I need some help please...female Jackson

C

Clauzilla

New Member
I run an Exotic pet rescue in Orlando Fl, I took in a supposed 11 month old female Jackson Chameleon with supposed mouth rot. Its more like an abscess on the side of her lip/mouth area. She was signed over to me with her cage which had 2 branches and some fake plants. I was given a infrared light which was burnt out and was told she didn't have UV bulbs used. She is suffering from MBD as some of her toes are swollen and I think the abscess is also from poor nutrition /housing. I was told he had her like 2 months and bought her from someone else. I take in animals no questions, but Chameleons are different than most things I get in. I work at a vet and he is afraid to treat her as he doesn't have much experience with them and I know and he does too they stress out and die quick. I redid her cage with live plants and she suddenly was very happy before that she sat in one place all day. I have proper lighting, proper temp for her species and she gets proper watering which she drinks well. She is eating some as seen by her poop. But I placed some waxworms in a dish for her and even with the crickets I don't see her tongue come out, she has been staring at the worms for over an hour and seems like he wants to bite them but can't she is holding her mouth semi open and keeps looking at them. I don't know if she can't eat them or if she is still looking but she is like touching them with her mouth she is that close.
I want to get her into a vet but the one I saw online that did Chams has closed his shop and I am not sure who else to use in the Orlando area. I also am a non profit rescue but I am willing to spend the money to treat her properly as she was never given this care before I will most likely keep her and not adopt her out as I kinda like her The first day she turned black on me when I got near her but in 2 days she walks around and does not get scared when I walk over and talk to her and she seems much calmer having ll the plants and such. But she needs to get the abcess treated so she can eat properly so I need suggestions please on who to use.
 
* Your Chameleon - Jackson female 11 months old I have had for less than a week
* Handling - talk to her but don't touch her
* Feeding - small crickets offered, which she eats if she can catch. offered waxworms today in a dish she looks at them but seems to not be able to eat
* Supplements - gut load cricket with flukers cricket food and dust with reptile vitamins
* Watering - water drips which she drinks from and misting
* Fecal Description - dark solid with white ( normal reptile not yet on fecal)
* History -her owner had 2 months before turning over to me, unknown previous hx, no uv light used

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - screen cage, small will be getting larger 12x24
* Lighting - basking light not super hot, and uv bulb
* Temperature - 74-86
* Humidity - live in fl so natural humidity is high misting used several times a day
* Plants - she came with fake plants and I replaced with live safe Cham plants and branches to climb and hide on, she only had 2 sticks when she came to me
* Placement - in reptile area, no fans, up on a table high
* Location - orlando FL

Current Problem - Abscess on her lip/mouth saw pus yesterday, the vet I work for doesn't do Chameleons and is scared if he tries she will die of stress trying to find one that does Chams, the one I saw listed is now closed and the other didn't return my call when I asked the receptionist how much exp their vet had. Don't want to kill her by taking her to wrong place. She seems like she can't stick out her tongue today and looks at the worms but seems like she can't eat them.
 
Clauzilla said:
* Your Chameleon - Jackson female 11 months old I have had for less than a week
* Handling - talk to her but don't touch her
* Feeding - small crickets offered, which she eats if she can catch. offered waxworms today in a dish she looks at them but seems to not be able to eat
* Supplements - gut load cricket with flukers cricket food and dust with reptile vitamins
* Watering - water drips which she drinks from and misting
* Fecal Description - dark solid with white ( normal reptile not yet on fecal)
* History -her owner had 2 months before turning over to me, unknown previous hx, no uv light used

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - screen cage, small will be getting larger 12x24
* Lighting - basking light not super hot, and uv bulb
* Temperature - 74-86
* Humidity - live in fl so natural humidity is high misting used several times a day
* Plants - she came with fake plants and I replaced with live safe Cham plants and branches to climb and hide on, she only had 2 sticks when she came to me
* Placement - in reptile area, no fans, up on a table high
* Location - orlando FL

Current Problem - Abscess on her lip/mouth saw pus yesterday, the vet I work for doesn't do Chameleons and is scared if he tries she will die of stress trying to find one that does Chams, the one I saw listed is now closed and the other didn't return my call when I asked the receptionist how much exp their vet had. Don't want to kill her by taking her to wrong place. She seems like she can't stick out her tongue today and looks at the worms but seems like she can't eat them.
Click to expand...

Everything sounds good regarding the husbandry. as for the lip, it def needs a vet. she may very well havea tongue problem, some chams do, and they can lve just fine, thye just eat like normal lizards do. as for her and the worms, she may not have ever been fed them, in whihc case she may nto know they are food. My veiled was the same way.
 
I know she needs a vet I was trying to find help in locating one that knows Chams, in the Orlando area as the one I work for doesn't and the other one that did has now closed his place. I plan on getting her to one as soon as I find one that knows what they are doing. Several I called said they hadn't seen them but would try but that is NOT what I want.
 
