What the heck are these marks?

[JoshCrane1]

hey yall, noticed today that little turk has a few red marks under his mouth and another spot on his belly, they are orange-ish red in color. they dont seem like regular markings and i just wanna be sure if its something i need to catch early.he is doing great in all other aspects though.

any help is appreciated. thanks

 

[JoshCrane1]

oh yea, they just showed up seems like today. i was thinkin a scratch from a branch or something but wanna be sure.

 

[Jeweledchameleons]

What type of plants do you have in your cage?
those appear to be the result of contact with plant sap
that has either dried onto or discolored the skin.

If you have a Ficus I would recommend getting rid of it
and using another type of plant. Hibiscus works well.

I'm planning on introducing an new plant type into chameleon enclosures
this year. It's 100% edible and non harmful to the animals.
it's also quite attractive (imnsho) and grows well in the cages .

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

You could try moistening a tissue and seeing if it washes off. It's been about 4 years since I've had a vry young veiled, so I don't remember if it's normal for them to get random blotches. But I have seen dark blotches and crud on my adults' mouths a few times and panicked, only to find out it was dried feeder "juice".

 

[SoCaliSon]

Have you been feeding HornWorms????

I saw my Veiled at about that age munch into a Juicy Green Monster and It exploded all over him!! He was so startled that he dropped it!!LOL He had Worm guts literally covering about 70% of his head, and on his neck. It looked Brownish/red when it dried... Just a thought that it could be something like that.

Do you free range your feeders? I know that supers and crickets have been known to nibble on a cham while they are sleeping if there are to many free ranging. Maybe a sore from that?


Aside from that, I would think that JC has a good point with the plant sap, depending on what plants you use.

 

[JoshCrane1]

i use shefflera and croton in his enclosure, also cup feed. but an occasional cricket gets loose.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

In my opinion this is normal coloration for his age.
I wouldn't worry.
Croton is toxic (I know it's on the safe plant list and a lot of people use them) ...I was advised by our reptile vet to remove the croton.
I don't think the plant has anything to do with your question though.

-Brad

 

[JoshCrane1]

ive seen him munch the shefflera but not the croton, ill let you know if the marks are there tomarrow.

 

[Kat77]

Sorry Josh, I know this isn't at all helpful, but that last photo of him with his googly little eyes is so cute!

Now ON topic, let us know what it is when you find out.

 

[Tygerr]

If you have a Ficus I would recommend getting rid of it and using another type of plant.

Why is that? Are you simply referring to the risk of dermatitis (and irritation to the eyes) that exists due to sap oozing from wounds to the plant? Because I'm sure there are a lot of keepers that have kept Ficus quite successfully in their cages. I for one haven't had any problems with Ficus Benjamina in my cages, even after witnessing my Veileds chomping on it.

I'm planning on introducing an new plant type into chameleon enclosures this year. It's 100% edible and non harmful to the animals. it's also quite attractive (imnsho) and grows well in the cages .

Erm, what is it?

 

[JoshCrane1]

In my opinion this is normal coloration for his age.
I wouldn't worry.
Croton is toxic (I know it's on the safe plant list and a lot of people use them) ...I was advised by our reptile vet to remove the croton.
I don't think the plant has anything to do with your question though.

-Brad

I NOTiced this morning one bite out of the croton plant, should i go ahead and get rid of it? he's been great and it doesnt seem to bother him, but i still saw a little bit this morning but he was warm and spotty which made it hard.

Sorry Josh, I know this isn't at all helpful, but that last photo of him with his googly little eyes is so cute!

Now ON topic, let us know what it is when you find out.

thanks, i will.

also, notice him eating dirt more often, maybe once a day.

 

[Dankmeleon]

as a rule of thumb, if plants are toxic but still have good properties, I may put a lot of large plants for example, and then one very small croton as an accent plant for added humidity, but also small enough that he can't hide in there

 

[JoshCrane1]

marks are still there, but a little more faint.

 

[Dankmeleon]

don't worry about it, its just a little irritation, it could of been from sleeping on a branch

 

[JoshCrane1]

k thanks a lot.