Jayibarra
New Member
My chameleon has orange goo on spine
- Thread starter Jayibarra
- Start date
Darthroastcoffee
Avid Member
Looks like it could possibly be an infection I would get him to the vet and see what they say
Jayibarra
New Member
Thank you so much for the help. Do you have any idea how it might have surfaced?
Darthroastcoffee
Avid Member
Looks like there’s something goin on with that section of spikes on his back could be a number of reasons how it came to be. I would get him to the vet befor it’s to late. In the mean time please fill out the “how to ask for help” form -
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
It looks like a burn with lymph fluid leaking out.
Why are there so many burns in the health section these days? I just read a thread and saw a burn so bad, it burned everything off the bones right through the rib cage and the legs. To the bones of the legs and feet and past the ribs to the internal organs.
Darthroastcoffee
Avid Member
Wow I don’t even want to look for that...
Darthroastcoffee
Avid Member
Anyway jayibarra how is your chameleon doing? Did you take him to see a veterinarian? What’s the news
Graves923
Chameleon Enthusiast
Just gonna add my two cents... Id recommend a vet visit. My cham had the same thing last year which I thought was a burn. Fluid like this was appearing for a day or two then went away and an infection appeared in the same spot under the skin. Had to have the fluid drained by the vet and put on baytril anitbiotic for two weeks.
But on a second look at the photo, the skin along his spines just under the shedding skin looks a bit discolored which could indicate a burn.
What are your enclosures temps? How far is the basking branch below the basking light?
But on a second look at the photo, the skin along his spines just under the shedding skin looks a bit discolored which could indicate a burn.
What are your enclosures temps? How far is the basking branch below the basking light?
Jayibarra
New Member
I took him to the vet and it was a burn. We prescribed him some burn cream and got him an antibacterial shot. Thanks for all the input. He is healthy aside from the whole burn situation
Jayibarra
New Member
Here’s the weird thing. The enclosures hottest point is only 80 degrees. So I thought it couldn’t have been that. But then I realized my Cham is about 5 inches from the heat bulb so maybe he was too close. Now he’s about 10 inches from the bulb
Jayibarra
New Member
I lowered all of the branches ^
Darthroastcoffee
Avid Member
What kind of cream did they give you?
Jayibarra
New Member
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Darthroastcoffee
Avid Member
That will help with infection also
Andee
Chameleon Enthusiast
Sulfidized cream is awesome. Ryker got burned again recently after not having issues for 2 years. And I still can't figure out why. I adjust his lights but his temps were the usual for him. I just don't know with him anymore. The burn will likely have issues shedding keep on top of it.
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Thermal burns don't just occur because of a specific temperature, they occur because the cham spends too much time directly exposed to that heat for too long. The skin will keep absorbing heat as long as that area is exposed too closely. Consider someone lying on a hot sunny beach without a shirt. They lie there for a few minutes, minimal burn. The longer they lie even if the actual temperature of the beach stays the same, the the worse the burn gets. Its also partly because of the UVA. Long enough and hot enough will cause tissue damage. To find out exactly how hot that cham's spine was getting under that basking light you'd have to measure the temp of the SKIN. It could be much hotter than you realize if you are only tracking it with a regular cased thermometer or probe hanging 6 inches away.
A big part of the problem is the manner in which we supply heat for a cham cage. Most people use a beam of light from a bulb; a fairly intense focused beam of heat. If you use a bulb that doesn't focus the beam as tightly it can help. That's why I switched to small floodlights instead of the typical herp industry "basking" bulbs many years ago, and also check the temps of the cham's skin while they are actively basking under them. Better to have a lower basking temp and the cham needing a bit longer to warm up than to have it too hot and deal with burns. They need to bask in order to raise the temperature of their internal organs, not the skin itself. They will get warm enough, it will just take longer if the basking area is a bit cooler. In the wild, most species of cham would not be exposed to unfiltered sunlight for hours. They warm up and then move away into part or full shade.
In our colder NA winter, the rest of the cage may be much cooler than we realize, so the cham tends to stick to their basking spot more of the day. This can predispose them to burns. A temp gradient in a cham cage is just that....a gradient from very warm to less warm, not very warm to too cold.
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Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
I wonder if the area that burned before is more prone to getting re-burnt. That damaged tissue is probably easier to injure again.
Molly1443
Established Member
It’s exactly like my Eddie. When I got him his burns were healed, but I think it did look exactly like this before. Eventually the burned tissue falls off... but he will heal if you are cautious about bacteria.
Here are some photos of Eddie. He is a sweetheart.
Good luck with your guy
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Harry The Cham
Established Member
Are you aware that his veiled is VERY swelled upIt’s exactly like my Eddie. When I got him his burns were healed, but I think it did look exactly like this before. Eventually the burned tissue falls off... but he will heal if you are cautious about bacteria.
Here are some photos of Eddie. He is a sweetheart.
Good luck with your guy
