Veiled Chameleon shedding spines + bleeding!

[Benjie85]

Chameleon Info
Veiled Chameleon - male - Almost 3 years Old + in my care for 8 months..ish.

Use to handle daily but has been hiding alot recently and not very playful.

I used to feed him 4-5 locust each day, but he barely eats anymore, its like he starves himself then eats a box full of locust at once.
I dust the bugs with repti calcium.

I mist his cage at least twice daily and he has a waterfall set up inside. I do see him drinkin from time to time but he is always hiding at the minute.

Cage info

I have a 3 sided wooden cage, with a perspex clear door. at the top i have some clearance and the 2 different mesh's to help ventilate. its about 5ft tall x 3 ft wide x 2ft deep.

I use Exo terra lights and heat lamps and cant remember what heat mat it is.
I usually have his lights on for human daylight hours in the UK.

I have a hydrometer and thermometer to measure the humidity and the heat and they are pretty much always with in the recommended parameters.

I am in Lancashire UK.


Basically i took on this Chameleon off and old friend as they could not afford to care for him. He was cooped up in a small glass cage, so i built him a large new one with lots of places to hide climb and drink n look for food.

I have always tried to follow the basic guide lines and information i read about on the internet and from books.

My chameleon (steve) once look to have maybe burnt his spine from basking one day. He has now gone onto shed the small spines in the centre of his back. In between each individual spine or tiny spike they look to be bleeding but like a dry sore bleeding.

I actually have no idea what to do or where to ebgin to help him get better

Please help

thanks
Ben

the cage is in my living room

The first pic is just as he burnt or got something wrong with his spine, u can see it went a bluey grey colour. the second is his cage, and the others are how he looks now all the time.

 

[Benjie85]

here are some pics that may also help

 

[VeiledKarma]

Looks like his casque may be doing the same from that one pic? Could be a burn perhaps. How close are your lights to the basking area. And what are the watts?

 

[laurie]

Hello, welcome to the forum. When you say temps are within guidelines, what guide lines are you using? Also for the age he is I think you are over feeding him. Most of us feed adults every other day. I don't know size comparison but I feed 3 supers worms or 6 crickets or 3 medium dubia at each feeding.

I could not see any indication of bleeding, looks like a regular shed to me.How much time was there between the first picture and the last 2? If they are close them most likely he was getting ready to shed as a burn will usually turn brown or black. The waterfall is mostly a trap for bacteria, and few chameleons drink from them anyway. I would get it out of there. What king of heat pad are you referring to?
If you are using one of the stick under the bottom, it is not useful and can burn your chameleon, a hear rock is even worst.

I hope this helps. Would you like me to contact some other UK members for you?

 

[ataraxia]

from one of the pics it looks like a burn to me. put some silvadine on it or some polysporin.

what kind of exoterra lights? No spot lights or CFL's...if you have the solar glo you need to adjust the light to the basking area to 90*

 

[VeiledChams]

Hey and welcome to the forum.

Chameleon Info
Veiled Chameleon - male - Almost 3 years Old + in my care for 8 months..ish.

Use to handle daily but has been hiding alot recently and not very playful.

I used to feed him 4-5 locust each day, but he barely eats anymore, its like he starves himself then eats a box full of locust at once.
I dust the bugs with repti calcium.

I mist his cage at least twice daily and he has a waterfall set up inside. I do see him drinkin from time to time but he is always hiding at the minute.
I'd take the waterfall out, they breeding grounds for bacteria..IMO
Cage info

I have a 3 sided wooden cage, with a perspex clear door. at the top i have some clearance and the 2 different mesh's to help ventilate. its about 5ft tall x 3 ft wide x 2ft deep.
Does it get good ventilation? just having the top open does not mean good ventilation. There has to be some way for air at the bottom to enter and create an updraft for that method to work. (Like in the Exo-Terras)

I use Exo terra lights and heat lamps and cant remember what heat mat it is.
I usually have his lights on for human daylight hours in the UK.
What bulbs? do you have a UVB light and a separate basking light?
I have a hydrometer and thermometer to measure the humidity and the heat and they are pretty much always with in the recommended parameters.
As Laurie said, what parameters are you referring to?
I am in Lancashire UK.


Basically i took on this Chameleon off and old friend as they could not afford to care for him. He was cooped up in a small glass cage, so i built him a large new one with lots of places to hide climb and drink n look for food.

I have always tried to follow the basic guide lines and information i read about on the internet and from books.

My chameleon (steve) once look to have maybe burnt his spine from basking one day. He has now gone onto shed the small spines in the centre of his back. In between each individual spine or tiny spike they look to be bleeding but like a dry sore bleeding.

I actually have no idea what to do or where to ebgin to help him get better

Please help

thanks
Ben

the cage is in my living room

The first pic is just as he burnt or got something wrong with his spine, u can see it went a bluey grey colour. the second is his cage, and the others are how he looks now all the time.

 

[Benjie85]

LAURIE.
The temperature varies between about 75-90 F (23-32 C) with his basking spot slightly higher.

