Please, is this just a burn peeling? What should I do?

E

emydee1

New Member
Ok, I ,have had "Ryland" for a year - never had any problems.. here are my specs...

2 years old male
all screen cage
24" x 18" x 36"
live ficus plant
feed him reptical loaded crickets, and sometimes superworms
eats fine, drinks fine (running fountain)

24" ESU UVB reptile bulb (7.5)
Tried numerous bulbs trying to get temp correct - currently have a 100w regular house bulb - no bulbs are in his cage! He can not touch or get close to any bulbs

So... probably 3 weeks ago, I noticed he had a black ridge along his back spines, then about a week later it seemed like it cleared up and then got really white around the ridge - now, two days ago, i saw that it seemed to be bleeding, and now as you can see from the pics attached, it looks like it's about to fall off, but it looks really raw - would I be ok to just use salvadine on him? I figured it is just a really bad burn - but I don't know how he got burned - I constantly checked temps (bottom is 70.2 and top -where his crest is is 90)... am I doing something wrong?? IMG_0013.jpg

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Yes, silvadene would be the ointment to use.

It definitely appears to be a bad burn. He is losing a good portion of his dorsal crest.

4 questions:
How far above his cage is the 100W bulb?
How close to that is his basking perch?
How cold does he get at night?
What is your lighting schedule?

Wow, his casque is very round, and he is storing quite a bit of fat in his cheeks. He must be a good eater.
 
From the top screen to the bulb is just about an inch.. from the screen to his vines are about 8 inches...From the top of his cast to the bulb is about 4 -5 inches... the temp does not go below 70 .. I have his lights on a 12 hour timer - 7:30 am to 7:30 pm
 
I would raise the bulb some, or lower his vines. Veileds get pretty tall and can arch their backs and get pretty close. Looks like he got too close, or sat there for too long (which can happen if their core temp gets deeply cold). While he is healing I would be very careful to keep him a safe distance from that bulb.

jannb said:
100 watt bulb seems too much....I only use a 40 and keep my guy about 87 to 88 for basking.
Click to expand...

I wondered that too. I do use a few 100 watt bulbs in our cham room, but they are for very large cages, and the basking areas are not as close as emydee1 describes.
 
Until you take him to the vet,and you should, to check for infection.
Clean it up and you can use the Silvadene cream. You do not want this to get infected.
 
jannb said:
100 watt bulb seems too much....I only use a 40 and keep my guy about 87 to 88 for basking.
Click to expand...

Yeah I thought it was a little high too - but I dont know if it's the thickness of the screen but I have held calibrated thermometers right under the light for a few minutes and it's like 90.

Is the UVB too strong? It says on the linear light that it is 7.5 - I heard that 10.0 is too strong and can also burn even though there is no heat - I feel really bad about this... I cried last night cause I don't want him in pain, even though he is moving/eating normally - I will call the vet tomorrow.
 
ewwwh... WE Got alot of of husbandry keeping to fix.

first off ditch the waterfall, you do not want that.
second add ALOT more plants, coverage for him to hide in.
3rd 100 watt bulb is way to much 40-60 watt bulbs max. 6"s-8"s down the vine should rest under, he should be able to escape the heat zone easly.


that looks like a super painful burn, i cringed.

id take him to the vet, make sure to get silvidine, and probably something to help prevent any infections.
 
Sang said:
ewwwh... WE Got alot of of husbandry keeping to fix.

first off ditch the waterfall, you do not want that.
second add ALOT more plants, coverage for him to hide in.
3rd 100 watt bulb is way to much 40-60 watt bulbs max. 6"s-8"s down the vine should rest under, he should be able to escape the heat zone easly.


that looks like a super painful burn, i cringed.

id take him to the vet, make sure to get silvidine, and probably something to help prevent any infections.
Click to expand...

OK, I changed the bulb to a 60 watt and moved it down halfway in the middle of the cage - the temp reading is 80.2 - this is too low for a basking light - see this is my issue!!!! I don't know how you get a totally screened tank to maintain 85-90 degrees with a 40-60 watt bulb ??? Sorry, I am getting frustrated - I feel horrible like a bad parent - I just want him healthy! :) I will get some more plants ASAP
 
.... I constantly checked temps (bottom is 70.2 and top -where his crest is is 90)...
Click to expand...

I know you say that you calibrated the bulb/temps, and that it was only around 90 at the basking spot, but something just isn't right. I have never seen a situation where a 100 watt bulb was acceptable at that distance. I would certainly seek the wattage range recommended of 40-60.

As for calibrating, maybe you did it correctly, but for the reader. You need an accurate stem thermometer. Tape it face up at a location above the basking spot that would mimic the dorsal ridge location of the basking chameleon (with the chameleon removed to another spot to allow your test). Leave it there for 10-15 minutes. That will give you an accurate reading, and you want to adjust the distance and wattage so that it is below 95 F at that hottest spot. Since there appear to be temperature issues here, I would aim for the upper 80's for now, giving yourself a better margin for error. Also, touch the screen directly below the light with your finger. If you can't hold your finger to the screen, then it is too hot also, regardless of your calibration. Part of the problem is that the wild chameleon can move 3 inches closer to the sun and its not a big deal. 3 inches closer to your light could be a real big deal ... to include screen hanging just below it, and can create all kinds of problems if the gradient is too steep.

