I remember in high school biology studying the human temperature sensitivity as being
only within a certain range of the ambient temperature--creating a great sensitivity
for slight changes without the need to sense a huge range all at once. The example
they gave was that if you put a frog in a pot of boiling water it will [obviously!]
try to escape, but if you gradually turn up the temp it doesn't realize it is being
boiled (I don't know that this was an actualy experiment beyond being a 'thought
experiment' to make a point.
Could the problem, especially with a basking light, be related? After all, I'VE
burned myself without realizing it by 'basking' too long!
(yes, I know I'm a few days behind)
---- you wrote:
> Greg...
>
> I agree with your last statement, but I don't agree with the back having
> thermal-pain receptors while the belly doesn't. I have treated several
> chameleons that were allowed to bask too close to a heat lamp and
> developed 3rd degree burns. I just think they never developed a need
> because the sun isn't ever going to get as hot as an improperly set up
> basking lamp.
>
> >
> > > I thought they might fall asleep and get burned while they're asleep, which
> > > might be possible.
> >
> > I seem to recall something about pain receptors in reptiles being different
> > as well as thermal receptors. I may have it mixed up, but I think that the
> > belly does not have thermal-pain receptors (but the back does... so they
> > know when to stop basking!) and that what happens is the lizard perceives a
> > hot rock as warm... but doesn't detect pain associated with the heat.
> > Unlike us. We have pain receptors for dull pain... sharp pain and when
> > extremes of temperature occur it triggers a different kind of pain that may
> > actually include "sharp". Reptiles seem to have reduced pain receptors,
> > especially in the area of sharp pain or thermally-induced pain (which may be
> > why many of them can lose their tails without going into pain-induced
> > shock... or have digits or entire limbs bitten off and seem essentially okay
> > with the idea). I once had a box turtle brought to me that had been hit by
> > a lawn-mower... a 2 inch x .5 inch hole was chopped in the carapace and
> > lungs and other internal organs were clearly visible and completely
> > unprotected by any skin or bony shell. After an hour of cleaning the fly
> > eggs out of the wound... the turtle ATE a full meal. I've heard of similar
> > stories that involved amputations and yet the animal ate within hours of the
> > trauma and seemed otherwise normal. Point is... reptiles seem to not detect
> > pain the same way a mammal would.
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