I will lose the waterfall as it seems i have been miss informed on the benefits of having one.

Also the feeding is what i use to feed him sometimes he doesnt eat for 3-4 days, again the guy at my local pet store (who sell chameleons) is giving me some bad info here.

Same again for the heat mat, i have it under the substrate at the bottom as i was told it would help moderate the temperature as the lamp is at the top.

There is a couple months between them 2 pics you ask about also. and on close inspection there definitely is blood and it looks very sore.

VeiledKarma

My lights are about 35 cm away from his basking spit and the heat lamp about 25cm.
I have lights sat on the top with 2 5 ubv bulbs in. and i have a 200W heat lamp about the cage too.

VeiledChams

There is plenty of ventilation as i have it both at the top and bottom of the cage allowing a decent air flow.

I will attach another picture of the whole set up and hope to hear your advice as it seems for a new comer to this i have been totally miss informed.

I just want to make him healthy again. thanks for the help so far

 

[VeiledChams]

Alright, I was just making sure you knew you were getting good ventilation.

 

[ataraxia]

from one of the pics it looks like a burn to me. put some silvadine on it or some polysporin.

what kind of exoterra lights? No spot lights or CFL's...if you have the solar glo you need to adjust the light to the basking area to 90*

the ceramic heat needs to go...if you need a heatlamp no more than 100 watts will do and thats only if your ambient temps fall below 60*. also judging by your decor and light set up things need to change.

please tell the type of uvb bulb and basking.

 

[Chamster]

i had the same exact problem with my 2 year old cham....sadly the chameleon died as he stopped eating after his back spines pealed off completely..... he used to eat a lot but once he lost his spines he didnt eat as much and died. as a result of not eating he became very weak...became blind because of extreme case of sunken eye. i came one morning to check up on him and he was laying at the bottom of the cage dead. its a sad story because he was super beautiful. he was a a mostly yellow blue and green ambilobe really bright colors.

i got a baby veiled chameleon that i am looking after now ..

 

[Benjie85]

Exo Terra Repti Glo 5.0 x2 are the bulbs,

what u mean by and basking

cheers

 

[Benjie85]

Exo Terra Repti Glo 5.0 x2 are the bulbs,

what u mean by and basking

cheers

Chamaster did you find the problem with or ever figure out a cure for what happened to your chameleon.

what u described is pretty much exactly the same.

 

[Elizadolots]

Most people here have one bulb to provide UVB and a separate bulb to provide heat. That second bulb is called the basking bulb. The bulbs you are using are combination bulbs. You'll probably find people suggest you switch.

How hot does the mesh get under the bulbs? I know you say it's about 90 degrees at the top but what about the mesh itself?

 

[growing zoo]

Hi Benjie85
I am also in Lancashire UK
It took me ages to get the correct heat and UV set up for my veiled (Kevin), I now have a 100 wat spot on the outside of my repti breeze with a 60 inch 5.0 UV tube resting on the top on the outside. My temps are approx 85-87 degrees in the basking spot and kevin eats about 8-10 medium locusts every other day with some kale and wax worms as treats maybe once a week or so.
I had a lot of problems with kevin not eating and not shedding and he appears small for his age (1 year old and 90 grams) but we appear to have cracked it
Hope this helps.

 

[Benjie85]

Hi all thanks alot for your input and advice, i have gone on to change around my chameleons cage since our last chat.

I have removed the waterfall and heat mat, set up a misting machine applied a healing aid specially for burns and sores on reptiles.

If i have changed his plants and added some nice small little live plants at the bottom also.

I would be grateful if someone could scroll back through to my posts at pics and what lights n bulbs i have and my set up and advise me on the lighting and heating situation.

Thanks again Ben

Lets hope these changes bring my Steve back.

 

[Hoj]

you say exo-terra 5.0 are they the long slim kind or the smaller spiral ones? i keep my veiled at 77-80 deg with a basking site in the 88-90 range

 

[Damus]

200watt basking bulb is too much i believe.

 

[laurie]

Hey Benji just wondering how your cham is doing?

 

[Benjie85]

The bulbs are the small spirally ones, and the heat bulb does make his basking spot at the correct temperature but it raised from his cage pumping downwards.

Erm Steve is doing ok i guess, still seems a little grumpy but hoping with this new set up i have and the advise i got he will come around. and im treating his spine n skin, i think he just ate for the first time in like 3-4 days too so fingers crossed.

one other thing is with my lights sat on the top will they provide enough light tot the bottom of the cage for him?

 

[ataraxia]

The bulbs are the small spirally ones, and the heat bulb does make his basking spot at the correct temperature but it raised from his cage pumping downwards.

Erm Steve is doing ok i guess, still seems a little grumpy but hoping with this new set up i have and the advise i got he will come around. and im treating his spine n skin, i think he just ate for the first time in like 3-4 days too so fingers crossed.

one other thing is with my lights sat on the top will they provide enough light tot the bottom of the cage for him?

what kind of heat bulb? what temps? how old are the spirals?