Gatsby's burn and my disappearance

Grayson Payne

Avid Member
Hey everyone! This is going to be a rather long read so be prepared!

On June 16th, I had come home from hanging out with my girlfriend only to find Gatsby on the top of his screen cage, hanging upside down. This had been an issue before where he would constantly try to climb on top, and I'd either have to stop him or get him down. I knew this couldn't keep on as I had to work often and this was also causing a lot of stress on him. Before he got his burn, I had cut some corrugated plastic to the measurements of his cage about 4 inches long. I then put this up on each side of the cage, which blocked off the top 4 inches of his screen, which wouldn't allow him to climb up on the top (I got this idea from another forum member). This was great! It worked for about two weeks until June 16th.

I own a herpstat 1 and I use a 100 watt bulb in it. Because he is younger, I had it set to 60% power usage so that it wouldn't fry him after it misted and the heat amped up. My logic was, the 60% was roughly 60 watts, so technically I was using a 60 watt bulb. On June 15th (I believe), the night before his burn occurred, I had been messing with the settings on my herpstat. I believe that when I was doing this, it had reset the power usage back to 100%.

Back to the day of June 16th. This was the day I found out that Gatsby had grown enough to reach above the 4 inches of plastic and was able to reach the top with his front two legs, and pull himself up. When I got home that day, I immediately got Gatsby down from the top, where he was sitting under his basking bulb (which is raised about 3-5 inches off the top). It was then that I had noticed Gatsby had a burn around his chest. I was completely devastated. As stupid as this may sound, it felt like I had failed completely. After months and months, even years, of doing research, I thought that Gatsby was going to be completely healthy. I especially never even thought that he would get burnt.

My first reaction was to find a vet, then post here. That night, I had to work and was completely out of it. Not only was it one of my first times leading in my store (i'm currently training to be a lead), I couldn't focus and couldn't stop thinking about Gatsby.

It took me the day of, and the next, to find a vet that was experienced in chameleons and had an opening soon. The burn happened on a Tuesday, and I was able to get him an appointment for Thursday. I wanted to post here to ask if there was anything I could do in the mean time, but I was afraid to. Feeling like I failed and scared to be critiqued, let my feelings take over what was best for him. The vet said that he was completely healthy apart from the burn and that his fecal came back negative. Since the vet trip, I have been putting the silver sulfadiazine cream on as directed. I also added another layer of corrugated plastic to stop him from climbing any higher.

A few days after Gatsby's burn occurred, he shed, which left behind skin that was stuck on his burn. I began to freak out again, but continued to apply the cream as directed. The skin eventually came off, revealing his black spot once again. He has shed again and, while the burn is still there, seems to be completely healthy! He weighted 26g when he had his trip to the vet. As of yesterday, he weighs 48g! He is still only 6-7 months old but is showing some amazing colors. Although I stopped posting on the forums for a while, I was still around and reading what all was happening.

Although I wanted to post this earlier, I never had the nerve to do it. And I don't really know why because this community is my friends and family, and no one should be afraid to ask for help with mistakes they have made.

Back to Gatsby, he still screen climbs occasionally but does't really try to go on the top anymore. I am hoping that soon I will be able to take the plastic down without he fear of him hanging from his basking bulb. Also, he has actually began to climb on my hand without any bribe or anything else. He loves to free roam his money tree and some random wall piece but still despises any phone that comes near him. He has the best personality and he's everything I've ever wanted from a chameleon.

I never could've done it if it wasn't for my amazing girlfriend who has supported me in everything I do. And I never would've been where I'm at today without you guys! I'm happy to say that I'm officially back and will be active on the forums again. Thanks for everything that everyone has ever done for me on these forums.

Also, I will post pictures below as I'm sure some people will be interested to see.
 
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I would not be upset and kicking myself over that black spot. Have you seen the threads "chameleons head fell off" and the veiled now has a panther head.

You dodged a bullet :)
 
I wanted to post here to ask if there was anything I could do in the mean time, but I was afraid to. Feeling like I failed and scared to be critiqued, let my feelings take over what was best for him.
For future reference, that shouldn't stop you (or anyone) from making use of the archives, or searching the interweb [sic] for folks with similar experiences. ;)

Back to Gatsby, he still screen climbs occasionally but does't really try to go on the top anymore. I am hoping that soon I will be able to take the plastic down without he fear of him hanging from his basking bulb.
It's up to you, but I would proceed with caution. If he's stopped trying due to the measures you've taken, he may just as easily venture up again when the opportunity presents itself. These are amazingly inquisitive creatures! :)
 
I would not be upset and kicking myself over that black spot. Have you seen the threads "chameleons head fell off" and the veiled now has a panther head.

You dodged a bullet :)
I definitely did. I think it was because I had the light raised already. Either way, I’m so glad that it was only minor.
 
For future reference, that shouldn't stop you (or anyone) from making use of the archives, or searching the interweb [sic] for folks with similar experiences. ;)


It's up to you, but I would proceed with caution. If he's stopped trying due to the measures you've taken, he may just as easily venture up again when the opportunity presents itself. These are amazingly inquisitive creatures! :)
I definitely continued to use the internet. I read countless of forum post about burns and read/listened to the chameleon academy. The only thing i was concerned about was posting. Not only was I embarrassed, I also thought that the idea of me helping people wasn’t the best. I didn’t want to help people when I’ve messed up on something myself. Anyways, I understand how it was petit and I’ve gotten over it.

Thanks for the recommendation though. If I do decide to take it off I would definitely have to watch nonstop.
 
Hey everyone! This is going to be a rather long read so be prepared!

