Skin infection

[TheRaveChameleon]

Hi there!

I am an owner of a year and a half year old male Jackson Chameleon. I know that he has a skin infection on his foot (small raised black dot and little blackness around the nail which has been there since I acquired him a few months ago). I don't want to spend money on a vet visit and medication for them to tell me what I already know. Is there any way I could just buy silver sulfadiazine at my local drug store and use that on him.

 

[kinyonga]

Please post a photo of the foot.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

"Raised" (swelling) and discoloration around a nail could easily and quickly lead to a serious bone infection. Depending on what your picture reveals, a vet visit is recommended and possibly a necessity.

 

[TheRaveChameleon]

Hopefully you guys can see this!

 

[TheRaveChameleon]

The only problem is I brought to my vet's attention when he got his first check up after I got him and he said it was just a skin discoloration and nothing to worry about. I just don't want to be told the same when I think there is something wrong. I also was wondering if it is a skin infection, could I just buy silver sulfadiazine at Walgreens or would I really need a pet specific product?

 

[TheRaveChameleon]

He is my baby and I don't want a vet to tell me nothing is wrong when something clearly is and then spend all of that money to be turned away. Just so you all know, I live on Oahu in Honolulu actually just down the street from the wild population of Jackson's so he lives in an extremely suitable environment. He is roughly 10 inches long maybe 11. I gut load his crickets with broccoli, carrots, and orange cubes for vitamins, vitamin A, and hydration. I dust his crickets lightly with a calcium and vitamin D supplement twice a week. He gets feed somewhere between 5-10 crickets a day depending on hunger and a few mealworms which are his favorite. I also try to give him a grasshopper every so often and he eats some of the stray cockroaches that come in the house(this is normal in Hawaii). I take him outside a couple of times a week for natural sunlight out here. I have a dripper, but also hand feed him water daily. His set up is below with three hibiscus plants; and a vine; and a UV light; he also has a shower vibe when I put him in the shower because my head has a mist setting. I do this for about 10-15 minutes every week. I do not have a humidity system or heat lamp since he is living in an environment he can thrive in and I also do not have AC. His cage is spot cleaned with paper towel removal every week, and fully cleaned once a month. I feed him in a seperate cage as to cut down on infection issues. I also have a fan across my room that points at his cage on a low setting to give a bit of airflow through it. He is my first Chameleon so any tips and recommendations I would love!

 

[Extensionofgreen]

The black scale does not appear to be an infection. It is a discoloration, bruise, or possibly a scale that has been injured and became necrotic. It is something I would just keep an eye on. If there is any spreading or swelling, it needs to go to the vet.
There are several things wrong with your set-up and gutload practices. Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable, which had properties that bind iodine. It's not very suitable as a main part of gutloading. The orange cubes are at best ineffective and and at the worst, contain an over abundance of vitamins and other things that aren't helpful to
your chameleon. Use a vitamin supplement, unless you are using Dendrocare, no more than twice per MONTH and just plain calcium, lightly 3-4 times a week.
Mealworms are poor choices for feeding. They were not very nutritious, are high in fat, and they have tough shells, which contribute to digestive problems, especially coupled with dehydration.
Your set up is sparse and poorly lit. The plant is not full enough to provide adequate cover. It is next to impossible to provide adequate water, without a misting system, especially for a montane species. If you live in an ideal environment, is it possible to construct an outdoor enclosure, to take advantage of the natural sunlight and rain?
I'd recommend not having a fan dissipating the humidity and blowing on the enclosure, even gently. It can be disruptive to the chameleon. A ceiling fan on in the room is ok.
I have friends in HI and they mention the cost of air conditioning being very high to run. Are you keeping your temperatures low enough? Will you be able to with proper lighting? Basking temps should be 80-85F max, with ambient temps in the mid 70sF and ideally have a night temp drop of 10-15F.
This seems like a lot and it is. Chameleons are pretty specicifc in their needs and the things I pointed out are not to tear you apart or criticize you. They are the absolutes for good chameleon health.

