Cut on foot

[AmyStroodle]

Hey guys, Didn't want this to be my first post on here (Didn't join the forum because of this post) but I noticed a cut on my Chameleons foot this morning. Please see attached picture. It seems like the wound has been there a little while as it seems to be under his shed? But his shed coming off has opened the scab? Honestly I'm not sure.

The question is what do I do to make sure this doesn't get infected?
Can I/ should I put anything on the wound?
And what kind of signs of infection should I look for?

Will be having a hunt around the viv to see if I can find where he might have hurt himself too.

 

[alphakenc]

Hey guys, Didn't want this to be my first post on here (Didn't join the forum because of this post) but I noticed a cut on my Chameleons foot this morning. Please see attached picture. It seems like the wound has been there a little while as it seems to be under his shed? But his shed coming off has opened the scab? Honestly I'm not sure.

The question is what do I do to make sure this doesn't get infected?
Can I/ should I put anything on the wound?
And what kind of signs of infection should I look for?

Will be having a hunt around the viv to see if I can find where he might have hurt himself too.

I understand ur frustration,it happen sometime when the cham accidentally hurting themself in a cage,at this point u can try keep the wound as clean as possible , the sign will be pus or more damage parts in the area just dont try to pick on the scab,it will definitely needs a topical anti bacterial cream to apply on the area ,perhaps to find a chameleons vet specialist near u n also do a check up with the cham just to see everything else is fine,I also noticed his damage short nail,did ur cham like to climb on the screen wall,and possibly fell off to the ground and maybe thats how that wound happened,Im jus trying to picture why it happen,if u dont mind ,could u share the cham cage pic with us,so we can see what it needs to prevent it happen again in the nearest future,hope this help a bit.

 

[AmyStroodle]

I understand ur frustration,it happen sometime when the cham accidentally hurting themself in a cage,at this point u can try keep the wound as clean as possible , the sign will be pus or more damage parts in the area just dont try to pick on the scab,it will definitely needs a topical anti bacterial cream to apply on the area ,perhaps to find a chameleons vet specialist near u n also do a check up with the cham just to see everything else is fine,I also noticed his damage short nail,did ur cham like to climb on the screen wall,and possibly fell off to the ground and maybe thats how that wound happened,Im jus trying to picture why it happen,if u dont mind ,could u share the cham cage pic with us,so we can see what it needs to prevent it happen again in the nearest future,hope this help a bit.

Hey, Yeah he does climb on the back wall of the viv and the screen roof on occasion, maybe falling was the way he's hurt himself. Attached is the pic of the viv.

 

[alphakenc]

Hey, Yeah he does climb on the back wall of the viv and the screen roof on occasion, maybe falling was the way he's hurt himself. Attached is the pic of the viv.

Thanks for sharing the pic,here is what I can suggest,u can try put some more plants;branches or vines on the top middle portion in that cage as long he can't reach the heat lamp n prevent getting burn ,this way he will have more area to explore n stand on without climbing on that back wall,nice cage by the way.

 

[alphakenc]

On the second thought,if that heat lamp has no contact with the screen (cant really tell from the angle)then u dont have to worry that he gets burn,and here is a little more suggestions,switch the position of ur heat lamp stand with the uvb light,so heat lamp can be in the front of the glass cage n uvb in the back,so he will try basking in the front instead of the back,and he cant climb the front glass to his basking spot,and u can put more plants and soft vines in the back,take out those hard branches since it can accidentally poke him ,replace with the soft vine,unless u have a screen cage set up then u can use those branches in a horizontal way,since he loves to climb his back wall n thats the reason he has damage nails n falling in the first place.

 

[AmyStroodle]

On the second thought,if that heat lamp has no contact with the screen (cant really tell from the angle)then u dont have to worry that he gets burn,and here is a little more suggestions,switch the position of ur heat lamp stand with the uvb light,so heat lamp can be in the front of the glass cage n uvb in the back,so he will try basking in the front instead of the back,and he cant climb the front glass to his basking spot,and u can put more plants and soft vines in the back,take out those hard branches since it can accidentally poke him ,replace with the soft vine,unless u have a screen cage set up then u can use those branches in a horizontal way,since he loves to climb his back wall n thats the reason he has damage nails n falling in the first place.

Thank you for your advise and suggestions. I'll look into it.

 

[alphakenc]

Thank you for your advise and suggestions. I'll look into it.

U are more than welcome,hope ur cham gets better soon.

 

[Carlton]

Hey guys, Didn't want this to be my first post on here (Didn't join the forum because of this post) but I noticed a cut on my Chameleons foot this morning. Please see attached picture. It seems like the wound has been there a little while as it seems to be under his shed? But his shed coming off has opened the scab? Honestly I'm not sure.

The question is what do I do to make sure this doesn't get infected?
Can I/ should I put anything on the wound?
And what kind of signs of infection should I look for?

Will be having a hunt around the viv to see if I can find where he might have hurt himself too.

I think I would gently clean it with some Betadyne wash and then apply OTC Polysporin on the foot. Don't use the stuff with pain reliever. Keep an eye on this. Foot injuries can get infected fairly easily and as they are "on" their feet almost constantly, can have a hard time healing. Check his perches and give them a good scrubbing to make sure he doesn't pick up bacteria from feces or urates..

 

[jajeanpierre]

Hey guys, Didn't want this to be my first post on here (Didn't join the forum because of this post) but I noticed a cut on my Chameleons foot this morning. Please see attached picture. It seems like the wound has been there a little while as it seems to be under his shed? But his shed coming off has opened the scab? Honestly I'm not sure.

