Chameleon bruising on eye and feet

KayMcAraw

KayMcAraw

New Member
My chameleon Koko is about 2 months old, I got her an almost two weeks ago and I noticed the bruising a day or two after I got her, she first bruised on the feet and a little on her arm. When I bought her, the people struggled to get her into the little transportation box and I am pretty sure they ended up shaking her off into the box (which made me upset because I know how fragile baby chameleons can be) Anyways, I am pretty sure that is how she got the bruises on her feet and arm. About three days after I noticed the arm bruising, I noticed a bruise forming on her right eye. I talked to a vet and they said to monitor it closely but it should go away. Two days after that she started holding her eye closed which told me it hurt but what was weird is that it was not swollen. Today, I noticed a tiny bruise forming on her left eye. I am worried and don’t really know what to do because I know it’s not normal. She is eating 3 little grasshoppers a day and drinking plenty. She poops regularly and hunts her own grasshoppers really well. I have the humidity where it’s supposed to be and the temperatures. I have a UV light and she has lots of branches to climb on. I am curious on what is causing these bruises and why they aren’t really healing. I could really use some tips on what to do. (Also, her ribs were showing pretty bad when I first got her, she has thickened up a lot but there is still a tiny tiny shadow where you can see her ribs, I just don’t want any of yall to think that she isn’t eating enough)
 

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Omgggg such a cutie!!! We LOVE little pink mittens around here! 😍 welcome to both you and Koko. So there isn’t a ton you can really do for bruising. Some more experienced keepers may jump in with some advice on that. I do believe little ones should be eating more than 3 bugs a day tho. Would you be open to a husbandry review just to make sure you have everything perfect for your sweet girl? If so, I’ll post the form for you. I’m so sorry this happened to your baby. That makes me so angry they would do that.
 
Gloriawood said:
Omgggg such a cutie!!! We LOVE little pink mittens around here! 😍 welcome to both you and Koko. So there isn’t a ton you can really do for bruising. Some more experienced keepers may jump in with some advice on that. I do believe little ones should be eating more than 3 bugs a day tho. Would you be open to a husbandry review just to make sure you have everything perfect for your sweet girl? If so, I’ll post the form for you. I’m so sorry this happened to your baby. That makes me so angry they would do that.
Click to expand...
I’m totally open for that, thank you for the advice and support.
 
MissSkittles said:
Hi and welcome. :) I’m not so sure that those are bruises. Your little one is a translucent and they can develop dark areas, but since I’ve never had one, I’ve no idea of the timeline.
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What does it mean if they are translucent? I’ve never heard of it before.
 
Awesome!! Here is the form. Just copy and paste into a reply and fill in with as much info as you can. We will review it and give feedback. Everyone here is super helpful and kind. We are so glad to have you!

Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.


Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?


Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.



--------------



Please Note:

  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
 
KayMcAraw said:
What does it mean if they are translucent? I’ve never heard of it before.
Click to expand...
So translucent chams have different coloring. You may also see them referred to as piebald chameleons. They can have patches of pink, white, black and I’ve even seen some awesome orange and yellows. There is a keeper here (@Andrew1283) with a gorgeous male translucent with a lot of orange. Maybe he can give you some more info on them. I’m not super familiar.
 
Awww what a cutie! Translucent could also be known as piebald. Pretty much those pink areas are lacking pigment, causing them to be pink instead of a normal green.
I think you have a high expression translucent especially if that much of the legs and if some of the face has pink.

I have a lower expression translucent girl, and she started to have some of her pinks turn to white and black around a year old.
Here she was below, one of her back legs was starting to turn more black than pink.
IMG_7476.jpeg


And here she is today, a lot more color differences especially in her front right leg.
IMG_3838.jpeg



But ya, would love to see some more photos of you chameleon! Welcome to the pink mitten club 🤗😉
 
Ghostbirb said:
Awww what a cutie! Translucent could also be known as piebald. Pretty much those pink areas are lacking pigment, causing them to be pink instead of a normal green.
I think you have a high expression translucent especially if that much of the legs and if some of the face has pink.

I have a lower expression translucent girl, and she started to have some of her pinks turn to white and black around a year old.
Here she was below, one of her back legs was starting to turn more black than pink.
View attachment 353641

And here she is today, a lot more color differences especially in her front right leg.
View attachment 353642


But ya, would love to see some more photos of you chameleon! Welcome to the pink mitten club 🤗😉
Click to expand...
Thank you so much, I’m so relieved to learn that it’s now bruising.
 
Gloriawood said:
Awesome!! Here is the form. Just copy and paste into a reply and fill in with as much info as you can. We will review it and give feedback. Everyone here is super helpful and kind. We are so glad to have you!

