7 month Veiled, One eye closed and itchy?

[sophasaurus]

Hello i was wondering if anyone could help me here!

I work at a reptile shop, and we got a 6month old female veiled chameleon in. I fell in love with her and took her home 3 days ago, she is now 7 months. Since the day we got her in she has always had a problem with one eye. She used to open it occasionally but she mainly sat there with one eye open, this eye because swollen and she kept moving it around in the socket really weird! We misted her lots and she began opening it more, and it stopped swelling and became normal size again. However about a week later she closed it again for good, and now i havent really seen it open at all!! it almost looks dried up? but she still swivels it round in the socket weirdly.

We took her to the vet and she looked just as confused as we are. She gave us some saline solution and we have used that ever since. She never tries to open it any more and has began itching it on everything and enjoys rubbing it on my hand. This makes it look swollen and red/ purple. We checked under the lid and there is still any eye there but she just never uses it.

Shes lovely and lively, always walking about and is great with being handled, she sits on my head a lot and enjoys climbing up my tshirts. She has never shown any aggression. She eats fine and enjoys eating the plants we have in the viv (Safe for Chams) and we have a water dripper ive seen her drink from many times. We dust the bugs with calcium and gut load them, she eats crickets and waxworms for a treat.

The humidity in her 3.5 ft wooden and mesh enclosure is about 50-60% most times and higher when i mist. She has a 100w ceramic bulb which she happily basks under, and a 6% UVB. these are both on 12 hour timers.

Thanks for your help! hopefully someone knows what could be wrong!!

 

[ataraxia]

Hi, from what i can see in the picture along with behavior you are describing. It appears the chameleon either has debris or infection in the turret. If it has been going on for this long it is something that evidently will need professional attention.

To help.
1. Long, Long, Long showers three plus times daily.
2. keep good humidity.
3. Squirt saline solution at the eye opening. Literally stream it.
4. Find a vet that has experience with chameleons.

 

[Lovereps]

Welcome to the forum!
Sorry your cham girl is having a problem.

Ataraxia has given you very good advice.

You can find a vet who knows how to treat chams by clicking the links on this forum page https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/healthx/vet/

Saline solution often helps minor eye irritations but it sounds as though
she may have an infection that needs an antibiotic eyedrop, as well as an oral antibiotic.

If you can't find a good cham vet, please make a post telling us where you're located and someone may be able to recommend one near you.

If she has not been getting feeders dusted with a multivitamin 2x a month, especially if the feeders have not been gutloaded with a homemade gutload, then her eye troubles may have begun as a vitamin A deficiency--which she would still have--and then became an infection plus a vitamin A deficiency.

If she does not get any outdoor time, she would also benefit from calcium with D3 2x a month on her feeders.
Both multivitamins and D3 must be used far less often than the plain calcium, as too much is as bad as none.