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

[Sang]

as chameleon company said, a 100watt bulb puts out alot of heat.


i use a 60watt house bulb, and his branch is about 6"s from the light, the hottest spot is 85F.

also, you should have several branches in a stepping motion so he can pick the spot he likes most for heat.

the burn is definatly the result of BEING way to hot for WAY to long. that is a bad burn, but will heal with time , care.


the waterfall, will end up being more work then you bargained for, they look nice, but in reality they end up taking more to clean then you will want. i suggest an automated mister from kingmist.

 

[Dunnigan]

emydee1, when you are taking the temps it sounds like you are taking them AT the vine. This is where a problem can be. Your chameleons is tall and the temp you need to be taking is up off of the vine.

I had this problem with my male (he did not burn he was just gaping his mouth). I set the temps when he was a small guy and as he grew he grew up, closer to the light. I saw him gaping on day and used a infared thermometer gun to measure his back, it was several degrees higher than the vine.

So if you could, hold the thermometer where his back would be for 10-15 minutes you would get a very different result from the thermometer that is on the vine just a few inches below.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I agree that 100watt household incandescent bulb seems too much for that cage, assuming your average ambient room temp is somewhere around 20C / 71F. Perhaps get a cheap little digital thermometer (i like the ones that keep a reading of the high/low temp so you know what the temp got to while you were away/asleep) or a mercury stick kind and double-check the temp. A few more vines and a bigger plant might also help, by giving the chameleon alternative places to hang out. You might try using a dripper, and increased misting, and once he gets used to drinking from that you can get rid of the waterfall.

 

[Docility]

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

i agree the probes are normally silver tipped, and this reflects a lot of heat. The standard Thermometers like a mercury one has a red pigment in glass, and will hold heat in a lot better with out reflecting it away. and if a basking spot is say 80F they can turn black to absorb more heat, and can also increase their body temps by just soaking it in.

good resource for this info

http://exo-terra.com/flash/movies/exp_tanzania2008_premiere.php

alot of info/ some beautiful species of herps

 

[summoner12]

Hot!

I use 50w ZooMed spot lamps at a distance of 8" from the branch and my chams don't get burns and enjoy the basking area very much.

The pics you posted are of a healing wound. Do as Sandy said and use silvadene on it.

I went to a 75w from 50w and look what happened.....

This was taken a day after I realized my mistake.

He healed up just fine.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

As a rule of thumb for basking temps, stick the back of your hand at the maximum point where your chameleon's skin can reach the basking light. If it doesn't feel overly warm after a few minutes then you are likely to have a safe temp condition for your chameleon .

 

[Eric Adrignola]

To add to that - if there is ANYWHERE in the cage where it gets too hot for your hand - it is too hot. Given time, chameleons will find their way tot hat spot, somehow, even if it's above their normal basking perch.

 

[emydee1]

emydee1, when you are taking the temps it sounds like you are taking them AT the vine. This is where a problem can be. Your chameleons is tall and the temp you need to be taking is up off of the vine.

I had this problem with my male (he did not burn he was just gaping his mouth). I set the temps when he was a small guy and as he grew he grew up, closer to the light. I saw him gaping on day and used a infared thermometer gun to measure his back, it was several degrees higher than the vine.

So if you could, hold the thermometer where his back would be for 10-15 minutes you would get a very different result from the thermometer that is on the vine just a few inches below.

I took the thermometer readings at 3 places - at the bottom, on the vine and 3 inches from the top (where the top of his cast is)

 

[emydee1]

Thank you for the pics - this is EXACTLY how my chameleon looked like before that piece started coming off - I will switch to that bulb you use and change the distance to yours.

Thank you all for your help - I will post pics as he heals - lesson learned

I use 50w ZooMed spot lamps at a distance of 8" from the branch and my chams don't get burns and enjoy the basking area very much.

The pics you posted are of a healing wound. Do as Sandy said and use silvadene on it.

I went to a 75w from 50w and look what happened.....

This was taken a day after I realized my mistake.

He healed up just fine.