Help! yellow lumps

[Louise]

okaay i get that i need to make changes i understand what the problem is
can i please have advise on how to make them!
im in northern ireland and yes it is cold, every reptile shop here keep thier chams in the enclosure and have the lights inside. i dont know how i can have them outside without changing enclosure which would lead to loss of mositure and temperture.

 

[chamelisa]

okaay i get that i need to make changes i understand what the problem is
can i please have advise on how to make them!
im in northern ireland and yes it is cold, every reptile shop here keep thier chams in the enclosure and have the lights inside. i dont know how i can have them outside without changing enclosure which would lead to loss of mositure and temperture.

It really helps to know where you're at. We could brainstorm and find a way to enclose that light to keep your chameleon at a safe distance.

 

[alhickabee]

Since the enclosure isn't sitting in front of me and the pictures don't really show how its constructed the easiest way to to get those light out of there IMO would be to cut a large hole in the top, cover with screen and place the lights on top. A clap light fixture with a 40 or 60w incandescent is all you need for heat and a reptisun 5.0 linear UVB bulb in a florescent fixture. To deal with the loss of heat and humidity a small space heater and humidifier next to the cage should suffice. Ambient temp during the day needs to be in the mid to high 70s with a basking spot in the low 90s. If the humidity is above or around 30-40% then its good enough.

As for supplying water, you need to mist 2-3 times a day for 2-5 minutes. A dripper works well but does not replace misting, search there are many different methods for making one. An automated misting system is really the way to go.

For everything else read: http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
It has 99% of everything you could want to know about caring for a veiled and IS the proper way to care for a veiled.

I'm happy to help answer your questions but you gotta ask them. With plenty of research it's not hard to figure out what the proper husbandry entails. We all are still learning and developing perfect husbandry, even the most experienced members.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Since the enclosure isn't sitting in front of me and the pictures don't really show how its constructed the easiest way to to get those light out of there IMO would be to cut a large hole in the top, cover with screen and place the lights on top. A clap light fixture with a 40 or 60w incandescent is all you need for heat and a reptisun 5.0 linear UVB bulb in a florescent fixture. To deal with the loss of heat and humidity a small space heater and humidifier next to the cage should suffice. Ambient temp during the day needs to be in the mid to high 70s with a basking spot in the low 90s. If the humidity is above or around 30-40% then its good enough.

As for supplying water, you need to mist 2-3 times a day for 2-5 minutes. A dripper works well but does not replace misting, search there are many different methods for making one. An automated misting system is really the way to go.

For everything else read: http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
It has 99% of everything you could want to know about caring for a veiled and IS the proper way to care for a veiled.

I'm happy to help answer your questions but you gotta ask them. With plenty of research it's not hard to figure out what the proper husbandry entails. We all are still learning and developing perfect husbandry, even the most experienced members.

Agreed. Potentially cut a second vent near the bottom third on the back or on the side. Positioning the heat bulb in the back corner of the top (outside the cage) will help with natural convection circulation, drawing fresh cooler air in through the lower vent and rising out the top.

 

[Louise]

okay thankyou, ive think i can easily cut through into the top and cover it with mesh then place the buld on top what would o do with the UVB light thats inside? is that harmful. for now ive moved the tree he basks on further away so he can get as close. I do mist 2-3 times a day but i though ordering an automanic one would be benefitical. going to see about heaters/ humidity tomorrow
His blisters are healing already theres only one small one now.

 

[alhickabee]

Yes put the UVB on top. He can potentially burn himself on that too, though not as easily as the heat lamp.

 

[Louise]

just a quick update
got a family friend who is a reptile vet in our local zoo to come out and have a look at him and his enclosure. he had healed by then but still wanted him cheaked out.
he says that he was burnt by the light from being in contact with it, since hes got bigger recently i havent noticed how close he could get and he must of rubbe agaisnt it.
but the vet says that its best to keep the light inside the enclosure since its cold here but think about getting a cage around it or if i feel the need to take it out and put a stronger one on top of mesh outside the cage when hes a little older.
he also said ventalation is fine but if i were to get more plants in extra ventilantion may have to be put in. Also the substrate he says is good since it stops bracteria from feces growing.
with the water dish he says that its best to keep it there since the cham is use to drinking out of it (thats why i kept it there orginaly as where i got him from had him drinking that way) it wont harvest bracteria if its cleaned every day.. many other reptiles drink like this and dont get sick.

he also told me that cham owners often take too much procausions with thier pets, and to stop worrying too much they are strong reptiles too.

