Female veiled with skin problems

Chefbrittyp

New Member
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - female veiled, age apx 1 year. In my care 1 month. My friend who owned her passed away and I inherited her. I have pet sat her multiple times since 4 months old
  • Handling - have handled her twice since getting her. She's very cage aggressive and had been moved and had a lot of stressors so I'm trying to give her time and space.
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? Mostly dubia roaches, with occasional super works, bsfl. What amount? I have fed her about 8 lg roaches per week, I have only witnessed her eat 3. Superworms in a feeder cup, she eats a few per week. Overall not eating as much as I would like. She has been overweight since full grown. What is the schedule? 3x per week. How are you gut-loading your feeders? Feeders got loaded with Bug Burger along with vegetable scraps.
  • Supplements - calcium and herptivite with every feeding. Calcium with d3 every 3 weeks or so
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? Fogger onto leaves for water during the day. Misting cage 2x per day. Misting her directly during this time but she runs and have not witnessed her drink at all since in my care.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. - black oval feces and yellow urate. Correctly building a new dripper system to hopefully get her to drink more. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? No
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. She successfully laid her first clutch of unfertilized eggs in june

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? Screen 36x36x18
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? 9am-9pm t5 uvb from chameleon kit with floodlight 75watt 8" from barking area(currently have a new lightyourreptiles.com set up on order for uvb) and additional incancedent 150watt bulb set up 18" from right side cage for ambient heat. Basking area 85°, ambient right side of cage 80°, left side apx 65° (my house is really cold) no heat over night, apx 55° in house.
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? See above
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Humidity apx 40% overall, up to 60% when misting
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? 1 pothos, 1 dracnea
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? Cage in spare bedroom with view out a window. Door closed, no traffic of our other animals or people unless we go in to see her. Top of cage apx 5' from floor
  • Location - Where are you geographically located? Tacoma Washington

Current Problem - she had a black&white spot on her back/spikes and side. They have been there since I brought her home, but they are not always visible. I originally thought they may be a burn but when she is out of her cage and when shes not stressed they arent nearly as visible. So then I thought they may just be part of her color patterns when stressed but now it looks like shes losing spikes below. From photos I was thinking maybe a sling infection but wouldnt it always be visible if that's the case?


(Ps the dark black line on her side was only from when I got in her area with my camera)
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Can you post a better pic of her spikes? How does she react to you touching the spots?

love the glove btw!
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This is the best I can get right now, lights just went out.
The gloves are because she is beyond feisty. She's a bitter and I don't want to jump and make her uncomfortable when she gets me when taking her out of her cage. So needless today I can't touch anywhere without getting bit so I wouldn't know if it's more sensitive.
 
Sorry, posting as I read your form. Herptivite is not meant to be given at every feeding: twice a month only. A vitamin overdose can cause all sorts of health problems, and, I’m guessing, even result in skin problems. Personally, If stop using a multivitamin for two weeks and use only calcium with no d3. After two weeks, switch your supplementation to repashy calcium plus LoD at every feeding, and that’s it.
 
Further to my last,

I wouldn’t spend $ on a basking bulb, but your uvb source should be upgraded as soon as you can. A linear t5 high output is, I believe, the only bulb recommended on this site. Spiral compact fluorescents are not Effective sources of uvb.
 
Sorry, posting as I read your form. Herptivite is not meant to be given at every feeding: twice a month only. A vitamin overdose can cause all sorts of health problems, and, I’m guessing, even result in skin problems. Personally, If stop using a multivitamin for two weeks and use only calcium with no d3. After two weeks, switch your supplementation to Repashy calcium plus LoD at every feeding, and that’s it.
Good catch on the vitamin, I missed that.

Respectfully, Im a bit skeptical on the vitamin OD causing the skin condition. While im sure it is possible, the location of all three skin issues and spikes falling off screams thermal burns.
 
The gloves are because she is beyond feisty. She's a bitter and I don't want to jump and make her uncomfortable when she gets me when taking her out of her cage. So needless today I can't touch anywhere without getting bit so I wouldn't know if it's more sensitive.
Are you taking her out against her will? or was it just for pictures? I could be wrong (correct me if I am) but it looks like shes showing receptive colors.
 
Not saying your wrong, its just that I see evidence of burns and no common symptoms of an OD. This is the beauty of a forum, you can bounce ideas off each other!
I actually didn’t intend the vitamin issue to be a diagnosis, but rather just to suggest that overdosing on vitamins can affect all sorts of systems, including skin. That being said, I too doubt that that is the root cause here. I think you’re probably spot on with the burn call, but again, I don’t actually know all that much.
 
Are you taking her out against her will? or was it just for pictures? I could be wrong (correct me if I am) but it looks like shes showing receptive colors.
Good catch on the vitamin, I missed that.

Respectfully, Im a bit skeptical on the vitamin OD causing the skin condition. While im sure it is possible, the location of all three skin issues and spikes falling off screams thermal burns.

This site always leaves me more questions than I come with. The herptivite, which I am willing to change up, instructions are to use at all feedings. My male veiled has been on this regimen for nearly a year and is doing great. She has only been on this for 1 month, but she's also not eating much.
As I said above in the original, she had these marks when she came to me but over the last 2 days its looked worse, with the white spots now on it. (Maybe that means the skin is close to shedding around it and it will be doing better?)
As for the uvb light. I know the one she currently has is not recommended, which is why I mentioned she will be getting her new set up soon, like my male has.
As for her basking area, it is not too hot for my hand at all, even much higher than she sits.
In the case of it being a burn, what is better to put on it? I read 2 suggestions on another thread-silver sulfadiazine and betadine solution. Are either of these viable or is there something else to try?
 
Are you taking her out against her will? or was it just for pictures? I could be wrong (correct me if I am) but it looks like shes showing receptive colors.

Yes she won't come out on her own free will. I spot clean as much as possible but I have had to take her out to clean.

As for her colors, I would love if she were receptive but I am definitely not going to put her through breeding when she has a health concern.
 
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