My sibling has a young, female Veiled Chameleon. For the last two weeks, she's had a yellow spot on her left side that doesn't change with her colors. I'm not sure what it is, but she's been very well looked after. I thought that maybe she could be gravid, but she has a space available to nest should she have to. Any thoughts?
Veiled Chameleon question
- Thread starter Stygma
- Start date
veiledchamguy
Member
What is the wattage on your heating bulb? and how far is it from the nearest basking perch?
it could potentially be a thermal burn.
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It's a SolarGlo by ExoTerra - 125W; apparently meant for arboreal species. The problem is that she's in a screen terrarium. My sister had bought this 38 'Gallon" Apogee Reptarium as a short-term solution until she could get a normal vivarium. The chameleon can climb all around this thing, since the walls are mesh, and her favorite spot is up in a corner about 5 inches from the bulb. Granted, she's shaded by leafs, but there's really no way we can stop her from climbing up there. If it is indeed a thermal burn, the problem will be solved within the next few days, as we'll be replacing that crappy Reptarium with something more suited to this Cham's needs. Again, supposing it is a burn, is there anything we can do? She doesn't seem to be in pain, and has just shed (the spot remained after the shed). I'll try and get pictures up ASAP, but she's rather elusive; she's new and is still going through relocation stress, so it's hard to get near her.
Also, this is kind of off the point, but along with the whole relocation stress deal; how long does it take for chams to get over this? At the store, she was hand-friendly and was all too eager to climb onto people, but now she's secluded and hisses at any sign of a hand near her. I personally own a Bearded Dragon who went through the same thing, and it took him a little over a month to get used to everything. Can we expect the same for this cham?
Also, this is kind of off the point, but along with the whole relocation stress deal; how long does it take for chams to get over this? At the store, she was hand-friendly and was all too eager to climb onto people, but now she's secluded and hisses at any sign of a hand near her. I personally own a Bearded Dragon who went through the same thing, and it took him a little over a month to get used to everything. Can we expect the same for this cham?
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chameleon97
New Member
your basking bulb is way too hot, you need a 75 watt max. and at least 6 inches from the basking spot is what you need. i dont know what you mean, thAt a reptairium isn`t sutible, but it is, and its what a lot of people use. please fill out the form that julirs asked you to.
Um, methinks you've got the wrong thread; no one asked me to 'fill out a form'.
The bulb is a Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) and provides both heat and UVB; they tend to have higher wattage than their heat-only counterparts. I've actually never even seen a 75W MVB. This bulb is what our local herp expert recommended. Granted, the minimum distance for use is about 12 inches; double what it is now. Also, I made a mistake with the Terrarium. It's NOT a Reptarium, it's a Flexarium by ExoTerra. Horribly built, very shoddy, and needs to be replaced. It's already broken! (the zips fell off D= )
I spoke with the local pet store's reptile guy; the person who sold my sister the cham. He said it may be retained skin from a bad shed. I'm not sure if that's the case, since she had the spot before the shed. The best I can do in as far as the bulb goes is raise it to its recommended distance. It doesn't seem very hot at all; I'm only getting temperatures of about 90 right next to the bulb. I'm using a digital thermometer with a probe; not one of those useless stick-on things. I'd also like to mention that she's been hanging out in the 'water dish' in the tank. It's not actually there to drink, but to catch the water from the dripper to make noise and stimulate her drinking. Twice today I've found her sitting in the dish. She's got a pot of soil for egg-laying that's about 12 inches deep and about the same around, so I don't think she's gravid, but who knows. I still can't get near enough to examine the spot because of her aforementioned 'snippy-ness'.
Any ideas?
EDIT: I see what you meant!
The bulb is a Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) and provides both heat and UVB; they tend to have higher wattage than their heat-only counterparts. I've actually never even seen a 75W MVB. This bulb is what our local herp expert recommended. Granted, the minimum distance for use is about 12 inches; double what it is now. Also, I made a mistake with the Terrarium. It's NOT a Reptarium, it's a Flexarium by ExoTerra. Horribly built, very shoddy, and needs to be replaced. It's already broken! (the zips fell off D= )
I spoke with the local pet store's reptile guy; the person who sold my sister the cham. He said it may be retained skin from a bad shed. I'm not sure if that's the case, since she had the spot before the shed. The best I can do in as far as the bulb goes is raise it to its recommended distance. It doesn't seem very hot at all; I'm only getting temperatures of about 90 right next to the bulb. I'm using a digital thermometer with a probe; not one of those useless stick-on things. I'd also like to mention that she's been hanging out in the 'water dish' in the tank. It's not actually there to drink, but to catch the water from the dripper to make noise and stimulate her drinking. Twice today I've found her sitting in the dish. She's got a pot of soil for egg-laying that's about 12 inches deep and about the same around, so I don't think she's gravid, but who knows. I still can't get near enough to examine the spot because of her aforementioned 'snippy-ness'.
Any ideas?
EDIT: I see what you meant!
- Cage Info:
- Cage Type - 38 Gallon Fexarium (Mesh cage)
- Lighting - 100W SolarGlo, 9AM to 9PM
- Temperature - 90F Top, 84F Bottom, tested with Digital Thermometer w/ Probe
- Humidity - Non-existant; screens don't hold humidity well.
- Plants - No live plants as of yet. An abundance of fake vines and leafs.
- Placement - On a stand, near the back wall of a room, away from any windows.
- Location - Ontario, Canada
Chameleon Info:
- Your Chameleon - Veiled Chameleon, Female, owned for about two-and-a-half to three weeks.
- Handling - Currently, not at all. Relocation stress.
- Feeding - 12 Medium-large crickets, and the occasional Butterworm
- Supplements - RepCal Calcium supplement every feeding. Vitamin supplement two times a week.
- Watering - Misting tank twice a day, and drip water from the top of the tank. She drinks regularly.
- Fecal Description - Brown, oblong, usually with a white dot. Nothing of importance to note.
- History - None that I know of.
- Current Problem - Greenish-yellow splotch on back near leg. Has been there for two weeks, and was present after shedding.
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