Injury?

jprox

New Member
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - 4mo male panther, ive had him for a little over a month
  • Handling - 2-3 times a week for cleaning/outdoor time. i keep physical contact to a minimum though
  • Feeding - 10-15 crickets a day, occasionally a superworm (a little less crickets on those days). ordering some hornworms/silkworms soon
  • Supplements - idk brands off the top of my head but calcium w/o D3 every day except sunday, alternating calcium w/D3 and a multivitamin w/o D3 on the sundays
  • Watering - Mist 3 times a day, sometimes 4 (but i make sure that it fully dries in between each mist). i see him drink occasionally. had a dropper before but it didnt work, he seems to get enough water from misting though so im not too worried
  • Fecal Description - no testing but white urates, sometimes a tiny bit of orange (like 1/5 of the urate) but nothing to be concerned over
  • History - N/A
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - XL reptibreeze that ive shortened (by placing a block of wood at the bottom) since hes still little
  • Lighting - again, not sure on brands but a linear uvb bulb (reptisun iirc) and a white light for heat
  • Temperature - high 80s-70
  • Humidity - daytime: 50-65 nighttime: probably in the 70s but i dont check regularly when im asleep lol
  • Plants - money tree pothos and schefflera
  • Placement - in my room on a table
  • Location - I’m in NC (triangle area)

Current Problem - Dark mark on his back leg, looks like some sort of injury and idk how concerned i should be. you can see it in the photo attached (ignore my crusty nails pls lol). He seems fine and hasn’t been acting any different, but i saw this today and was very concerned. not sure how he got it. ik he likes to walk on the screens... maybe he burnt himself walking on the screen under his heat lamp? never seen him walk up there but im gone a lot so its a possibility. if so how would i fix that w/o changing the basking temp?
 

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Hi and Welcome!

It looks a bit like a small cut or scratch. Does the screen have tears or something, that could have caused it. Or maybe a pointy branch. If the scratch is not an (open) wound, it will heal quickly, my cham has had it many times. Their skin is very fragile and they can get scratches from branches very easy. If it´s a (open) wound, then keep very close eye at it for eventual infections.
These are just my thoughts about it and maybe a more experienced member will chime in shortly.
 
Hi and Welcome!

It looks a bit like a small cut or scratch. Does the screen have tears or something, that could have caused it. Or maybe a pointy branch. If the scratch is not an (open) wound, it will heal quickly, my cham has had it many times. Their skin is very fragile and they can get scratches from branches very easy. If it´s a (open) wound, then keep very close eye at it for eventual infections.
These are just my thoughts about it and maybe a more experienced member will chime in shortly.
Thanks!! ill check over his enclosure in the morning for any sharp/pointy stuff. its definitely possible it could’ve been from the cage i do remember seeing a small tear and not thinking much of it. ill patch it up in the AM!
 
Agree that it looks as though something gouged him. You could put a small dab of neosporin on the area…the plain kind that does not have the pain relief stuff in it.
gotchya! thanks so much :) do you know approximately how long stuff like this takes to heal?
 
Also he is big enough to have that piece of wood you put in to divide the cage taken out. He will make good use of the 2x2x4 cage.

It would be good to know what UVB lighting your using. Double check this just so we can make sure you got the right type. Need to know the fixture type and bulb strength.
 
yeah, i will once he gets around 5 months. i dont cup feed so im a lil worried he wont be able to find the crickets if the enclosure is too big. the wood only shortens the enclosure by 12in but i think it’s beneficial while he’s small (prob 4in... if that... w/o his tail). The UVB i got is a reptisun 10.0 UVB T5 HO which im pretty sure is correct lol
 
Agree that it looks as though something gouged him. You could put a small dab of neosporin on the area…the plain kind that does not have the pain relief stuff in it.
also if i dont have neosporin w/o pain relief should i get some? or would aquaphor work? or should i just monitor it and watch for infection
 
yeah, i will once he gets around 5 months. i dont cup feed so im a lil worried he wont be able to find the crickets if the enclosure is too big. the wood only shortens the enclosure by 12in but i think it’s beneficial while he’s small (prob 4in... if that... w/o his tail). The UVB i got is a reptisun 10.0 UVB T5 HO which im pretty sure is correct lol
So your distance with that T5HO fixture and bulb strength will need to be 11-12 inches to the branch below it for the correct UVI level. Dropping back to a 5.0 bulb would make the distance 8-9 inches for the same approximate 3 UVI level. I would make sure your branches fall within this distance to ensure he is not being over exposed to higher than normal UVI levels.

Per the board. Make sure it is sealed with a water based sealant if you are going to use it. Exposure to raw wood is not good for them due to breathing in the VOC's they produce.
 
So your distance with that T5HO fixture and bulb strength will need to be 11-12 inches to the branch below it for the correct UVI level. Dropping back to a 5.0 bulb would make the distance 8-9 inches for the same approximate 3 UVI level. I would make sure your branches fall within this distance to ensure he is not being over exposed to higher than normal UVI levels.