Thanks for all your help!

written quickly sorry if any spelling errors

 

[Sancho]

just a quick update
got a family friend who is a reptile vet in our local zoo to come out and have a look at him and his enclosure. he had healed by then but still wanted him cheaked out.
he says that he was burnt by the light from being in contact with it, since hes got bigger recently i havent noticed how close he could get and he must of rubbe agaisnt it.
but the vet says that its best to keep the light inside the enclosure since its cold here but think about getting a cage around it or if i feel the need to take it out and put a stronger one on top of mesh outside the cage when hes a little older.
he also said ventalation is fine but if i were to get more plants in extra ventilantion may have to be put in. Also the substrate he says is good since it stops bracteria from feces growing.
with the water dish he says that its best to keep it there since the cham is use to drinking out of it (thats why i kept it there orginaly as where i got him from had him drinking that way) it wont harvest bracteria if its cleaned every day.. many other reptiles drink like this and dont get sick.

he also told me that cham owners often take too much procausions with thier pets, and to stop worrying too much they are strong reptiles too.

Thanks for all your help!

written quickly sorry if any spelling errors

does this vet do LSD also?

 

[leid]

Uh.

This doesn't sound like that herp vet has had experience with many chameleons before.
What people have told you on here is good advice. They have had cham experience for years, and some have had fatalities due to similar environment mistakes as seen in this thread. I know this herp vet comes off as "professional", but I doubt by what he told you he's studied or seen any chameleons.

 

[Eric Adrignola]

He's not crazy, just in a different area. Ventilation is important, but if you're in northern Ireland, the chameleon will freeze to death or die from a respiratory infection before it matters.

The chameleon shouldn't touch the lights - in or out of the cage doesn't matter as long as it's safe. Clearly, it's not safe where it is. Put a guard around it or something. this burn will happen again.

The water bowl is fine as long as you change it daily. Most veileds will learn to drink from them. Also, most will learn to crap right in them. They get slimy and nasty in a day or so, and are usually not worth the trouble. He still needs spraying, but the bowl is ok if it's cleaned. All my veileds, back in the day, were drinking from water bowls. It's fine, really. Just a pain to change every day. Since spraying is necessary, most people will find that it's best to just spray.

 

[Louise]

hahaa i knooww
havent taken much of his advise gonna get the lights out and the water dish once hes happily drinking from the drip system and through misting.

but i have noticed cham care is very different in europe and the UK compared to america and both keep happy healthly chameleons.

I have other reptiles and i have to say that i do worry and fuss over my cham the most

 

[leid]

It's really a toss up, Louise.

Somehow some chameleons live through inadequate husbandry just fine. Others are sensitive enough to become sick and even die from it. Each chameleon is slightly different, and that has to be taken into account.

The responsibility of the owner is to erase any potential harm that can come to chameleons in their environment. All of the advice given and husbandry setup methods are based off of experiences with the behavior of their chams. Since someone's cham has had [insert various injury, ailment, behavior], there is a chance this could happen to yours.

It's all about precaution.

 

[Louise]

yeah i understand that, but its the same with most reptiles and animals. there are so many things that can go wrong and so many ways you can do somthing right. but definatly i would say with chameleons owners seem to be a lot more careful to do things right.

