Help! Our veiled chameleon's tail at the tip has turned black

CHuggins

New Member
Help! Our veiled chameleon's tail at the tip has turned black. He is approximately 1 year old we believe. We left for vacation a week ago and our chameleon started shedding the day before we left. We had a family member take care of him while we were away. We came back this morning and his tail has turned black at the tip. It looks like it could have been a shedding issue. Possibly the skin at the tip got stuck or didn't shed off properly and cut off the circulation. What can we do to help him? We live in Delta, BC, Canada. My daughter is in tears and we don't know what to do. We are going to call a few vets and go to a few pet stores today as well to see if anyone can advise us what to do. Thank you for any information or help that you can give us!
 
Help! Our veiled chameleon's tail at the tip has turned black. He is approximately 1 year old we believe. We left for vacation a week ago and our chameleon started shedding the day before we left. We had a family member take care of him while we were away. We came back this morning and his tail has turned black at the tip. It looks like it could have been a shedding issue. Possibly the skin at the tip got stuck or didn't shed off properly and cut off the circulation. What can we do to help him? We live in Delta, BC, Canada. My daughter is in tears and we don't know what to do. We are going to call a few vets and go to a few pet stores today as well to see if anyone can advise us what to do. Thank you for any information or help that you can give us!

Stick with the vet and make sure it's a good one. Pet stores are notorious for mis information.
 
photo of his tail is attached. We called the vet and have an appointment Monday afternoon (Dec 2). In the meantime, we were told to soak his tail in lukewarm water for 30 minutes daily.
 

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Poor baby. How is he acting otherwise? Moving fine, eating fine, drinking fine? Good coordination? Strong?

Could you post some pictures of his whole body, and his setup?

Please also fill out this help form in detail. Be very specific.

Its good the you have a vet appointment, after the visit post here what they suggested ( so the more experienced members can make sure the vet isn't doing the wrong things unknowingly )

:)
 
I know. Poor baby indeed. Trying to do anything and everything we can to help him.
Full photo of Fred is attached along with a photo of Fred in his enclosure. When he gets bigger he will get a bigger enclosure.
My daughter thinks he is a boy, hence the name Fred. If Fred turns out to be a she, her name will change to Stella. Fred is our very first chameleon and we sure hope that he will be with us for many, many years.
Fred is eating well, crickets and mealworms daily, movement and coordination is good, he is strong and drinking per normal, no visible difference from before we went away on vacation. One week away on vacation and our poor baby has this black tail issue.
Will wait and see what the vet says (or does) tomorrow.
 

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Help! Our veiled chameleon's tail at the tip has turned black. He is approximately 1 year old we believe. We left for vacation a week ago and our chameleon started shedding the day before we left. We had a family member take care of him while we were away. We came back this morning and his tail has turned black at the tip. It looks like it could have been a shedding issue. Possibly the skin at the tip got stuck or didn't shed off properly and cut off the circulation. What can we do to help him? We live in Delta, BC, Canada. My daughter is in tears and we don't know what to do. We are going to call a few vets and go to a few pet stores today as well to see if anyone can advise us what to do. Thank you for any information or help that you can give us!
Um...hate to say it...but tail pinched in cage door...? Babysitters, for whatever reason, often forget to mention that the reptile that freaks them out slightly tried to come out of its cage while feeding, and the first reaction was to close the door...quickly.
 
oh my! Could Fred be a Stella?!
 

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This frequently happens when the supplement schedule is out of whack. It is either to much D3, not enough calcium, a burn or crushing injury. Hopefully your vet can sort it out.
 
Results from today's Vet visit: The Vet thinks it was caused from shedding, skin that was not shed properly and cut off circulation at the tip of her tail. She said that Stella is very healthy, had a bit of a high heart beat however that is normal as she was stressed. The Vet recommended that we keep soaking Stella's black portion of her tail in luke warm water once per day for 10 minutes, for the next 3 weeks. Then apply a thin layer of medication called Flamazine, a topical antibacterial agent that the Vet prescribed for Stella. The Vet is going to contact us in 2 weeks to see how everything is going. If the black continues to increase in size on her tail, then we need to bring Stella back in as it may be something more serious. The Vet does not believe in amputation unless it is absolutely necessary, life threatening. (Thank Goodness as we don't to hurt Stella in any way).

My daughter and I have also set up a lay bin in Stella's enclosure.

Here's hoping that our baby Stella will be on the mend soon.

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions! We greatly appreciate everything you have told us.
 
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