Nolan’s skin is sticky? After helping him shed, and his spikes are black!

KhameleonMomz

Established Member
Hi guys! Nolan has been doing fantastic lately but I did notice that the shed on his spike still hadn’t come off after 5 days. So I decided to help him by gently using a Q-tip and warm water to try and pry it off. I’m not sure if I used too much force even though I tried to be super gentle. But after much effort I only got about 90% of it off and afterwards I was feeling Nolan’s skin and it looked very shiny in comparison to the rest of his skin, and it was very sticky to the touch, his spikes also turned dark black where I removed the shed. I know this is not customary to do and isn’t recommended but when his shed’s take too long to come off I usually help him without any problems. I’ve been doing this for the last 15 months without issues. I’m not sure what’s going on here. I’m afraid I might have accidentally caused a serious injury to him😞. He seems fine and didn’t vibrate or hiss in annoyance or pain at all, but I could only imagine I may have caused him some pain. His temps are 80-85 at his basking, and 70-80 in the middle. His humidity is around 30-35% during the day and around 80-90% at night. I just hope I didn’t injure him to the point that his spikes will sustain permanent damage. I’m just wondering if anyone else has experienced this? I was told by the vet to treat it as a fungal infection and give him an ointment prescription for 7 days and simply monitor the area.
 
He’s asleep I can post some in the morning, and he video chatted with me so I would say he half saw him. The ointment is called Otomax.
Photos please.
Did the vet actually see him?
What ointment did the vet prescribe?
I actually just checked on Nolan to get some good pictures while he’s sleeping but the blackness has gone mostly away. It’s just black dots now.
 

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The glossiness is from the ointment mixed with his mister.
I also tried to touch the area to check and make sure the mister didn’t take off the ointment and he vibrated a lot which tells me it’s a very sore spot for me to touch. It wasn’t painful earlier when I noticed it☹️. He may also be annoyed that I’m messing with him in his sleep.
 
Nice looking veiled. Nice colors. Hope he gets well. I got a feeling whatever the problem is. It will be gone in a couple days. I've also heard from someone on here that applying water to shedding chams makes the shedding stick and in some cases when removed to fast can cause sores like burns kinda. Should be gone soon. Might want to lower humidity just a tad for a day or so,and make sure he don't get to hot in that area because it's very sensitive right now. Best of luck to ya.
 
Otomax is really gentamicin (an antibiotic) and a corticosteroid. It is used for dogs normally. Usually what is used for chameleons is flamazine. I don't know if otomax will work if it's fungal.

I would recommend you don't help the chameleon shed anymore. I'd also check the temperature/heat in your basking area by placing your hand inside the cage, palm side down, as close as you can to the basking light. If you have/want to move it, it's going to burn your chameleon. Right now, it might burn that area even easier than normal...so I'd be especially careful now.

Can you post some photos of your cage from the top down to the bottom...including the lights please.
 
Nice looking veiled. Nice colors. Hope he gets well. I got a feeling whatever the problem is. It will be gone in a couple days. I've also heard from someone on here that applying water to shedding chams makes the shedding stick and in some cases when removed to fast can cause sores like burns kinda. Should be gone soon. Might want to lower humidity just a tad for a day or so,and make sure he don't get to hot in that area because it's very sensitive right now. Best of luck to ya.
Okay thank you!
 
Otomax is really gentamicin (an antibiotic) and a corticosteroid. It is used for dogs normally. Usually what is used for chameleons is flamazine. I don't know if otomax will work if it's fungal.

I would recommend you don't help the chameleon shed anymore. I'd also check the temperature/heat in your basking area by placing your hand inside the cage, palm side down, as close as you can to the basking light. If you have/want to move it, it's going to burn your chameleon. Right now, it might burn that area even easier than normal...so I'd be especially careful now.

Can you post some photos of your cage from the top down to the bottom...including the lights please.
 
So this is why we do not help them shed... You can tell when shed is ready to let go. It is lifted off the area and very white. As they mature it can take longer for shed to let go since they shed in sections. It is best to let him shed on his own. If there is a place where it is actually lifted but has not totally fallen off you can easily tell because all it would take is just running your finger along it and it will move. So there is not prying or working it off with a qtip.

Beman has three areas along his biggest spikes. Where the shed gets stuck on the spike next to it. Either the spike is right on top of the other one or it crosses is. This is the only area that I assist him with and it is only when it is totally lifted a few weeks later that I do this. I literally just take my thumb and finger and gently pull up on the shed on the spike. It pops right off. This literally is the only time I step in and assist because otherwise it stays there until the next shed because he does not rub that area on anything.

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So this is why we do not help them shed... You can tell when shed is ready to let go. It is lifted off the area and very white. As they mature it can take longer for shed to let go since they shed in sections. It is best to let him shed on his own. If there is a place where it is actually lifted but has not totally fallen off you can easily tell because all it would take is just running your finger along it and it will move. So there is not prying or working it off with a qtip.

Beman has three areas along his biggest spikes. Where the shed gets stuck on the spike next to it. Either the spike is right on top of the other one or it crosses is. This is the only area that I assist him with and it is only when it is totally lifted a few weeks later that I do this. I literally just take my thumb and finger and gently pull up on the shed on the spike. It pops right off. This literally is the only time I step in and assist because otherwise it stays there until the next shed because he does not rub that area on anything.

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Okay, yeah maybe it was too soon to take it off. I won’t help him shed anymore I just get nervous because I’ve heard body parts can fall off if it’s left on too long.
 
The nature of chameleons shedding means that it is important not to increase humidity as many advise. Increasing humidity will make it more difficult to shed because the chameleon relies on the evaporation to help the skin disengage.
A healthy shed can take a couple hours. The chameleons will suddenly “explode” in white shreds. An unhealthy shed, on the other hand can take days as pieces slowly fall off and some pieces left stuck on.
 
Okay, yeah maybe it was too soon to take it off. I won’t help him shed anymore I just get nervous because I’ve heard body parts can fall off if it’s left on too long.
Yeah no worries about this. You can tell when a cuff develops. Typically happens on the tail. Looks like a tight rubber band around your wrist.
 
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