Black Spots on Sir Charles
- Thread starter Jabooh1
- Start date
Theveiled
Avid Member
They look like either fungal or a burn to me. They are very weird looking I think. I do not have much experience with this though but maybe a more knowledgable member like @jannb @jajeanpierre or @Remkon could give a clearer answer.
jannb
Chameleon Enthusiast
There's a really good chameleon vet in Houston.
http://www.gcvs.com/
http://www.gcvs.com/
Basking 85 F. He has had them since we got them. No larger, smaller, or different.
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
I am no vet, but it looks like a healing injury to me.
You can see a line on his neck behind his casque. Disease/infection doesn't usually have such a sharp delineated line unless the disease process started at the site of an injury.
It almost looks like a healed bite wound--you can see the uspide-down smiley rounded V-shape of a bite wound that connects all the lesions together except for one on the head. Are there any marks on the other side of his head?
If he were mine, I would just watch it and keep photographing it so you have a record of the progress. I wouldn't worry if it stays the same. It might appear to get bigger as he sheds, exposing more of the injury.
If you have other reptiles, I would be very careful with biosecurity if you aren't positive of what you are dealing with.
You can see a line on his neck behind his casque. Disease/infection doesn't usually have such a sharp delineated line unless the disease process started at the site of an injury.
It almost looks like a healed bite wound--you can see the uspide-down smiley rounded V-shape of a bite wound that connects all the lesions together except for one on the head. Are there any marks on the other side of his head?
If he were mine, I would just watch it and keep photographing it so you have a record of the progress. I wouldn't worry if it stays the same. It might appear to get bigger as he sheds, exposing more of the injury.
If you have other reptiles, I would be very careful with biosecurity if you aren't positive of what you are dealing with.
Thanks! There is nothing on the other side of his head. We have no other pets and he came home this way a week ago.
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
Just my two cents--I would take a wait and watch attitude. Nothing about it looks worrying to me. It is dry and there is no swelling around the edges.
I would make sure you get your husbandry spot on and let him heal himself. Just in case it is something contagious, I would not handle any other reptiles. I don't think it is, but I'm not a vet and I'm only looking at a picture.
I would make sure you get your husbandry spot on and let him heal himself. Just in case it is something contagious, I would not handle any other reptiles. I don't think it is, but I'm not a vet and I'm only looking at a picture.
Andee
Chameleon Enthusiast
I agree definitely with the wait and watch considering its not gotten worse. If he was housed with other chameleons when at the breeders or store it is very possible it is a healing bite mark, especially if one of those chameleons he was house with was much larger than everyone else.
ZacharyLeesWife
Avid Member
I've never seen them on my veilds, but those look EXACTLY like the burns and bites I used to see on my iguana rescues. The biggest tell is the shed around them, the scaring and changes to the scale patterns can cause shed to build up. I had that issue with one of my male iguanas, even years later we had to soak and help with shed removal over his burn scars.
I'm definitely a novice with chams, but if I saw that on an iggy I'd absolutely say it's a healing injury. It's not seeping or swelling so I wouldn't think it's showing infection either. They can take a LONG time to heal, I've seen it take months for scars to set and 100% heal over. Again, in iguanas bit I suspect the mechanisms are similar.
I'm definitely a novice with chams, but if I saw that on an iggy I'd absolutely say it's a healing injury. It's not seeping or swelling so I wouldn't think it's showing infection either. They can take a LONG time to heal, I've seen it take months for scars to set and 100% heal over. Again, in iguanas bit I suspect the mechanisms are similar.
Last edited:
ZacharyLeesWife
Avid Member
Keeping the spots clean and dry is important! Before it was completely healed I didn't mess with the shed much as long as it was clean because there's a risk of hurting the very delicate new skin or taking of the scabs. After the injury healed I used to soak my guys and if that didnt bring off the shed I would gently rub the areas with olive or coconut oil, it helped release the stuck shed. The spots need to be monitored pretty closely, if you see any sign of infection they need vet attention ASAP.
ZacharyLeesWife
Avid Member
You are definitely right, that's one of the differences between the iguanas and chams! I should have mentioned that, I apologize. My iggies loved nothing more than a warm bath to soak and poop in, lol.
