Burns?

[andre_warriors]

My Chameleon has these burns on her spine. I have a heat bulb 6 inches away from the perch, and I have used the same bulb since I got her and this hasn't happened until now. I am not sure what to do or how to help her. Also, the dark skin under the shedding skin looks like a burn to me. Also on her face/crest, there are dark spots. Any suggestions?

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. Ouch! Those are burns and look pretty nasty. You’ll need to take her to a vet for treatment and special antibiotic cream. Because of the large amount of area that they cover, she may need some oral antibiotics as well.
Can you please post some pics of her enclosure?

 

[andre_warriors]

Hi. Ouch! Those are burns and look pretty nasty. You’ll need to take her to a vet for treatment and special antibiotic cream. Because of the large amount of area that they cover, she may need some oral antibiotics as well.
Can you please post some pics of her enclosure?

 

[andre_warriors]

The perch directly under the bulb is 6 inches away from it.

 

[MissSkittles]

Ok, so I do see some changes that you should make. The most important is either raising the basking light a few inches above the screen top or lowering the height of the basking branch. If your uvb is a T5 with either a ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6%, your basking area should be around 8-9” below the light to provide the ideal UVB level. Your basking temp should only be around 80F.
Other changes that will make your girl very happy (and keep her healthy) would be to add many more branches and vines for her to travel. Empty space is wasted space for chameleons. I know it’s hard to attach things in screen enclosures. There are Dragon Ledges, which are awesome. https://dragonstrand.com/product/dragon-ledges-24-five-pack/ You can attach garden trellis inside, create a little scaffold structure, make a faux background, etc. Whatever method you use, the most important thing is to attach whatever to the frame and not the screen.
Adding only safe live plants is another thing that I highly recommend. Veileds love to nibble their plants (especially the girls) and don’t differentiate between real and fake. They have been known to eat a fake leaf and get impacted. It only takes one nibble and then your girl could be in serious trouble. Pothos are the most popular and are just fantastic to use. Most plants will need a plant light lIke this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BRKG7X1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 or if you really want a light that can grow just about anything, there’s this one. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TKKG8Q3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I like to put a taller centerpiece plant and then have other plants around it. To give varied heights, I just flip over old plant pots to use as stands. All plants will need to have their leaves washed to remove any fertilizer/pesticide residue. I use Dawn dish soap and then rinse the heck out of them. You’ll also want to repot, again to remove any bad chemicals/toxins and pests. When I am rinsing my washed leaves, I also at the same time rinse the plant roots as bare as I can before potting in organic soil. Once I have all of my live plants in, I then move the fake ones to the outside of the door to give my chams a sense of more privacy and security.
Here’s a couple of enclosures I’ve set up. Also including a safe plant list.
The first is using Dragon Ledges.

This one was outside and without Dragon Ledges. I attached dowels to the frame at all corners and then attached branches or dowels to connect them in an ‘H’. For the hanging pothos, I used wire attached to a long dowel on top and thru the screen to the plant hanger. Pardon the sad condition of the plants…I’m in Florida and the sun bakes them to death.

I do hope your sweet girl recovers well from her burns. If you need help finding a good vet in your area, this should help. https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661

 

[Lindasjackson]

Oh I’m so sorry this happened to your sweet girl! Please do what miss skittles has suggested and take her to a good vet. She needs treatment asap.

 

[kinyonga]

To prevent it from happening again....in addition to rising the basking bulb...test it by putting your hand inside the cage, palm side down, as close a possible to the basking light...if you want to move it, then the light is too hot.

Flamazine is a good cream for treating burns in chameleons...needs a prescription though.