Health Section G -Burns

BURNS

WARNING: This health chapter is written in hope to educate new chameleon owners to recognize early symptoms of sickness. Many of the pictures shown in health chapter are an advanced case of the disease. If your chameleon exhibit symptoms like these, it is HIGHLY advised for you to bring your chameleon to an exotic veterinarian as soon as possible. This article should NOT be used as a substitute for a vet visit. Please be a responsible pet owner. The author cannot be held responsible for any abuse or form of misused of the post. The identity of the sick chameleon's owner(s) is kept hidden to respect their privacy.

A. Thermal Burns



Case Study:
The chameleon is suspected to stay under the light for too long due to chill shock (read under prevention sub chapter to understand the meaning of term).
The owner fortunately is educated in chameleon care. Thus, he recognized the early symptoms and immediately went to a leading herp vet in the area. Neosporin (to prevent infections) was used in tandem with drugs administered by the vet.

The chameleon is slowly recuperating and currently is very healthy and active. Kevin still applied Neosporin (antibiotic ointment once in a while). His case is presented to educate people on how important to educate yourself constantly about chameleon keeping. He request me to relay this message to all of the viewer of this blog:

“I only request that the readers know, even though I did a lot of research on this and seen a good vet, that this was my unique experience. The information provided surely can help, but it should not replace a trip to a good herp vet.” Kevin

He also graciously provided us the progression picture of his chameleon:


FACTS:

Thermal burn is a common serious condition for chameleons in captivity. This is often caused by improper husbandry method such as putting heat lamp inside the enclosure or too close to the top of the cage allowing your chameleon access to get real close to the heat source. Unlike us, reptiles do not have suitable skin sensation to quickly get away from extreme heat.

Due to this, it is crucial for you to minimize the chance of your chameleon getting too close to the heat bulb. Also, avoid having the bulb “touching” the mesh in the topside. Baby chameleons often climb upside down during the adaptation stage to a new enclosure. You will want to avoid your chameleon from touching the hot surface of the bulb. Maintaining a correct ambient temperature and basking temperature is essential to avoid this risk. Furthermore, during the season when ambient temperature of the room is too cold, it is advisable for you to be alert to your chameleon’s behavior. Often when it is too cold, your chameleon will try to heat himself by coming real close to the light bulb.

The burned area might appear first as blisters or pale skin, which will turn to grey or black over period of time. Soon, the burned tissue will be necrotic. The danger of infection becomes imminent if it not treated properly. Consult with your veterinarian to assess what kind of treatment and changes you need to do while your chameleon in the healing process.

Unfortunately, the scar will be permanent. Loss mass due to necrotic tissue will not grow back. Necrotic tissues will eventually fall off. The skin will grow and cover the burned area. However, it will take quite a while for your chameleon to do this.

Prevention:

1. Avoid putting light bulb inside of the cage and/or directly on top of the enclosure where your chameleon skin can have physical contact with the bulb.
2. Monitor the basking temperature routinely, especially during extreme weather.
3. Do not use high wattage bulb when it is not necessary.
4. Understand during extreme temperature drop, your chameleon might seek to get closer to the heat bulb and not realized the danger of burn (chill shock).

Symptoms to watch out for:

1. Black, gray, blister, and/or necrotic tissue on your chameleon skin
2. Infections

Treatment:
When you go to the vet, most likely your vet will clean the wound and use sterile dressing.
Your vet might prescribe some topical ointment such as Silvadene cream
If infection occurs, some antibiotics will be needed.
Deep burns will need more aggressive treatment (i.e.: culture, sensitivity, and/or debridement) done by your vet.
Let the scab fall of on its own. Do not try to peel it off!
chameleon with thermal burn case recovers very slow. Therefore, persistence and patience of the owner are needed.

B. UVB BURN


Case Study:
The chameleon above is a case study presented by my friend, Dave Weldon. Recently, he had a chance to work with a UVB Burn related case. He is an expert in UVB related issues with chameleon.

Lighting used on the cage: Zilla™ Desert 50 bulb (Fortunately, the company had issued a recall of the product). They also put some advisory notice and an imperative instruction for you to properly install the light.
Please discontinue the use, if you have this series as your chameleon UVB source!

FACTS:

UVB Burn is exactly what it sounds. It is a condition where your chameleon is over exposed to a dangerous level of ultraviolet radiations. UVB burn can happened to all creatures on earth. Fortunately for us, humans, we can easily escape from scorching UVB ray by going indoors or wearing sunscreen, but the same cannot be said to your chameleon that stuck inside of the cage 24/7.

UVB Burn is a serious health hazard that can kill your chameleon in a short amount of time. Many beginners are usually more worried whether they are providing enough UVB for their chameleon that they often think the more UVB exposure the better.
This kind of thinking is quite dangerous. UVB is very beneficial for your chameleon. But, an over exposure of UV radiation can quickly deteriorate your chameleon’s health.

Here is an excellent site where you can educate yourself about your reptile’s UVB need.

As I do not consider myself knowledgeable enough as far as UVB requirements, I have decided to ask someone with a better understanding about this matter.
So, here goes (red is my question, lavender is Dave Weldon’s answer):

Q: How do I know I am providing enough UVB for my chameleon?
A: There are several ways to look at the question. You can assume that you are providing enough UVB if you are using one of the recommended UVB light sources at the proper distance and your chameleon takes advantage of it by basking many hours a day. You can improve the odds by measuring the UVB energy using a Solarmeter 6.2 UVB meter at the basking spot to insure that you actually have 5 to 15 uW/cm2. Another way to answer the question is by evaluating the health of your chameleon. A skeletal x-ray can show if the bone density is acceptable or not. A blood test can also shed some light on circulating calcium levels. However it is possible that the levels are being maintained by pulling calcium from bone. This is essentially how MBD occurs. The bottom line is to avoid experimentation and use the best UVB source with a proven track record with chameleon keepers. Use it the way that other experienced keepers recommend.

Q: What are the prevention methods of UVB Burn?
A: This question really falls in line with the previous Q. Aside from just using the recommended Reptisun 5.0 linear tube positioned at the proper distance; using a Solarmeter 6.2 UVB meter will insure that levels are proper. Getting UVB burns is usually only caused by using an improperly designed UVB source or a UVB source that is not designed for individual use. For example a UVB source designed for Zoo applications rather than our typical chameleon enclosure would likely cause serious overexposure and likely cause UVB burns if a chameleon were able to gain access to close proximity of that source.

Q: Help. My vet is available only next week. My chameleon has a bad case of UVB burn. What should I do in the mean time?
A: Find another vet :-). Actually chameleon having a UVB burn is a rare occurrence. The more often case is burn caused by heat; in effect, basking lamp overexposure can be treated with Silvadene cream to minimize the chances of bacteria problems. It may take many weeks for the skin to slough-off, scab-over, and otherwise heal. Scaring will be permanent.

Prevention:

1. Provide your chameleon with a foolproof and recommended UVB bulb.
2. If you have the extra cash, purchase the Solarmeter to get an accurate reading of the UVB radiation emission by your bulb.

Symptoms to watch out for:

1. Scab and reddish or dark burn on your chameleon skin
2. Lethargic, Sleeping during the day.
   
3. Closing one eyes or both

TREATMENT:
Early detection plays an important factor. The sooner you treat it, the better the chance your chameleon will survive. This is the area where an exotic vet visit is a must.
If you suspect it is a UVB burn, then discontinue using the fluorescent light and substitute it with the recommended brand.