The question is what do I do to make sure this doesn't get infected?
Can I/ should I put anything on the wound?
And what kind of signs of infection should I look for?

Will be having a hunt around the viv to see if I can find where he might have hurt himself too.

That is not an injury, it is a pressure sore. You need to solve the cause of the problem. Get rid of the sand-papery vines and put in a lot of smaller natural branches with bark on them. It's called "bumble foot" in birds of prey and chickens. It is caused by improper perches.

 

[AmyStroodle]

That is not an injury, it is a pressure sore. You need to solve the cause of the problem. Get rid of the sand-papery vines and put in a lot of smaller natural branches with bark on them. It's called "bumble foot" in birds of prey and chickens. It is caused by improper perches.

Are you sure I need to get rid of the vines? They're from Exoterra so assumed they'd be suitable.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Are you sure I need to get rid of the vines? They're from Exoterra so assumed they'd be suitable.

A pressure sore is caused because of inappropriately sized perches. I wouldn't use the sand papery vines especially since you have an open sore. Do you think really think it will heal perching an open sore on sand paper? You don't need to throw them out but I would put something more suitable in the cage.

Get natural branches--all different sizes and some very small. Leave the bark on. They are generally free which shold make it easier for you to part with your $10 vine.

I don't know about chameleons, but when falcons or chickens get those kinds of sores the infection will often go up into the foot and destroy the whole foot joint--bone, tendons, everything.

 

[AmyStroodle]

A pressure sore is caused because of inappropriately sized perches. I wouldn't use the sand papery vines especially since you have an open sore. Do you think really think it will heal perching an open sore on sand paper? You don't need to throw them out but I would put something more suitable in the cage.

Get natural branches--all different sizes and some very small. Leave the bark on. They are generally free which shold make it easier for you to part with your $10 vine.

I don't know about chameleons, but when falcons or chickens get those kinds of sores the infection will often go up into the foot and destroy the whole foot joint--bone, tendons, everything.

I'm not arguing or questioning your advise btw I was just saying I didn't except something designed for chameleon from exo-terra could cause sores. The ones I have are rather soft and not like sand paper. (Unless I'm using the wrong size)

Would the natural branches need to be disinfected?

How would you size a perch correctly? (See picture attached, he's stood on his main perch under the Heat and UV)

 

[jajeanpierre]

I'm not arguing or questioning your advise btw I was just saying I didn't except something designed for chameleon from exo-terra could cause sores. The ones I have are rather soft and not like sand paper. (Unless I'm using the wrong size)

Would the natural branches need to be disinfected?

How would you size a perch correctly? (See picture attached, he's stood on his main perch under the Heat and UV)

I know the one you have--it's foam. The problem isn't how soft it is--the problem is that he spends a lot of time with pressure on one small spot. Think of bed sores. A mattress is very soft but immobile patients develop bed sores. A chameleon in general tends to use their whole foot/hand to grasp so the pressure is distributed across the whole hand/foot including the toes. If you only offer large (basically flat) perches, he won't exercise his hands/feet and won't be able to grip well.

If you offer tiny branches--as small or even smaller than a pencil--you will be surprised that he might prefer them. Variety is the key. The natural human tendency is to give large diameter perches--me included--because we think they want to lie down on the perch and rest. I don't think that's what they want.

I think--but am not sure--that the tendons in their hands/feet are like those of birds of prey. A bird of prey has a tendon and tendon sheath that has ridges on them so when the tendon is contracted, it acts like a rachet and locks into place. For the bird to release it's foot, it must actively lift the outer tendon sheath off the tendon to release the tendon so it can slide. It take zero effort (in the foot) for a bird of prey to hold onto a struggling prey. I believe the default position of the tendon is to be locked. This can lead to their deaths. Frequently oung, inexperienced Osprey (a fish hunter) try to take a fish that is too large and in their excitement do not actively release their grip and are dragged under water and drown. I found a newly hatched baby that was dying but was still holding on tightly to the branch he was on even though it was almost dead. I would have thought that so close to death, it would have relaxed it's feet but it didn't. I've heard stories of limbs being ripped off of chameleons during capture in the wild if they are pulled off the branch with brute force.

I would definitely make his main branch under the heat lamp quite small--give a variety but make it small. You want to change the pressure pattern on his foot.

I am not a big fan of disinfecting. The children with the healthiest immune systems come from dirty environments such as kids on farms running around barefoot. In this case, a good wash might be in order since he already has an open wound. You might want to put on some silver sulfadiazine but when you put a cream on a wound, especially a foot wound, you are keeping it moist and open to bacteria. I would keep the branches under his basking light dry if you can.

The most important thing you can do is create a stress free environment. Stress will shut down the immune system. It can be low grade, chronic stress such as not enough cover to hide in and feel safe or temperatures/humidity levels not correct for the species. Set it up so your animal can heal itself.

On another note, I am not crazy about the look of his eyes. It might just be the picture or how he react s when you stuff a camera/phone in his face. You want a full eye without puffiness or folds in the turret or sunken in spots. The eye should take up the whole orbital space and bulge out without it bulging too much. Sometimes nutritonal/lighting deficits growing up can show up with a shallow eye socket. I know, my explanation of what an eye should look like is as clear as mud!

 

[AmyStroodle]

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Thanks for taking the time to write that. As soon as I get chance I'll have a hunt for some natural branches of all variety size wise.

No regards to his eye in that picture, it was taken first thing in the morning when his light had only been on a little while so it maybe he was just tired still or adjusting to light?

I've just taken a picture see attached.

 

[Millz&Jukka]

he's beautiful

 

[AmyStroodle]

he's beautiful

Thank you.