Chameleon Info:

  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.


Cage Info:

  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?


Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.



--------------



Please Note:

  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful.
Click to expand...
1. Veiled chameleon, female, 2 months old. I’ve had her for two ish weeks.
2. I only handle her when needed cause I know it can be stressful especially since she’s in a new environment
3. I feed her live crickets, usually at least 3 a day, one in the morning and two in the evening.
4. I use Reptivite vitamins with D2, I put them on my crickets every time I feed them to my chameleon.
5. I have an automatic misting system, it goes off every hour for 45 seconds. I also have a little fountain that gives the sense of a natural water source, I see her drink from that the most.
6. Her droppings are a tan-ish color or a brown, yes she has been tested
7. Additional info is that she was not fed very well when I bought her, her ribs were very visible. Since I’ve gotten her, she has thickened up a lot and now you can only see a little shadow of the ribs.

Cage info
1. I have a glass screen combo, the walls are glass and the roof is screen. It’s 3 feet wide in the front, 1 1/2 long on the sides, and 2 1/2 feet tall.
2. I don’t know the brand but I have a 30 inch UV light across the top followed by a 75watt basking light. I wake up around 7am, turn the lights on and turn them off around 9:30ish at night.
3. My temp is usually 80 or above at the very top/ closest to the basking bulb and farthest away at the bottom it is 67. I have a night time heat bulb so the lowest it gets overnight is 70 degrees. I have a device in the cage that tells me the temps.
4. My humidity is kept around 70%, I keep it there by misting every hour. I measure it by having a device in the tank that tells me the humidity percentages.
5. I am using live plants since I have a bioactive terrarium. I don’t know the specific names of the plants.
6. My tank is in the corner of my room across from my window, it’s not in a high traffic area. It is about 3 1/2 feet off of the ground.
7. I am located in Idaho.

I do not have many concerns anymore since I’ve just learned that she is a translucent chameleon which is so cool. I do have a question though, should you let them hunt their food instead of hand feeding it to them? When I say hunt I mean put the crickets in the cage and let my chameleon eat them herself. And, should I get her used to handling? If you have any tips for just general care that would be amazing.
 
Breaking this into two parts.
1. Veiled chameleon, female, 2 months old. I’ve had her for two ish weeks. Are you certain she’s a she? Males will have protruding little nubs on their back feet called tarsal spurs. If in doubt, post a clear pic of her back heels. I think she looks maybe a little older than 2 months, but only by maybe a month or so. I’ll base my suggestions on an age of 3 months.
2. I only handle her when needed cause I know it can be stressful especially since she’s in a new environment Yes! You will want to start working on building trust with her. While she may never be ‘friendly’ and come out onto your hand on her own, trust is still important. This is a great blog to go by. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/
3. I feed her live crickets, usually at least 3 a day, one in the morning and two in the evening. Variety is always best and at her age, she needs to be fed much much more than that. Many on line vendors sell species specific variety packs, which are great if you have only 1-2 insect eaters. Do check the forum sponsors and the graphics below. https://www.chameleonforums.com/sponsors/?tag=food For her age, she should be getting at least 15-20 appropriately sized feeders once a day in the morning. For size, anything larger than the space between her eyes is too big. My personal preference is to feed a bit smaller and just give a little extra. It’s also very important that the insects be as healthy and well fed as possible, so that they are more nutritious. You don’t need to specifically gutload, but instead just keep your bugs well fed. The orange cubes, jelly pots and most of those things are very poor for nutrition. I feed my bugs a variety of fresh veggies, greens and a little fruit plus the occasional bit of Repashy Bug Burger.
4. I use Reptivite vitamins with D2, I put them on my crickets every time I feed them to my chameleon. Reptivite with D3 is a great multivitamin and D3 combo product, but is to be used only one feeding every other week. It contains preformed vitamin A and D3, both of which are fat soluble (meaning not excreted quickly) and can quickly build up to toxic levels. Stop using this for at least 3-4 weeks. Use only a phosphorus free calcium without D3 lightly dusted on every feeding. You’ll continue to use this for every feeding except when using the ReptiVite with D3. Repashy Supercal nod is a good one. https://www.amazon.com/Repashy-SuperCal-NoD-Oz-JAR/dp/B00N3BKCGA?th=1
5. I have an automatic misting system, it goes off every hour for 45 seconds. I also have a little fountain that gives the sense of a natural water source, I see her drink from that the most. You need to adjust your mister to mist for longer (2 minutes at least if able) and less frequently. The ideal is for right before lights go on and off. If needed, you can add a brief 1 minute misting mid day or use a dripper if so inclined for about 15-20 minutes. It’s important to let the enclosure dry out during the day. If your night time temps are consistently below at least 68, you can and should use a fogger/humidifier for a few hours in the late night/early morning to simulate the natural hydration they get from fog in the wild.
6. Her droppings are a tan-ish color or a brown, yes she has been tested It’s always a good idea to have a fecal and general wellness visit. Gives a chance to meet your vet too and hopefully you’ll never need to see him/her again. 🙏
7. Additional info is that she was not fed very well when I bought her, her ribs were very visible. Since I’ve gotten her, she has thickened up a lot and now you can only see a little shadow of the ribs. Where did you get her from? Most pet stores have substandard care and little knowledge of chameleons and the sources for getting their veileds is usually questionable. :( Unfortunately, there are no specific breeders of veileds in the US as it isn’t a profitable business. The closest trusted source I’m aware of is Fram’s Chams, who occasionally breeds veileds. Most usually come from reptile ‘mills’, farmed or wild caught from Florida or ‘backyard’ breeders.
IMG_0151.jpeg
IMG_0005.jpeg
 
