How to stop this?

korykory

New Member
For my veiled chameleons terrarium I have a dual lamp that comes with a 5 UVB light and a basking light. For the first couple of days, the UVB light wasn’t warming his enclosure enough and so we got a stronger one and it was completely fine for a couple days until yesterday I noticed these burns??

His lights used to rest on top of the terrarium but I moved them to about 6 inches above to hopefully stop this. He now keeps climbing to the top.

I know he’s due to shed soon so is it just that extra thin layer burning or is something seriously wrong.

I’m new at this and am really hoping I’m not hurting him or if this will have long term effects on him.

How do I stop this from happening?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4772.jpeg
    IMG_4772.jpeg
    219.7 KB · Views: 1
Hi and welcome. It sounds like you have a screw in uvb bulb. Those are basically worthless for chameleons and probably most other animals. What you need is to toss that and get a linear T5HO fixture with either an Arcadia 6% or ReptiSun 5.0 uvb bulb. Avoid knock off brands - they are not effective. Once you have the correct uvb, the basking area needs to be about 8-9” below it for correct uvb exposure. Then you need to adjust your basking bulb strength to provide a basking temp of 80F for young ones and females and 85F for grown males. I’m going to guess you probably are in need of additional guidance and that is something you can most definitely get from us here. :) I need to get off line right now, but others can help if around. If you post some pics of your total enclosure it will be a start. For an in depth and complete husbandry check, you can answer the questions found here. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/ Copy & paste with your answers.
For the burn on your sweetie, you really need a vet visit for proper treatment. If you need help finding one, just ask.
 
Here is my husbandry check filled out.

Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, Male, and about 7-8 months old. I’ve had him for around a week and a half.

Handling - Since I just got him, he doesn’t let me handle him at all. Anytime I get close he starts to hiss and do t-rex hands. I haven’t held him at all.

Feeding - Mealworms and baby crickets? Every night and morning I give him about 4-5 mealworms with subelements and have fed him 10 baby crickets twice so far. I don’t have a feeder.

Supplements - I sprinkle Reptile Calcium brand Zoo Med, without D3 on his worms every other time he eats.

Watering - I have a dripper dripping constantly. I mist every maybe 2 hours for a couple minutes. I only seen him licking a leaf a couple times.

Fecal Description - Vertical, white, sometimes had a golden brown substance with it. He has never been tested for parasites.

History - I’ve only had him for a short while.

Cage Info:

Cage Type - Screen.

Lighting - Dual bulbs. ReptiSun 5.0 UVB with amplified heat. Daylight Blue Basking light. Every morning I turn them on, every night I turn them off.

Temperature - Near the bottom it’s about 67-68 and I don’t know about his basking area. I’m not sure about lowest temp at night. I have a thermostat hung near the bottom of his terrarium.

Humidity - 60-70%. I have a humidifier propped into the upper side of the cage and I measured these levels with a humidifier measurer.

Plants - There are two live plants and some fake. I don’t know what kind but I know they’re safe for him.

Placement - In my quiet basement. His cage is sat on a table, 5-6 feet from the basement ceiling.

Location - Michigan

Here is a picture of him and his full current terrarium.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6492.jpeg
    IMG_6492.jpeg
    286.4 KB · Views: 1
  • IMG_4639.jpeg
    IMG_4639.jpeg
    260.3 KB · Views: 1
  • IMG_4777.jpeg
    IMG_4777.jpeg
    198.1 KB · Views: 1
  • IMG_4779.jpeg
    IMG_4779.jpeg
    296.4 KB · Views: 1
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom