Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently acquired a male veiled, approximately 1 y.o., through a paper ad. When I picked him up (about 2 weeks ago)the ridge of his back appeared to be in the beginning stages of shedding, and that's what the previous owner/keeper confirmed.
I have experience with other reptiles, but this is my first chameleon. He eats, drinks, and eliminates with no apparent problems. Anyway, what I thought was normal shedding has become something totally different and obviously not good. The spines along the ridge of his back began to look as if they were being eaten away by some type of fungus, or maybe mites (?), and there appeared to be a couple of cracks in his skin along the spinal crest. It kinda looks like a type of bad athlete's foot. THEN, when I got home today, I found a 1" piece of skin from his spinal crest...spines and all. Now, he has a 1" raw area along his crest (no obvious bleeding involved).
Does anyone have ANY idea what might be causing this?? Suggestions on how to help the area heal?? I could really use some advice from the people with on-the-job training..if ya know what I mean. (Sorry about the small novel!)

It could be a thermal burn from getting too close to a basking spot. Especially as he might have had less than perfect care from his former keeper. You should have a vet look at it (we can't see it here). There is a really good burn cream available from a vet called Silvadene that can keep the burn moist, fight infection, and help heal. I don't think it is a really specialized product so most vets should at least have a sample. Your vet may need to remove necrotic tissue too. It may heal if you can avoid infections and future burns. A tip:

When trying to measure the real temp in the basking spot, put a perch right where you want the cham to sit, and measure the temp of the perch surface specifically. A glass thermometer will basically measure air temp which can be quite different. Or, get one of the little infrared temp guns (they are so cheap now and the best thing since sliced bread) and measure the temp of your cham's skin as it basks. It may be higher than you think. You can move the lamp farther away to lower the temp if needed, and always be sure the cham can get out of the heat easily.

Thanks for your quick response Carlton! As a matter of fact, I have noticed that he has been staying further away from the heat lamp. He used to perch right at the top of his branches, but I recently purchased a stronger lamp and (now that I think about it) he has been spending much more time perching in the lower branches. The wound does appear clean & dry, with no apparent signs/symptoms of infection (luckily). I will be sure to keep a close eye out for this possibility though. Thanks again!

I'd still suggest protecting that new tissue. It will be very sensitive and prone to injury. You don't want it to get dry and cracked. A vet could probably just give you a sample tube of Silvadene. Or, possibly a very simple aloe gel could help too.

Thanks again Carlton. I was checking out this product at a local reptile supply store earlier this evening. It was called "Wound Aid", I believe it was a ZooMed product, have you ever heard of it? The main ingredient was jojoba oil, and it claimed to help in the healing process of burns and minor wounds. I passed on buying it, this time, because I had never heard of it and wanted to research it a little before using it. I would appreciate any info you might be able to pass on.

Sorry, haven't used it and don't know about it. One good all purpose product I use is either "triple antibiotic" or Polysporin. Neosporin in a pinch, but the Poly is apparently more compatible with herp skin.