Burns?
- Thread starter KellyRose12
- Start date
KellyRose12
Established Member
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Hmm, because the shape of the discolored area seems the same regardless what color he is, it suggests some sort of skin problem in that spot. The location is a common one for a burn. A bruise would stay dark constantly for a few days then disappear. The skin texture would look normal with no swelling, crustiness, etc.
I think just to be safe I'd dab some Polysporin on the discolored spot and keep an eye on it for changes. If the edges of the patch start to look crusty, pink, or raw, it might be a burn. If nothing changes and the patch goes away, the Polysporin wouldn't have hurt anything. If the patch spreads, take him to a vet as it could be some other type of infection such as a fungus. Antibiotic topicals like Polysporin won't treat that.
KellyRose12
Established Member
Okay I will put some on. It's just so weird. There are no crusty spots and it looks completely normal except the coloration. I'll keep a very close eye on it. Hopefully a vet visit won't be needed, but I will take him in if he gets worse. Fingers crossed!
ParabuthusKing
New Member
Looks to me like potential burns. I learned te hard way sadly with my first female having fairly severe burn area on her body. From what I understand now, chameleons will not move from a heat source until their CORE temperature has reached the desired level. This means their skin can actually be roasting and their brain will not register they are too hot. 
you mention lights are not touching the cage, but need to check temperatures throughout the cage including the very top of cage screen. They can very often hang under basking light on the screen, so you do not want this to be much above 90F at maximum. Having this as a maximum and multiple basking heights to produce a gradient in the cage will prevent further injury to your pretty little guy just my 2 cents, but if you don't already have it is a critical item to have a digital min max thermometer with a probe cable to evaluate temps throughout the cage. You can find these at just about any hardware store for relatively cheap good luck and hope that helps! )
you mention lights are not touching the cage, but need to check temperatures throughout the cage including the very top of cage screen. They can very often hang under basking light on the screen, so you do not want this to be much above 90F at maximum. Having this as a maximum and multiple basking heights to produce a gradient in the cage will prevent further injury to your pretty little guy just my 2 cents, but if you don't already have it is a critical item to have a digital min max thermometer with a probe cable to evaluate temps throughout the cage. You can find these at just about any hardware store for relatively cheap good luck and hope that helps! )
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
How severe or deep the burn is may take a little while to show. The Polysporin won't hurt anything and might help prevent problems later. If the discoloration just disappears in say, a week, you were lucky!
tbarthelmess
New Member
When my panther got burned- it looked like a bruise for a while- but I took her to the vet and it was a burn- which got worse before it got better. As it heals- the scab pulls away from the skin and looks real irritated. The vet gave me Silver Sulfadiazine to put on often. She had a scar that never went away- but got less noticeable with each shed. It was almost in the same location as your pic.
Good luck!
Good luck!
