Jackson with swelling on front foot.

[Ziggy4]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Jacksons Chameleon I bought him on 5/1/12
Handling - Rarely
Feeding - Crickets once a day, theres also a couple that hide in the bushes
Supplements - None
Watering - My tank has a large waterfall with an outside filter also I spray a couple times a day.
Fecal Description - White not runny
History - I got him from an aquatic store which wasnt taking proper care of him. He's very thin and I noticed when I got him home he's got a swollen foot.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Glass hexagon tank, 3ft tall and 2ft wide. Screen top with an electric fan. Has a repti fog setup and a waterfall with outside filtration.
Lighting - Lithonia t5 plant growth light getting a UVB bulb for the setup
Temperature - 75 degrees during the day on the bottom of the tank and about 80 near the basking light. Night goes down to 65-70 degrees.
Humidity - Not sure on the level yet
Plants - All live plants, not sure on the names. Need to work on that.
Placement - Tank is located near my t.v. in the living room. I live alone so theres not much traffic.
Location - Jensen Beach, Florida

Current Problem - He has swelling on his right front foot, he doesnt seem to close it much and does not grip much with it. When he sleeps he lets that leg hang off the branch. He's been eating a pooping and climbs around the tank. I have noticed he sleeps allot not sure if this is something to do with his health or if he's just had a rough life so far at the pet store. Any info on the bad foot would be great.

 

[Elizadolots]

Hi! Welcome. I'm sorry you are having problems with your chameleon. You're going to discover that a lot of what you were told at the pet store is not what is recommended here at this board. The people here are largely amateurs who have, through the years, learned a lot about chameleons and try to share that information. Some are very expert and successfully keep individual chameleons alive for many, many years.

I'm telling you this because it's easy to think that the pet store is the expert and the internet is full of frauds. The pet store is trying to make money, the people here are trying to save chameleons. I'm not saying you'll never get good advice from a pet store and I'm not saying all the advice you get here will be perfect.

That said, the fact that your chameleon is sleeping during the day is a bad sign. Chameleons don't sleep during the day unless they are not well.

Does your enclosure have ventilation holes at the bottom to allow airflow from bottom to top?

You describe the poop as white, not runny...is there only white? Typically one would expect to see a brown/grey part and a smaller white part.

Note that "white" is good! White means your chameleon is getting enough water. That is often a major challenge.

It just seems, on a quick read, that he might not be getting enough food.

You've only had him for a couple of days, so this is not your doing. How many crickets of what size are you feeding? For that matter, how big is this chameleon?

The waterfall might not be a good idea. They tend to be viewed as toilets by the chameleons and so the recirculated water becomes tainted with poop. Unless you are prepared to clean it every day, you might be better off with a simple drip system. Dealing with the leftover water is another problem...maybe for a different post.

My initial suggestion is to contact the store and explain that the animal appears to have health problems. Ask if they would be willing to pay to have a general health check up done on the chameleon. Some stores will do that. Getting him to a vet is probably the best thing you can do for him.