Veiled - Odd marking and Lots of Hissing :S

[grumpychameleon]

Hello All,
We have a Veiled Chameleon, he is under a year old (8months or so).
Recently we have noticed that he has an odd marking on his head, looks almost like the skin has peeled away. This last shedding has taken nearly 2 weeks, much longer than usual. He has also become very vicious/grumpy. If you go to pick him up he will hiss at you or try to head-but you.

A little bit concerned about him, is he ok, is this common, can we fix this, or should we go to vet.

We feed him on wax worms, meal worms, locusts and when he eats them crickets, (all live of course). He gets calcium via sprinkles on food.

PS - Only wearing gloves in this pic as the gloves calm him down, usually hold him with bear hands if that affects anything.

The mark on his head isn't really blatant its about 1/2 way up his (we call it his hat :S) head.

Please help!!!!!!

Below are a few links to some photos of him.

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[dondeb562]

Great looking veiled you have there! Veileds typically are the way you are describing with his personality.
As for his casque looks like he may have a burn there.....

 

[ChrisnLisa]

I agree...it looks like it may be a burn. As far as his attitude goes he is just becoming a teenager. What type of lighting are you using? Wattage and brand, and how far away is his closest basking spot to his lights?

 

[grumpychameleon]

Great looking veiled you have there! Veileds typically are the way you are describing with his personality.
As for his casque looks like he may have a burn there.....

Thanks for the quick reply, we do have a lamp see link below...

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Hes living in a mesh vivarium 6ft x 4ft x 4ft, 1 uv bulb 1/2 way up. 1 Heat lamp top.

Is there anything we can do for a burn, if it is one :S?

 

[grumpychameleon]

I agree...it looks like it may be a burn. As far as his attitude goes he is just becoming a teenager. What type of lighting are you using? Wattage and brand, and how far away is his closest basking spot to his lights?

Exo Terra - Sun Glow

220-240v 50hz
150w

As for distance, take a look at the pic ..
IMG_0022.jpg
It is about a foot away from the bulb, does seem a tad close now i think about it..

 

[summoner12]

Good luck!

My veiled had a strange looking shed a couple of months ago. This is what it ended up doing...

It is all fine and healed. I am not sure if he had a calcium deficiency or a burn. My other veiled Fred is having a similar 'shed'. I think it is something that happens to males. I wouldn't worry too much unless it starts to look infected.

Here he is after the skin shed itself.

I will say your cham does look a bit dehydrated. How often do you mist? do you have an auto misting system?

 

[grumpychameleon]

....I will say your cham does look a bit dehydrated. How often do you mist? do you have an auto misting system?

The pics were great cheers

He has a water dripper + we manually feed him water via a syringe, basically let it drip onto his mouth, he licks his lips then opens, we drip in, let him gulp and continue until he closes his mouth, we do mist, but not very much.

Is that an issue?

 

[summoner12]

Exo Terra - Sun Glow

220-240v 50hz
150w

As for distance, take a look at the pic ..
IMG_0022.jpg
It is about a foot away from the bulb, does seem a tad close now i think about it..

You responed while I was typing my responce.

Your lighting is set up all wrong (no offense).

You should lower the wattage on your cham's heat lamp to around 50 or 60w. The heat lamp should be placed at the top of the cage. You do not need to worry about setting the cage on fire from the lamp. I have a cage made of the same material with a 50w heat lamp sitting on top of the mesh. Your UV lamp should also be placed on top of the cage. Your cham will come to the lamp for heat, no need to bring it to him.

Here is an old picture of one of my cages. I have provided two different heat lamps with different wattage lamps so the animal can choose which basking spot to use. You should provide a basking spot below your heat lamp and UVB lamp for your cham to bask at. Placing the UVB and Heat lamp side by side allows the cham to receive both the heat and UV he needs. The basking vine or branch should be place about 8-10" from the heat and UVB lamps.

 

[ChrisnLisa]

Well your set-up is definitely nice and big. First thing take all lights OUT of his cage. I have used Reptariums like you have and you can set a bulb on top. You may want to keep an eye on it over time it will start to discolor the material and can eventually burn through...but with a cage that large you could move it around a bit to avoid that. As far as lights we use a Reptisun 5.0 long fluorescent tube. With the size of your enclosure I would recommend you get a 10. We also use a regular household bulb for their basking areas in a dome fixture like you have. Your chameleon needs both UVA and UVB and using this combination of lights will provide that. The dripper is good, but there is no need to water him with a syringe. Go to a plant or hardware store and see if they sell a hand pump mister and give his cage a good misting about three times a day for a few minutes each time. He will start drinking as you spray and will probably start licking water off of the leaves of your plants as well. Do you have any real plants in there or are they all artificial? With your lights being inside the cage it is not unlikely he has a minor burn, and if that is what it is a ver can provide you with cream to rub on.

 

[summoner12]

Good luck!

The pics were great cheers

He has a water dripper + we manually feed him water via a syringe, basically let it drip onto his mouth, he licks his lips then opens, we drip in, let him gulp and continue until he closes his mouth, we do mist, but not very much.

