My Jackson has a swollen toe!!

[heidylizm]

Name: Spyro
Enclosure: Reptarium 16.5 x 16.5 x 30 inches. Has natural dried branches of trees, nothing on the floor and no glass anywhere. Some clean fake vines and ferns that he loves.
Feeding: 5-6 1/4 crickets and random fruitflies. We feed the crickets with fruits, vegetables and potatoes. Mealworms too.
Supplements: Calcium
Watering: Spray bottle with filtered water to mist his cage 3-4 times a day for 3-4 minutes. He actually loves to get wet and walks into the mist and starts drinking water. I make sure he drinks whatever he wants.
UV light: we put his cage near a window on a coffetable so he could get natural light and establish a sleeping cycle according to the sun.
Location: Puerto Rico, our city is hot, usually 87-95*F during the day, 70-75 at night and has a humidity of 64-70% on normal days. It rains almost every other day and we live on a 6th floor so we have great ventilation and cool breezes.

He likes being handled. He is still very active, likes to walk around the house, get on top of my head, etc. On Sunday I saw a tiny toe a little bit swollen. He has never walked on rough places, never been near to an insect that could have bitten him, his nail looks normal, no necrosis or pus, etc. On the brightside, it doesn't apparently bother him or interfere with anything since his grip it's fine.

I searched for information and I have came to the conclusion that it may be problem shedding on that foot or got hurt climbing on the cage screen. Another user recommended to give the swollen toe a warm soak and to apply a very tiny amount of triple antibiotic as a home treatment. Did that for two days now and I don't see a change. It looks the same.

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

Could you please post a picture? Or is there a picture in an earlier thread?

If it is an abscess it needs intervention or it could lead to sepsis. But it could be any number of things. A picture would help. If it is an abscess a vet visit is best, but there are procedures that can be done at home if you have a steady hand and the stomach for it.

 

[heidylizm]

He's currently shedding and was moving so this was the best pic I could get. Notice the bottom toe at the left, it's just a little swollen. I've seen worse on internet and in a few days they loose the nail, so I'm very hopeful this might be something not that serious.

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

View attachment 60604

He's currently shedding and was moving so this was the best pic I could get. Notice the bottom toe at the left, it's just a little swollen. I've seen worse on internet and in a few days they loose the nail, so I'm very hopeful this might be something not that serious.

Well it's a blurry picture but it does show classic shape of an abscess. These are not uncommon in species, like Jacksons, that require higher humidity.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a vet so please take everything I say about this with a grain of salt. I am just giving you some advice related to the photo you posted.

Your choices are to hope it resolves on its own (risky), a trip to the vet (best choice), or home remedy. If you want to consider home remedy there is an excellent detailed instruction on the Melleri Discovery website. it includes detailed, step by step pictures. But it requires accuracy and sterility, which can be difficult for us chameleon keepers to attain to.

http://www.melleridiscovery.com/

I do agree that they can resolve on their own. God knows we've gotten enough wild caughts in with hard bumps on their feet where their toes are missing. Obviously from resolved abscesses. But the poor creatures do look a little worse for wear so I think it can be hard on the overall health.

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

To view the abscess tutorial on the Melleri Discovery site click link below, then click on "tutorials", then click on "abscess care".
http://www.melleridiscovery.com/

 

[heidylizm]

Looks simple to do. I will get the supplies and help my little guy. Thanx!!

 

[Elizadolots]

Heidy, is that your chameleon in your avatar? I'm concerned that his elbow looks wonky...maybe it's just the angle or something. Are there other pictures of him we can see? Pictures that show his legs are particularly helpful.

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

Heidy, is that your chameleon in your avatar? I'm concerned that his elbow looks wonky...maybe it's just the angle or something. Are there other pictures of him we can see? Pictures that show his legs are particularly helpful.

I wondered about that too. And the fact that it is resting on its belly rather than supported on its legs.

 

[Miss Lily]

Name: Spyro
Enclosure: Reptarium 16.5 x 16.5 x 30 inches. Has natural dried branches of trees, nothing on the floor and no glass anywhere. Some clean fake vines and ferns that he loves.
Feeding: 5-6 1/4 crickets and random fruitflies. We feed the crickets with fruits, vegetables and potatoes. Mealworms too.
Supplements: Calcium
Watering: Spray bottle with filtered water to mist his cage 3-4 times a day for 3-4 minutes. He actually loves to get wet and walks into the mist and starts drinking water. I make sure he drinks whatever he wants.
UV light: we put his cage near a window on a coffetable so he could get natural light and establish a sleeping cycle according to the sun.
Location: Puerto Rico, our city is hot, usually 87-95*F during the day, 70-75 at night and has a humidity of 64-70% on normal days. It rains almost every other day and we live on a 6th floor so we have great ventilation and cool breezes.

He likes being handled. He is still very active, likes to walk around the house, get on top of my head, etc. On Sunday I saw a tiny toe a little bit swollen. He has never walked on rough places, never been near to an insect that could have bitten him, his nail looks normal, no necrosis or pus, etc. On the brightside, it doesn't apparently bother him or interfere with anything since his grip it's fine.

I searched for information and I have came to the conclusion that it may be problem shedding on that foot or got hurt climbing on the cage screen. Another user recommended to give the swollen toe a warm soak and to apply a very tiny amount of triple antibiotic as a home treatment. Did that for two days now and I don't see a change. It looks the same.

UV cannot pass through glass - do you have a UV tube above the cage? Also, what are the temps in the cage - the ones you mention are for outside, is that correct?

 

[heidylizm]

Yes it's my chameleon. In the picture he was walking in the sofa, maybe the light make it look like he was resting. He had just ate and turned into those colors so I took a picture. This is another picture of him, how he usually looks like.

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

When he sits in front of the window for natural light for UVB, is the window open? UVB rays don't penetrate glass. And Jacksons prefer cooler temps, around 80 for a high.

 

[heidylizm]

Yes, our windows are wide open. We live on a 6th floor in a suburban area, it's breezy here so that lowers the temperature a little. We also put a fan about 6-7 feet from the cage to ensure he doesn't get overheated. That was a recomendation from the breeder to the owner of the petshop we got him from, since we did that he looks more active and eats better.

 

[Elizadolots]

The elbow does look better in the other picture. Thanks! Natural sunlight is the best thing for them. However, you might find you need a UVB light for times of the year when you can't leave the window open all day for him.