 

[TheRaveChameleon]

Thank you for your informed response! I'm definitely not deterred by your recommendations. It's important as a chameleon owner to get as much information as possible and learn from those more experienced. As I said, this is my first Chameleon and I happened to get him because someone else was just going to let him go in the wild out here which I found to be a huge no no. He is the absolute light of my life so I want to make sure I'm doing the best by him. I spent 2 weeks researching at least 5 hours everyday how to best take care of him, but there are so many different opinions it was hard to know which things were really correct, so having personal guidance really helps. What would you recommend I gut feed my crickets with? Since my dusting is both Vitamins and Calcium, if I did your recommendations(splitting up the vitamins and calcium) which vitamin supplement would you recommend as well? As for the plant, unfortunately, my largest plant (the one in the back) just went through what I think was a wilt disease, so I'm trying to bring her back, or I will just get another large one. The problem is when I went to buy these plants, there weren't any that were as tall or big as I wanted, any suggestions for how to deal with this? I didn't take a great picture of the lighting set up I have but I use a UVA and UVB bulb right now, and I have another lamp for a heat bulb in the winter times when the temperature drops occasionally. Currently, our temperatures are ideal for him out here. Is there a certain lighting setup you would see fit for my cage? I will stop pointing the fan at him, but should I just leave it on in my room facing away from him so that there is still air flow within the room? I've had reptiles before( I grew up with a rainbow boa) but a chameleon is totally new to me and is definitely a lot of work, but like I said, I really love my Chameleon and want to give him the best life I possibly can so I am willing to learn, research, invest, and do whatever it takes to provide that for him. Again, I really appreciate the detailed response and for the hopeful note at the end. I'm sure a lot of new chameleon parents get offended when told they aren't doing things right, but I am by no means even close to an expert, so learning from those who have far more experience than me is vital

 

[Extensionofgreen]

There is a very nice gutloading blog at the very bottom of the main forum page that will help steer you in the right direction. It provides a lot of good information. There are gutloads that are adequate, you can purchase, such as repashy bug burger and cricket crack. Check out the sponsor, Full Throttle Feeders for cricket crack and Bug Buffet. You can use organic babyfood, such as sweet potato, butternut squash, banana, ones with blueberries, mango, and forth, as a moisture source for gutloading crickets and other feeders. Perhaps fresh produce is best, but when you feed 9-10 bins of feeders, produce gets time consuming and expensive, plus is very seasonal where I live. I do chop fresh produce and cactus pads sometimes, but primarily rely on the babyfood. I'm giving you the easy way to get on the right track, but you can go as far as you have the time and budget for, with gutloading. I make my own gutload and it cost about $250 per 20lbs, so I provided a simpler approach. If you wanted to be in between ready made and self supplemented, take a look at nuts.com and add some of the various fruit powders and healthy flours they have available. Keep in mind, you want you gutload to be higher is veggies and calcium, then fruits, as fruits contain list of phosphorus, which cancel out some of the available calcium.
For montane animals, I really like Dendorcare for dart frogs. It's a gentle vitamin supplement and can be safely used 1-2 per week. I also like to use another supplement that contains Vitamin A, not from beta carotene. Opinions differ on this, but I find PREformed A to be needed and beta carotene sources have been inadequate in many cases. Repashy products are good for this and you can choose one of the many they offer, but use this sparingly and 1-2 times per month. A good rule, I follow is to only supplement 3-4 times a week and on about 1/3 of the feeders offered at a time. Other than those products, plain calcium is needed, 1-2 times a week. Dendrocare and many repashy products will have calcium in them, so no need to double up.
Yes, leave the fan on for air circulation, if you feel the air is stale and heavy, but likely it is just fine.
As for the plant situation, you could utilize a hanging or vining plant, such as pothos or faux foliage to add cover. You will find hibiscus difficult to maintain indoors, in a chameleon cage. They like much more light than should be offered to the chameleon. Schefflera, ficus, aralias, crotons, and similar "houseplants" are a bit easier to find and take medium light.
If you are using UVA and UVB already, your lighting may be adequate. My opinions and knowledge regarding lighting is pretty complex and above and beyond adequate and I'd prefer not to overwhelm you, as I light for my plantings, as much as for the chameleons. Lightyourreptiles.com can provide you customized support on what is ideal/adequate for your set-up and species. I'd suggest you shoot him an email or given him a call and compare notes on what you currently are using and what he recommends. He is less a salesmen and more an educator and he offers everything you could need. @Venutus1
I would highly, highly recommend investing in a mist system. At the very least, a pressurize hand sprayer that will mist and spray for 5 mins, when the handle is set, needs to be used up to 3 times per day. It is obvious why your lack of a drainage system that you are not supplying enough water, because your cage floor and household floor would quickly be overwhelmed by the amount of water that the chameleon should be getting.
There is a stick thread, under the enclosures section that has some ideas for handling drainage. Hope this helps.