Swollen leg on new to me Jacksons

[ZEROPILOT]

• Your Chameleon - male Jacksons. Sub adult. I've had him just 3 weeks.
• Handling - seldom. Only when necessary
• Feeding - Crickets that I load with roach chow, apples and spring mix. Also some HORSESHOE crab roaches. A few discoids, Hornworms and Superworms.
• Supplements - Reptical Calcium each feeding and with D3 once a week or less. Vitamins once a month.
• Watering - drip system used for about half an hour each day. Plus I have a MIST KING that goes off 5 or 6 times in 24 hours for 1 to 3 minutes.
• Fecal Description - normal. It looks like the poop of the other Chameleons I keep (in different cages)
• History - Purchased from pet store about 2 weeks ago

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Reptibreeze 2x2x4
• Bare bottom with drainage into buckets. Many vines. Live pothos.
• Lighting -one 60 watt incandescent. One T5 HO double fixture with 1 6.5K plant tube and 1 10.0 Reptisun HO UVB tube. I set the lighting with a 6.5 UV meter.
• Temperature - Room temperature 72. Daily cage temp is 78 to 81. Nighttime drop to 67 or less with humidifier on.
• Humidity - Daily use of drip system for 30-45 minutes. MIST KING sprays 6 times a day/night. 3 minutes each. Cool mist humidifier at night.
• Plants - live pothos.
• Placement - Against a wall. Shower curtain on 3 sides to avoid drafts. 5 feet off the ground
• Location - Southeastern Florida

Current Problem - Swollen back legs. Sometimes dangling

His back legs are too fat. Especially the left one. He's able to use them and hes capable of moving very quickly. But his left leg occasionally dangles.
He eats and drinks and moves about his cage.
The searches I've done seem to indicate gout.
I recently lost another new to me Chameleon from MBD. After almost 1K in vet bills.
My other 2 Chameleons all in their own cages are doing great and are several years old. (Veileds)
What's wrong with him?

 

[kinyonga]

We're his legs swollen when you got him?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

We're his legs swollen when you got him?

Honestly
I think so. I've recently had eye surgeries and I can't see very well.

 

[Chameleoking]

Gout is the concentration of uric acid crystals around the joints causing a painful condition. Chameleons will often develop gout around their “ankles” and legs with have a swollen appearance. ... At this time it is unclear what causes the gout, though it is suspected to be dietary

 

[kinyonga]

Don't know if it's gout or not for sure...you need to run tests o be sure.
This will explain gout a bit for you...I know this is a gecko site but Dr Lopez has done a lot with chameleons...
http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...ard-gecko-care-sheet-geckos-unlimited-10.html

More...
https://www.madcham.de/en/gicht/

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Thanks
I've been doing a lot of reading on the subject and there is a huge gray area about what causes it and what treats it in lizards.
Pretty unfortunate.
I'm going to feed him mostly crickets and monitor him closely.
He ate, drank and now he's perched on a branch with that left leg dangling....

 

[kinyonga]

You might want to get a test done by a vet to see if the uric acid is high or not. If you leave it too long and it is gout or kidney disease, it might not be treatable by then.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I'm happy to say that whatever it WAS. The swelling has subsided and he is no longer dangling the left leg.
He looks sturdy and healthy now.
I'm going to suppose it's because of his improved level of care and I'll pat myself on my back.

 

[kinyonga]

So glad to hear it's subsided!

 

[Neptune11]

Gut load with lima beans. I saved one with gout. Cooked the lime beans and fed to crickets.

 

[Kaizen]

• Your Chameleon - male Jacksons. Sub adult. I've had him just 3 weeks.
• Handling - seldom. Only when necessary
• Feeding - Crickets that I load with roach chow, apples and spring mix. Also some HORSESHOE crab roaches. A few discoids, Hornworms and Superworms.
• Supplements - Reptical Calcium each feeding and with D3 once a week or less. Vitamins once a month.Too much d3, given your good uvb setup, and solar meter readings.
• Watering - drip system used for about half an hour each day. Run the dripper for several hours in the after noon. Plus I have a MIST KING that goes off 5 or 6 times in 24 hours for 1 to 3 minutes. Mist during lights out. Morning just before lights on, evening, just after lights out, and periodically over night to maintain humidity near 100%. Alternatively, use a fogger over night. Sealing up 3 sides of the enclosure will help with nightime humidity.
• Fecal Description - normal. It looks like the poop of the other Chameleons I keep (in different cages)
• History - Purchased from pet store about 2 weeks ago

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Reptibreeze 2x2x4
• Bare bottom with drainage into buckets. Many vines. Live pothos.
• Lighting -one 60 watt incandescent. One T5 HO double fixture with 1 6.5K plant tube and 1 10.0 Reptisun HO UVB tube. I set the lighting with a 6.5 UV meter. Uvi in the basking area? And maximum uvi your Cham can be exposed to?
• Temperature - Room temperature 72. Daily cage temp is 78 to 81. Nighttime drop to 67 or less with humidifier on.I’d work on nightime drops below 65 at least; preferably into the 50s. Highest temp at basking area? Ambient cage temp?
• Humidity - Daily use of drip system for 30-45 minutes. MIST KING sprays 6 times a day/night. 3 minutes each. Cool mist humidifier at night.
• Plants - live pothos.
• Placement - Against a wall. Shower curtain on 3 sides to avoid drafts. 5 feet off the ground Ignore my comment on enclosing theee sides! Good job!
• Location - Southeastern Florida You have a great opportunity to keep outdoors; consider it.

Current Problem - Swollen back legs. Sometimes dangling

His back legs are too fat. Especially the left one. He's able to use them and hes capable of moving very quickly. But his left leg occasionally dangles.
He eats and drinks and moves about his cage.
The searches I've done seem to indicate gout.
I recently lost another new to me Chameleon from MBD. After almost 1K in vet bills.
My other 2 Chameleons all in their own cages are doing great and are several years old. (Veileds)
What's wrong with him? Gout sucks, and it’s a real concern. However, I usually see it in the front legs first. Some more pics would be very helpful. Consider making a vet appointment. I’ll await more pics. In the meantime, solid hydration and easy on the d3 and other fat solubles—no sense taxing a system that may be struggling

 

[Kaizen]

You might want to get a test done by a vet to see if the uric acid is high or not. If you leave it too long and it is gout or kidney disease, it might not be treatable by then.

One more quick thing. Until you have more info from the vet, consider switching all your feeders to 100% plant based feed. That means no roach chow, or bug burger, etc. If gout is suspected, do not add higher protein bug food to the problem. High calcium greens ( collards, dandelion), healthy other veg (squash, carrot, blueberry), healthy fruits (papaya, apple). Ratios and recommendations can be found in the care images on this site.