missing scales? w black underneith??

[ny noob]

hey guys, thanks in advance for your time
i just got my lil guy four days ago and on the first day i noticed he was missing scales on his face. where he is missing scales there is a black layer showing. is this normal? or signs of somthin bad?
the breeder said they can somtimes hurt themself and paper towles can be abrasive.. which sounds kind of funny to me. the breeder said it would go away in a shed or two. he is eating and drinking fine. if any one has any info please help.
thanks again

 

[dodolah]

post a picture of your cham and your enclosure for better assessment
the black scab could be a sign of infection (i say "could be," so don't panic, yet)
also answer the Q in https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

tell us the brand of the lighting, cage, supplements, etc etc.
the more specific the better.

 

[joefarah]

sounds like he rubbed them (the scales) off his face, possibly on some rough screen or something. The paper towel thing sounds like BS. The black could just be dried out scabbing and is hopefully nothing to worry about. Take careful note of the extensiveness off the missing scales and black part and make sure that it isn't spreading, swelling, or changing colors. Under the right conditions it should all heal up and not affect the animal.

Pics would really help.

Hope it goes away!

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

sounds like he rubbed them (the scales) off his face, possibly on some rough screen or something. The paper towel thing sounds like BS. The black could just be dried out scabbing and is hopefully nothing to worry about. Take careful note of the extensiveness off the missing scales and black part and make sure that it isn't spreading, swelling, or changing colors. Under the right conditions it should all heal up and not affect the animal.

Pics would really help.

Hope it goes away!

Congratulations on the newest member of your family!

Ditto what Joefarah and Dodolah said. I would add this: when chams do a rub-off like that (usually on a screened enclosure), once the abrasion heals, it does leave a flat, scaleless, black area. This is normal and permanent (does not shed off). Although the appearance will become more subtle and "improve" over time. It is also (unfortunately) not unusual for veileds to do this to themselves. Is yours a veiled? Our male veiled, Guido, did this so much we were forced to raise him in a free range habitat. Which turned out to be quite cool, actually. (But we did first try tweaking every aspect of his enclosure to make him happy.)

But I agree with Joefarah- keep an eye on it and be certain the black area does not swell, ooze, open, or spread. If it does then you have a different prob altogether. As Dodolah said, posting a photo (with good clarity and resolution) would help a lot.

 

[reyesjoshuacruz]

look anything like this?

https://www.chameleonforums.com/help-open-wound-8039/

 

[ny noob]

yea i feel the paper towel is bull too. im working on taking ictures of his enclosure and of his face. and it dosnt look like the "help open wounds" i checked that as well. this literally looks like some scales fell off, theres is no scratching around it or damaged scales near it.
again thanks for your time guys. im working on pics now

 

[ny noob]

the little black spots are hard to see but the cell phone is all i have im sorry

as far as the other info which i should have posted first .. srry
cage type: reptarium 14x14x26
lighting: normal 60 watt bulb & a repti glo 5.0 compact fluorescent (curly cue)
temp: ambiant 80ish
humidity: 50-60
plants: live ficus, fake vines
and it is located in my room. on the opposite side of my window on an interrior wall. the door is shut all day
::chameleon info::
blue bar anilobe, three - four months old and male
i feed him 10-15 gut load crickets, every other day with calc dusting. i feed the crickets leafy greens and apples (so far, its only been four days since i had em)
i hand mist and use a high teck "hole in the bottom of a cup" dripper$$
and today i saw him drink for the first time. he's been eating like a champ btw.
i hope the pics ar helpfull and thanks again

 

[rein]

looks like scratches...should go away eventually. he looks very colorful.

 

[joefarah]

I wouldnt feel comfortable guessing what may have caused those black spots based on those pics...

I would like to express a bit of concern about the 60watt bulb placed directly on the screen like that though... he might burn himself while climbing upsidedown at the top of the cage.

 

[davider]

Kind of looks like a burn, try neosporin...

David

 

[Brad Ramsey]

A bit off topic .. but ... you're going to want to return that UVB light and get a Repti-sun 5.0 linear fluorescent tube.

-Brad

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

A bit off topic .. but ... you're going to want to return that UVB light and get a Repti-sun 5.0 linear fluorescent tube.

-Brad

Ditto.

What a cute guy. Nice size already.

The black spot does not appear to be in an area that typically gets rub damage. It is on a sloped area above the sinus cavity. Could be a burn. Could be a fungus. Could be a skin lesion related to some internal problem. You may want to get it checked out by a vet. As far as I could tell the photo was not clear enough to determine anything else.

 

[ny noob]

everyone.. thank you so much for all your input.
yea can see how burn might be a cause. i looked up pics of uv burn on chams and it really dosnt look like that at all. i will be taking him to a vet, he had this when i got him. so im assuming if it is damage its healed.. a guess. thank you, he is really color full right?? i cant wait to see him when he's older. i will be returning the bulb for the t8. i have an 18" fixture. humidity tends to be around 60, is this fine? the humidifier dosnt seem to be doing anything but make noise. some one told me to get a vicks ultra sonic hum. since they work great and are about 44 bucks. any objections with this???
anad again thank you everyone for your input