Cage info
1. I have a glass screen combo, the walls are glass and the roof is screen. It’s 3 feet wide in the front, 1 1/2 long on the sides, and 2 1/2 feet tall. That size is ok for now, and the depth and width are fine, but the height is not. For an adult veiled the minimum suggested size is 2x2x4’. Whether to have glass, screen or hybrid usually depends on your environment. Glass is best or those who have a very dry climate/encironment. Screen is best for those who have high humidity. Hybrid is best for just about everybody. Options vary in cost and quality - from the budget ReptiBreeze XL or DIY (which I think is better than ReptiBreeze). https://www.diycages.com/collection...ducts/sc4-48x24x24-jumbo-vertical-screen-cage to great quality Dragon Strand https://dragonstrand.com/ to the luxury of Tamura https://tamura-designs.com/ and a few in between.
2. I don’t know the brand but I have a 30 inch UV light across the top followed by a 75watt basking light. I wake up around 7am, turn the lights on and turn them off around 9:30ish at night. I am going to make you look at the end of your uvb bulb where it should be written what brand, size and strength. These are essential to know. Take a pic and post it would be best. The ideal is a T5, either Arcadia 6% or ReptiSun 5.0. With these, there needs to be a distance of 8-9” between the light and the basking branch for your cutie to get the needed uvb levels. Try a 12 hour on/off schedule so she can get all of her needed sweet dreams and beauty sleep. Timers make life easier.
3. My temp is usually 80 or above at the very top/ closest to the basking bulb and farthest away at the bottom it is 67. With little ones and our girls, we never want their temps to go any higher than 80. If you have your lights sitting on top of the screen, you’ll be needing to elevate them above it by at least a few inches to prevent burns - little ones can and will walk upside down along the screen top and by the time they feel the heat, they are burned. This should lower your basking temp perfectly. When she’s older/bigger and unable to play spider-cham, you can place your lights on the screen top but try a 60w bulb for basking. I have a night time heat bulb so the lowest it gets overnight is 70 degrees. You want a significant drop in temp at night and below 70 is great. Veileds can handle temps as low as the 50’s, but I’d say to not intentionally cool her below 60. I have a device in the cage that tells me the temps.
4. My humidity is kept around 70%, I keep it there by misting every hour. I measure it by having a device in the tank that tells me the humidity percentages. This is too high. She needs humidity between 30-50% during the day. High heat plus high humidity increases risks for respiratory infections. Add in the lesser ventilation of an all glass enclosure and it’s very high risk. I forgot to tell you before, but I’m afraid the water fountain needs to go. :( Even though we like them and your girl is drinking from it, not only is it increasing humidity but no matter how well they are kept clean, they become bacterial breeding grounds. Loose cricket walks on poo, jumps in fountain and now it’s bacterial soup. 🤢
5. I am using live plants since I have a bioactive terrarium. I don’t know the specific names of the plants. Yay! Live plants! Yay! Bioactive! For unknown reasons, our veiled beauties enjoy nibbling to devouring their plants, so this is why all live plants is best, but they also need to be safe. Pothos is your new best friend. This will help quite you for plants and hopefully ID what you have. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/ We can probably help you figure out what they are too and I’d love to see how you have your bioactive set up. Are you new to bioactive? Please take no offense, but I just want to ensure you’re set up properly and will succeed. Also, just so you know, it is very possible to have a bioactive in an all screen enclosure. I use root pouches, which are perfect. If/when you need or want a little help setting up her big girl enclosure bioactively (or regular), just ask. :) Also, when the time comes, Dragon Strand Ledges are awesome.
6. My tank is in the corner of my room across from my window, it’s not in a high traffic area. It is about 3 1/2 feet off of the ground. Yes. Height is safety for our arboreal companions. They prefer when they can look down upon us and the world.
7. I am located in Idaho.