On June 16th, I had come home from hanging out with my girlfriend only to find Gatsby on the top of his screen cage, hanging upside down. This had been an issue before where he would constantly try to climb on top, and I'd either have to stop him or get him down. I knew this couldn't keep on as I had to work often and this was also causing a lot of stress on him. Before he got his burn, I had cut some corrugated plastic to the measurements of his cage about 4 inches long. I then put this up on each side of the cage, which blocked off the top 4 inches of his screen, which wouldn't allow him to climb up on the top (I got this idea from another forum member). This was great! It worked for about two weeks until June 16th.

I own a herpstat 1 and I use a 100 watt bulb in it. Because he is younger, I had it set to 60% power usage so that it wouldn't fry him after it misted and the heat amped up. My logic was, the 60% was roughly 60 watts, so technically I was using a 60 watt bulb. On June 15th (I believe), the night before his burn occurred, I had been messing with the settings on my herpstat. I believe that when I was doing this, it had reset the power usage back to 100%.

Back to the day of June 16th. This was the day I found out that Gatsby had grown enough to reach above the 4 inches of plastic and was able to reach the top with his front two legs, and pull himself up. When I got home that day, I immediately got Gatsby down from the top, where he was sitting under his basking bulb (which is raised about 3-5 inches off the top). It was then that I had noticed Gatsby had a burn around his chest. I was completely devastated. As stupid as this may sound, it felt like I had failed completely. After months and months, even years, of doing research, I thought that Gatsby was going to be completely healthy. I especially never even thought that he would get burnt.

My first reaction was to find a vet, then post here. That night, I had to work and was completely out of it. Not only was it one of my first times leading in my store (i'm currently training to be a lead), I couldn't focus and couldn't stop thinking about Gatsby.

It took me the day of, and the next, to find a vet that was experienced in chameleons and had an opening soon. The burn happened on a Tuesday, and I was able to get him an appointment for Thursday. I wanted to post here to ask if there was anything I could do in the mean time, but I was afraid to. Feeling like I failed and scared to be critiqued, let my feelings take over what was best for him. The vet said that he was completely healthy apart from the burn and that his fecal came back negative. Since the vet trip, I have been putting the silver sulfadiazine cream on as directed. I also added another layer of corrugated plastic to stop him from climbing any higher.

A few days after Gatsby's burn occurred, he shed, which left behind skin that was stuck on his burn. I began to freak out again, but continued to apply the cream as directed. The skin eventually came off, revealing his black spot once again. He has shed again and, while the burn is still there, seems to be completely healthy! He weighted 26g when he had his trip to the vet. As of yesterday, he weighs 48g! He is still only 6-7 months old but is showing some amazing colors. Although I stopped posting on the forums for a while, I was still around and reading what all was happening.

Although I wanted to post this earlier, I never had the nerve to do it. And I don't really know why because this community is my friends and family, and no one should be afraid to ask for help with mistakes they have made.

Back to Gatsby, he still screen climbs occasionally but does't really try to go on the top anymore. I am hoping that soon I will be able to take the plastic down without he fear of him hanging from his basking bulb. Also, he has actually began to climb on my hand without any bribe or anything else. He loves to free roam his money tree and some random wall piece but still despises any phone that comes near him. He has the best personality and he's everything I've ever wanted from a chameleon.

I never could've done it if it wasn't for my amazing girlfriend who has supported me in everything I do. And I never would've been where I'm at today without you guys! I'm happy to say that I'm officially back and will be active on the forums again. Thanks for everything that everyone has ever done for me on these forums.

Also, I will post pictures below as I'm sure some people will be interested to see.
Things happen... Don't beat yourself up. I am sorry the panels on the side did not keep him from the top. They are relentless when they want to go somewhere. He is starting to get to the age where that should stop because he will weigh more and it will not be easy for him to keep a grip.

And never be afraid of posting here and getting help. That is why we are all here. All of us have had stuff happen at one point or another.

Look at me... I know my husbandry but I have an overweight cham that refuses to loose weight no matter how much I cut him back. We are not perfect. Not one of us. We do the best we can and we support one another. ❤
 
Things happen... Don't beat yourself up. I am sorry the panels on the side did not keep him from the top. They are relentless when they want to go somewhere. He is starting to get to the age where that should stop because he will weigh more and it will not be easy for him to keep a grip.

And never be afraid of posting here and getting help. That is why we are all here. All of us have had stuff happen at one point or another.

Look at me... I know my husbandry but I have an overweight cham that refuses to loose weight no matter how much I cut him back. We are not perfect. Not one of us. We do the best we can and we support one another. ❤
Thank you so much. It’s definitely nothing you did that directed me in the wrong direction. He just grew bigger and I wasn’t expecting it! Thank you for everything that you've done, as it’s helped me tremendously.

I hope all goes well with Beman (I presume it’s him)! Maybe he’ll decide it’s time for him to loose weight for his summer body next year :ROFLMAO:

Thqnk you and everyone else for being there and helping me along my journey! Gatsby is growing up too fast!
 
Thank you so much. It’s definitely nothing you did that directed me in the wrong direction. He just grew bigger and I wasn’t expecting it! Thank you for everything that you've done, as it’s helped me tremendously.

I hope all goes well with Beman (I presume it’s him)! Maybe he’ll decide it’s time for him to loose weight for his summer body next year :ROFLMAO:

Thqnk you and everyone else for being there and helping me along my journey! Gatsby is growing up too fast!
Well don't stay away... :)

Yes, it is Beman... He tells me he is big boned and I say no your fat then he gives me the side eye. :hilarious:

All we can do is our best. Mistakes do happen. ❤
 
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