Veiled skin problem!?

[SGmenace]

i have a 4 month old veiled chameleon he has been perfectly fine up until a few days ago. I noticed his back leg looked as if it was burned and a bit swollen, the pictures i have attached represent the problem at its worst. When he changes colors it tends to go away or become less visible. He has also become much more aggressive. I have a compact 26 watt 5.0 exo terra UVB bulb, I have read that’s these lights are great for emitting UVB light but they also emit a dangerous wavelength of light that can cause skin and eye problems? Could this be the problem? I have a 150 watt spot heat lamp is it possible that he was climbing on the screen cage under the heat lamp and burned him self?Regardless of what happened I need to know how to prevent what happened and what I should do to help what’s happening. Help ASAP would be amazing! I love him very much and feel horrible about what happened.

Thanks, Kevin

 

[PINki]

That looks like UV burn for me. This happens if you use compact bulb. Change the bulb with linear tube one. Reptisun 5.0 should do the job. And take that guy to the vet.

 

[BocaJan]

Before I found this list I had two veiled babies that got burned and the burns didn't look anything like that. The burn was a dark, almost black spot along their ridge and a bit on their casque. Fortunately, I changed the bulb to a linear before irreversable damage was done. Maybe your veild has a pigmentation issue LOL (thinking of Michael Jackson). After all, chameleons are capable of changing their colors. I don't see damage to the skin in your pic, only white coloration. I will be interested in seeing what more experienced people have to say since I have only been doing this for a year and there are always new problems popping up.

 

[Dave Weldon]

i have a 4 month old veiled chameleon he has been perfectly fine up until a few days ago.

I noticed his back leg looked as if it was burned and a bit swollen,

When he changes colors it tends to go away or become less visible.

I have a compact 26 watt 5.0 exo terra UVB bulb, I have read that’s these lights are great for emitting UVB light but they also emit a dangerous wavelength of light that can cause skin and eye problems? Could this be the problem?

I have a 150 watt spot heat lamp is it possible that he was climbing on the screen cage under the heat lamp and burned him self?

Howdy Kevin,

How long have you had him?

While compact UVB lights have their problems, some being worst than others, the location and pattern of the skin condition doesn't neatly tie-in with known CF UVB problems. That's not to say that it isn't the source of the skin condition, just that it isn't the smoking gun that we've seen in the past . You won't get any arguments if you switch to a Reptisun 5.0 linear tube. That will at least take UVB out of the equation for future issues.

Even though 150W is a lot for a heat source, it equally depends on the distance as to the heat levels that are possible. Again, the markings are not consistent with thermal burns.

Fungal, viral, bacterial skin attacks might possibly create this kind of condition in a short period time. If it is microbial, it might be self-limiting or it could spread across more surface or even go inward.

If you have access to a qualified vet, now would be a good time to get your chameleon examined. Keep taking photos for comparison. A photo record will help determine if it is changing/spreading.

Post a few photos of your entire chameleon setup. And for the record, re-post with any changes: https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/. That'll keep us from chasing back to your old, outdated info .

 

[SGmenace]

thanks for your help!
i have come to the conclusion that it was just a very slight thermal burn. The heat lamp was very close to the cage and i have since moved it away. The swelling has gone away and his skin is looking almost perfect again.

thanks again!