Is that an issue?

Yes, you should mist your veiled. Chameleons drink from leaves and branches. They do not drink from standing water, so having the dripper is good. If you can have the dripper dripping onto a plant where the water can bead up and then fall it will attract him to drink. Where are you located? If you look at my signature there is a link to DIY misting system. If you are in the US you can purchase all the parts at a Home Depot for less than $100. If you like the system but don't wish to build it... The one in the DIY thread is for sale.

You should mist your cham at least two or three times a day for a few minutes. Spray him and the plants around him for at least 3-5 minutes to stimulate him to drink. Using warm mist works well. In order to get warm mist sometimes you need to put very warm/hot water into the spray bottle. The warmer mist will feel more comfy to the cham and is more likely to cause him to drink.

 

[grumpychameleon]

...
Your lighting is set up all wrong (no offense)......

Your UV lamp should also be placed on top of the cage. Your cham will come to the lamp for heat, no need to bring it to him.

Here is an old picture of one of my cages. I have provided two different heat lamps with different wattage lamps so the animal can choose which basking spot to use. You should provide a basking spot below your heat lamp and UVB lamp for your cham to bask at. Placing the UVB and Heat lamp side by side allows the cham to receive both the heat and UV he needs. The basking vine or branch should be place about 8-10" from the heat and UVB lamps.

No offence taken, we didnt really have much idea on how to set this cage / home up for him, as it is much larger then the glass one we had when he was a baby.

Luckily / unluckily the bulb died this morning, so i will be off to collect a new one. I will get a lower powered one as you have said and alter the set up.

Thankyou for the tips

 

[ChrisnLisa]

Hah, I type so slow, summoner got to it before I did.

 

[summoner12]

No offence taken, we didnt really have much idea on how to set this cage / home up for him, as it is much larger then the glass one we had when he was a baby.

Luckily / unluckily the bulb died this morning, so i will be off to collect a new one. I will get a lower powered one as you have said and alter the set up.

Thankyou for the tips

You can use a normal house hold flood lamp for him. You do NOT need a high priced reptile lamp.

Set up a vine 8-10" from the UVB and heat lamp. Then place a heat probe or your hand where the vine is. If it feels comfy warm to you it should be ok. If you have a temp probe there you should see a basking temp of around 88-95 degrees. A veiled will bask in that temp range and self regulate its body temp by moving in and out of the light to keep warm. Once warm they will more to another part of the cage to cool or feed or drink or whatever.

Try reading Brad Ramsey's site for more info. Read it ALL and you will be able to correct and tune your setup just the way it needs to be.

What kind of UVB lamp is that?

 

[grumpychameleon]

.....What kind of UVB lamp is that?

I dont really know - just one of the ones that they were selling in the reptiles shop. Im not at the house at the moment to look, but will later. Will have a look at that link you suggested

 

[summoner12]

I dont really know - just one of the ones that they were selling in the reptiles shop. Im not at the house at the moment to look, but will later. Will have a look at that link you suggested

Check out the UV Guide website to learn about UV needs of reptiles. Most keepers will suggest you purchase a ZooMed Reptisun 5.0 Linear Tube You do not want the compact (screw in type). For your cage being as tall and made of the material that it is..... I would use a Reptisun 10.0.

 

[grumpychameleon]

....You do not want the compact (screw in type)...

We have a linear one like described, that is about 3ft long, although it looks like we need to move it

 

[summoner12]

We have a linear one like described, that is about 3ft long, although it looks like we need to move it

If you do have a ZooMed Reptisun 5.0 you are fine. The mesh that your cage is made of has a tendency to block UVB rays more than the screen most cages are made of. If you can exchange a 5.0 for a 10.0, go for it. If not, 5.0 will work, just make sure to place the basking lamp near the UVB so your chameleon is exposed to both lamps a the same time. And remember to make sure he can bask within 6-10" from the top of the cage.

 

[BocaJan]

One last thought on why we mist....it helps with sheds. When you get your bulb today (all you need is a bulb like you use in a lamp, I use 60's) get a mister. A squirt mister only costs 2-3 bucks at Home Depot. Adjust the spray and you're good to go. Make it misty not squirty.

So, for under $5 even with tax, you should have a great home for your very good looking veiled.

 

[grumpychameleon]

If you do have a ZooMed Reptisun 5.0 .....

Yes Ive checked and I have one of these

One last thought on why we mist....it helps with sheds. When you get your bulb today (all you need is a bulb like you use in a lamp, I use 60's) get a mister. .....

I didn't realise that it helped them shed, that would explain the slow shed. Already been out and baught the bulb, will go out later to get the mister Cheers for the help

Any ideas on his head, will it just go away with time ?

 

[summoner12]

Yes Ive checked and I have one of these



I didn't realise that it helped them shed, that would explain the slow shed. Already been out and baught the bulb, will go out later to get the mister Cheers for the help

Any ideas on his head, will it just go away with time ?

I think his head will heal up fine... keep an eye on it though.