Clauzilla said:
* Your Chameleon - Jackson female 11 months old I have had for less than a week
* Handling - talk to her but don't touch her
* Feeding - small crickets offered, which she eats if she can catch. offered waxworms today in a dish she looks at them but seems to not be able to eat
* Supplements - gut load cricket with flukers cricket food and dust with reptile vitamins
You should be using:
calcium w/o D3 every feeding
Calcium w/d3 twice a month
Multivitamin twice a month
I usually alternate every Saturday for the last 2
* Watering - water drips which she drinks from and misting
What is the humidty % throughout the day?
* Fecal Description - dark solid with white ( normal reptile not yet on fecal)
* History -her owner had 2 months before turning over to me, unknown previous hx, no uv light used

Cage Info:

* Cage Type - screen cage, small will be getting larger 12x24
* Lighting - basking light not super hot, and uv bulb
The temp is pretty important to know, Not only knowing the basking temp but the ambient temp aswell. What, in detail, kind of lights are you using? This also is VERY important.
* Temperature - 74-86
* Humidity - live in fl so natural humidity is high misting used several times a dayAgain what is the percentage throughout the day?
* Plants - she came with fake plants and I replaced with live safe Cham plants and branches to climb and hide on, she only had 2 sticks when she came to me
In detail what kind of plants are you using and is there any substrate in the cage or the pots the plants are in?
* Placement - in reptile area, no fans, up on a table high
* Location - orlando FL

Current Problem - Abscess on her lip/mouth saw pus yesterday, the vet I work for doesn't do Chameleons and is scared if he tries she will die of stress trying to find one that does Chams, the one I saw listed is now closed and the other didn't return my call when I asked the receptionist how much exp their vet had. Don't want to kill her by taking her to wrong place. She seems like she can't stick out her tongue today and looks at the worms but seems like she can't eat them.
Click to expand...

At this point any exotic vet is needed to look at her. She needs to see a vet asap. Can you post a pic of her and her housing?
 
Can you post a pic? I raised Jackson's in Hawaii for the lonnggeesstt time. Have you had her in the sun at all with natural sunlight? I know, a lot of people don't think it makes a difference, but when I had my chams inside in hawaii with bulbs VS outside, there was a big change in their diet. Inside, they were eating a few crickets a week...outside, they were eating a few a day (upwards of 10 a day). Then again, all mine were wild caught (as are most in Hawaii), so outside did make a greater impact on them, as it was more natural feeling to them than a cage that was indoors, and a lot less stressful than staying inside.

Can you post some pix? Maybe it could just be the abcess that is keeping her mouth open. Maybe she has some other issue. if you post a pic, we can probably help out a bit more.
 
Just wanted to give an update. After many calls I was able to get an appointment with a board cert reptile vet but not until next week. After more calls and emails, I was able to track down the above vet that has closed and he is doing a house call today to help me. I will give you an update on her care after she is seen. As for pics on here I don't have a good camera I can upload. But at least it took a few days but it was worth every penny I will be spending ( ok gold coins )
 
Clauzilla said:
Just wanted to give an update. After many calls I was able to get an appointment with a board cert reptile vet but not until next week. After more calls and emails, I was able to track down the above vet that has closed and he is doing a house call today to help me. I will give you an update on her care after she is seen. As for pics on here I don't have a good camera I can upload. But at least it took a few days but it was worth every penny I will be spending ( ok gold coins )
Click to expand...

Good luck! hope the vet can help!
 
The vet just left. She has temporal gland infections actually on both sides. He cleaned them best he could without surgery and we are trying meds first to see if they resolve before doing surgery He was very nice very smart. He said her setup and lights temp were fine told me to raise her humidity a little more. So I'm hoping for the best for her If we need surgery we will do that also he said it's from poor husbandry and feeding. So hopefully with her new life she will do better. Also the cage is too small but as she is sick he didn't think I should move her to a larger yet as this is betterto keep track of her eating soiling etc.
 
Did he put her on an antibiotic?

You said in a previous post that she might have MBD and that she looked at the insects but didn't go after them with her tongue....you could try
holding an insect so she can see it and she might take it if you touch it to her lips after she sees it. If you try softer insects like waxworms for a few days she won't have to chew so hard and that would be easier on her sore mouth.

Did the vet think that she had MBD? Did he say why her toes were swollen? You mentioned using reptile vitamins....if she has MBD, she will need extra calcium for a while and good UVB.

When she's recovered, IMHO you will need to dust at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium, twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder and then lightly with a vitamin powder twice a month (that has a beta carotene, a prOformed source of vitamin A). Some chameleons need prEformed vitamin A as well...but it builds up in the system like the D3 from supplements can and you need to be very careful with it, especially with a Jackson's. D3, vitamin A, calcium and phos. are important players in bone health and other systems in a chameleon and need to be in balance.

Good gutloading/feeding of the insects is also important.
 
yes, he put her on antibiotics of for the infection and a drop for the infected area, and also vitamins for a short term and then suggested the vitamins long term I give her. He said she actually looked in good weight, the swelling on her toe is where a nail was ripped out and infected but he thinks its regrowing ok. She does not like getting medicated at all but I watched how he handled her and I was afraid to handle her before but now I feel better. I am trying small crickets and waxworms he said if I can get her to only eat 2 a day that is fine right now, she should eat more when she feels better. He said her bite is not very hard but her feet and legs look ok. It will take time but I am excited on giving her a chance.
 
Clauzilla said:
yes, he put her on antibiotics of for the infection and a drop for the infected area, and also vitamins for a short term and then suggested the vitamins long term I give her. He said she actually looked in good weight, the swelling on her toe is where a nail was ripped out and infected but he thinks its regrowing ok. She does not like getting medicated at all but I watched how he handled her and I was afraid to handle her before but now I feel better. I am trying small crickets and waxworms he said if I can get her to only eat 2 a day that is fine right now, she should eat more when she feels better. He said her bite is not very hard but her feet and legs look ok. It will take time but I am excited on giving her a chance.
Click to expand...

Its good that she's on meds now and you have it solved. Hopefully she'll be taken care of, and make a full recovery.
 
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