My Jackson's chameleon has a few dark-blackish splotches on his body. I was wondering if anyone knows what they are. He gets the correct humidity and heating (80%,70F). He has a very large screen cage so there is proper ventilation. I gut load his crickets. He has been eating fine and acting normal, He even recently shead. I have had him for about 4 years and these small black splotches (no larger than your pinkie nail) began to appear about a year ago. They are not a new pattern appearing because they are too irregular. If this has ever happened to anyone, or they know what it is, help is greatly appreciated. Thanks
Jackson's black splotches
- Thread starter ducati
- Start date
ijmccollum
New Member
Without a picture -- who knows. If you can provide one, that would be great.
OldSkoolxReasons
New Member
It has never happened to me but I have heard of jackson's chameleons in hawaii being seen with black splotches or being almost half black. I don't know if they found the cause for the black spots their but If you put up pics we could probably tell if it is necrotic tissue or not. The best thing to do would be to take him tot the vet and have him check it out as they will know the most about these kinds of problems. just make sure it is a cham experienced vet. Good luck.
Justin
Justin
xanthoman
Avid Member
without a pic its hard to tell, my xanth sometimes (temporarily) displays dark spots usually triggered by some sort of stress like occassionally coming into view of one of my other chams (2 are free ranging), sometimes she will display them after basking too close to the uv (rare), or some sort of displeasure with food, cage or other issues, she occassionally gets them when there has been too much activity in her area (like cage cleaning). they are usually only present for a day or two but they have hung around for a week or longer. my questions would be, are you fairly certain there aren't food, cage, activity, or other issues stressing him out ? if you have had it for four years, then what is your u/v (linear or cfl) and how long has it been since being replaced ? also you mentioned 70f , does he have some sort of uva / heat basking available? also what is basking distance and schedule ? (just a hunch, but i suspect its somehow u/v related) i dont know your location but, if weather permits, you might try getting him outside on a sunny day (above 50f) for an hr or so (out of his cage) and see what happens. you might also want to review your supplemental regimen to see if maybe there is some sort of deficiency or excess (long term slow build up) of something? not all will agree, but in my opinion, older chams often dont need as much supplementation. / although they can live significantly longer, 4 years is considered fairly old as far as captive jackson's go, so you must be doing something right. my suggestions would be review the forementioned items for starters, also you might want to weigh him every 2 weeks or so to make sure he is not losing weight, it wouldnt hurt to look at the spots with a viewer or magnifying glass,(this also helps to confirm or deny the presence of mites as a cause) also you might try lightly pinching one of the spots and gently pulling it away from its body to see how elastic the tissue is (necrotic tissue is not elastic, like healthy tissue) if the tissue is not necrotic, his weight is stable and his feces looks and smells healthy, my guess is he is probably ok, it might just be a sign of the onset of his twilight years . but, if you are able to afford it, a CHAM VET visit is probably in order.
MWheelock
Veterinarian
I would love to see a picture of it too.
I have had a couple Jackson's come in with odd black marks on their side. One almost looked like someone had put a black magic marker on its side like a streak. It hower never really got bigger or smaller and did not change after shedding a few sheddings.
With many chameleons that get thermal burns, the skin will blacken but then often times will scar over with whitish skin that will not have pigment that changes color again. I usually expect the top of the head and back to have more issues. In your case, it it has been throughout the year, I'd be surprised if it was this.
Fungal infections usually take on a browner tinge in my experience, but can then turn black if the skin is necrotic or dying. These usually grow in size until the underlying infection is taken care of.
In the case of the previous ones, it never seemed to affect the lifestyles and we never did cultures or biopsies to investigate further. We did try zylofen and fortaz in case it was a burn, but never found out what it was.
I would encourage a trip to an exotic vet. If it is a burn or fungal, it should be treated.
Matthew Wheelock
I have had a couple Jackson's come in with odd black marks on their side. One almost looked like someone had put a black magic marker on its side like a streak. It hower never really got bigger or smaller and did not change after shedding a few sheddings.
With many chameleons that get thermal burns, the skin will blacken but then often times will scar over with whitish skin that will not have pigment that changes color again. I usually expect the top of the head and back to have more issues. In your case, it it has been throughout the year, I'd be surprised if it was this.
Fungal infections usually take on a browner tinge in my experience, but can then turn black if the skin is necrotic or dying. These usually grow in size until the underlying infection is taken care of.
In the case of the previous ones, it never seemed to affect the lifestyles and we never did cultures or biopsies to investigate further. We did try zylofen and fortaz in case it was a burn, but never found out what it was.
I would encourage a trip to an exotic vet. If it is a burn or fungal, it should be treated.
Matthew Wheelock
What you described seems to be what my jackson's has. After he shed many of the black marks disappeared. I also put some fungus cream on of the remaining splotches and they seemed to vanish as well. There is one black mark on his side that does not go away, so i think it is just a scar or some small burn. Right now i have a normal 40w bulb for heating, a reptisun 5.0 tube. But i also have a 200w fluroscent full spectrum bulb, so all the plants grow. Do you think that is bad. It does not produce any heat, just light, there are also plenty of places to hide from the bulb if it is too powerful.