I do think that caring for any reptile is like you said up to the owner to watch out and fix anything that would cause harm using advise from other owners. and thats definatly helped me. but i know people will be angry with me using the water dish but that is what hes also been use to from birth, and its ging to take a while longer to change that. this is one of those time were i the owner is going to go agaisnt advice because of the history ive had with him (were he wouldnt drink form anything else and looked for the dish)

 

[WelshOneEmma]

Hi Louise,

I have exactly the same set up as you, and my vet (who does have a lot of exotics and herp experience before anybody chimes in that vets dont know anything) has said that the set up is fine for our climate and temperatures. As the enclosures do have ventilation holes (people look at the sides) this provides enough ventilation to avoid stagnant air. I also have the lights in the enclosure, and as long as you keep an eye on temps and how close the cham can get, i think its ok. I know that a few of the UK members of this forum will not talk about their enclosure for fear of the reaction, some of it quite brutal and insulting, you can get from other forum members, especially ones who don't understand how different things are in the UK. My all time favourite response was "why do you suppose you are so behind us when it comes to chameleon care" - like we are stuck in the dark ages!

 

[Louise]

haha i knooww, felt terrible when i put pictures of my enclousure up and got shouted at. but the poor thing would be freezing if he was in mesh. dont like the lights being inside though since he has got burnt soo going to have to fix that somehow..
dont think people outside UK realise that literlty what we have is pretty much the only enclosure avaible.. all in which have lights inside.
suppose its just like when i see people with snakes in plastic drawer like containers

 

[WelshOneEmma]

We are drawing up plans to build a new enclosure for him, and we will still be putting the lights inside. I don't like the flex ones you can buy, and i think that when they have loads of lights over them they can look a little ugly, so as much as everyone will hate it, we will still have the lights inside!

 

[sandrachameleon]

Hey now, not everyone "jumps down throats" about various cage designs.

Notice my post above where I say: "Also, it is not a "rule" that you must use a screen cage for housing a chameleon. The truly important thing is maintaining the correct environment within whatever enclosure is used."

I live where its cold too. I dont use screen cages either. But that doesnt mean all the advice you get here is bad advice.

I couldnt see ventilation holes in the picture - if they are there, GOOD.

I would still house the light outside the cage, shining in. Your homes are unlikley to go below 15C very often, so "its so cold here" only goes so far - why risk burn injury if you dont have to?

Similarily, why risk nasty water bowl if you dont have to?

 

[WelshOneEmma]

Hey now, not everyone "jumps down throats" about various cage designs.

Notice my post above where I say: "Also, it is not a "rule" that you must use a screen cage for housing a chameleon. The truly important thing is maintaining the correct environment within whatever enclosure is used."

I live where its cold too. I dont use screen cages either. But that doesnt mean all the advice you get here is bad advice.

I couldnt see ventilation holes in the picture - if they are there, GOOD.

I would still house the light outside the cage, shining in. Your homes are unlikley to go below 15C very often, so "its so cold here" only goes so far - why risk burn injury if you dont have to?

Similarily, why risk nasty water bowl if you dont have to?

I know you don't say "screen enclosure" all the time Sandra, and i am glad that someone with a lot of experience is able to say that. In talks with other people from the UK though they have said that they try not to mention their enclosures due to the response it usually illicites. I suppose if you aren't used to these enclosures, it's hard to see the ventilation holes. there are usually two at the bottom and two at the top. I don't use the excuse of 'it's cold' as my house is never cold (i will have the lounge at 27C somedays), but i dont like the flex screens that seem to be the only screen enclosures you can buy here, and we will make on to our requirements, meaning the light will be built in, but done safely so they can't burn themselves. I have learnt a lot from this forum and think its a godsend, but sometimes when you are feeling frustrated and guilty that you have hurt your pet, people can be a little hurtful with their responses. That's how i have felt sometimes and i'm sure others have too.Didn't mean to cause offence.

 

[Louise]

nooo i dont mean that saying about the enclosures is bad advice, or that any advice is bad at all, all the advice has been helpful and im very thankful for it. just think that it can be abit threatening when you have somthing different than everyone else.

I am going to take the lights out, i was planning to once he had gotten bigger and by him getting hurt was good sign that i left it too long.

right now i do have to have a water dish but its not dirty at all and is cleaned very very regulary throughout the day. I dont want him drinking out of it cause i am worried he may get an infection but from my experiance from taking it away he wouldnt drink from anything else. dont want him to dehyrate

 

[Syn]

This is pretty bad looking.. Get to the vet..

edit: computer malfunction - didn't see the second page. Sorry.