I woke up today and my chameleon had a huge red lump on his digit, making it look like his claw is enormously swollen. He's also missing some claws in that digit which is probably where the swelling is coming from. I hope it's not a bacterial or fungal infection but I will take him to the vet soon if I cant get any ideas here.
Jackson's chameleon swollen claw
- Thread starter aymee
- Start date
Charmeleon818
New Member
Ouch poor baby!! I would def take him in if it gets worse!! And def try n prevent it from happening again..
Lovereps
Avid Member
Bush baby, as a Jackson's enthusiast, some of my favorite screen walkers have injured or lost nails and gotten toe infections, so I'm quite intrigued by what you say.
How many toe problems have you successfully treated this way?
Do you initially squeeze the abscess to expel the pus?
Do you apply betadine every day and then apply the antibiotic cream?
When do you decide on a vet visit instead ?
Bush baby
Avid Member
I'm very sorry. I didn't read the title of the thread. I simple saw the pic and assumed you were addressing the mouth issue; which is very common in Jackson's. Every Jackson i have had has had this at some point, and it is bacterial, and can be treated as i mentioned above. I got the treatment from one of Philippe de Vosjoli many books on chameleons and it has always worked for me.
Lovereps
Avid Member
Ah, that explains why my chams have always needed a vet visit to help their little toes.
I've had success with very mouth issues when caught early.
Wow! I hadn't even looked at the mouth (I'm blaming the sideways picture!)
By the looks of the mouth infection plus the toe infection, I wouldn't hesitate to get to a vet who knows how to treat chams.
Your cham needs the infections to be cleaned out and both oral and topical antibiotics, so the infection doesn't spread to his bones.
Don't just assume your vet knows about chams, as most veterinarians have spent very little time learning about reptiles, if any time at all.
This forum page about finding a chameleon vet should be helpful to you https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/healthx/vet/
If you still need help finding one, let us know where you are and maybe someone knows of a good cham vet in your area.
Bush baby
Avid Member
My Jackson just had this weird growing toenail on one of his back toes. It was pointing in a weird direction and made it so that he could not sit down without it sticking into his sides.
I kept noticing him pacing a lot, like he couldn't sit still…then noticed why he refused to perch for long periods of time. It looked painful jabbing him in his side. Anyhow, i used a toe nail clipper and removed it today, and will rub anti-bacterial cream on the toe for a week or two to make sure the cuticle(?) doesn't get infected.
I kept noticing him pacing a lot, like he couldn't sit still…then noticed why he refused to perch for long periods of time. It looked painful jabbing him in his side. Anyhow, i used a toe nail clipper and removed it today, and will rub anti-bacterial cream on the toe for a week or two to make sure the cuticle(?) doesn't get infected.
