Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all,

A friend of mines Veild escaped from its 260 gallon repterium (big surprise) yesterday and unfortunaly the cat found him before my buddy did. Not the cham has cuts on his face and head what kind of cream is safe to use on the cham to heal the wound?

thanks
greg (MTL)

Greg,

Cats are notorious for leaving scratches that get infected. You will want to clean the scratches good - use either hydrogen peroxide; betadine; or even "Band-Aid antiseptic wound wash for kids" made by Johnson & Johnson. It will be easier if you use a q-tip if these cuts are near the eyes. Don't get any of these in the chameleon's eyes.

Next, the best cream for wounds is SSD - 1% silver sulfadiazine cream - but this is only available through a doctor or the vet. If you can't manage that - get a triple antibiotic ointment from the drug store and use that. Again - use care in applying.

You will want to clean, pat dry and apply the ointment to each of these scratches twice daily. If you notice any infection (swelling or oozing), you will have to take the cham to the vet. It may need oral antibiotics in addition to the topical ointment.

The marks (which will turn black) will take several sheds to go away after the cuts heal.

Good luck...
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Unless your friend is a vet have him take it in for a vet visit. I say this because if you have to ask what type cream to apply or how to then get a exotic vet to look at his veild. You might be missing something and no one can diagnose a possible underlying infection.
By the way, the only way out of a reptarium is a hole or a zipper left open..

The best thing for this chameleon is a trip to the vet. Most cats carry opportunistic bacteria that will possibly kill the chameleon. Antibiotic cream and/or injections may be required.