Is my Oustalet's unique?

[HandsomeSanta]

I bought a female oustalet's at the NE Expo in Manchester, NH last weekend. She is extremely friendly and when I got her home, started exploring her enclosure right away. About an hour later she started showing bright yellows on her sides. These yellows practically glow in the dark. Since I don't have any experience with Oustalet's, I was wondering if these colors were normal...This pic was taken without a flash, and with her basking light turned off.

 

[IvoryBolt]

I was about to be a smartass and say all chams were unique...but holy cow i've really never seen an oustalets like that!!! Great find!

 

[maskaturtle]

Does the skin seem consistent in texture and feel from the dark to the light. I have also never seen an Oustalet's show that color, alive, that is...that light yellow is the color those guys turn minutes after death...I think you may have gotten some sort of paradox...maybe she has some sort of disruption in the pigment in that area? Who knows...if it is in fact healthy with that color, I say AWESOME CHAM!!!

 

[maskaturtle]

Does the skin seem consistent in texture and feel from the dark to the light. I have also never seen an Oustalet's show that color, alive, that is...that light yellow is the color those guys turn minutes after death...I think you may have gotten some sort of paradox...maybe she has some sort of disruption in the pigment in that area? Who knows...if it is in fact healthy with that color, I say AWESOME CHAM!!!

I just read that back...haha, I don't know why typing on my cell phone affects my grammar, but apparently it does. Lol, my bad.

 

[Carlton]

I bought a female oustalet's at the NE Expo in Manchester, NH last weekend. She is extremely friendly and when I got her home, started exploring her enclosure right away. About an hour later she started showing bright yellows on her sides. These yellows practically glow in the dark. Since I don't have any experience with Oustalet's, I was wondering if these colors were normal...This pic was taken without a flash, and with her basking light turned off.View attachment 92175

I've never seen an Oustalet with that type of marking before (but I haven't seen many Ousties either). So this marking doesn't show all the time? Can you see the outline of that yellow patch when her color changes? It is similar on both sides? The reason I ask is that it isn't a common marking and I wouldn't want to mistake an skin problem or injury for normal coloration. Hopefully there's nothing to worry about!

I would make sure she gets good showers, lots of misting for a while as her casque is a little thin.

Oustaleti have a reputation for being laid back, but keep in mind that she's brand new to her setup and probably isn't totally herself right now. She may be preoccupied by the change and trying to hide her stress level. She will roam more and may even prefer being out of the cage as high up as possible (which often means she'll climb to the top of your head). Once she gets settled into her territory her personality might shift a little. She might not welcome you as much. Hard to say and I hope not. Either way, she's a looker!

 

[HandsomeSanta]

These bright yellow markings are consistant in feel, and appear on both sides of her body. And she has been displaying them consistanly for the past 3 or 4 days.....And good of you to notice the casque, she was a little dehydrated when I bought her. But I'm happy to say that she has been drinking like a champ, and enjoys being misted.

 

[Chris Anderson]

That is a thermal burn from getting too close to the basking spot. What is your setup like? Can you post photos? It will likely need veterinary attention, as it will scab over and need burn cream to prevent infection, etc.

Also, you realize that it is illegal to keep chameleons in Rhode Island without a permit, right (http://www.dem.ri.gov/pubs/regs/regs/agric/xotkanml.pdf and http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/bnatres/agricult/pdf/exoticapp.pdf)?

Chris

 

[IvoryBolt]

That is a thermal burn from getting too close to the basking spot. What is your setup like? Can you post photos? It will likely need veterinary attention, as it will scab over and need burn cream to prevent infection, etc.

Also, you realize that it is illegal to keep chameleons in Rhode Island without a permit, right (http://www.dem.ri.gov/pubs/regs/regs/agric/xotkanml.pdf and http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/bnatres/agricult/pdf/exoticapp.pdf)?

Chris

but he said it's on both sides...

 

[Chris Anderson]

but he said it's on both sides...

I can see that in the photos in his album. Its still a thermal burn and still will need to be treated. That sudden change to a light coloration is very typical of thermal burns. Its fairly common and has happened to a lot of us. It does take a considerable amount of time to treat correctly, however.

Chris

 

[HandsomeSanta]

I now live in Fall River, MA and as of January 4, 2014, it is legal to keep chameleons in this state.....My set up is similar to that of my Ambilobes, so I'm not worried about her being burned in my enclosure. I've only had her for 4days, so this must have happened while in the care of the breeder that I bought her from. But thank you very much for your imput, I'll set up a veterinary appointment for her tomorrow.

 

[Chris Anderson]

I now live in Fall River, MA and as of January 4, 2014, it is legal to keep chameleons in this state.....My set up is similar to that of my Ambilobes, so I'm not worried about her being burned in my enclosure. I've only had her for 4days, so this must have happened while in the care of the breeder that I bought her from. But thank you very much for your imput, I'll set up a veterinary appointment for her tomorrow.

Glad to hear it. I saw the law change for Mass and was jealous. Wish RI would follow suite, although they have been very accommodating with me as far as getting permits goes.

Its quite likely that she may have gotten the burns before you got her, possibly even at the show, depending on how she was kept. That said, I suspect the individual you got her from was not the individual who bred her as she is probably a Florida wild caught animal.

Good luck with the vet.

Chris

 

[Carlton]

I now live in Fall River, MA and as of January 4, 2014, it is legal to keep chameleons in this state.....My set up is similar to that of my Ambilobes, so I'm not worried about her being burned in my enclosure. I've only had her for 4days, so this must have happened while in the care of the breeder that I bought her from. But thank you very much for your imput, I'll set up a veterinary appointment for her tomorrow.

I agree with Chris on this. When I first saw your pic it did look strange and I immediately wondered about burns, but the "both sides" threw me so I hesitated. I'm sure you did not cause this. Chances are she was shipped into a pretty chilly situation and in her attempts to warm up she spent too long directly under a focused heat spot in a less-than-great setup. The good thing is, now you know and can take action. They are big burns and will take a long time, but they can heal. Hard to say how deep the damage went. Preventing infection, removing dead tissue, protecting new sensitive tissues will all be part of it. It can be done. I had a severely burned melleri that did recover after losing the top half of his tail most of its length and a lot of his dorsal crest. He was scarred, but survived and was quite a sweetheart through the whole thing.

 

[HandsomeSanta]

Thanks for all of the replys. I've had several chams over the past 5 years, and have been lucky not to have experienced any with injuries. It just goes to show you that there is always something new to learn about these animals. I'll do my best to care for her, and post updates.