My Panther Chameleon has a growth on back
- Thread starter DebCruz
- Start date
nightanole
Chameleon Enthusiast
Looks like a healing/infected burn. A good healing version would not be swollen/red along the edges. However if it its a recent burn, then you are ok and just need to treat it to prevent infection.
Morpheo's Mom
Avid Member
How hot is it at the basking branch?
Two questions please:
1) Where do you think he might have received that burn from? We have been using a 100W basking lamp since we did his chameleon setup about a year ago. It is 8" from the branch so about 4-1/2" from his back with the digital thermometer reading about 92 degrees on his back when he sits there. There are other branches that he can move to, if he feels it is too hot.
2) Does it look like it is healing okay? Should I just leave it alone and see if it continues to heal or Do I need to do anything else to treat it?
Thank you so much for your help! Cruz is such a cute little chameleon that we just love. He often runs to us to come out whenever we get close to his enclosure.
Morpheo's Mom
Avid Member
Are you able to hold your hand under the basking light in the same spot your chameleon would be for 1 minute without wanting to move it? 100watts at 4.5 inches is pretty close. A lot of people on this site use 60 watt. Bulbs. I have a 75 watt bulb but it sits 15 inches above his basking branch.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Try using a lower wattage bulb. I keep my male chameleons no higher than 85F.
nightanole
Chameleon Enthusiast
9/10 a burn happens right where yours is at, or on the tip of the cask for veilds. Typically what happens is they sit under the bulb for much longer that expected. Your probe might be at 92, but what if he is a darker color and stays under an extra 20min?
I do two things. 1) my setup is always at an angle to the cage, never directly down. This prevents a hot spot because it makes the contact area an ellipse instead of a circle. 2) i retest temps after i change a bulb. You would be suprised that even bulbs in the same pack can vary 5-7 degrees, and lord have mercy if you got the same wattage but the beam angle changed.
But i would get some burn cream just to prevent infection. It can just be some OTC human stuff.
Thanks everyone! I moved the basking lamp up a bit higher (previously 8" from branch, now 9" or 5" from his back). Will tilt lamp a bit too and put a little bit of otc hydrocortisone (first aid) cream on him. And will retest temperature because we did change the bulb about a month ago. Thank you all for your help. Happy healthy little Cruz, equals happy family!
nightanole
Chameleon Enthusiast
Puffy spotted Cruz equals family giving each other chin music then?
You want to use regular neosporin without pain meds... The best thing to use though is silver sulfadiazine cream from the vet... This will treat underlying infection along with the burn.
Perfect! Thank you for the advice.
