Jackson hanging upside down in his habitat

[Jack's grandma]

My daughters Jackson Chameleon hasn't been eating well and noticed an abscess in his mouth, left side. We caught it early and took him to the vet. He is being treated with ointment and oral antibiotics.
While at the vet, they gave him a shot of antibiotics and another shot of calcium and vitamins.

I am a bit concerned that he has taken to hanging upside down in his house. This is not a normal behavior for him. Has anyone any experience with this behavior?

About Jack:
Male, about 6 months old, been in our care since May 2018. He was born in Florida

His home specs:
Screen enclosure measuring 16" x 30" x 16", lots of artificial foliage and a combination of natural vines and artificial.
Lights:
Daylight blue reptile bulb
Reptisun 5.0 UVB (13watt tropical)
Temperature range: 70-83°F
Humidity is not measured or controlled at this time
Habitat is 5'3" from the floor
Live in the front room with natural light, Not super high traffic

I hope I haven't missed anything... this is our first chameleon and I'm worried about him.

 

[JacksJill]

I'm worried about him too. You should call your vet and discuss this new symptom. He/she may want to make changes to the treatment he is getting. Make sure he is getting plenty of opportunities to drink especially while he is on antibiotics.

 

[Syreptyon]

I second that this probably warrants another trip to the vet! Do you have any pictures you could show us? May be helpful to have a visual

 

[Jack's grandma]

He seems to be upright and standing strong in the picture my daughter just sent. You can see he has the silver ointment on his little mouth.
Will give the vet a jingle today and update with my concerns. He does have another appointment next week, but i don't want to wait.
It's a bummer that the closest reptile vet is 35 miles away.

 

[Miss Lily]

I've had a couple of Jackson's and both used to hang from their ceilings quite often. The infections was probably in his temporal gland, right in the corner of the mouth. They can be prone to infection if they get bits of food stuck in this gland. It also excretes a yellow waxy substance, which is quite normal.

 

[JacksJill]

I assumed he was hanging head down not climbing on the ceiling. Climbing on the ceiling is fairly normal and trying to be warmer while fighting an infection is probably a survival strategy. Hanging head down I've seen in a couple of rehabbed chameleons that weren't normal.

 

[Jack's grandma]

I assumed he was hanging head down not climbing on the ceiling. Climbing on the ceiling is fairly normal and trying to be warmer while fighting an infection is probably a survival strategy. Hanging head down I've seen in a couple of rehabbed chameleons that weren't normal.

He would be on the underside of the limb.

 

[Jack's grandma]

I've had a couple of Jackson's and both used to hang from their ceilings quite often. The infections was probably in his temporal gland, right in the corner of the mouth. They can be prone to infection if they get bits of food stuck in this gland. It also excretes a yellow waxy substance, which is quite normal.

Thank you, we weren't sure how he got the abscess.

 

[Jack's grandma]

Update on Jack... All is right in his world, he went back for his check up a couple weeks back and he is happy and healthy and eating everything in sight.

Thanks everyone for the support you gave!

 

[JacksJill]

Glad he's getting better.