Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hope ya'll can help. I'm trying to figure out whether this collared is a boy or a girl.

And, there is a thing that looks like a bloodblister on his neck. It is under the skin, and its like broken capillaries or something. The skin itself doesn't have any abrasions on it. Does anyone know what it is, or why it is there? I am wondering if it is from too little UVB or something.

I know these are terrible photos, but any help is appreciated.

Steve

The terrarium picture should have been this one. Same animal.

HI Steve,

That's a very serious condition, and can end in death if not treated. It appears to be a blister disease type condition or systemic disease (basically blood poisining) from bacterias... what ever I just know I have seen this many times, and one of our forum buddies has dealt with this over the past year.

Please let us know how he does. Hope he will be okay. Don't wait, get him seen.
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PHEve / Eve

Will do. I need as much information to take the vet as possible about possible causes and treatments. They are little more than witchdoctors in this town, and with my chameleons, I have to advise them on what I need.

Any info? What "forum buddy" had this problem? I need as much info as I can get, both on, or off-list.

Thanks for your help.

Steve

OK, I found this link:

http://www.anapsid.org/basicdermatology.html

And if you click that link, and go to the bottom of the page, there is another link for "black spots", and I think that is what I'm dealing with...some kind of systemic fungus requiring antibiotics.

There is a separate sickness..."blister disease". I definitely do not think this is the problem. There is not bumps, lumps, or abrasions, it wasn't preceded by any type of watery blister, and most of all, my substrate is anything but damp...its bone dry.

I wonder where the "black spots" came from?

Steve

Yes, definitely systemic, I said blister diease type thign becuase alot of these diseases these days are lumped into that particular group. Systemic is bacterial/fungal that is like blood poisnoning.

There were acually a coiple forum members, one is Vonnie , another was collaredkeeper, his guy has the same blood type spots under the skin. It is a serious thing and yes they need antibiotics. Let us know how ya make out with him. The pic you showed is male.
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PHEve / Eve

...

How is he doing?
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PHEve / Eve

So far, so good. I read up on it like crazy, and one of the articles recommended trying some athelete's foot creme. So we thought we'd try that first and its working. I'm willing to prove it by posting pictures. I should post pix anyway, in the name of science. The articles I read said that it can take a week to clear up, and that is what I'm seeing, but there is no doubt it is going away.

We made other changes, the most important one is we don't water him near his sleeping area, so the sand in there is losing moisture. Of course, we also cleaned his cage, but I don't think this was an issue, because he either spent his time inside his (clean) sleeping area, or on a clean rock.

It should be noted that he has been lethargic prior to this, and it is probably related. But now he's perkier. I guess because we're knocking out the source enough for his natural immune system to do the job. From his rate of recovery, I believe that if the spot was much bigger, they might not have the natural immunity to overcome it with just a topical creme.

Don't know if it is related, but yesterday was the first time we were able to put it on without him trying to bite us.

Will post pictures later this week.

Steve

curing the outer signs is one thing. curing a systemic infection is another.
i had to give shots to the girls that had it. they had actual blisters.

i had a male, kaiser who had the flat red spots like your guy. i put silvadine on the marks thinking he had somehow cut himself or burned himself and i could take care of the wound on my own. two weeks later he died from bleeding to death. i came home one night and his skin had sort of just melted off of him all around the area. it was very disguisting blood was everywhere and the poor guy wasn't dead. he died the next night even after a (too late) visit to the vet

this is one of the females. blisters and them scarring. you can see how big the mess got from her scars

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vonnie

***I have learnt silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers. Kahlil Gibran***