Baby panther help

Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Male panther, 3 months old, had for 2 weeks
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Lately every day (shower and giving eye meds (gentamicin sulphate drops in both eyes recommend by beeeder)
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Crickets, I have a TON of silkworms that he has refused to eat since day 1. I have been giving him around 10 small (1/4 inch) crickets daily. I give them every morning about 30 min after lights come on and first misting is completed. Gut loaded with cricket crack, oranges, carrots, and bee pollen
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Calcium w/out d3 daily, reptivite every 10 days, minerall 2x weekly (outdoor formula) haven't done calcium with d3 yet.
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Climist misting system, misting 6xs a day 1min each time. Water is warmed with aquarium heater. I have seen him drink many times.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • Had 2 bowel moments yesterday brown( some mucous in it) unrates are always white. Fecal tested when I first got him (negative).
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
  • He was in a "baby bin" (suggested by breeder) for first week. I was having trouble with him climbing to to the top and hanging under the uvb so I moved him into his normal cage.
  • When moving him into the new cage the mister was set wrong ( my fault) it went off at night for about 15min. He was fine in the am but I think he was cold and wet and this may have caused his issues.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Reptibreeze (screen) 18x 18x36
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Dome light basking 50w, reptisun t5 hood with reptisun uvb fluorescent bulb. 14 hours on, 10 hours off. Unfortunately my work schedule is hard to get back in time to see how he's been doing on 12hrs on and 12hrs off.
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • 72 on bottom, 85 in basking. I have 2 digital thermometers and a temp gun.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Around 50-55% to 75-80% (when misted) I have a digital gauge in the middle of cage in cooler side and warmer side. ( was 45% before I added shower curtain).
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Pothos plant
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • In dining room (never used) not near any vents, although cage does look into kitchen from afar (probably a good 10 feet or more) we are mostly in the living room on the other side of the house. Cage is sitting on table 3 feet of ground
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
  • Rochester, NY

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

He had his first shed in my care last Thursday. A couple days later he started rubbing his eyes and was sleeping during the day/squinting? He would open them if I came by but would close them a few minutes later. Still eating and wandering the cage just when he would bask his eyes were closed. I contacted the breeder and he suggested gentamicin drops. I work for a veterinarian so I was able to get this easily. They seemed to be working at first (started them Monday night). Yesterday and today he started gaping and I can hear some popping. I placed him and his baby bin in a steamy shower (not directed at him or cage off wall) for 30 min yesterday and 20 min this morning. I would put him outside but it's too chilly here today (70). I did give him some reptaid (1 drop). It's difficult to give him and I hope he is licking off his mouth. He's getting pretty annoyed at me and I feel terrible for stressing him out but I want him to be okay. He does have a vet appointment Tuesday (earliest I could do), (the vet I work for is small animal only). Last night I did put the ceramic emitter on so it was around 75 where he was sleeping. I also have a shower curtain on 2 sides to hold in the humidity.
My concern is he's inflating his gular more today. Should I give him another "shower"? I did not see him eat today. I just want to do as much as I can and I don't want him to get too sick prior to his appointment on Tuesday. Any suggestions are appreciated! Thank you, I'm new to this and I thought I did all my research but Nonetheless he's sick!
 
Do you hear any popping sounds when he's breathing? Is there excess mucus in his mouth?
Does he breathe deeply with the gular pouch out? Does he raise the end of his nose up in the air and mouth breathe?
 
Do you hear any popping sounds when he's breathing? Is there excess mucus in his mouth?
Does he breathe deeply with the gular pouch out? Does he raise the end of his nose up in the air and mouth breathe?
I don't hear popping when he is breathing just when he opens his mouth. I do see mucus but not too much. He does breath deep with the gular pouch. He doesn't raise his head, but he opens his mouth to breath after he inflates his pouch when breathing deeply. Right now he's sleeping but he did go to sleep about an hour prior to lights out.
 
I'm wondering if it might be an RI.
Is the cage near a window?
Not next to any window. I was worried about a respiratory infection too :(. I'm just afraid of antibiotics because of how little he is. I realize that if it's needed he'll have to get them. I have a hard enough time getting the 1 drop of reptaid in him. I'm questioning if I should stop the eye drops if it's a RI. Thank you for your help. I'm going nuts over here!
 
I don't know what to tell you about the eye drops because I'm not sure what's wrong...and I'm not a vet.
I hope all goes well at the vets!
 
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I'm restarting this thread with a different question. My vet appointment is tomorrow but when I got home my poor little guy couldn't open his eyes. I have the reptisun T5 5.0 fluorescent bulb. When I first got him he would hang out directly under the uvb bulb. Actually looking into the light. The only thing separating was a screen lid. I was unable to get him to stop doing this so I moved him into his new cage. He still does it occasionally but not as much anymore. His eyes were "squinty" then would close occasionally then progressed to more often. I could see him move his eyes around under his lids. I have been keeping up with the gentamicin drops but I don't see that much of an improvement. Because the light was brand new could it cause his issues? I flushed his eyes out with sterile saline when I got home and he kept them open in untill he went to sleep. I know this bulb is safer then most but I am worried I caused the issue with his light. I turned it off after I flushed his eyes. Hopefully I'll find out more tomorrow at the vet. He doesn't seem to be breathing heavy anymore, but his poor eyes seem to be bothering him still.
 
The Repti-sun 5.0 is supposed to be one that causes no problems...but it's worth a try to turn it off and see what happens.
 
I just wanted to thank everyone! Flash is doing well, much more active. She flushed out his nasolacrimal duct. He had some build up behind his right eye. She also has me giving him Ox-Bow critical care (0.1ml) once daily. The mucous was kind of green so she sent out a culture (still waiting on results). She also has me flushing out his eyes with saline 3 times a day. Sent out his fecal too even though she looked at it (negative for parasites but questioned some calcium crystals in it). At first he LOVED the critcal care but now he is being a stubborn little guy! He'll lick it off his mouth but refuses to open his mouth! She was leary of any antibiotics because of how tiny he is. Overall I was very happy with the appointment, she said he did very well for the flushing. She thinks the low humidity problems I had in the beginning may have caused it, hard to tell. This forum has been great, I find myself get lost in all the threads ha ha! I just want him to be a happy cham with a great life! If anyone needs a vet in Rochester, NY, Dr. Licata at Erie Canal Veterinary Hospital is great. She even has a cham of her own .
 
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