscus plants

OK

Very good info on Jackson's care here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/

It's hard to tell from your pictures but those back spikes appear to have retained shed or possibly been burned.
Repeated, long mistings with warm water can help retained shed to fall off.
This is often caused by low humidity, as well as by vitamin deficiencies.
The toenail losses are not uncommon.
The usual cause is nails getting caught in the screen or nails get ripped out when a chameleon is pulled from a branch or a screen.
Usually they are gone permanently.
Tail appears to have been gnawed on by crickets--who will chew on chams if they don't have food to eat. A fresh piece of carrot or potato in the cage will prevent this.
Not sure what the swelling is on his "knee".
Possibilities that spring to mind include abscess, cyst and gout.
I'm not sure what's going on with his foot but the toe is also swollen.
I would have a vet who's familiar with chameleons take a look at him.
He may need medication and needs professional diagnosis, as well.

Forgot to add that retained shed on toes can also cause toe and/or toenail loss.

As Kinyonga and I have said--a vet visit would be best for him.

 

[kinyonga]

The toes need to be cleaned out by a vet and a culture and sensitivity test done so that the chameleon can be put on the appropriate antibiotic. Since that will require a vet visit you can ask the vet about the knee and spikes, etc while you are there.

 

[Lazy Boy]

I wonder are the bump spots from crickets biting her? Way to many crickets at a time and may I ask why no basking light?

 

[jcy233]

Thanks for the advice. I switched up his eating schedule to 5 crickets/day and I'll dust D3 and Multivitamins twice a month. I'll also put a dripping system into place.

My chameleon's condition seem to have worsened. The grayish circles have migrated to his abdomen. Local pet stores stated that it might be a fungus infection. What do you guys think?

 

[froggielog]

I agree with fungal, especially around this feet. With the fungal I have experienced, it comes on really quick and sudden. He needs a vet visit and get on the appropriate medicine asap. I hope he feels better!!

 

[kinyonga]

If the grayish circles have spread you need to get them checked out ASAP. It could be CANV and if it is it will kill your chameleon if not treated. Also the longer you leave the toes before they are treated the more likely the infection is to go systemic and the more likely it is that your chameleon will die.

 

[Lovereps]

Thanks for the advice. I switched up his eating schedule to 5 crickets/day and I'll dust D3 and Multivitamins twice a month. I'll also put a dripping system into place.

Too often for both D3 and multivitamins
Your cham needs 3 supplements on the following schedule:
Calcium without D3 twice each week or every other feeding
Calcium with D3 dust 1x per month
Multivitamin 1x a month

My chameleon's condition seem to have worsened. The grayish circles have migrated to his abdomen. Local pet stores stated that it might be a fungus infection. What do you guys think?

f he doesn't get treatment from a good vet very soon, the outcome will be very sad.