Picasso's Toes

[ShariKitty]

My male chameleon has a bizarre situation with his back foot.
I consulted with a vet and got nowhere. Figured I try an experienced group.
My hubby noticed his toes looking black a week or two ago. I went and looked and they looked fine. Just assumed that he was mid color change as he does turn almost black when he's grumpy (which is almost all the time). Because I know they can stress (and he is the prime example) I don't hold him much but we do observe him every day.
Last night in preparation for our "cold snap" I bought him into the house to put him in into a temp cage. As hubby was fixing up the cage I was holding Picasso and noticed his back right foot is indeed now totally black and he's missing a toe! I think the part that concerns me the most is the underside of his foot - where the scales (?) are light pink are gone as well. That area of the foot is also very dry. It's very similar to a gecko losing its tail/toes to a bad shed but he has had no signs of bad sheds.
The best I got is maybe a burn. But unlike what I think of with a burn (red, gooey, wet) this would be more akin to a ridiculously over cooked piece of meat.
Like I said - I'm stumped. Figured I'd ask. Thanks.

 

[MelissaB]

Is it possible something bit him, or bit off a part of his foot? I've read threads on here where outdoor chameleons have been mauled by rats,raccoons and other animals.

Is there anywhere in his cage where it gets hot enough to burn him that severely?

I think you'd be best off going back to the vet, so the dead tissue doesn't spread and necessitate removal of more of his foot.

 

[Mikesyring]

I'm not experienced enough to help u but I could give u some advice you should start a thread PLEAse help need it right away and more experienced members will help I suggest u do that right away that picture looks really bad

 

[MelissaB]

Also, you may want to find a different vet, that has experience with chameleons. A lot of dog/cat and even some exotic vets, aren't familiar enough with chameleons to be as effective as one that has had a lot of experience.

 

[jajeanpierre]

When I saw the pictures my first thought was a bite from a rat or mouse. A rat can easily kill your chameleon--and will. They are quite the predators. I once had a pet rat leap two feet in the air to bite the foot of a really big parrot and that darn rat just wouldn't let go. It was an eye opener. If he is hanging on wire, especially at night, lots of things will try to eat him piece by piece through the wire. I recommend double wiring outdoor enclosures so nothing can reach through and grab your chameleon.

What kind of an outdoor caging do you have? Rats and mice tunnel, so you need the ground completely covered with rat/mouse-proof flooring of some sort. Strong woven hardware cloth or patio stones work.

If your husband noticed black toes, he might have been bitten on the foot but the toes hadn't fallen off yet. Over time, the toes died and finally fell off. That's my guess of what happened.

As far as that injury itself, I would not be inclined to do anything at this point but watch it. Look for swelling, which I can't see any of. They heal up pretty well although they take a long time to heal. A vet is only likely to put some sort of topical cream/ointment on it and that can cause problems in itself by keeping the wound moist so it basically allows pathogens in. If it is dried up, sealed off with no swelling, the animal has already dealt with it, but just keep an eye on it. If he breaks open the scab, it could allow pathogens an entry in. Watch for pain, too. There might be a lot of pain associated with this injury, which might start a downward spiral unrelated to infection. The pain might not be associated with any infection. My vet once prescribed Panalog, a topical ointment that is anit fungal, antibacterial, anti itch and anti inflammatory, to a chameleon that had torn her toenails really badly on screen caging and she didn't handle one of the drugs at all, so I would stay away from that drug if the vet wants to prescribe it.

 

[Carlton]

A couple of ideas to think about:

There is a type of dermatitis that has been found on the footpads of chams, in particular melleri though I don't know if it has been entirely isolated as a specific disease or a generalized symptom of something else. Ulcerative pododermatitis. The pad of the foot gets exposed to some sort of pathogen through a cut or abrasion, becomes infected and if not treated the tissue dies, becomes necrotic and sloughs away. However, this wouldn't happen overnight. The footpad would be reddened and inflamed for a while before turning black. I see no reason why it couldn't be limited to the toe tissue.

Was there a particularly cold weather event before he came indoors? I'm wondering if the extremities of a herp can get so cold (in contact with the metal mesh that's in contact with the ground or wet) that cell damage occurred, the tissue died, and sloughed away?