If you can't get a preferred product like Silvadene, a common topical antibiotic cream will work in the interim. Hope he heals up just fine :)
 
Looks like you already have some good advice.

-ditch the water fall
-a LOT more plants
-It looks like it's not very high off the ground, it's recommended that the basking spot be at least eye level or higher
-and with the size of that cage a 40 watt would prob work to be on the safe side.
-My basking spots for my veileds are on the mid 80's range like 83-85
-He also looks like he's going to need a bigger cage any way so you might just want to invest in a bigger one, I'd recomment 4x2x2

I know you didn't do it on purpose and i just hope you do the best you can to make sure it doesn't happen again. We've all made husbandry mistakes some are just worst than others.
 
And just to clarify you only need a small area to get to 90f the rest of your cage can drop from that temp considerably to as low as 70f if its managable.
 
Let me clarify and maybe that will help the confusion... I am not using halogen spot light or anyother kind of reptile heat bulb now.. I am using regular old household lamp bulbs - I have tried the reptile spotlights, basking lights, 50 w, 75, w 100w, and either they are too weak or too strong (which i think he got the burn in the first place)- I think I am confusing people on what type of bulb I am using.... just a simple frosted 100w lamp bulb - the kind people use in their house lamps. Does that help? As for the calibrated thermometer, they are certified (I work in a lab), and I put the probe down on the floor of his tank for awhile and it read 70.2.. I put the probe on the vine under the light bulb and it read 82.4 (where his feet are), and at the cast of his head was reading 90.

Chameleon Company said:
I know you say that you calibrated the bulb/temps, and that it was only around 90 at the basking spot, but something just isn't right. I have never seen a situation where a 100 watt bulb was acceptable at that distance. I would certainly seek the wattage range recommended of 40-60.

As for calibrating, maybe you did it correctly, but for the reader. You need an accurate stem thermometer. Tape it face up at a location above the basking spot that would mimic the dorsal ridge location of the basking chameleon (with the chameleon removed to another spot to allow your test). Leave it there for 10-15 minutes. That will give you an accurate reading, and you want to adjust the distance and wattage so that it is below 95 F at that hottest spot. Since there appear to be temperature issues here, I would aim for the upper 80's for now, giving yourself a better margin for error. Also, touch the screen directly below the light with your finger. If you can't hold your finger to the screen, then it is too hot also, regardless of your calibration. Part of the problem is that the wild chameleon can move 3 inches closer to the sun and its not a big deal. 3 inches closer to your light could be a real big deal ... to include screen hanging just below it, and can create all kinds of problems if the gradient is too steep.

If you can't get a preferred product like Silvadene, a common topical antibiotic cream will work in the interim. Hope he heals up just fine :)
Click to expand...
 
Let me ask this, why ditch the waterfall? It's easy to clean, and he drinks every from it.. i guess i was just wondering why?

The cage is setting on a table, (not pictured) so the basking spot is about 5 feet off the ground

I do plan on getting a bigger cage - any recommendations on where to get them? I have looked at all the pet stores around here. Thanks

CHAMpion said:
Looks like you already have some good advice.

-ditch the water fall
-a LOT more plants
-It looks like it's not very high off the ground, it's recommended that the basking spot be at least eye level or higher
-and with the size of that cage a 40 watt would prob work to be on the safe side.
-My basking spots for my veileds are on the mid 80's range like 83-85
-He also looks like he's going to need a bigger cage any way so you might just want to invest in a bigger one, I'd recomment 4x2x2

I know you didn't do it on purpose and i just hope you do the best you can to make sure it doesn't happen again. We've all made husbandry mistakes some are just worst than others.
Click to expand...
 
emydee1 said:
Let me ask this, why ditch the waterfall? It's easy to clean, and he drinks every from it.. i guess i was just wondering why?

The cage is setting on a table, (not pictured) so the basking spot is about 5 feet off the ground

I do plan on getting a bigger cage - any recommendations on where to get them? I have looked at all the pet stores around here. Thanks
Click to expand...

Waterfalls are just a breeding grounds for bacteria especially when the water isn't changed every day or so. If he drinks from it and you change it and clean it every day than keep it in. The best place to get a cage is LLLreptile. You can get a nice screened in cage for about 80-90 bucks without shipping and they are very convinient. Please ignore my bad spelling : )
 
I put the probe on the vine under the light bulb and it read 82.4 (where his feet are), and at the cast of his head was reading 90.
Click to expand...

Well, all my experience with 100 watt household bulbs in domes is that they kick out a whole lot of heat. And something is wrong. I would not rely on a probe to measure basking temp, as I think probes do not measure basking temps so much as they do ambient temps, and there is a big difference. Kinda-sorta speculating here, but a good old stem thermometer in a holder, typical of what we stick outside our kitchen window or hang somewhere, is what you need to try. Face up. At the basking spot. Let the thermometer "bask", just like the chameleon, where its skin temp can rise well above the ambient temp. I just do not think probes can "bask". I have a hunch you will get very different readings. If not, then the problem will await a different solution :confused:
 
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