Help is this normal?

[jajeanpierre]

So just lower the basking branch? Will he be ok???

I would be more inclined to raise the bulb off the cage top. They often go up and hang under the light and can burn their bellies.

You won't know how much damage for a long time. What might appear normal might be quite dead and suddenly a big chunk of casque or scales will fall off. Look closely at the edges of the damage for swelling. In general, they heal up just fine but there will likely be permanent damage. It's not the end of the world.

Infection in a chameleon (and a bird) does not look anything like infection in a mammal. There is a dry, cheese-like (caseous) quality to what you would call "pus" in a mammal.

Just keep your eye on it. If the surface stays the same, i.e. doesn't puff up with something building up under the (likely) dead skin/scab don't worry. Don't be surprised if when it falls off, there is a big chunk missing. I'm not saying that is what is going to happen, but be prepared. If a big chunk fall off, look to see that what is underneath looks good. Scar tissue is often a grey color. Scales might eventually cover the scar, even is the damage is quite severe.

Keep it dry if you can. If you are going to put anything on it, put on silver sulfadiazine--it's what they use in burn units for people and doesn't damage tissue.

They can develop shedding problems on scarred patches, so you will have to be sure that doesn't develop into a problem. Dealing with a shed that is problematic is probably something I would have someone really experienced with reptiles teach you how to deal with it. You can do a lot of damage to skin around the time of a shed if you don't know what you are doing.

Burns are one of the reasons I think more people should think of species like quads and graciliors!--you can't burn them if you don't give them any additional heat!

Good luck.

 

[Boston Pitty]

Thanks for the info. I'll keep an eye on my litle guy. Is normal shedding bad or just from burns? Sorry if I ask a lot of questions. I've owned dogs, cats, birds, and been doing aquatic life for over 10+ years. Argo is my first reptile and I knew it wasn't going to be easy. Did research on Jacksons before I got Argo, but burning never came up on any of the list and guides.
Like I said most of the cages that I've seen domes and lights were right on he cage.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Thanks for the info. I'll keep an eye on my litle guy. Is normal shedding bad or just from burns? Sorry if I ask a lot of questions. I've owned dogs, cats, birds, and been doing aquatic life for over 10+ years. Argo is my first reptile and I knew it wasn't going to be easy. Did research on Jacksons before I got Argo, but burning never came up on any of the list and guides.
Like I said most of the cages that I've seen domes and lights were right on he cage.

Any time there is damage to the skin, there can be issues in getting the skin to shed properly. That difficulty may last for the life of the animal or might resolve itself in after one shed. It all depends.

 

[Curlytails]

Guys and girls, thank you for all of your combined knowledge. My lil dude is healing and most of his colouration is back! He looks quite happy and he isnt showing any signs of stress so i think i solved the problem before it got really bad. If any of you have questions on how hes doing in the future feel free to ask. Thank you all!

 

[jajeanpierre]

Guys and girls, thank you for all of your combined knowledge. My lil dude is healing and most of his colouration is back! He looks quite happy and he isnt showing any signs of stress so i think i solved the problem before it got really bad. If any of you have questions on how hes doing in the future feel free to ask. Thank you all!

Since this is your first reptile, I'll pass along a little tip: They don't always show any outward signs of stress even though they are horribly stressed.

Plus, you have to train your eye to what is a normal, healthy appearance and what is not. It isn't easy and takes time.

It helps to see a large numbers of chameleons in various states of poor and good health. I was lucky in one sense as I bought many many wild caught animals at once and could co-relate their growth rates with how they looked. Few people are able to watch and monitor large numbers of animals through time.

Stress does not always appear as dark animals. Extremely stressed animals can be quietly sitting on your hand and normally colored.