black patches on my panther chameleon

S

specchameleon

New Member
I have a panther chameleon and just noticed over the past few days large black patches on his back. I am not sure what these are from anyone know of anything or any ideas on what I should be looking for?

Any help would be greatly appreciated....

Thanks
 
dark patches could be the result of a burn, a bruise, a fungal issue. Pics would be helpful to try and determine.
 
here are some oics of the black patches
 

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looks ike thermal burns to me..how close is the basking lamp to the top of the cage, and what are the basking temps?
 
That looks like a vet visit to me. If they are burns she will need medicine for it, and if it is a different skin issue only a Vet can treat it.
 
The burn on the back does look like it got to close to a light. So depending on your temp gradient you might want to consider raising your light or possible lowering it's acess to the highest point near the light. However hopefully one of the vets will put in their thoughts.
 
Your Chameleon - he is a amabolle panther chameleon,male and have had him for over a year now
Handling - do not handle him that often maybe once a week
Feeding - feed him crickets daily about 6-10 and will feed him green horned worms or silk worms from time to time.
Supplements - calcium is used at least twice a month
Watering - I have a waterfall in the cage and also have a drip system as well
Fecal Description -
History -

Cage Info:
Cage Type - I made a 2x2x4 cage screened
Lighting - I have a 100 watt basking light (not sure of make or model but it is one I grabbed from the pet store which is the same one they have in their store that is recommended for chameleons which is approx 8-10 inches away from perch but it is on an angle so it does get closere
Temperature -
Humidity - I have a fogger in the waterfall to help with humidity
Plants - live plants and plastic plants are being used ficus and pothos are the types of plants
Placement - cage is on the top floor in my house, beside a window, not by any heaters and is on the floor and stands 4' in height
Location - I live in Saint John, NB Canada
 
Still don't know what the dark patches are. Can you post better pics please. You only use calcium twice a month! He needs his feeders dusted with plain calcium daily. Calcium with d3 twice a month and a multivitamin twice a month. Waterfalls are not good unless you clean it daily. Your chameleon will use it as a toilet and his insects will drown in it. It is a breeding ground for bacteria. Does he have a uv light? What are your temps? Do you mist him?:)
 
specchameleon said:
Your Chameleon - he is a amabolle panther chameleon,male and have had him for over a year now
Handling - do not handle him that often maybe once a week
Feeding - feed him crickets daily about 6-10 and will feed him green horned worms or silk worms from time to time.
Supplements - calcium is used at least twice a month
Watering - I have a waterfall in the cage and also have a drip system as well
Fecal Description -
History -

Cage Info:
Cage Type - I made a 2x2x4 cage screened
Lighting - I have a 100 watt basking light (not sure of make or model but it is one I grabbed from the pet store which is the same one they have in their store that is recommended for chameleons which is approx 8-10 inches away from perch but it is on an angle so it does get closere
Temperature -
Humidity - I have a fogger in the waterfall to help with humidity
Plants - live plants and plastic plants are being used ficus and pothos are the types of plants
Placement - cage is on the top floor in my house, beside a window, not by any heaters and is on the floor and stands 4' in height
Location - I live in Saint John, NB Canada
Click to expand...

Given the wattage of the light and the poor pics I would guess a thermal burn! I don't care what the pet store recommended for chams...100w is pretty high.
 
100 watt is too much in my opinion. We have a 1 1/2 year old panther and he has a 75 watt in there now since it's been cooler, and I'm thinking about bumping it down to a 60 watt now that it's warming up. The basking area should be between 85-90 for a panther. And you also mentioned you have a waterfall, they do nothing for chams. It's a breeding ground for bacteria. I make sure the hunidiry stays between 40-60...I mist the cage 4 times a day, once humidity gets down to about 40-45, I mist again. He might have burned himself if he got too close to his bulb, which might be what the black spots are.
 
I do mist 2-4 times a day, I do have a UV light (5.0) and I do wash out the waterfall, try to do daily but at least every other day for sure, I also check it daily for bugs for sure..
 
I'm going to mention it again, but she needs a vet. Those burns are pretty large and she'll need a topical ointment to make sure they don't get infected, if not some antibiotics as well for good measure.

Also, you have a female panther. Female panthers will lay infertile eggs throughout their lives, regardless of whether they ever come in contact with a male. Because she looks a litte plump towards her lower end I worry that the time for egg-laying is very soon, so I would set up a laying bin for her immediately.

Here is a great video showing you how to do this: https://www.chameleonforums.com/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video-77225/

Also, here is a blog on how to care for females specifically, so that they don't lay eggs as often or don't lay as many each time: http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html (it's for female veileds but the same principles apply).
 
As long as you check it, I'm sure the waterfall is ok. I've just heard that if they aren't watched carefully, they will go to the bathroom in it and it just creates more of a problem that actually helping them. I hope your cham is ok. If it were me, I'd call the vet and get it checked out. Good luck :)
 
i hope you are able to get her into the vet asap as they do look like large burns that need vet assistance! here is a link to a site where you can search for reptile vets by country and state :) http://www.arav.org/find-a-vet/

as for the waterfall, as others have said it isnt recommended unless it is being cleaned every day as they will poop in it and it will breed bacteria. another thing to consider is chameleons dont swim and its possible she could drown in it. if you are planning on keeping it in her enclosure i recommend putting some mesh over the bowl where the water falls in so that should she fall she wont drown and that will also help prevent her food from drowning! :)
 
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