Help?

[RandalCham]

So. I got a veild chameleon aabout a week ago i had been looking into getting one for a few years as i have kept reptiles in the past ( snakes/ geckos/ beardies/ skinks) and still keep geckos but anyway.

I dont feel as if his previous owners was looking after him. He had a 100W watt bulb , which i have replaced with a 75watt ( ill get to that in a minute), im not too sure on the UVB bulb its an exo terra white light bulb of some kind i will check it tomorrow ( if you can check for the wattage on the bulb ) , hes in a 2.5ftX1.5ftX1.5ft which i am going to upgrade to a 4ft tall ( maybe 6ft) screen cage. They used to just put a whole box of locusts in once a week and thats all he ate. Im feeding him a couple crickets and a couple everyday ( which i gut load ) and he loves wax worms. Ive dusted his crickets and loxusts once or twice as i gut load them.


Im concerned as he has 2 black patches on each side which im sure are burns and he is missing a few spikes on top of his spine. He has had some shed on his side since before i first seen him ( i put a deposit on him for a week before i brought him and went to see him ) and its still not gone. I was told a warm cotton bud gently would help but he is agressive and hissis and lunges if i out my hand near him and i dont want to stress him out. I will get some photos after work tomorrow if needed. Thank you, randal will appreciate your advice im sure

 

[Beman]

Hi there and welcome!
I would not attempt to wipe away anything on him. If it is stuck shed it will hurt. if it is a burn healing it will hurt.
Attach photos and fill out this help form so we can better assist you and make sure you were given the correct info.

As for the UVB lighting if it is a coil screw in bulb then it needs to be immediately upgraded to a T5HO fixture and a 10.0 zoomed bulb or a 12% arcadia bulb. Lightyourreptiles carries fixtures and arcadia brand. The screw in uvb bulbs are virtually useless for Chams and as you know from your prior reptile keeping UVB is extremely important or you can have issues with MBD.

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.

 

[RandalCham]

I hope these help, i hope you guys can help me out with randal, just note i cannot afford anything too expensive for a few weeks until i get paid as i get paid monthly , i just couldnt bare to see him being treated the way he did and the way they used to just grab him out his cage while he is hissing ect. Even to an un experienced chameleon keeper, this was shocking.

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[Brodybreaux25]

Those lights have to go, thermal burns waiting to happen!

 

[Beman]

@Brodybreaux25 what about the prior burns from the past owner? See his spine and the patch on his sides where the shed is not coming off.

 

[JoXie411]

I agree I see at least 3 old burns

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Neosporin or Silver cream. I wouldn’t worry about the stuck skin, primary concern is infection prevention. You haven’t seen a Cham rage until you you’ve tried to clean a burn wound. None of the burns appear to be too bad but still the volume is concerning. He should see a vet.

 

[RandalCham]

Neosporin or Silver cream. I wouldn’t worry about the stuck skin, primary concern is infection prevention. You haven’t seen a Cham rage until you you’ve tried to clean a burn wound. None of the burns appear to be too bad but still the volume is concerning. He should see a vet.

Tbh i cant afford to take him to a special vet, ive never had to take any reptile ive had to the vet in the like 11 years ive been keeping them, i can however try soothhim with one of the creams you had mentioned, and should be able to sort his lights out, what are my main concerns? And i also dont wunna get bit by him, hes cute most the time but the thing scares hell out of me when it lunges hes gotten more used to me now tho as he doesnt hide when im around and he has eaten out of my hand, he also comes to the side of the cage for me to hydrate him as he doesnt use his dripper

 

[Graves923]

Main concern would be keeping the lights outside of the enclosure. Use a screen cage atleast 2' x 2' x 4' tall. You will need to adjust the heat bulb to be atleast 6 inches away from the highest basking branch and either change out the bulb with different wattages to get the desired basking temp or adjust the lamp height.

 

[RandalCham]

Appreciate that thank you, that will be my main priority, then a new t5 uvb strip light and some silver cream and and attempt to get it on him without stressing him out too much

 

[RandalCham]

Is this suitable?

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I know you said you can’t afford a vet but you came here to find out what you need to do, so again he needs a vet. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, if you don’t do it that’s on you.

I strongly encourage you to fill out the help form mentioned above, I can see he has other issues too.

 

[Beman]

As stated All lights should be on the outside of the cage... The compact uvb bulb is useless. You will need a T5HO fixture that runs the length of the enclosure. so being as how males should be in a 2x2x4 cage you will want a 24 inch fixture. The bulb you will need is a 10.0 bulb that is 22inches long. Then you will need a dome light fixture and a regular incandescent white light bulb for heat.

 

[Lennoncham]

ive never had to take any reptile ive had to the vet in the like 11 years ive been keeping them,

That is pretty great that you haven’t need a vet in 11 years. But chameleons are a world away from most reptiles.

 

[pi_and_peg]

I'm rather new to the world of chams, but even throughout the burns, getting the stuck shed off may just feel a bit better so I'd see if you could try to up his humidity a bit to help. Putting water directly on could help the shed stick to the skin. Also, from people I know that have had chams, usually keeping the lights at least 5 inches away helps prevent burns. Chameleons aren't very observant of when they're burning themselves so it's better safe than sorry.

 

[Lennoncham]

Neosporin or Silver cream. I wouldn’t worry about the stuck skin, primary concern is infection prevention. You haven’t seen a Cham rage until you you’ve tried to clean a burn wound. None of the burns appear to be too bad but still the volume is concerning. He should see a vet.

Would the cream work if applied over the stuck she’d skin? Like does it penetrate the skin layers?

Edit: I’m assuming the skin is stuck because of the burns and wouldn’t come off easy or until the burn heal so that’s why not to worry about it?

 

[pi_and_peg]

Ironically, I've had to use silver cream for burns on myself. From the human use of it, it will work through skin, but best for direct contact. For a human, you will want to have the amount of cream like you were icing a cake, so try to keep it a decent amount of cream for a cham but not too much. It should penetrate the stuck shed, but I was just proposing it cause I can't imagine stuck shed like that feeling good. I feel even if all the burns can't be healed, getting that shed off may make him feel a bit better.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Would the cream work if applied over the stuck she’d skin? Like does it penetrate the skin layers?

Edit: I’m assuming the skin is stuck because of the burns and wouldn’t come off easy or until the burn heal so that’s why not to worry about it?

Yes, the entire surface right there is dead so it’s not going to respond to shedding like the undamaged parts. It will penetrate the top layer of skin. Apply to the area completely but there shouldn’t be any excess one him when done. The skin will come off on its own within a day or two after applying the cream. No need to torture him for no reason. On top of that it sounds like the OP is terrified of him, so one of them will likely walk away bleeding! Just put the meds on and let him go.

If the skin doesn’t let go in a day or two he will need a vet to have the areas debrided.

 

[RandalCham]

I know you said you can’t afford a vet but you came here to find out what you need to do, so again he needs a vet. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, if you don’t do it that’s on you.

I strongly encourage you to fill out the help form mentioned above, I can see he has other issues too.View attachment 231575

Im from the UK , do you know the UK equivalent?

 

[Brodybreaux25]

No just search for the active ingredient