Not Sure if he is doing good?????HELP!

MOJO

New Member
First off.....i never see him drinking water... i mist the cage two to three times a day. and i fill the dripper two times a day, once in the morning and once later in the day. he does NOT like it when i mist him! its like he panics and runs, he has almost fell out of his plant trying to get away from it. also he has been having a problem with his eye...he doesnt open it very often....i have caught him rubbing it on a branch a few times. and he has developed a spot on his head and his back on just one side of his body, here is a pic. it looks like it is peeling....is it possible he could have been burnt from his lights....please help if you know anything about these simptoms. thank you
 

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well...let me explain. i went to a petsmart and they suggested getting a exoterra glass tank for him with the light that sit on top. then i found this site and everyone told me to get rid of the glass tank and get a cage and it seems that everything that petsmart told me was ALL WRONG for him. the lights were only about 3 to 4 inches away from him. but i took everthing back and this is his new home. but this spot appeared in his first tank.
 

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WOW. I definitly think its a burn. Don't know how you would help the chameleon. What wattage light is it?
 
The screen cage is great. Please describe the type, brand, and wattage of lighting you have there.
As for the burn, you need to see a vet.
 
well it looks like its starting to peel. i think he will be ok. i jus hope it doesnt scar him. the uvb is a 5.0, and i have a normal house 50w bulb. i figured it was a burn from his old glass tank. i think it is getting better though. i jus wanted to see if anyone else has ever seen this or has had it happen to them.

Im more concerned about his drinking and his eye....
 
First off.....i never see him drinking water... i mist the cage two to three times a day. and i fill the dripper two times a day, once in the morning and once later in the day. he does NOT like it when i mist him! its like he panics and runs, he has almost fell out of his plant trying to get away from it.
Are you misting him with warm water? They prefer very warm water. Also, how long are you misting him? It can take a while for some cham's drinking reflex to kick in. It is also possible he drinks his water after you walk away (we have a few that do that.)

also he has been having a problem with his eye...he doesnt open it very often....i have caught him rubbing it on a branch a few times.
The eye problem could be caused by several factors. When you mist him, be sure to lightly mist his eye areas so he can clean and service them. What type of food and supplements are you providing? Sometimes the eye problem stems from a lack of certain vitamins.

and he has developed a spot on his head and his back on just one side of his body, here is a pic. it looks like it is peeling....is it possible he could have been burnt from his lights....
Yes, I agree that it looks like a burn. What wattage light are you using now, and I didn't see a tube light in your photo. You aren't using a compact coil UVB light, are you. those are quite dangerous to chams. I don't know what cham owners do for burns, other than to take the cham to a vet. But there is likely a home remedy. You may want to use the search engine on this sight to see how this issue has been addressed in the past.

please help if you know anything about these simptoms. thank you

Nice looking cham, otherwise. Please, let us know how he progresses.
 
And misting......do some jus not like it or ?

Many chams do not like it at first. It can take a long time for them to get used to it. I do try to be very particular about the temperature of the water. And I start low in the cage and ease on up to the cham so he/she can see it coming and be mentally prepared for it. Whether they like it or not, it is simple reality that they have to have some form of water vapor applied to their enclosure. Hand misting is probably the most universally popular method.

We have a male veiled who hated misting. Ran from it in such a panic that he would almost hurt himself. Then he realized it wasn't so bad after all. But for a few weeks, he would still run like crazy from the misting, then suddenly stop and relax, as if to say "Oh, that's right, now I remember- I actually like this!" Now he stands under the warm mist like he can't get enough of it.
 
The compact bulb concerns me. As for the eye, he could have something in it, misting may help or it may not. The key to problems with chameleons is to not let it go on to long. That burn seems severe enough to warrant a Vet visit.
 
i use room warm temp water for misting, i usually keep my house temp at about 70. ill keep it up and start trying the warmer water.
as far as lights, i am useing a compact uvb light. i know, i know....but i keep getting mixed advice on the bulb. some say fine, some say bad. im still not sure.
his eye has gave him problems since day one. its like its off and on. i have owned him for about a month now and he is about 4 to 5 months old. (i think)
 
Excellent on the Vet trip. As far as the compact bulb-that may very well be the eye issue, esp. since he was so close to it in the other cage. I would certainly not take the chance on it. Spend the $20.00 to get a Reptisun tube.
 
i use room warm temp water for misting, i usually keep my house temp at about 70. ill keep it up and start trying the warmer water.
as far as lights, i am useing a compact uvb light. i know, i know....but i keep getting mixed advice on the bulb. some say fine, some say bad. im still not sure.
his eye has gave him problems since day one. its like its off and on. i have owned him for about a month now and he is about 4 to 5 months old. (i think)

Test the water on your wrist. It should be very warm, but not hot. Remember that it will cool quite a bit before it reaches your cham's body.

And, PLEASE, follow Julirs' advice and get rid of that compact flourescent. You will thank her later.

We rescued a male veiled cham that had a compact UVB bulb over his enclosure. He had burns on his shoulders, eyelid, and casque, dehydration, and his casque was shriveled and bent. We got him in September. The last of his scabs only fell off about 2 weeks ago. He took over 3 months to heal.
 
Hello
Sorry you were misled by.(big pet industry).We all hear way to much of those stories.I agree with the burn theory.If it is not showing any signs of dehydration it is drinking when your not looking like most reptiles they are designed to bring water to the mouth through the scales (ever see when they put an Australian thorny devil in a small pool of water) its really cool! Some experts think that the casque acts like a moisture colector for catching like dew.Some of thier region gets small rainfall for chams.
Some veileds Ive had dint drink allot of water.Where they come from their climate region varies in temp and rainfall. This is why they consume more plant matter than most chams. all of these are factors in what makes them considered hardy.

About the burn.Chams are pretty resilient when it comes to burns.In my experience make sure you let the scab fall off on its own. If it indeed a burn it will look worse long before it looks better.I would use neosporine (or any triple antibiotic) ointment. It helps sooth and heal also it helps the scab to come off so its easier on the cham.This is just my experience with this subject you really should take it to the closest herp related vet.
 

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About the burn.Chams are pretty resilient when it comes to burns.In my experience make sure you let the scab fall off on its own. If it indeed a burn it will look worse long before it looks better.I would use neosporine (or any triple antibiotic) ointment. It helps sooth and heal also it helps the scab to come off so its easier on the cham.This is just my experience with this subject you really should take it to the closest herp related vet.

I agree as i havent dealt with a burn with a cham. i have with a bearded dragon and i used typical nesporine on it and it evently got better alothough it started to look worse before it got better also if you notice any green or dark moldy looking skin like it formed a circle around the outside of the burn on my bearded dragon i put im not sure how safew it was but it worked and he is still alive almost 2 years later i used the anti fungal neosporine.Although this worked for me i would still say a vet would be best.
 
as for the scar i cant notice it on my dragon but it was very small like the size of a childs pinkie fingernail
 
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