Little yellow spot on my veiled

[Shilohpsu]

I noticed a little yellow spot on the side of my veiled chameleon. I've been monitoring it for about a week now, and it hasn't grown any larger, but I wanted to see if anyone knows what it could be. It's definitely not a piece of dead/shedding skin. His mood, appetite, drinking, and everything is still normal. He's about 11 months old now and has always been perfectly healthy. I'm not overly concerned at the moment and I'm hoping that it will go away after his next shed, but just wanted to see if anyone knows what it is or have dealt with anything similar. Figured that it wouldn't be a bad idea to get some advice and catch it early if it is anything bad. Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Carlton]

Hmm, I'm not seeing anything very noticeable. Just watch for change I guess!

 

[Shilohpsu]

Hmm, I'm not seeing anything very noticeable. Just watch for change I guess!

It's the little yellow bump that's dead center in the first and second photo. Here is a cropped version of the first photo. Like I said, I'm hoping that it's just normal "wear and tear", but just looking to see if anyone else has dealt with them on their Cham. We interact with him a lot and it was big enough for me to notice. Thanks for your advice!

 

[Andee]

It's most likely just a piece of old shed, is it raised at all? Keep an eye on it, if it grows or does anything worrisome bring him in for a check up.

 

[Shilohpsu]

It's most likely just a piece of old shed, is it raised at all? Keep an eye on it, if it grows or does anything worrisome bring him in for a check up.

It is raised a little bit. But I'll keep monitoring it like I've been doing. Was kind of hoping that someone could identify what it actually is, and then I could take action. But I'll hope that it shrinks or comes off next shed. @jajeanpierre @jannb ever see a spot like this?

 

[Andee]

What I'm worried about is that it's the start of a papilloma growth. From what I've noticed about what's been posted is veiled's tend to be more prone to this. I don't know if it's because it's genetic, and they can and often are bred poorly because of pet stores. Very little is known about the papilloma virus in chameleons from what I understand. Yet it could be nothing, it could just be a shed, or a small scar. So only time will tell. Just monitor it. If it starts to grow take him in.

 

[Shilohpsu]

What I'm worried about is that it's the start of a papilloma growth. From what I've noticed about what's been posted is veiled's tend to be more prone to this. I don't know if it's because it's genetic, and they can and often are bred poorly because of pet stores. Very little is known about the papilloma virus in chameleons from what I understand. Yet it could be nothing, it could just be a shed, or a small scar. So only time will tell. Just monitor it. If it starts to grow take him in.

I hope it's not papilloma. I've seen some nasty photos of that. If it gets ANY larger instead of going away, I'll get him checked out asap.

 

[Andee]

Yeah, the best you can do is watch at the moment and be ready. Keep us updated and I wish you two the best.

 

[Shilohpsu]

Herbert is about a year old now and still has that yellow spot on his side, so I decided to take him to the vet for a checkup. I searched the list of reptile vets in Pennsylvania and found one a couple miles away. He also used to live a couple houses down the street from the house I grew up in, so I already knew who he was.

Herbert weighs 123 grams and appears to be perfectly healthy, other than the yellow spot on his side. The vet said that he has seen a few chameleons over the years, but not any with abnormal skin growths. I was a little disappointed that I knew more about chameleon diseases, fungal infections, and viruses than he did (thanks to this awesome forum and all of its knowledgeable members). He had never heard of papilloma in chameleons and searched his national medical database for cases, pictures, and treatment options. To make a long story short, he had no idea what it is and said the only way to accurately identify it is to do a skin biopsy.

So Herbert goes back early September and they are going to take a circular chunk of skin out of him, give him a stitch or two, and then send the sample to a lab where they will hopefully be able to identify the problem. It'll cost about $250 (which is 4 times as much as we paid for him as baby). But we love him and want to confirm what it is and start treatment if possible, or confirm my worst fear that it is an untreatable virus and we'll continue to give him the best life that we can.

Since starting this thread, I've noticed another abnormal spot that appeared on the same side Here is a picture of the first initial spot.

Here is a photo of the new spot that I found on him. It is a raised cluster of skin (it's a lot easier to notice in real life compared to this photo)

Can anyone out there identify either of these spots and offer some advice? It would be greatly appreciated whether the news is good or bad. I would just like to know what we're dealing with in case there are any treatment options. Thanks.

-Craig and Herbert

 

[PetMom]

I have a 4 yr old male veiled chameleon that I "inherited" from my daughter. He tried to die on her when he was 1 1/2.
After a $175 vet visit that I forced her and my husband to take him to and my hand feeding him liquids and mushed bugs, he came around. She then left him with me (no more pets for her!). About a year ago, I noticed a bump on his left side which is now quite large. I have attempted many a google search in an effort to figure out what it is. Going back to the vet is not an option. He is not socialized so he would be totally stressed out. And from I have read, basically they are such an exotic species, the vets are not entirely sure themselves. If you are going to do anything about it, do it now because removal will be much easier. With mine it would be a large hole and these guys heal slowly. I will say it has not killed him and does not seem to bother him. He eats his hornworms, gets misted every morning and left alone the rest of the day to bask in his lights. Today I noticed a small bump under the large one so I shall see. If you do find out what it is, please post here. I will check this site occasionally. Good luck!

 

[Shilohpsu]

So Herbert's diagnosis ended up being chromatophoromas, not papillomas. My vet sent me a copy of the report that he received from the company that did the biopsy.

The good news is that it's not papilloma and they don't think that they're cancerous. The bad news is that he'll most likely get more of them throughout his life.

Herbert handled the removal of the bumps really well and was basically back to normal the next day, despite having a stitch at each removal site. He ate like he normally would and wanted to come out of his cage to go exploring like nothing ever happened to him. Here is a picture of the stitches immediately after the surgery:

Here is a current picture about 45 days later:

Does anyone know anything about chromatophoromas or has anyone had a chameleon diagnosed with them? Any information will be appreciated as always. Thanks!

 

[Andee]

I don't have any info on the disease, but from the looks of it, the growths are easier to remove than the papilloma ones. Hopefully that means that they spread and reoccur slower and less often.