Hi all, I have some questions regarding my 14 month old Nosy Be and his eyes. Both eyes are dark, not showing a defined golden ring and now one eye has sunken in. Here goes the info:

Cage: 2'x4'x4' (2x4x4 divided in half with solid divider until 12 months old) Wood frame with about 1/2" spacing plastic mesh, great for their feet and climbing but does not keep out/in bugs. Some free roaming the last month+

Lighting: Sun only

Temperature: Outdoors Sarasota Florida 34239

Humidity: Outdoors Sarasota

Plants: Hibiscus, Croton (ficus from 3-6months old)

Location: Outdoor pool cage, low traffic, full sun/part sun/full shade depending on season/temps/time of day.

My cham: Male Nosy Be born July '07, came into my care at 3+ months old in late October '07. Now 14+ months old.

Handling: Only occasional handling while in cage. Daily handling/wrangling when allowed to free roam.

Feeding: Cup fed crickets and dubias from 3-6 months of age. Staring January '08: hand fed silkworms (fed on silkworm chow), dubias (fed on fruit/veggies and roach chow) and occasional crickets. Added hornworms over the summer to boost hydration.

Supplememts: Miner All and Herptivite - No D3. Each once per week dusted on several silkies.

Watering: Daily showering with a garden hose on shower setting (not mist) and/or drip cups throughout the day. Much more frequent showers/drippings during the peek sumer months down here. Sometimes see them drink, but not a lot or often.

Doodie: White urates, well formed poops. Tested for parisites yesterday, awaiting results Monday.

History: This Nosy Be and another male panther I got at the same time are my first ever reptile/exotic animals so I tried to gather info and be prepared before I got them. None the less I hit a few learning bumps. In particular the Nosy didn't take to cup feeding nearly as well as my other. I'd say he ate poorly, but did eat, in November/December '07. I switched to silkworms around the first of the year and feeding became a breeze. It helped in switching to hand feeding and he has eaten quite well throughout '08. Also I was a bit unsure of exact supplement regiments with them being outside so was only doing once per week with both types (miner all and herptivite). I'm concerned I may have slightly undersupplemented.

I noticed as far back as this spring that my Nosy was sometimes less acurate with his tongue then my other male panther. I increased watering as the weather was getting warmer and gave the cage more mid day shade than over the winter. Early summer (May?) I noticed his eyesballs were darker than my other cham, no clear pupil with golden ring. Not being more experienced with these animals I didn't identify it as a problem right away and thought maybe eye color varied with locales. doh! Anyway I've since tried to find more info and suspect possible Vit A deficiancy. Although this is only a guess.

I should also add that I have allowed one or the other of my chams to free roam the pool cage over the last month and a half. I do realize this presents many possible issues and potential problems. I have seen my other male eat a small brown anole and can only assume the Nosy has eaten something or another while roaming.

Current problem: The current issue culminated in my noticing his right eye being sunken in last Tuesday 9/16. It has stayed this way since and I had a Vet come see him on Friday. A fecal is being done and I'll get the results Monday. The Vet gave me Red Palm Oil as a supplemnet and said to use a little once per day (smeared down the back of a feeder). I've been unable to find any helpful info about this palm oil regarding chams, anyone have experience with this?

His limbs are well formed and his bones are solid. While he's active and alert he continues to be inacurate with his tongue, it's like he'll look at his food sideways and then shoot his tounge and miss it to the side. He also seems to occasionally reach out for branches or things that are not really in his reach. From my lay persons observations it almost seems like it's a vision or focus problem rather then a bodily coordination problem, but again, just a guess. I do not believe there is any hydration issue as he is eating/pooping normal with white urates. There is no sign of external injury to the eye turret, no bites bumps or discoloration. Any help for this guy would be appreciated.

Eye color close ups:




My other cams eye close up:


Sunken eye:





Sorry if I've left out important info, this is my first post, so just ask for any clarification or further details. Thanks very much.

Damon

Whole body pictures from today:



From mid August:

Here's a couple shots of my other guy for comparison purposes, or at least to show that I appear to have done something right in raising my first chams. He's received identical care except that he was a better cup feeder and ate well from the start.

Howdy Damon,

I was curious about your chameleon's eyes too. I pounded through the Mader chapter on Reptilian Opthalmology but didn't find anything that jumped out at me as useful info for your situation. There are exotic vets who specialize in diseases of the eye. You might see if one is either nearby or maybe one that would either consult to your vet or even accept an emailed photo directly from you .

Another example of a "good eye" from my panther. I've posted this before, but for continuity, here it is again:

__________________
See Ya,

Dave Weldon
Panther & Veileds

Book Collection:
"Reptile Medicine and Surgery" 2nd ed. By Mader
"Chameleons - Their Care and Breeding" By Linda J. Davison
"Chameleons - Nature's Hidden Jewels" 2nd Ed. By Petr Necas
"The Panther Chameleon: Color Variation, Natural History, Conservation and Captive Management" By Gary W. Ferguson...
"Thoughts for Food" 3rd Ed. Edited by Ardi Abate
"Understanding Reptile Parasites" By Roger J. Klingenberg D.V.M.

This site will help you find a vet in your area if you don't already have one. There's a really good chameleon vet in Orlando but I know that's a long drive for you......I drive two hours from where I live to see him.

Herp Vet Connection