Small black spot has developed on cham's leg.

[Phinfan31]

Immediately after an accident with my cham I noticed this small dark spot on his leg. It is concerning since I never noticed it before.

It is located on his right leg, near his joint.

Backstory -

I recently bought a small potted plant to put inside my cage. Unfortunately I did not place it very strategically (I put it in the corner of the cage) - well my cham climbed on the plant, and fell down into the crevice in the corner. The crevice is the space between the pot of the plant and the glass. To put it lightly...he was squished in this small space for anywhere from 1-6 hours...he must have been trying to desperately escape this spot for a long time and was probably extremely stressed. I found him exhausted and totally dirty from the substrate, which he no doubt was digging through with his arms as he was trying to escape this tiny space. His limbs could have been hurt during this process, but after cleaning him, feeding him water and insects...he was sprinting around my floor like he normally does (so I dunno!?)

* BTW - yes I know that substrate is not recommended, but we put it in before knowing this and have been reluctant to take it out because he seems to really enjoy digging around in it) - I am happy to listen to your criticism if you believe strongly that I should take it out. Please don't hesitate.

So my question is - does this accident possibly have anything to do with this black spot I see on him now? Its brand new - and was never noticed prior to the accident. It kind of looks like how he changes his color when hes stressed...but its only in this LITTLE spot instead of his entire skin changing color. I'm wondering if this particular spot is stressing him out, and thats why its so focused, and small?


A little extra info -

I live in Hawaii. He has an Exo Terra tank, screen on the top of the tank. He eats gut loaded crickets daily, as well as mealworms. Crickets are fed the all-purpose orange cubes. He receives UVB lighting daily- but I just learned that I wasn't giving him enough. Maybe 4-5 hours a day before I realized it needs to be much longer. I've had him for about 1 month now. He has never once hissed at me, tried to bite, or otherwise been grumpy (sometimes he changes his color, but quickly goes back to bright green) ...so mentally I think this cham is very strong.

Thank you for any feedback.

 

[carol5208]

They bruise just like us, and that is what it appears to be. Chameleons can also get burns on the top of their knees when they bask. I mentioned to you in your other thread that your chameleon seemed awfully close to the basking light in the pic. I would say a possible burn, but if you just noticed it after the fall, then most likely a bruise. The reason dirt is not recomended is because they can eat it and it can cause digestion problems. Chameleons do not usually dig in the dirt and the ones that do are usually females trying to lay eggs. Jackson's, however give live birth, so you can rule that one out! If he is digging in the dirt he is probably trying to get out. How big is your cage?

 

[Phinfan31]

Carol,

Thanks again for your response. I commented on the light and the distance in my other thread. If you feel like I should mount this light, even though its UVB and very low heat I will do so. I can safely rule out a burn in this case I think.

It certainly seems like a bruise since it was immediately after the incident. He was literally being crushed in the corner. Im just so happy I found him pretty quickly and got him out. I re-positioned everything in my tank so that this will never happen again.

And while I assumed he liked digging - the fact that hes doing it only in the corners tells me you're right, and that hes trying to get out. It is a very small tank (the pet store was selling a 100$ starting kit for 20$!)

The tank appears to be approx. 14 inches high, 18-20 inches long, and 12 inches deep. Certainly not big enough, but it was the best option at the time since we were first time owners, and very concerned to hear that they are hard to take care of and die easily. (The pet store said anyway)

I plan to buy a new one in the near future....but just another random question ---Does the size of the tank limit their growth the way a fish tank does?? He doesn't seem to be getting too much bigger since we got him? Its only been 1 month though, however.

 

[carol5208]

From what I have learned on here, they will grow regardless of the size of the cage and will outgrow their small cages very quickly. Jackson's do not get as big as Panthers or Veilds, but yeah that cage is really too small for him. If that is the UVB light, he should be fine. The heat from the basking lights can burn them even without them touching the screen or the bulb. And sometimes, they will grow in spurts.