I do not have many concerns anymore since I’ve just learned that she is a translucent chameleon which is so cool. I do have a question though, should you let them hunt their food instead of hand feeding it to them? When I say hunt I mean put the crickets in the cage and let my chameleon eat them herself. I advise against just setting feeders loose for a couple of reasons. First is they can and will walk over her poo and that’s not good. Uneaten crickets will get hungry at night and take bites of your girl. There are a few different feeding stations available. I like the shooting gallery. https://tkchameleons.com/products/shooting-gallery?variant=30018608595032 (Also available thru Rainbow Mealworms) Some like the lunch log style. https://sunsetchameleons.com/product/chameleon-feeder/ or Full Throttle’s design. https://www.fullthrottlefeeders.com/ Plus a few others which are all similar and can be found in varied places. And, should I get her used to handling? If you have any tips for just general care that would be amazing. I’ve given you so very much info already and don’t want to overwhelm you. However, it is important that you be aware that your sweet girl will produce and lay eggs eventually and because of this, you’ll need to make sure your care is as perfect as possible to prevent and reduce risks of laying problems and take measures to reduce her egg production (or even stop it completely). It’s a bit early right now, but this will help. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/veiled-chameleon-laying-101.2488/
For learning so much more and especially the ‘why’ of our husbandry, do check out https://chameleonacademy.com/ There is a husbandry program, species specific guidelines, diy projects, podcasts, videos and an e zine. Another fantastic source is https://www.neptunethechameleon.com/ Of course, the forum is a great place to learn, ask questions/get individual help from lots of members, share pics and news of your sweetie and meet some awesome people. :)
 
Gloriawood said:
So translucent chams have different coloring. You may also see them referred to as piebald chameleons. They can have patches of pink, white, black and I’ve even seen some awesome orange and yellows. There is a keeper here (@Andrew1283) with a gorgeous male translucent with a lot of orange. Maybe he can give you some more info on them. I’m not super familiar.
Click to expand...
Tony the Tiger is my favorite of my boys and I don’t care who knows it. He gets black patches on his white/pink arms that look like injuries but they’re not. He’s a wonderful angel
 
Here’s my dude. He displays some black on his casque and legs when he’s having some feelings. It can be mistaken for injuries. Also warning…they can do this cell phone esque vibration thingy when you hold them. It’s supposed to be a warning and if you don’t know to expect it, you may think it’s an electric shock. Pretty sure it’s meant to send a signal along the branch to rivals so as to say, hey pal…feel that vibration….yeah it’s pretty strong and guess what, I’m big and healthy enough to do that and I can ruin your day if you come closer. I just think it’s adorable, sorry Tony!
 

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Andrew1283 said:
Here’s my dude. He displays some black on his casque and legs when he’s having some feelings. It can be mistaken for injuries. Also warning…they can do this cell phone esque vibration thingy when you hold them. It’s supposed to be a warning and if you don’t know to expect it, you may think it’s an electric shock. Pretty sure it’s meant to send a signal along the branch to rivals so as to say, hey pal…feel that vibration….yeah it’s pretty strong and guess what, I’m big and healthy enough to do that and I can ruin your day if you come closer. I just think it’s adorable, sorry Tony!
Click to expand...
Spaghetti has done the vibration thing a few times. It’s so weird!
 
@Andrew1283 said…”Also warning…they can do this cell phone esque vibration thingy when you hold them. It’s supposed to be a warning and if you don’t know to expect it, you may think it’s an electric shock. Pretty sure it’s meant to send a signal along the branch to rivals so as to say, hey pal…feel that vibration….yeah it’s pretty strong and guess what, I’m big and healthy enough to do that and I can ruin your day if you come closer. ”…
And @Gloriawood said…”Spaghetti has done the vibration thing a few times. It’s so weird!”…

One of the first people to study these vibrations was KENNETH E. BARNETT…(he also studied mating males “massaging” females in their sides)..
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1447408

You might be interested in reading these sites..
“veiled chameleons produced vibrations under dominance and mating behavioral contexts.”…
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses/718/
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1725&context=stu_hon_theses

One more…
https://www.agchamaeleons.de/en/wie-und-wann-jemenchamaeleons-vibrieren/
 
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