Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My 1.3 year old female veiled has a broken toe. My initial reaction is to take her to the vet, but i remember my last visit. He misinformed me on many things that I saw on my chameleon (stress scars). So now I am too afraid on being misinformed again.

Has anyone dealt with broken toes on chameleons before? and what did you do? (dont state the obvious please)

Thanks.

np

They are black spots that may appear on your chameleon's body that look like drak patches of skin. Dont worry about them, you dont need surgery or any antibiotic...all you need is good food intake... veggies (lots), bananas, pears, and dust your crickets.. maybe feed your cham a pinky mouse..

Well, black spots are either, simply, black spots(part of normal coloration) or burns. If they quickly appear, they're burns. What they're probably trying to say, is not that it's a scar from stress, but from a physical stress, an injury. Typically, veilds will get these from burns, they don't have very delicate skin like other species. Montane species will get black marks where they've been scratched, usually showing up when they're sleeping most.

I can tell you this much, I am 100% certain that they were stress scars. I have seen photos of these scars, and I saw them on my cham. They could never be burn marks because he was nowhere near a light wich he could get closer to. I know this because I did plenty of research not only on the web, but in libraries all over city. My cham doesnt have a tail, and at first (before he gained more strenght in his hands) he would fall, but never physically injure himself. (I always double checked) These black spots slowly developed and were just that spots. Even the exotic species vet said that he didnt know what they were. Told me that it could be internal virii. It was nothing as such.

And also this was not unshed skin that had been builing up on his body. (I was suggested that too) Chameleons scar on their bodies from time to time. Sometimes you notice it, and some you dont. But dont treat is as a burn. They look completely different.

Just in case you don't think these suggestions are "the obvious"...I'd watch to make sure the toe or foot doesn't get hard, stiff, or turn black which would suggest an infection or circulation problem. Other than that I don't think there is anything else to do as long as she can get around OK. I'm sure toes get broken in the wild and the chams just deal with it. I'd be more concerned with why it got broken (in the relative safety of captive life). Does she climb screen a lot? Any other signs of MBD?