Per the board. Make sure it is sealed with a water based sealant if you are going to use it. Exposure to raw wood is not good for them due to breathing in the VOC's they produce.
Thanks!! I’m not home atm but i’ll measure out the distance and adjust when i get back. I think when I was setting him up it was 10in away from the bulb but it was a while ago so im not sure. I did seal the board with some flex seal so as far as the breathing goes he should be good. Not exactly sure what VOCs are though, could you explain? I just sealed it for waterproofing purposes.... I thought that as long as it was a safe wood it would be fine. I might have to seal his climbing branches too if its dangerous for him
 
You want to ensure it doesn't get infected.
i got a closer look at it today. its not an open wound (already scabbed over) and the black area around it decreased significantly from yesterday. im guessing he’s had it for a good few days before i saw it. i think i might leave it alone and just monitor it but it seems to be getting better w/o my help
 
Thanks!! I’m not home atm but i’ll measure out the distance and adjust when i get back. I think when I was setting him up it was 10in away from the bulb but it was a while ago so im not sure. I did seal the board with some flex seal so as far as the breathing goes he should be good. Not exactly sure what VOCs are though, could you explain? I just sealed it for waterproofing purposes.... I thought that as long as it was a safe wood it would be fine. I might have to seal his climbing branches too if its dangerous for him
Flex seal works as well. So we are talking like lumber that has been stripped down not so much the branches from trees that you use for climbing branches.

VOC= Volatile Organic Compound
Wood and thermally modified wood emit VOCs, which are referred to as wood VOCs, and can elicit various negative or positive effects in different organisms, including humans. Wood is a complex multicomponent biopolymer with inherent variability, which is also reflected in the emissions of VOCs.
 
Flex seal works as well. So we are talking like lumber that has been stripped down not so much the branches from trees that you use for climbing branches.

VOC= Volatile Organic Compound
Wood and thermally modified wood emit VOCs, which are referred to as wood VOCs, and can elicit various negative or positive effects in different organisms, including humans. Wood is a complex multicomponent biopolymer with inherent variability, which is also reflected in the emissions of VOCs.
Ohhhh gotchya! Thanks so much :)
 
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - 4mo male panther, ive had him for a little over a month
  • Handling - 2-3 times a week for cleaning/outdoor time. i keep physical contact to a minimum though
  • Feeding - 10-15 crickets a day, occasionally a superworm (a little less crickets on those days). ordering some hornworms/silkworms soon
  • Supplements - idk brands off the top of my head but calcium w/o D3 every day except sunday, alternating calcium w/D3 and a multivitamin w/o D3 on the sundays
  • Watering - Mist 3 times a day, sometimes 4 (but i make sure that it fully dries in between each mist). i see him drink occasionally. had a dropper before but it didnt work, he seems to get enough water from misting though so im not too worried
  • Fecal Description - no testing but white urates, sometimes a tiny bit of orange (like 1/5 of the urate) but nothing to be concerned over
  • History - N/A
Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - XL reptibreeze that ive shortened (by placing a block of wood at the bottom) since hes still little
  • Lighting - again, not sure on brands but a linear uvb bulb (reptisun iirc) and a white light for heat
  • Temperature - high 80s-70
  • Humidity - daytime: 50-65 nighttime: probably in the 70s but i dont check regularly when im asleep lol
  • Plants - money tree pothos and schefflera
  • Placement - in my room on a table
  • Location - I’m in NC (triangle area)

Current Problem - Dark mark on his back leg, looks like some sort of injury and idk how concerned i should be. you can see it in the photo attached (ignore my crusty nails pls lol). He seems fine and hasn’t been acting any different, but i saw this today and was very concerned. not sure how he got it. ik he likes to walk on the screens... maybe he burnt himself walking on the screen under his heat lamp? never seen him walk up there but im gone a lot so its a possibility. if so how would i fix that w/o changing the basking temp?
Well i think everyone is right about the scratch. I can tell you it is not a burn. A burn looks like a scrape then darkens after time, and you said the pic was from the same or next day. Neosporin great advice i think by the next molt you wont see a thing! Voc emits from.pine wood. if your branches arent pine, no worries. Waterproofing is a sealant so i think you are safe. I just put together a 4x2x2 and found wonderful branches from a rubber tree that were all older and dead. I just threw them in a bath with 3% bleach for a hour ot two did minimal sanding as most of them arent rough. and they work great. Welcome and the best to you and yours!
 
Well i think everyone is right about the scratch. I can tell you it is not a burn. A burn looks like a scrape then darkens after time, and you said the pic was from the same or next day. Neosporin great advice i think by the next molt you wont see a thing! Voc emits from.pine wood. if your branches arent pine, no worries. Waterproofing is a sealant so i think you are safe. I just put together a 4x2x2 and found wonderful branches from a rubber tree that were all older and dead. I just threw them in a bath with 3% bleach for a hour ot two did minimal sanding as most of them arent rough. and they work great. Welcome and the best to you and yours!
Did you make sure to soak/rinse them enough to get all of the bleach out?
 
Well i think everyone is right about the scratch. I can tell you it is not a burn. A burn looks like a scrape then darkens after time, and you said the pic was from the same or next day. Neosporin great advice i think by the next molt you wont see a thing! Voc emits from.pine wood. if your branches arent pine, no worries. Waterproofing is a sealant so i think you are safe. I just put together a 4x2x2 and found wonderful branches from a rubber tree that were all older and dead. I just threw them in a bath with 3% bleach for a hour ot two did minimal sanding as most of them arent rough. and they work great. Welcome and the best to you and yours!
He’s all good now! The mark disappeared like a week(ish) after i posted. Thanks for the advice though!
 
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